💇🏽‍♀️ SHOPPING FOR HAIR

Know Your Quality, Know Your Customer & Know Your Market

When sourcing hair from wholesale vendors, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is starting the conversation with:

“I want your best price.”

Of course, price matters—but price shouldn't be your first priority.

When you immediately ask for the cheapest price, the vendor may assume you're looking for their lowest-priced product, which can also mean a lower quality level.

Instead, start by explaining the quality you're looking for, your expectations and your target price range.

Many hair suppliers carry multiple quality levels, from lower-priced options to mid-range and premium hair. Your job is to understand what you're buying and choose the quality that makes sense for your customer and your business.

💰 KNOW YOUR MARKET BEFORE YOU BUY

If you're purchasing hair to resell, don't automatically assume that buying the most expensive hair available is the best business decision.

You have to know your market.

Premium hair may be beautiful and last longer, but it can also come with a significantly higher wholesale cost. Once you add:

Hair Cost + Shipping + Payment/Transaction Fees + Packaging + Your Profit = Your Customer's Price

that final retail price may be more than your particular customers are willing to spend.

And expensive inventory sitting on your shelf isn't making you money.

💡 Something I've Learned From Experience

I've sold different qualities of hair over the years, and I've learned something important:

What customers SAY they want and what they're actually willing to PAY for can be two different things. 😂

Someone may tell you:

“I only want the BEST hair!”

Then you give them the price for your highest-quality option and suddenly...

“Well...what else do you have?” 😂

That's why knowing your actual customer—not just what people say—is so important.

⭐ FIND YOUR SWEET SPOT

For my business, I've generally found good mid-range quality to be a practical sweet spot.

The quality can still be good while allowing me to offer a price that more customers are comfortable paying.

When communicating with my vendors, I don't simply say:

“Give me your cheapest hair.”

I explain that I want the best quality they can provide within the price range I'm trying to maintain.

There can be a considerable difference between wholesale pricing for a solid mid-range product and a vendor's premium offering.

And remember: vendor grading terminology isn't standardized. Don't assume terms such as “10A,” “12A,” “Brazilian,” “virgin,” “raw,” or “premium” automatically tell you exactly what you're getting. Ask specific questions about the hair itself and test samples whenever possible.

👩🏽💼 IF YOU'RE SELLING HAIR, BE CONSISTENT

This is extremely important.

If you're building your reputation around premium-quality hair, consistency matters.

A customer paying premium prices needs to feel confident that she's receiving the same level of quality she expects every time she purchases from you.

Constantly mixing significantly different quality levels under the same product description or price point can create confusion and eventually hurt customer trust.

If you decide to offer multiple quality levels, clearly separate and identify them so customers understand exactly what they're purchasing.

For example:

Everyday Collection — Good-quality hair at a more affordable price.

Premium Collection — Higher-quality hair for customers willing to invest more.

The names are up to you—the important part is making the difference clear.

💎 DON'T OVERSTOCK PREMIUM HAIR JUST TO SAY YOU HAVE IT

You don't necessarily need to keep large quantities of your most expensive hair in inventory.

You may have only one or two customers who consistently prefer your highest-quality option.

That's okay.

I have had loyal customers who normally purchased one quality level and eventually decided they wanted my higher-quality option. Instead of investing heavily in premium inventory hoping someone would buy it, I could include their hair when placing my next vendor order.

That's a much better way to manage your money.

Let demand tell you what to stock.

You can even consider offering premium hair as a special-order or preorder option if that works with your business model.

🛍️ BUYING HAIR FOR YOURSELF?

That's different.

If you're purchasing hair for personal use, choose the quality that fits your preference and budget.

You're not worrying about resale margins or whether another customer will pay the retail price. And depending on your vendor, purchasing directly may still cost considerably less than buying comparable hair at retail.

Just remember that buying directly from an overseas or wholesale vendor can involve additional shipping costs, payment fees and different return policies.

👑 UNDERSTAND THE PREMIUM CUSTOMER

There is another side of selling premium hair that new sellers sometimes overlook:

For some customers, premium isn't only about the hair—it's part of the shopping experience and their expectations.

Customers accustomed to purchasing premium products may care about consistency, presentation, packaging, service and confidence in the seller just as much as price.

That means competing for the premium customer isn't necessarily about having the lowest price.

If premium is your market, build a premium experience around it.

💕 MRS. GWEN'S BUSINESS TIP

Don't build your inventory around what you think people should buy.

Build it around what your customers have shown you they're actually willing to purchase.

Know your customer.
Know your quality.
Know your numbers.
Know your vendor.

And most importantly:

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