I want to take the time to talk Lululemon after-market trends. The market suffers and benefits from general and somewhat predictable fluctuations. I want to discuss with you how we can take advantage of the good times and mitigate the losses in the bad times. In the following scenarios, my suggestions refer to the common person. There are exceptions to every rule, I’ll even try to cover them, but again: My advice applies to the average collector.
Seasonal– Seasonal fluctuations are easy enough to understand, but surprisingly few people use their own common sense to their advantage. People are not searching for shorts in the winter, nor are they seeking out sweaters in the summer. There are over 15,000 listings of “Lululemon” items on eBay- every single day. If you want to stand out, you have to make sure you’re selling your item when as many people as possible are interested in buying it. I suggest listing your sweaters at the beginning of Autumn, and shorts at the beginning of Spring. I also suggest you consider the weather patterns of the biggest markets for your item. Canadians will want more cold-weather items. If you’re a US seller, you might also consider adding a Canadian shipping option. (There are some extra risks involved with shipping abroad that can be alleviated, but I will cover them in a future post.) Therefore, if I were selling a sweater, I would list it mid to late September as average temperatures tend to begin becoming cooler around this time.
Secondary Seasonal Considerations– There are other so-called seasonal conditions to evaluate. One of them is the fact that the Designers in MANY companies seem to release their best efforts in fall. The fall fashion shows are always the most anticipated and Lululemon’s strategy is not different. It seems like every fall they release the best stuff. I know people who don’t buy much in summer, so they can save up for fall! They usually release some special edition items around Christmas, although, last year was a bust. During these times, people are spending more money on Upload night, and in-store on new items, so they’re not looking at eBay or on the Facebook Pages for deals on older items. The point of this story is: avoid selling when people don’t have the money to buy. The irony is that it will likely be when you need the money the most that you decide to sell. But don’t say I didn’t warn you 😉
Unicorns- Unicorns change over time (Don’t know what a Unicorn is? Check out my Previous Post about Lululemon Slang), but often you can take advantage of when your item obtains unicorn status and cash out, unless you love it. Then, I say keep it. But if you have a “Unicorn,” and you notice that it has been doing very well on eBay, you should make a decision on whether or not you’re going to sell- And Fast! Because there is always a limited number of people who are willing to pay the big bucks for something they really want right now, and then there are people like me, who will wait for it to pop up on eBay for cheaper. However, there are some things that maintain their value fairly well and I will continue to discuss those things in future posts.