Five Minute Friday: Wholesale Buying Isn’t Shopping, It’s Investing

In today’s episode, Sara Burks, Director of Education at The Boutique Hub, breaks down one of the most important concepts every boutique owner must understand: Wholesale buying isn’t shopping — it’s investing. Buying inventory is about making smart, intentional decisions to meet your customers’ needs and create profit, not just picking what you personally like. Sara walks through six essential tips to help you buy wholesale with confidence and strategy. Key Takeaways: Wholesale Buying = Investing: It's not about filling your cart with cute things — it’s about solving your customers’ problems and maximizing your return on investment. Tip 1: Know Your Customer You’re not buying for yourself — you're investing for them. Conduct customer interviews to find out their true needs, fit preferences, colors they love, and the problems they need solved. Tip 2: Understand Your Buying Options Explore both online marketplaces (like Hubventory, Faire, FashionGo, LA Showroom) and in-person markets (Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, LA, Las Vegas, New York). In-person shopping sparks creativity and allows you to touch, feel, and truly experience products. Tip 3: Learn Vendor Sizing Vendor sizing can vary dramatically. Knowing how different vendors size their items ensures a better experience for your customers and fewer returns. Tip 4: Understand Prepacks Most wholesalers sell items in prepacks (e.g., 2 smalls, 2 mediums, 2 larges). Choose vendors whose prepack options align with the sizes your customers actually need. Tip 5: Be Aware of Minimums Every vendor has minimum order requirements — in dollars or quantity. Be smart: don’t bust your budget for a single sweater you love if it doesn’t make sense for your store overall. Tip 6: Price With Profit in Mind Always decide what your customer would pay before you look at the wholesale price. Avoid limiting your potential profit by focusing too soon on wholesale costs. Biggest Tip: Don’t trap yourself in a pricing bubble. Think like an investor first: What will your customer happily pay, and does the wholesale cost give you the profit margin you need?   Shop Wholesale on Hubventory Join The Boutique Hub Community