Thread: Do you think costume prices will fall?

With more and more people saying they have to buy used costumes instead of new due to the poor economy I am wondering how this will affect the designers and vendors. Do you think we will see a change in pricing? Do you think they will come out with a less expensive line? Or, do you think they will still have enough business that they won't bother changing a thing? Maybe they are better off selling 5 costumes at 850.00 than having to make 10 to sell for 650.00. Is there enough of a mark up for them to lower prices and still make a decent profit? Just curious what your thoughts are on this.

I feel like prices have already come down on all but the most expensive designers -- and there will always be that strata.

When I started dancing in 2000, it was impossible to find a new costume for less than about $600. Now you an get Hannans and Emans for those prices, and Joharah's and Yassers for much less, brand new! It's relatively easy to find brand new costumes in the $300-600 range now.

I think that has more to do with competition and the internet than anything else, though. It's cheaper to do business now -- vendors can sell a lot of their stock without having to ship it all over the country to events, and they can e-mail suppliers in other countries for free now instead of making expensive international phone calls. And the costumes themselves have gotten simpler, of course.

Profit margins seem pretty narrow now, though. Our costumes are already a LOT cheaper than comparable ballroom dresses or even beaded evening gowns. If prices are driven much lower, I think we'll see cheaper materials, more plastic beads, more boilerplate designs. We're already seeing some of that in lower-priced lines, but I think there'll be more of it.

I don't know, Audrena has her prices advertised at 825.00, but the last couple of costumes I've gotten from her (last month) were significantly lower in price. Dahlal has advertised sales on Hanan's costumes so I think prices are coming down.

Lower prices are also just a way to get rid of excess inventory for vendors like Dahlal and the belly dance store before the next shipment arrives.

I agree with Lauren regarding designer costumes. Bella's and Sahar's are still pricey, but I think those too will come down in price in the near future.

I am interested to see if prices at Rakassah are affected by the economy. I never buy costumes at Rak because they are all overpriced and I can get much better deals on Bhuz - BUT....if the vendors come down in the prices a bit because of the economy, I might need to buy something....

Originally Posted by danielabellydance

I am interested to see if prices at Rakassah are affected by the economy. I never buy costumes at Rak because they are all overpriced and I can get much better deals on Bhuz - BUT....if the vendors come down in the prices a bit because of the economy, I might need to buy something....

Funny, I have always found great deals at Rak! Like a couple years ago when Eman's brother was vending and selling all her costumes for 350.00! If I ever see them for that price again I will buy the whole table full.... ..l;,

Last year at Rak East Dahlal honored the online sale they had on Pharaonics, so I got my teal Great Loop at a very good price.

Originally Posted by stardancer

Funny, I have always found great deals at Rak!

It seems like once prices go up, they stay up. Even at the grocery store everything has gone up in the past six months or so and the stores aren't running as many sales as they used to.

When I started dancing in 2001, the first place I looked at costumes was Turkish Emporium. The bedlahs averaged around the $175 - $250 mark for the mid ranged costumes. Their prices have basically doubled.

Will the prices come down? With a combo of the economy and the fact that interest in Belly dancing is declining somewhat, one would hope so.

{{{HUGS}}}

I think one big factor to consider is the global market. In other words, even if the US economy is struggling, other countries may be doing better. If the dancers in Japan, or Australia, or Germany happen to have better economies and therefore better currency exchange rates than us, then costume vendors will keep their prices high and sell to those people. So long as they can sell to others at high prices, they won't have a need to lower their prices for us.

However, if EVERYBODY starts feeling an economic pinch worldwide, and if EVERYBODY therefore has to cut back on costume purchases, then the designers may need to lower their prices.

Similarly, if fashions change, the designers who have gone out of fashion may need to lower their prices.

Also the cost of shipping has gone up.

If the economy in other countries remains strong while the US flounders wholesale prices may actually increase. The US dollar is worth less so the impact takes a toll.

Sounds like economies around the world are failing, as a side effect of what is happening in the US.

I heard that Iceland's currency has basically completely collapsed and Russia is bailing them out.

However, I like to keep this in perspective...imagine being a geisha instead of a bellydancer. Top quality kimono sets cost anywhere between seven and fifteen THOUSAND , which makes a $200 Johara look positively frugal!! @_@

Originally Posted by jasani

I don't know, Audrena has her prices advertised at 825.00, but the last couple of costumes I've gotten from her (last month) were significantly lower in price. Dahlal has advertised sales on Hanan's costumes so I think prices are coming down.

Lower prices are also just a way to get rid of excess inventory for vendors like Dahlal and the belly dance store before the next shipment arrives.

I agree with Lauren regarding designer costumes. Bella's and Sahar's are still pricey, but I think those too will come down in price in the near future.

I just took a peek at her website, she has a phone in special-they are discounted to $575 if you get an in stock costume.

It seems like the creditcrunch is reaching the Netherlands too, I wonder how bad it will get over here.

If the number of customers all over the world are going down, I expect that costume designers and manufacturers will downsize their bussiness first while selling for the same price. If the situation stays the same for a long time, prices will eventually go down a little, but I don't expect that it will be more then 50-100 usd.

My costumes are always affordable!

a smart designer/vendor would continue to offer items at various price points

might be more wise for them to have a short term sale during downturns instead of setting prices lower

also keeping low inventory, and being able to do more custom order may be the way to go?

Not surprisingly this extends to mainstream high fashion designers as well. I heard a report that most of the big names are sticking to ready to wear pieces and separates rather than fashion-forward and couture designs. There was also a huge decline in off the runway purchases this year in Bryant park. Even the "privileged" ones are keeping their Prada bags closed