Recommendations for a higher end frame line

[Happylady]

My shop is interested in picking up a higher end frame line. We want one that offers a fair return policy. We have had problems in the past getting stuck with frames that don't sell and that we couldn't return without buying several for each return.

I would love some suggestions. I am in the Dallas suburbs and we have a wide mix of people and income groups.

[Chris Ryser]

We have had problems in the past getting stuck with frames that don't sell and that we couldn't return without buying several for each return.

Why do you want to stick it to the frame companies? You did choose the frames originally.........and if the did not sell them, your taste buds must be off key.

Therefore you choosing frames that do not sell is your fault, why do you want to punish the supplier?

[Happylady]

Oh Chris,

I am not trying to stick it to the frame companies.

Lots of frame companies will take back frame that aren't selling and exchange them with something else. The frames they take back are not broken and they can sell them to someone else.

[drk]

You have to think your target market through a little more carefully before you buy. High end lines have narrow appeals, and you can't afford to mess around unless you really know what you're looking for.

Gotta start somewhere, though.

[Fezz]

My shop is interested in picking up a higher end frame line. We want one that offers a fair return policy. We have had problems in the past getting stuck with frames that don't sell and that we couldn't return without buying several for each return.

.

I don't think that you are ready for a higher end frame line.


Okay...so higher than what? What is your "Higher End" frame line? Give us a starting point.

Is higher end in a name? Is it in a "look"? Is it in a price? Is it in a quality?

I think you need to look at this a bit more.....



Fezz
:cheers:

[C-10]

Instead of finding a high end line of frames try finding a line of frames that you love and that you can sell if you love a curtain line of frame you will sell more no matter what the cost. If you don't like a line you will have a hard time selling it.

[Audiyoda]

Why do you want to stick it to the frame companies? You did choose the frames originally.........and if the did not sell them, your taste buds must be off key.

Therefore you choosing frames that do not sell is your fault, why do you want to punish the supplier?

Quite often, the frame companies sell you their 'A' or 'B' stock - their best sellers. Sometimes, those best sellers don't work out. Many times, reps say 'too bad...so sad'. Which is unfortunate - most opticians (but obviously not Chris Ryser) do rely in their frame reps to at least point them in the right direction. Those reps seem to forget that...I only work with reps that are willing to back their product. If it doesn't move, they replace it with other product that hopefully will move. If they don't, I don't buy their product.

HappyLady, ProDesign of Denmark is a great company to work with. Different enough to stand apart from your other collections, price points are superb and every one of their reps I've delt with will bend over backward to see their product succeed in your practice. Their minimum is around 2 dozen which I think is very fair considering the size of their product line. O&X from Kio Yamato Optics is another line that is great to work with - good price points, no huge minimums, and great styles. And again, every rep of their I've spoken with is interested in seeing their product succeed in your practice.

[Jedi]

Oh Chris,

I am not trying to stick it to the frame companies.

Lots of frame companies will take back frame that aren't selling and exchange them with something else. The frames they take back are not broken and they can sell them to someone else.

High-end quite often means small and European companies, North American exchange policies need not apply. Chris is correct, you buy them, you sell them. We almost never ever return or exchange frames, and if we do it's small amounts and usually 3 for 1.
With that out of the way, what is your definition of "high-end". Is it $350, $500, $1000 or $10000. Our office is the "high-end" store in Calgary. The majority of our frames average $400 to $500 dollars. The priciest stuff we carry is Gold & Wood, Chrome Hearts, and Judith Leiber, they average about $1000. We were considering carrying the Onono collection from Ic!Berlin which run around $3000, regular Ic!Berlin is $450-$500. In all honesty we are small potatoes compared to Vegas, New York and L.A. disepensaries that carry frames up to and over $20000. So you see "high-end" carries many different connatations. Depending on your current price points, I would look at things that might retail for $100-$200 more than you current inventory. Brand recognition can help (Alain Mikli), but many of these brands will seem as foreign as the countries they are from. Strong sellers for us presently are Bellinger ($400-$500), Alain Mikli and Phillipe Starck ($400-$900), and Mykita or Ic!Berlin ($450-$500). Check out their websites and see if you see anything you like, because your the one having to sell it, and you'll eat it if you don't.

[chip anderson]

Sometimes a "Best Seller" is what the sales department says they are overstocked on or haven't been able to get rid of. \
If you have ever listened to Cerebono between telling you about his bad knees and raising a child alone, he says he did this all the time when he was in wholesale frame sales and it's common practice.

Chip :shiner:

[Happylady]

Quite often, the frame companies sell you their 'A' or 'B' stock - their best sellers. Sometimes, those best sellers don't work out. Many times, reps say 'too bad...so sad'. Which is unfortunate - most opticians (but obviously not Chris Ryser) do rely in their frame reps to at least point them in the right direction. Those reps seem to forget that...I only work with reps that are willing to back their product. If it doesn't move, they replace it with other product that hopefully will move. If they don't, I don't buy their product.

HappyLady, ProDesign of Denmark is a great company to work with. Different enough to stand apart from your other collections, price points are superb and every one of their reps I've delt with will bend over backward to see their product succeed in your practice. Their minimum is around 2 dozen which I think is very fair considering the size of their product line. O&X from Kio Yamato Optics is another line that is great to work with - good price points, no huge minimums, and great styles. And again, every rep of their I've spoken with is interested in seeing their product succeed in your practice.

Thank you for your helpful post. We are in a pretty middle class area and high end would be $300.00 to $500.00 retail.

[drk]

What would really stand out? Color? Jewels?

I really like Lafont for the range you describe for this reason: it's fairly broadly appealing...you can "do" middle agers easily, and also younger trendier types. Have a cute kid's line, too.

I vote Lafont.

[optigrrl]

Fendi is nice, has a large selection and name-recognition. We do really well with Mikli and Sama.

[Lady Nicole]

We are in a pretty middle class area and high end would be $300.00 to $500.00 retail.

I worked a few years in an office in a middle class area that sold Ultra Palm's Cazal/Caviar as the "high end" line. We didn't have an extensive selection due to the price, but it was enough to match the demand it got. They were kept apart from the frame boards in their own display, and we would buy each model only once- we would tell the patients that the frame they bought we would not re-order, and they liked that they would have something "unique" do distinguish them everyone else. It was definitely a niche, and we had a few die-hard fans of the line who would come in every year and ask for it by name...

[Grubendol]

We recently brought in Carolina Herrera, and it is doing gangbusters for us. It's just below that price point though.

[InspectorQ]

I'm suprised many of you guys don't return frames often.

The office I work at, we have a salesrep come in almost every 2 weeks from different companies. Reps would visit every 3 months to check our inventory.

We usually keep frames for only 6 months, we'll reorder anything we have sold and return the rest for newer/different styles.

Problems with the rep? Nope, they actually want to keep our buisness so they will do it, and sometimes encourage us to return old ones. The more we sell the more they make I guess, so they try to give us the best sellers and are willing to return what we can't sell.

Some places do charge restocking fee though.

[Grubendol]

We definitely return when the rep comes in, but we don't see ours very often, maybe ever 5-7 months.

[128andy]

Happylady,

Like you I tried finding the right highend frames for my store. Spoke with IC Berlin and found them to be an extremely pompous company. I stumble across a simular frame company with the same high end look and quality. Their prices are so much more reasonable and the minimum is quite fair at 15 pieces. The brand is ASKA from Japan. Check them out!

[C-10]

do they have a web site

[Ory]

Happylady,

Like you I tried finding the right highend frames for my store. Spoke with IC Berlin and found them to be an extremely pompous company. I stumble across a simular frame company with the same high end look and quality. Their prices are so much more reasonable and the minimum is quite fair at 15 pieces. The brand is ASKA from Japan. Check them out!

Do you work for them or have any financial stake in them?

[Grubendol]

INHouse also has a "knock off" style of the ic! berlin stuff.

[128andy]

C-10,

I think their site is askaeyewear.com