Written by Jason White of Enetplace.com © All Rights Reserved
I've been buying wholesale products to resell for many years. Early on I realized how important it was to find wholesale sources that I could rely on to have a profitable business. The TV advertised source was good for some items, but it just couldn't cut it for my plans. It became clear that my business would need more wholesale sources.
I decided to find sources of wholesale products on my own. Unfortunately, I soon found out it wasn't the easy task I'd thought it would be. You see, wholesalers aren't actively looking for new sellers, in fact most don't make any effort at all to attract small to medium size businesses. Why is this? Mainly because their business does good enough selling to large retail stores and chain stores with high volume million dollar orders, so us small fries aren't worth the bother.
So how does anyone find real wholesale sources? The key is to do a lot of research, more research and then even more research. On the internet you can begin with keyword searches in search engines using wholesale before or after the name of the product you are looking for. Remember that sometimes there is more than one way of referring to a product. While you may be searching for purses, the wholesaler may be listing them as handbags, pocketbooks, women's wallets or carry bags. They may even refer to them by the name-brand or the type of material they're made of.
Ebay can provide some good wholesale buys also. The tip here is to know the true value of what you're bidding on and the resale value. Also, be prepared to buy in quantity. Did you know there is a category dedicated solely to wholesale lots on Ebay. Just search for the product you are looking for with the keyword wholesale or lot or wholesale lots in their search feature. Again be sure of the value, out-dated items may not be worth the asking price.
Now if you still can't find what you are searching for, then try an online wholesale directory like Enetplace or Salehoo or Onesource, the latter even provides extra research tools to give you an edge on the Ebay auction site. Directories can make it a lot easier to find wholesale sources and products. The best wholesale directories thoroughly research all the contacts they recommend, removing the risk that you'll end up dealing with a fake wholesaler.
While directories won't always point you to the best supplier with the lowest prices for your item, they can give you a great starting point. I wish I had these resources when I first started, they would have saved me a ton of money.
Tradeshows are another good way to find sources of products. Tradeshows are one of the best ways to find wholesale contacts. A tradeshow is where related industries gather to display their products to potential buyers. Tradeshows are usually not open to the general public, mainly they are only for other businesses.
You can sample the quality of the product at a trade show, you can also talk directly to the manufacturer or product creator. Just make sure you come prepared and don't waste their time with questions you could have found out by reading the sales brochure! The same holds true when making contact with a supplier online, read the information provided at the site before asking questions.
Liquidation sales can be a good way of finding brand-name items at huge discounts. Check your local newspapers and look for sales in your area. Before buying from a liquidator try to find out why the goods are being sold, especially any mechanical or electronic products. Most of the time liquidation sales take place for reasons such as a store closing, bankruptcy, ect. However, it always pays to check so you don't end up with pallets of junk you can't sell.
Another option is to find liquidation sites on the Internet - one such site is Liquidation.com 
This site makes it extremely easy to buy liquidation products. You need to be careful though, be sure that the possibility of damaged stock and used or returned items included in the lots is small or non-existent. You want sellable products not junk.
Liquidation sales are a good way to source products, but you really can't rely upon them to consistently provide products for your niche. To achieve long-term business profits you need to find wholesale sources you can depend on.
Reputable wholesalers are the most reliable method to source products. Admittedly the initial process can be time consuming, but, it is your initial efforts that can reap great rewards. When you find a reputable wholesale source, you will know with reasonable certainty that you are going to receive the products and how much they will cost.
The easiest and fastest way to find wholesalers is to use a well researched directory. Directories remove some of the potential risk of dealing with fly-by-night wholesalers. From a person that's been there, done that, and still doing it, real wholesalers will always be my main source of products and they should be yours to.
About the Author:
Jason White has an extensive background buying and selling in the wholesale industry and is the primary wholesale researcher, writer for Enetplace.com
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for information about his Wholesale Dropshippers Directory.
