Fashion Slow Lane!

FREE. What Will It Cost You? The True Cost of Offering Something of Value for Free The word FREE has been used in advertising since the dawn of time.  We have all heard the old adage, buy one get one free.  Free gift with purchase.  In fact, I worked for a company in Venice Beach that built their entire business around the free gift with purchase model. The company did millions of dollars in sales of those cheap cosmetic bags that you get when you spend $35 or more at the makeup counter in Macy's. (p.s. They cost like 50 cents to make) When is FREE  not good for your business? How do you know when FREE is actually costing you too much time and money?  After over 15 years in the fashion industry, I have had my experiences with free. As a female entrepreneur, I have attended several seminars for women-owned business.  They tell you to give away something for free to attract new customers. For example, a free consultation, a few free hours of ...

I remember when I first bought my first luxury bag, a Louis Vuitton monogram Ellipse bag about a decade ago my friends and family thought I was crazy.   I paid about $800 for the bag at the LV store in Beverly Hills.   Now..10 years later, I can sell that same USED bag for about $500-$600 at   www.yoogiscloset.com .  These companies buy and sell luxury brand handbags like Chanel, Prada, Gucci, etc. and they have an official authenticator on hand to verify the bags are real.   So it is worth your money to invest in a luxury handbag, because 5, 10 or 20 years down the road..if you want to sell it..you can get up to 70% of the original value back. On one site if you buy a luxury bag and then change your mind you can trade it back in again.  Its pretty amazing how these bags retain their value year after year, one of the reasons is because companies like Louis Vuitton to not discount their bags and they rarely go on sale.  These luxury brands also a...