Boutiques buy beachwear wholesale from women's apparel wholesale marketplaces, mixed-brand marketplaces, resort and swim brands that sell to retailers, and trade shows. Start with cover-ups and resort sets, which have less sizing risk than swim, add beach accessories, and place your order early enough to arrive before your busy season.
I'm Carina Hatton, boutique owner since 2013 and ecommerce coach since 2019. This is the sourcing guide for beach and resort clothing. If you are still deciding on your shopper and store type, read how to start a beach boutique first.
Beachwear categories and how they buy
| Category | Sizing risk | Buying note |
|---|---|---|
| Cover-ups and kaftans | Low, many are loose or one-size | A strong place to start a beach assortment |
| Resort dresses and sets | Medium | Buy a normal size run in a few styles; linen and gauze are popular for travel |
| Swimwear | High, fit is personal and tops and bottoms may be sold separately | Test a small range first; set a clear returns policy for hygiene |
| Beach pants and shorts | Medium | Easy pairing pieces with cover-ups and tops |
| Hats, bags and sunglasses | Low | Add-ons that raise every ticket |
Where to buy beachwear wholesale
Women's apparel wholesale marketplaces
For cover-ups, resort dresses and sets, an apparel marketplace is often the fastest way to see many styles at once. FashionGo is a women's apparel wholesale marketplace; search it for current resort and beach styles and check each vendor's minimums and pack sizes, which vary. For how apparel marketplaces compare, read Faire vs FashionGo vs OrangeShine.
Planning a first collection or new drop? Use the Boutique Inventory Planner to estimate revenue, profit, and overbuying risk before you order.
Open the Boutique Inventory Planner →Mixed-brand marketplaces
For beach accessories, gifts and smaller resort brands, Faire lets you order small amounts from many makers in one cart. Each brand sets its own terms, so read every listing. For kaftans, cover-ups and linen sets, see resort wear brands on Faire.
Resort and swim brands directly
Once a brand sells well for you, buying direct can give you full collections and a reorder relationship. Ask each brand about their retailer application, opening order and delivery windows. Do not assume a brand you see in stores sells to small boutiques until they confirm it.
Trade shows and showrooms
Swim and resort shows let you feel fabrics and try fits. See wholesale trade shows for boutiques and the LA Fashion District guide.
A wider list of sourcing options is in wholesale vendors for boutiques and the best wholesale websites for boutiques.
When to buy beachwear for the season
Beachwear is seasonal, and many vendors sell it ahead of the season. Work backward from when you need it on the floor or online:
- Mark your busy selling months.
- Ask vendors about delivery windows and whether styles are ready to ship or pre-order.
- Place your main order early enough to photograph and list it before demand starts.
- Keep some budget for in-season reorders of what sells.
Online shops often see vacation demand before school breaks and winter holidays, not just in summer. Use open-to-buy to spread your budget across the year.
How to handle swimwear sizing
Swim is where beach boutiques lose the most money to returns and leftover sizes. A few practices help:
- Start with a few styles in a full run rather than many styles in thin runs.
- Consider brands that sell tops and bottoms separately so shoppers can mix sizes.
- Write size notes from your own try-ons on every product page.
- Set and display a clear hygiene and returns policy. See boutique return policy.
What to check before placing a beachwear order
- Fabric content, lining, and whether swim fabric is chlorine or sun resistant if the vendor claims it
- Size chart and how the brand fits compared with others you carry
- Minimum order, pack sizes and delivery window
- Return or defect policy from the vendor
- That the vendor is real and established. Read how to spot fake wholesale vendors.
Pricing beachwear
Seasonal clothing needs room for end-of-season markdowns, so price from landed cost and plan your clearance early.
Gross margin % = (retail price − landed cost) ÷ retail price × 100
Hypothetical example: a resort set costs $26 and $2 in shipping per unit, so landed cost is $28. At $72 retail, margin is ($72 − $28) ÷ $72 = about 61%. Your real numbers will differ. See landed cost and retail markdown strategy.