First off, they’re all about helping small businesses, which, okay, cool. I’m all for supporting the little guy (or gal!). They’re basically a B2B online wholesale marketplace, which, let’s be real, sounds super corporate-y. But strip away the jargon and it’s about connecting brands with retailers, right? You wanna buy cool stuff for your boutique, you go to Faire. You *are* a cool brand making said stuff, you sell on Faire. Simple enough.
I think what’s neat is this whole “try before you commit” thing. They let retailers return stuff if a new brand flops. Like, that’s *huge* for small businesses who are constantly taking risks, right? Who wants to be stuck with a mountain of, uh, *not-so-hot* candles? Not me!
But here’s where my brain starts to hurt. The sheer *scale* of the thing! Hundreds of thousands of retailers? Thousands of independent suppliers? My head’s spinning. Where do you even *begin*? It’s like walking into a Walmart sized flea market. Exciting, but also kinda terrifying. I mean, I imagine it’s great for brands, gets them exposure, but it’s gotta be a real fight for attention, no?
And then, the whole “integrating with Shopify” thing… I get it. Streamlines everything. But also, sounds like extra work. I dunno. Maybe I’m just lazy.
Also, and this is a minor gripe, but “Faire is changing the wholesale industry across the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia?” Really? Changing the *entire* wholesale industry? That’s a *bold* claim. Seems a bit… much? I’m all for optimism, but come on.
One thing I do like is the net 60 payment terms. That’s pretty sweet for cash flow, especially for smaller shops. It’s like, “Hey, order now, pay later (ish).” Nice.
Look, overall, Faire *seems* like a pretty solid platform. It’s definitely got its pros and cons, like anything else. The sheer volume of options is both a blessing and a curse. And the “changing the industry” boast is a bit eye-rolly. But, at its heart, it’s trying to help small businesses, and that’s something I can get behind.
