Introduction: The biggest and oldest of all trades
In the world of designer replicas, no other item is produced and sold more than clothing. For a trade that took off nearly half a century ago, there could be at least 1,000 factories out there today producing hundreds of thousands of different styles every year.
Contrary to other sides of the repworld for example where factories only deal with a handful of individuals, clothing is pretty much a wide open market: most factories are open for business and will take orders from anyone knocking on their doors. By factory, we refer to places that sell finished/ready to sell items or workshops that can reproduce any design upon demand. Thanks to this open door policy, many (re)sellers (if they are doing this on their own without any help) start their businesses selling clothing: the most popular styles are easy to find, shipping is fairly cheap, there’s a lower risk of seizures and most important the profits are good.
In DHgate, there are mainly 2 types of sellers that you will come across with: 1- sellers that deal directly with specific factories (mostly for high quality items);
2- sellers ordering from a wholesale website or physical warehouse location/ middlemen (mostly budget/mid tier items).
Shopping for designer replica clothing can be challenging at times; especially if you are looking for a specific piece at the best possible quality. Always shop around and be patient! Sometimes, good batches are simply not available at the moment. Instead of making an impulsive purchase and risk getting something below your expectations, save yourself some trouble by whether shopping other styles or your money for a later time. Also, always remember that every single seller is a reseller. There are no factories selling directly to a consumer in DHgate (or even elsewhere). Listing prices can vary dramatically from one seller to another or even from one day to another. With these key points in mind, the goal of this visual tutorial will be to present you with some basics of the trade while offering some tips on what to look out for and what to avoid.
Disclaimer: The following guide aims to provide its readers some general guidelines and tips when shopping for designer replica clothing in DHgate. This is not a definitive or ultimate guide. All the information provided comes from my own shopping experience and interaction with different DHgate sellers throughout the years.
What to expect and things to know before ordering
Sizes
Sizing is one of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to buying. Finding the right size can often be a coin toss. Size charts are normally available; but always beware that they are not 100% accurate. As a 101 rule, the higher the quality the closer to retail the item will be: for example, budget pieces will almost always run smaller (based on Asian sizes); while high quality ones will be true to size or close to reflect the retail world.
If you are not sure which size to pick, ask the seller for suggestions or have him/her try it while asking for their measurements. This shall give you a good idea of how close or far you are from your desired size.
Availability and sales: a seasonal affair
When it comes to availability, rep clothing follows 2 general rules:
1) Budget and some mid-tier quality items are massively produced and available all year long for most of the popular styles;
2) High quality or (near) 1:1 items are produced in very limited quantities and released during seasonal cycles (based on the Northern hemisphere/Chinese seasons). As a result, timing is key when shopping for these: if you find your desired item at the right price from a seller that you deem trustworthy, buy it before it sells out; as that item may never ever be replicated again.
For the more popular styles, the first released batches are normally the highest graded ones during the production run of that item. As an example, if you are looking for a heavy full winter jacket, late October to early December would be the best time to buy.
Just like in the retail world, rep factories always have clearance sales for some specific end of season items in order to make space for the new collections. For example, towards the end of the winter season or start of spring (March to May), some high quality winter jackets may be sold at very discounted prices. These ‘liquidation’ items are never listed by the mainstream sellers in DHgate.
Instead, new popup stores randomly open up selling these overstock or end of season items: if you are lucky enough to find a good seller and willing to order from a store with very few transactions, then you may have found a gold mine! Just beware that these stores tend to remain open for a very brief period of time. For the more experienced buyers, you can always contact your favourite seller(s) asking for these. They may be able to pull some nice deals out of their hats!
Women’s Clothing
Has quite possibly the largest selection of styles in all of the fashion repworld.
In DHgate, sellers are very widespread and each only seems to carry particular styles. They may order a specific item upon request from a wholesale website or middlemen, but prices may be high with unchecked quality;
Sizes can be an issue for items like dresses, one pieces and skirts as factories rely on different measurements;
High quality items are extremely limited, as most of the stock is sold to the Asian market first;
Pro tip: Because of the great number of styles available, you may only find a particular style in one graded quality. High quality coats and jackets are an exception, since they are by far the most profitable to sell.
Children’s clothing
Only 2 types of quality are produced: cheap budget and high quality.
They cost as much as adult clothing with some high quality ones costing even more. For this reason, most DHgate sellers only list the cheaper batches for sale. Higher quality ones are also available, but listings are rare with very few buyers and reviews;
Pro tip: Depending on the child’s age (baby, toddler or teen), it may not be worth it to pay top dollars for something that will be worn only a few times. For budget items, other websites dedicated to kid’s clothing offer very similar quality in terms of fabrics and craftsmanship (therefore, you will only be paying a premium to have the brand’s name).
On the same level, high quality items are rarely 1:1s with the vast majority being fantasy items. Their quality is great overall, but the high prices may not justify the investment, since you can easily find comparable and more affordable branded items in the retail world.
Assessing the quality and value of an item: what the seller/factory pictures show
Great work so far! A number of sellers replied with each one of them providing their own distinctive factory pictures. From here, your task will be to compare them to see which one is the closest to the authentic version for the price that you are willing to pay for.
On your analysis, take note of these key points:
Budget items very rarely feature closeup shots, as they will normally expose their flaws. Therefore, the more closeup pics available the better an item tends to be;
Examine the quality and accuracy of the tags and labels: they are almost inevery single way a reflection of the overall quality of the item itself;
Look for the smallest details such as the font used on the text, the size of the emblem/badge and the colour accuracy.
Final assessment
Congratulations! You’ve done your homework and your analysis. You found 8 potential sellers having your desired sweater for sale. Now, it is time to make a decision. Based on what you’ve seen and heard from each seller, your decision should be based on:
1) Price vs quality 2) Level of communication
– Was the seller approachable/friendly or pushy?
– Did he/she answer all my questions/concerns?
3) The seller’s ability to send you real pictures before shipping
– Always ask if they do or not prior to ordering. A seller that does will certainly spare you of an unsatisfied deal. Unfortunately, many sellers do not keep their promise and will end up shipping the item before showing it to you.
4) Go with your gut
– Buying reps is all about trust. Trust that the other party will deliver a quality product that matches the price you paid. With experience, you will be able to pick up the smallest details and become a human lie detector test; but for now, if you are taking your first baby steps, apply what you learned here and go with your instinct.
If you researched and did your due diligence properly, the deal will most likely be to your full satisfaction.
