Ordering wholesale sounds simple until the boxes arrive and half the merchandise looks nothing like the catalog photos. That cute top with “flattering draping” turns out to be a shapeless sack that nobody will buy at any price. Meanwhile, rent is due and thousands of dollars sit in inventory that won’t move.

Minimum order quantities trap new boutique owners into buying way more than they need of styles that might not sell. Katydid wholesale womens clothingrequires understanding which pieces actually move versus which ones look cute in photos but die on racks. Learning this distinction costs money, usually lots of it.

Trend timing becomes gambling when wholesale orders take weeks or months to arrive. That hot style spotted on Instagram in February shows up in May when everyone’s already moved on to the next thing. Dead inventory piles up while cash flow problems start creating real stress.

Sizing assumptions that destroy profit margins

Size runs vary wildly between wholesale suppliers, making it impossible to predict what “medium” actually means until clothes arrive. Ordering standard size distributions based on general population statistics fails when specific brands run small, large, or just weirdly proportioned.

Plus-size inventory decisions create tough choices because skipping extended sizes excludes customers while ordering them requires additional capital investment that might not generate proportional returns. Getting this balance wrong either loses sales or ties up money in slow-moving stock.

Petite sizing gets ignored by many wholesalers entirely, forcing retailers to either skip that market segment or find separate suppliers that complicate ordering and increase shipping costs. Managing multiple vendors for complete size ranges adds complexity that new buyers underestimate.

Sample size photos in catalogs usually show size small or medium on models, giving zero indication of how styles actually look on average or larger bodies. This information gap leads to ordering mistakes where clothes photograph well but fit poorly on actual customers.

Fabric quality surprises that hurt credibility

Catalog descriptions mentioning “soft knit” or “comfortable fabric” mean absolutely nothing without seeing and touching actual samples. That description could represent anything from quality material to cheap garbage that falls apart after one washing.

Sheerness problems don’t show up in professional photos shot with perfect lighting and undergarments. Then clothes arrive and they’re see-through enough to require layering that customers don’t expect when buying what looked like standalone pieces in photos.

Color accuracy between catalog and reality creates return headaches when “burgundy” arrives as bright red or “navy” looks purple in natural light. These discrepancies damage customer trust when online photos don’t match actual products.

Vendor relationship mistakes that compound problems

Communication failures about ship dates, back orders, or substitutions create inventory surprises that mess up entire seasonal planning. Vendors who go silent after taking orders provide no way to adjust plans when problems arise.

Quality complaint handling reveals whether suppliers stand behind products or ghost retailers when issues emerge. Bad vendor responses turn single order problems into relationship-ending experiences that force finding new suppliers mid-season.

Return policy restrictions hidden in fine print create situations where obviously defective merchandise becomes the retailer’s problem entirely. Understanding these policies before ordering prevents expensive surprises later.

Net payment terms sound generous until realizing they create cycles where paying for previous inventory before it sells requires additional capital that many small retailers don’t have available. Markup math that doesn’t work in reality

Comparison shopping through customer phones right in the store forces competitive pricing that eliminates margin flexibility. When customers can see the exact item cheaper online while standing at the register, pricing power evaporates completely.

Working with Katydid wholesale womens clothing or any wholesale supplier successfully requires learning from expensive mistakes before they destroy business viability. Understanding these common pitfalls helps new buyers avoid at least some of the costly errors that come from inexperience in wholesale clothing procurement and retail inventory management.