Farewell Killstar, Hell Bunny and Collectif
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Well this one has been brewing for a while! 20 odd years ago (when I started Kate's Clothing) online shopping was a fresh landscape, fertile and ready for those of us with the skills and drive to make the most of it. Roll forward to today and it's a very different picture. With the rise of the likes of Amazon, Shein and now Temu, it's become a lot, lot tougher for the little guys like me to carve a path. Add the huge increase in fraud, friendly or otherwise, and the pressure is really on!
There's only so much I can do about the aforementioned, I can however, address another thing that's happened in the last 2 decades. The brands I stock also have similar pressures and one of the ways they've addressed that is to sell direct to you the consumer. To be honest, a few of them have become a bit too good at it for my liking. The awesome Killstar (quite rightly) now dominates the gothic domain with their constant influx of stunning designs and brutal discounts. Little old me can't keep up. When the the brands do a big retail discount, I get a large influx of returns as people send back items they've just bought from me and buy them for less direct. Putting the extra admin aside (and the admin load for returns is no small matter) it still makes it really difficult for me to manage my stock levels. Consequently I end up short on some sizes and styles and all my efforts and advertising costs just result in customers heading directly to the brands website, where there's more stock. So, reluctantly, I've decided to make the tough choice to focus on the brands that aren't quite so excellent at selling direct (no offense other brands). I can add some real value to them and offer you guys something more unique and hard to find.
So sadly, it's time for me to say goodbye to Killstar, Hell Bunny and Collectif. I'm so grateful to them for their support over the years, they've all been lovely to work with.
Right now though, what this means for you, is some bargains are to be had while I work to clear the stock I have, so please make the most of the price reductions and help me to adapt to the new plan.
As always, thanks so much for your support!
Kate
x
21 comments
please keep up the good work that you do, you are helpful and frendly
Thank you so much for the many years of wallet woe! LOL.
Just kidding!
Have received incredible bargains and excellent customer service!
Still going to be a repeat customer even without those particular brands!
Onwards and upwards!
Keep up the Goth work!
x Raven
Thanks for your message Kate .
Really respect what you are saying . Difficult times , I understand.
To be honest , I usually go to your site anyway. I love the fact that it is completely hassle free & unbeatable on price.
I had a query once , after supporting your business for some time, and was amazed how quickly you responded & sorted it .
I also love the fact that you have earth friendly packaging, which I think is hugely important . It must cost you way more money to have too .
When it’s my birthday, or Christmas , I always purchase , or have someone pick me something up from your site.
I really have nothing bad to say about your business, only many , many positives.
I will continue to give you my support.
Wishing you all the best with your business.
Many thanks Kate !
Good luck to you! I will keep shopping as much as I can
i am a true follower of you and will not be looking anywhere else for my gothic clothing, just think you were apart of there success and now you are moving forward to a new journey