A need for lower prices on Lingerie, Clothes, Wigs etc.

[Lovely Rita]

I have shopped at boutiques that specialize in clothing for CDs. I have found that all items are overpriced and have just felt ripped off. I know there are many CDs that are comfortable shopping at regular stores but I also believe there are still many who shop on line or mail order.

I am actually contemplating starting a boutique. My wife and I have talked about it seriously. I think it is terrible how so many CDs are taken for a ride with overpriced items. I am now investigating and contacting suppliers for quality merchandise at low prices. I am just seeking feed back if some of you feel the same. I also encourage anyone who thinks about doing the same so our sisters who are not comfortable with shopping at the mall can have places where they will find low prices for their lingerie, wigs, make up and dresses.

Please let me hear from you.

Thanks
Lovely Rita

[kimmigir1]

i think its a great idea , i support 100%

[Bev06 GG]

Hi Rita,
Thats a good idea provided you can make it work and are sure of your market. I too am sick of seeing places that exploit the CD community and the most amazing thing to me is that some of them are run by Crossdressers. I swung my makeover business round to support CDs because I just couldnt understand why CDs had to pay so much more for a makeover than GGs. Afterall apart from the shadow concealer theres nothing more to making a CD up to making a GG up. I suppose people play on the fact that CDs are so grateful for any help that they can get and most are unable to shop around like a GG would do. Good on you tho, I hope it works out for you. I know that we all have to make a living but hell theres a whole lot of difference between making a go of it and ripping someone off.
Take care
BEVxxx

[KathyT]

I look at most CD online stores and they are all selling Ladies lingerie at CD prices. Rarely do you see a CD in the ads. The ads are of woman in the lingerie. I do not have the same shape or measurements as a woman without padding. Most times you can find the same item in a regular shop or online store designed for woman at more that half the price!

Yes alot of CDs do not feel the courage to buy in person, I am one of them! But I buy online and mostly on eBay when I can find something in the size I need. There are some good CD stores out there. You just have to let it be known who caters to us and who does not..

[Sonia_cd]

Thats a great idea Kathy. Bev makes a very valid argument as regards exploitation of gratitude is concerned. Best of luck and hope it works out for the two of you.
Hugs,
Sonia

P.S: Any chance you'd want to open up a branch in India?????

[Tracy_Victoria]

Sadly

you also need to look at this from other angles, as well as just costs. there are other factors that must be taken in to account, which sadly are often overlooked.

Here in the UK, we can be charged £2.00 for a simple cheese sandwich, (or $4.00 nearly) but people forget, as well as the cost of making the sandwich which is pence! The cost has to include, wages, heating, lighting, refridgaration, transportation, marketing, wastage, retailers profit, and probably a few other things as well.

Sorry to put a slight downer on your plans, and believe me I wish you the very, very best of luck if you go ahead, but when ever you sell items aimed at a specialist market, the price will sadly be higher. As well as most of the above, heating, lighting, wages, transportation, buying, etc, the market your aiming to sell to, is limited, therefore you have little passing trade sales, and sadly as much as you premote the business for being for Crossdressers, and Transvestites, some still will not visit due to there own fears.

Personally if you are keen to do this, (and if I was in the same situation) I would make it a EBusiness (ie on line) you cut your cost, you can run it from home, and you can mail it discretely to people, or even run a collection service. but I think one thing you will find as well is the retail price is already high, due to the specialist demand. hence why a lot of wiser TV's/CD buy from normal retailers, it stops us being ripped off!

good luck!

[Lovely Rita]

thanks Kimigirl

[Lovely Rita]

Thanks for your response Kathy T. The support has been encouraging. I agree that it would be nice to see CD's modeling the merchandise.

[Lovely Rita]

Tracy
I know prices in the UK are crazy. When I was there last year I was amazed at how expensive it is. I also have noticed that there is a CD tariff, so to speak. We are looked on like a captive audience. Captives are always abused and taken for a ride and our aim is to settup a site where CD's like me can shop and know they are getting a good deal as well as quality. We will also attempt to subsidize it by selling to non-CD's.
Once when I was all self conscious, a real scardy cat about my cross dressing. I found a boutique that catered just to CDs/TS and walked out with merchandise, nylons, heels etc. that would probably cost 300 to 400 dollars in any regular shop and spent well over a thousand. Hence you can understand my crusade. Our sisters need looking after by caring, loving and considerate people and I hope to be one of them. As far as quality. I will not sell something I would not buy for myself.

thanks and take care

[Billijo49504]

Rita, I might suggest you check with any organizations in your area, for small businesses. They can give you some help getting started. Such as writing a business plan. Which is needed to get loans and grants. And remember most small businesses don't make it. So don't give up your day job. But I do wish you luck and hope you are exception to the odds....BJ

[Ashley in Virginia]

I dont get the whole specialized for CD thing. Clothes are clothes. CD's that allow themselves to get raped by "speciality" retailers deserve what they get.

Why not open up a regular shop and hold cd friendly times to shop. You could block off sections of time that the store is open to a "private" sale and that way no one should feel weirded out.

[Karren H]

It is a great idea but I assume that your not going to give the merchandice away and have to cover your overhead and make a few bucks so if your volume is low (location, location, location) will your prices be competitave with say a Walmart. I've always found Walmart to be very cost effective for lingerie and the basics and with the new self checkouts, anyone that is a little embarased can purchase what they want without faceing a cashiere. It would be an aset to the CD comunity in your ares but just do your homework and put some economics to it and see if it makes any scenss for you to do. Don't forget to run some sensitivities to sales volume and price both plus and minus and factor in inflation over time also. A simple incremental NPV or DCF analysis should suffice. And if it does.... Hey then go for it!

Love Karren

[sherri]

It's not all that difficult to keep from getting ripped off by high prices and poor quality, but it does take some effort. Armed with a little knowledge about sizes and some courage, just buy your clothes where GGs do.

Still, that may be a problem for some, so a specialty shop on the up-and-up would be a blessing for many CDs. If you live in a huge city, a retail store might make sense, but regardless, a web site would be essential, I would think.

I seriously doubt, however, that you're going to be able to offer dramatically lower prices to your customers, unless maybe you offer used merchandise. How are you going to beat the discount and department store chains on clothing? As for makeup, wigs, breastforms, etc, you can't sell used stuff, so where are you going to get quality merchandise at lower prices?

[Amanduhrob]

There are numerous outfits on the web that will sell you bulk amounts of garments, or shoes for pennies on the dollar. Try a google search for wholesale panties, and I'd bet you find dozens of wholesalers who will sell you different lines inexpensively.

[Tracy_Victoria]

Tracy
I know prices in the UK are crazy. When I was there last year I was amazed at how expensive it is. I also have noticed that there is a CD tariff, so to speak. We are looked on like a captive audience. Captives are always abused and taken for a ride and our aim is to settup a site where CD's like me can shop and know they are getting a good deal as well as quality. We will also attempt to subsidize it by selling to non-CD's.
Once when I was all self conscious, a real scardy cat about my cross dressing. I found a boutique that catered just to CDs/TS and walked out with merchandise, nylons, heels etc. that would probably cost 300 to 400 dollars in any regular shop and spent well over a thousand. Hence you can understand my crusade. Our sisters need looking after by caring, loving and considerate people and I hope to be one of them. As far as quality. I will not sell something I would not buy for myself.

thanks and take care

I certainly can understand your crusade, and i wish you all the best with it, which was why I suggested starting with a Interent business, to keep the costs down for both yourself, and your customers

Good Luck!

[carol ann]

I have posted several notes on this forum suggesting that CD's do not buy their feminine needs from specialist CD shops in the Uk because of the extremely high prices.

I take the point that it is a specialist market and hence total sales will be low in relation to costs and, hence, a higher mark up may be justified. however if they go too high, as outlets have in the UK, it starts to work against them and they lose any customer loyalty they might ever get.

There is room for a good CD outlet in the UK selling items at normal retail prices. i am sure that such a shop or online store would soon build up a clientele from recommendations on sites such as this.

[Kenix]

Well it's capitalism at work. Some stores do see the CD comminity as a gold mine. At the same time I agree with Carol Ann that higher markup can be justified for certain items.

[annekathleen]

I have had very good luck on eBay.

As long as you know your correct "female" sizes!!!

[Adrienne Heels]

If you go into a GG shop and act confident, like you belong, you can shop in those stores no problem. I have been in Ann Taylor, The Limited, Express, Nine West, and had no problems. And even in the better stores, when items are on sale, the prices are reasonable.

I don't think the CD market is large enough to support the same pricing as GG stores.

[michelle19845]

walmart of course,and good will,dynomite clothing ! went to both today.good times and prices !


michelle19845

[Lovely Rita]

We have already been contacting wholesalers and you would be so surprised at how good it can get.

[Alayna]

I think it's a great idea. While I also understand the need to make a buck, there's no excuse for preying on people which happens all too often. There's one store here in Denver that's run by CD's and the prices they charge are horrible. If you stock up on more practical clothes and undergarments you hopefully should do well. Not many CD's have much use for micro-mini thongs and stripper dresses. I hope it works out for you

[LucyTwitch]

Hi

Have in the past bought stuff from CD shops. But fast relised they are a big rip off. With the internet you can buy just about any item at low cost. You have a big hurdle to establish your self. Try an auction site first such as Ebay, becarful thow as listing fees can mount up if items dont go.

Love
Lucy

[hammer]

I have found some great buys at thrift stores. I can almost always find brand new in the package stockings for 50 cents to a dollar. Today I got a cute black leather skirt for $4.00 and silk blouse for $2.00 and a bra that was brand new with the tags still on for $2.00. Shoes are hard to come across in my size, 12, but I do find them ocassionally.

[Julie York]

Ask yourself...What Is a CD shop?

Why is it described as such? What are they doing or selling that a normal womens' clothing shop is not doing? And do you want to sell those items?

All you need to do is run a good quality clothing business at sensible prices for women. Then make it known you are CD friendly.

But first you have to run a good quality clothing business at sensible prices and compete with all the other women's clothing shops doing the same.

Good luck. But don't be blinded by the CD thing. Ask yourself...What IS a CD clothing shop?