Of a Kind is growing up and out. The online retailer, which launched a store for limited-edition fashion accessories on top of Tumblr almost two years ago, is expanding its offerings and moving beyond the blogging network that gave it its start.
In late August, Of a Kind launched Collections in private beta, inviting 10 designers to set up their own shops on the site. Around 2,000 people, primarily existing U.S. customers, currently have access. Collections is scheduled to launch publicly next spring.
In an interview with Mashable last week, co-founders Claire Mazur and Erica Cerulo acknowledged that their current model — introducing two to three limited-edition products made exclusively for Of a Kind each week through a series of editorial features — has become too limiting. Often, customers will discover a designer through Of a Kind, and then go on to buy several more pieces from that designer elsewhere. “We’ve been missing out on those sales,” Cerulo explained.
As with other third-party seller marketplaces including Amazon Marketplace, Fab.com and Farfetch.com, sellers are responsible for managing inventory, shipping and returns, but Of a Kind is the first point of contact for customer service. Sellers are required to ship orders within 72 hours. So that Of a Kind can track shipments, sellers must use the company’s UPS account. Of a Kind takes an undisclosed cut of each sale that is “far less than wholesale,” Mazur says…
