Preordering Vintage Wholesale Is Killing Your Profit
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Looking for a bargain on vintage clothing wholesale? If you've been tempted by low-cost preorders, it might be time to reconsider how those deals impact your bottom line.
Hi, I’m Myles—founder and Director of The Hub, Europe’s most premium vintage wholesale supplier. In this post, we’re breaking down why preordering vintage stock could be the slowest (and most expensive) way to grow your resale business.
Let’s get into it.
The Problem with Preordering Vintage Clothing
Have you come across insanely cheap bulk vintage clothing deals? Maybe on Instagram, maybe on a small site you’ve never heard of. You check out and think you’ve scored big.
But here’s what often happens…
You're actually placing a preorder—often without realising it. Now you're stuck waiting 3 to 6 months for your stock to arrive. And when it does? You might get low-quality items, inconsistent sizing, or even damaged goods. Reviews of many of these companies are full of horror stories.
Even if your stock does arrive, don’t expect reliable customer support when something goes wrong.
Why Paying More Upfront Makes You More Over Time
Now picture this.
You visit The Hub, find premium Nike windbreakers or Levi’s jeans, and notice we’re more expensive than the preorder guys. Naturally, you hesitate. But here’s the reality:
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Your order ships within 1 business day.
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UK delivery? Next day. EU delivery? 3–5 business days.
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All items are pre-washed, folded, and ready to sell.
And this matters more than you think. If you process just one box of 50 sweatshirts a month, and you’re washing, drying, and folding them yourself—even at minimum wage—you’re burning over £700 a year in time and labour. We absorb all of that.
Speed Beats Size—Here’s the Real Cost of Preorders
Let’s go deeper. Think beyond just one purchase—think about cash flow and stock turnover.
Say a competitor sells 50 Nike windbreakers for £400, and you resell them for £600. That’s £200 profit. Great, right?
But wait—you’re waiting six months for that stock to arrive and sell.
Now let’s say we sell similar windbreakers for £500. That’s just £100 profit. But your order from us arrives in 1–5 days, and it’s ready to go straight from the box.
Let’s say it takes:
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1 week to receive
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1 week to sell
Now repeat that cycle every 2 weeks. That’s 13 buying and selling cycles in 6 months. At £100 profit per cycle, that’s £1,300 in total profit—compared to £200 with the other supplier.
That’s over 6x the return—just by keeping your money moving.
The Tip of the Day: Turnover > Margin
Unless you have £100k+ in working capital, your strategy shouldn’t be to sit on pending orders for months. If you're working with under £10k, your focus should be on speed of turnover, not just per-order margins.
Buy from a supplier that keeps your money moving.
With The Hub, your stock:
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Ships fast
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Arrives clean and folded
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Is sellable the same day you receive it
No washing. No extra labour. No guesswork. Just fast-moving, high-quality vintage stock that helps you scale your resale business faster than any pre-order ever could.
Final Thoughts
If you want to run a profitable, reliable, and scalable vintage reselling business, don’t fall into the cheap preorder trap. Choose a vintage wholesaler that delivers on time, every time—with stock that’s ready to sell out of the box.
If you want to buy the best, buy from The Hub.