Do you retail dipes out-of-home?

[kaymurr]

We live in a large suburb of Houston and I know of a few moms, well okay, I know of two moms within about a 20-mile radius, who retail a select few brands of dipes from their home. One is by appt.-only and I never made it over there; the other was a bit more accomodating on a short notice and I went to her house a couple times when I was first CD'ing a few years ago. Additionally, there is a pretty popular children's resale store that sells used and new dipes, but again only a select few new.

So I'm thinking I might want to do this with a few of my own faves, now that I have a lot more experience. Maybe help new mamas in the area who don't have hands-on access to CD; maybe even do some diaper parties/showers.

Mind you I'm talking about retailing established dipes, not my own line.

Does anyone do this, and if so how/what do you do?

[topherellajones]

[elevee]

I'm thinking of doing the same thing. Our area has a lot of medium to low income parents looking to live more ecologically, so I am going to focus on affordable China imports, because I think it's what people need and can afford. If people want the big name dipes they can go to another established brick and mortar store nearby, that has a full line of accessories and a good website. My business will be for people like me. I have found that a lot of people just don't know that pockets can cost less than 18 bucks apiece. We also have a really good word of mouth market, between mom's groups, homeschool groups and midwive's practices that help spread the word. At the same time I'm planning to do ebay, DS and maybe hyena cart, although customizing my cart seems daunting right now. Let me know how it goes, and what your planning phase is like!

[MaBacon]

I don't know how it would be. I'm thinking of becoming a diaper consultant but I'm not sure how much I'll actually make on it. We're in a good area for it since there are NO stores near by that sell them and a lot of people interested in it.

[novemberlily]

I retail, but not any known brands, and I also "designed" the pocket diapers I carry, so it's not the same as selling grovia or bum genius.

I do know that if there are already some CD retailers in your area you are going to have work really hard to separate yourself from them and do something different to drive customers to your store over theirs. Maybe it's a larger, different selection, more accessible to people than by appt only, selling for much less/at a discount or something like that.

[m&m&m]

I do this and just so you know I have been doing it a year now and I have yet to get "paid" The cost involved with inventory stocking etc. (I do online and in person but for online you have to have all the colors and sizes etc in stock otherwise customers go somewhere else). You have to be very dedicated to be self-employed in my opinion. Also, the mark up on diapers is not as high as other clothing items. The discount from retail to wholesale is generally in the 35-45% range and if you offer a sale that directly cuts into that. I don't mean to discourage you if you feel that there really is a market in your area but these are some things I wish I had known before I got started.

[rachelrhin0]

I know a lady who retails out of her home and her online store has really gorwn fast in her 1st year. I say go for it.

[elevee]

Originally Posted by novemberlily I retail, but not any known brands, and I also "designed" the pocket diapers I carry, so it's not the same as selling grovia or bum genius. I do know that if there are already some CD retailers in your area you are going to have work really hard to separate yourself from them and do something different to drive customers to your store over theirs. Maybe it's a larger, different selection, more accessible to people than by appt only, selling for much less/at a discount or something like that.

When you say "designed", do you mean that other WAHMs make up your designs, or you make them, or did you have a Chinese factory design to your specs? I have heard that some factories will do that, and wondered about it.

[novemberlily]

I have a very small Chinese factory making them. I know this pushes a lot of people away, but I honestly would be losing money if I went with a Canadian factory to make them. Either that or they would cost over $30 each....yeah not likely anyone would pay for them lol

But it can be hard to find a factory willing to do this, and if you do, it's also hard to keep a good eye on quality control. I spend a lot of time Skyping with my business contact/factory owner. He also makes and sells other pockets and sells them all over asia, as well as other baby products.

[elevee]

Interesting! So is yoyoo your design, or do you have proprietary rights to another one?

The China thing doesn't bother me. Their government and currency may be screwed up (so is ours in the US) but for most part they just seem like folks who want to make a living. All my experienes with Chinese vendors has been good so far.

....I just checked out your website. Nice product line!