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Just the other weekend I found myself at my nearby Ross, sifting through the clearance racks, looking for things to resell. It was my first time trying my hand at retail arbitrage, and my hope was trickling away like sand in an hourglass. It was possibly the worst lighting I’ve seen in a retail store (ok, maybe second to K-Mart), and it was slim pickings; the clearance racks were only half-filled.
I had only found one thing and wasn’t even 100% sure about it. As I’m about to trudge to the checkout line (which is actually just a zig-zagged aisle of all the things you didn’t know you wanted), I see one clearance rack in the junior’s section I hadn’t yet checked out. As I’m approaching, the first thing I notice is a shiny YKK zipper on a pair of pants. I reach to see the brand tag, and *queue the Händel Messiah Hallelujah chorus* it’s Wildfox! Probably THE retail arbitrage brand every reseller is hoping to find at Ross. But, let me tell you, if I hadn’t noticed the YKK zippers, I may have not even given them a second look.
I'm pretty sure a coworker had told me about YKK zippers, the name brand zipper manufacturer (for some reason? not even sure how that was brought up). But ever since, I couldn't help but see it as an indication of a clothing article's quality. Like, oh, you use a UCAN zipper? That's cute.
YKK stands for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha - Yoshida is the founder of the brand (founded in 1934). You can read more on him here - he's just an honest Japanese guy who only wanted a better zipper.
If you're a designer that wants a quality piece and reputable name, you're going to be using YKK zippers. Other zippers are cheaper and prone to quality issues. They just don't last as long and work as well as the YKK.
It's not that they're hard to get or outrageously more expensive. I've seen GAP and Madewell using YKK zippers and many brands I'm not even familiar with. But they're also the zippers Gucci uses and Frye and Trina Turk, and other designers who are charging $100+ for a scarf. There's just not a zipper manufacturer who's doing it better.
I love sourcing with this quick and hot tip because it's so easy to spot what's going to be good quality or not. It's not that everything with a YKK zipper is going to be a hot and golden brand to resell - and it's also not true that something without a YKK zipper is not going to be a good flip. But, it is true that anything you find with a YKK zipper is going to be better quality, and more thoughtfully designed.
I've found a lot of BOLO (be on the lookout) brands just by first noticing the YKK zipper. I.AM.GIA and Tribe Kelley are the first that come to mind. It's honestly one of my favorite sourcing tips. So keep an eye out for the YKK zipper and let me know what you find!
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