How to sell furs? Are there any special marketing or sales tricks?

Real fur?

@Dibley Yes, real fur.

Isn’t that cruelty to animals?

I think your friend will probably end up needing to choose a different career path. Furs are becoming less and less popular. The people who still buy fur are generally VERY wealthy and prefer to shop at places that uphold their snobbery, which is of course a very big advertising tactic. More and more people however, are leaning towards faux fur rather than the real thing. For the obvious reasons.
I’m sorry. Does she want to stay in retail? Would she be willing to change to faux fur or simply a different product?

@Trillian
Thank you for your answer. She is doing this business for 20 years, she loves it. She wont change… She really needs something very special thing, her shop is so exclusive already, but people wont spend money…

Yeah, I don’t know how long the pendulum is going to be in that direction either. It’s also due to the economy. People have less to spend and animal furs are probably going to be way down on the priority list for some time.

Tell her to try advertising that the animals that were killed to make the furs were possessed by the devil and needed to be killed. Or maybe they were child molester animals. Or that the animals had already died of natural causes before the fur was taken. Or had weapons of mass destruction. I can’t think of any other reasons that most people today (even the rich, snobby ones) would pay money for such things. It’s different if the animals are game, killed humanely for use of all its parts, but most other practices are little tolerated.

The very wealthy are still spending. My SIL works at Hermes and they sell $20,000 bags/purses with no problem.

Where is she selling these furs? Where is she located? Was she selling to the wealthy previously, or people who were middle class and wanted to appear rich? Or, what they associate with being rich? @Trillian makes a good point.

@JLeslie
The shop is located in Hungary in the capital city in a great shopping center. She is selling these goods for rich people, not for middle class. But even rich people stopped spending on money such things like this. I think she need something marketing/sales tricks, as rebates, discounts, special extras or something to get new customers or sell something new for the old customers. Is it profitable to take all the furs on ebay? That’s my only idea…

Using tricks is unethical. Using tricks creates unhappy customers. Using tricks eventually leads to a failing business.

@mattbrowne
You missed the point! She doesn’t need tricks, like mystifying people, but normal ones what is accepted in the marketing mix. She is a very trustful and fair owner.

@tilc oh, I have no idea what the market is like Hungary, I am in the States. I have several friends with Hungarian backgrounds, some of my favorite people in my life. Sorry, I wish I could be more help. I have a fur I have been thinking of selling, the timing of this questions was interesting.

@JLeslie
Thank you for the compliment about Hungarians :)
Do you know some people in the states she could make business with? She is ordering from China and Italy the furs she is selling. What kind of fur would you like to sell?

It is a mink. I don’t know the details about the coat; if there are different types of mink? My grandmother gave it to me shortly before she passed away. I am sure it is good quality, because one thing I can say about my grandma is she had taste, style, and class :). I guess I could take a picture, and look at the tag in the coat?? I have only worn it once, I doubt I will wear it much. I am not in a very cold climate, and it is very unusual for people to wear minks in my city. I have thought about restyling it, or using it as a lining and trim maybe (my grandma would freak if she heard me say that).

@JLeslie
OK. Send me some pictures about, I will forward it to her. What about my question about the business opportunity? First of all, she would like to sell as well :))

Most of my friends are in Florida so my link to wealthy people is in the wrong climate.

@JLeslie
If you give me some contacts I would appriciate it, maybe they know other people who knows others…so on. I think these furs she is selling can be sold in 5 seconds easily on the Beverly Hills.

Beverly Hills is California.

@JLeslie
I know… but wealthy people travell a lot, right? :) To parties, opera bals and events women need furs to show their class.

@tilc – If someone is honest about a business proposition and really feels positive about a service or product, he or she should ask: How can I convey this message to potential customers in a better way? Instead of thinking about marketing or sales tricks. That was my point.

@mattbrowne
Ok. If I would ask you that question from you, than what would be the answer? Don’t think about tricks than.

@tilc – Fur from what kind of animals?

Common animal sources for fur clothing and fur trimmed accessories include fox, rabbit, mink, beavers, ermine, otters, sable, seals, cats, dogs, coyotes, chinchilla, and possum. The import and sale of seal products was banned in the U.S. in 1972 over conservation concerns about Canadian seals. The import, export and sales of domesticated cat and dog fur was also banned in the U.S. under the Dog and Cat Protection Act of 2000.

@mattbrowne
The ones are legal to buy and sell of course. She is not dealing with banned furs.

@tilc – Well one message could use the fact that there’s an overpopulation for some wild animals (for example as a result of dwindling predators). If hunting these animals is actually good for some ecosystems this might convince potential buyers. Humanity has used fur for thousands of years.

@mattbrowne
She cannot put out a board with a sign on:” We kill those animals that are not necessary for the Earth”. I don’t think anybody would go into that shop again. But thanks for the idea.