

Ask HN: What would you do with 100's of non-reusable suits and fabric? - suits2go

I work for a company that focuses on custom made clothing.  Because the clothing is custom made, when someone returns it, the item is not 'suitable' for resale.<p>We currently donate to charities, but as we scale this becomes harder and harder to do as we out grow their needs and also starts to devalue our brand.<p>Does anyone have any good ideas of what we can do with the returns that could possibly pay for itself?  I know HN is a lot smarter than me and may have some great Ideas that we haven't thought of.<p>Thanks!
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brk
I don't have a great suggestion, but I'm surprised that you allow returns.
Allowing refunds on made-to-order items is probably good for customer
satisfaction, but can kill profitability.

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suits2go
We have this part worked out, we have very few returns and focus on creating
exceptional products, but as we scale this is inevitable to grow more.

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cperciva
_I work for a company that focuses on custom made clothing..._

Based on the title, am I correct in thinking that said custom made clothing is
business suits?

 _We currently donate to charities, but as we scale this becomes harder and
harder to do as we out grow their needs and also starts to devalue our brand._

Which charities are you donating to?

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suits2go
We donate to local charities, one that gives to people looking to get back in
to the work force and another that helps people going through the
prison/juvenile correction process.

Yes, suits and business wear as well as some business/casual clothing.

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cperciva
Ok, that's pretty much what I was expecting.

Here's an idea which is a bit off the wall but might just work: Offer them to
the Grameen Bank or similar microcredit organization. A good business suit in
your corner of the world is probably a good business suit on the opposite side
of the world; entrepreneurs just escaping poverty are likely to gain
credibility and greater success if given even an ill-fitting suit; and this
gets the clothing out of your area so that it can't dilute your brand.

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suits2go
That is not an off the wall suggestion at all.. I love it. Will look into
these Microcredit orgs.

Upvote for you.. Thank you very much!

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rdouble
Maybe you could sell them to schools like FIT to be used in alterations
courses?

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suits2go
That is another awesome idea, thank you so much!

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rdouble
Also consider the Etsy DIY market. You could even scrape Etsy to find people
who make stuff out of old clothes and contact them directly. An old girlfriend
of mine used to make stuff for women out of old menswear. I think she even
ended up turning it into a full-time business with her sister.

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suits2go
This is also a good idea! Appreciated!

