Faire took 25% commission and changed the indie wholesale game. Here's how to source wholesale without the marketplace tax — and the platforms worth using.
Apply for Direct Account →Faire revolutionized indie wholesale: terms, returns, discoverability — all good things. Then they raised commission on suppliers to 25% on every order, including reorders from existing customers. Suppliers raised prices to absorb it. Boutiques paid more.
If you're a boutique buyer, you have three options now: stay on Faire and accept the price markup, source brand-direct, or use one of the alternatives below. Here's the landscape.
Cut the platform out entirely. Order directly from manufacturers or established indie brands. Most have wholesale programs you can apply to.
Pros: 15-25% better pricing than Faire, exclusive colorways possible, build long-term relationships.
Cons: You vet each supplier yourself. No platform-managed returns. Initial sourcing is more work.
Example: Fabrickly. 6-piece minimums, GBP/USD/EUR billing, same-day quote response, no platform commission.
US-based marketplace that charges suppliers no commission. Buyers see direct wholesale pricing.
Pros: No middleman markup. Direct savings vs Faire.
Cons: Smaller catalog than Faire. US-skewed (less product variety for UK/EU boutiques).
Premium-focused, traditional fashion wholesale platform. Used by department-store and high-end boutique buyers.
Pros: Premium brands not on Faire. Seasonal collection buying. Better for designer-tier inventory.
Cons: Application required (not open to all buyers). Higher per-style minimums typical.
LA-based, K-fashion + Latin American focused wholesalers. Lower-price, higher-volume sourcing.
Pros: Cheaper sourcing. Fast-fashion variety. Trend-led buying.
Cons: Quality variable. Many sellers are themselves resellers from Alibaba/etc. Vetting required.
For premium boutique buyers, trade shows + direct outreach to brand founders still produce the best margins. Coterie, NY NOW, Magic, Pure London, Premium Berlin — go in person, get product samples, negotiate seasonal buys.
Faire is fine for discovery — find new brands, see what's working. Once you find a winner, move that brand to direct ordering. Faire keeps the discovery, you keep the margin.
For specific categories — activewear, denim, swim, luxury — there are specialist wholesalers who operate by referral only. Get yourself introduced by existing buyers. The best margins are here, but access is via relationship not platform.
Most successful boutiques we see use a 3-tier model:
Faire suppliers raised prices ~15% to absorb commission. If you're buying £10k+/quarter from a single Faire supplier, moving them to brand-direct saves you ~£1,500/quarter. That's real money — usually enough to justify the time to set up the direct relationship.
Brand-direct wholesale from Fabrickly. Apply for an account today.
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