by zeke
15 replies
About 5 years ago I owned a thriving online ecommerce store selling a line of physical products.

I was able to find a handful of wholesalers online.

But recently I've found that the tactics I used before are not working to turn up wholesalers this time.

I am a member of the drop ship source directory and only have access to dropshippers but I see that even they don't list all dropshippers as there are two that I used for my other business that are still going strong that aren't listed in the dropship source directory.

Previously I would go to google and type in terms that I knew true wholesalers listed on their sites. Searches like (electronics "wholesale only") and (electronics "resellers certificate") etc.

Those searches just aren't turning up much for the niche I'm looking to get into these days though (Not electronics).

Any input would be greatly appreciated on how to go about finding true legit wholesalers who only sell wholesale and not to the public.
#dropshipping #finding #wholesalers
  • Profile picture of the author chimehost
    Not sure where you are located but usually places like Los Angeles and New York have tons of wholesalers. You can visit their showroom and check them out. If you cant visit them, you should at least try to visit ASD las vegas show and you will find thousands of them attending the show.

    ASD Las Vegas | ASD
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  • Profile picture of the author Jaguar-TI
    Try alibaba.com, not sure if your niche works there.
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    • Profile picture of the author Robert Mangan
      I run an eCommerce site that retails physical products. Not sure if this will help you but, I found all my suppliers by calling the manufacturers directly. I'd call their TOLL FREE number and then explain who I was, my site etc. and ask to speak to someone who could point me in the right direction. In pretty much every case they were extremely helpful.
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      • Profile picture of the author zeke
        thanks for all the great ideas.

        Robert, quick question for you:

        Right now my site is ranked on pg. 1 for my main keywords and it's an adsense/affiliate site.

        Will having adsense make me look "not as legit", maybe I should take it down.

        I guess my thought is that a manufacturer wants to know I'm the real deal but it seems like I don't look like the real deal if I'm not selling anything on the site yet.

        Thanks for your input.

        Originally Posted by Robert Mangan View Post

        I run an eCommerce site that retails physical products. Not sure if this will help you but, I found all my suppliers by calling the manufacturers directly. I'd call their TOLL FREE number and then explain who I was, my site etc. and ask to speak to someone who could point me in the right direction. In pretty much every case they were extremely helpful.
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        • Profile picture of the author ray777
          Originally Posted by zeke View Post

          thanks for all the great ideas.

          I guess my thought is that a manufacturer wants to know I'm the real deal but it seems like I don't look like the real deal if I'm not selling anything on the site yet.

          Thanks for your input.
          Not many will care. A few might but most won't.
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          • Trade shows. Hands-down the best place to line up sources. I like the ASD/AMD show in Las Vegas. You can meet people and ask the tough questions.

            Honestly, there's only so much useful research you can do remotely. Some companies don't list themselves as wholesalers, although they perform the wholesale or brokerage function in the supply channel. Some won't want to touch Internet sales.

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  • Profile picture of the author GlobalTrader
    Try the Closeout News - they publish a monthly newspaper type publication and another wholesale type publication that I cannot think of the name right now - they also have some of their newspaper edition advertisers posted on their website - you used to be able to buy a sample issue for around $5 but I am not sure if they still offer samples - would not hurt to call and ask? - Closeout News - Closeouts, surplus & wholesale merchandise and liquidation
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  • Profile picture of the author Robert Mangan
    zeke,

    Personally, I HATE the look of AdSense on shopping carts however, one or two of my competitors do have them on their sites. It's really up to you. However, I would temporarily turn off AdSense while you phone around your manufacturers/distributors - they may not care about AdSense ads being on your site but you never know.

    Also, as has been said, many manufacturers/distributors won't care too much if you don't have products on your site.

    When I was starting out I loaded up my shopping art with about 10 'made up' products of the type I wanted to sell. Then, when I called the manufacturers they could get a good 'feel' of what my site was about.

    Just be honest and professional. If you haven't yet got any real products on your site, tell them. I found that having a professional approach about how I was going to run my business made a real difference in getting a positive response from suppliers.

    More TIPS:

    1. Always make the first approach to a supplier by phone
    2. Follow up the phone call with an email along the lines of 'Thank you for taking the time to talk to me earlier...'
    3. Your emails should always come from your website domain and not your personal 'yahoo' or 'gmail' account.
    4. Make sure your emails contain a signature at the bottom. You should at least have your website URL, phone number, fax number and mailing address

    It's all about being professional.
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  • Profile picture of the author Giftys
    Zeke, I'm also a long time retailer. The advice on going to shows is good. That's where I've always found my best contacts. I've been to ASD a couple of times and several others. The shows offer not only product but potential for building relationships, which as you know are invaluable.

    And don't worry about not having any product in your store right now. You said you once owned a thriving store. Simply tell them that and be up front. I think that experience will add credibility to your inquiry.

    - Good luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author PeterBirganza
    Originally Posted by zeke View Post

    About 5 years ago I owned a thriving online ecommerce store selling a line of physical products.

    I was able to find a handful of wholesalers online.

    But recently I've found that the tactics I used before are not working to turn up wholesalers this time.

    I am a member of the drop ship source directory and only have access to dropshippers but I see that even they don't list all dropshippers as there are two that I used for my other business that are still going strong that aren't listed in the dropship source directory.

    Previously I would go to google and type in terms that I knew true wholesalers listed on their sites. Searches like (electronics "wholesale only") and (electronics "resellers certificate") etc.

    Those searches just aren't turning up much for the niche I'm looking to get into these days though (Not electronics).

    Any input would be greatly appreciated on how to go about finding true legit wholesalers who only sell wholesale and not to the public.
    Hi,
    You must try "Alibaba". They are working for many years and providing best results to their customers. Actually they are dealing with wholesale market and a wide range of products is available over there. You will really enjoy by visiting it.
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  • Profile picture of the author startup
    contact manufactureres directly... stop wasting time with sites that sell you the info.... you need to dig... get out the YP and look up manufacturers in your city/state and start calling them.

    we built a nationwide business this way and sold truckloads of merchandise to chain stores... all from home
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  • Profile picture of the author ttdub
    I have the same question. I'm not in a huge city like New York.
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    You should take a look at Worldwide Brands. Will cost you a bit, but you'll have access to a ton of wholesalers and dropshippers. Also, Alibaba can work well for you too. You might have to go thru some ups and downs when working with an overseas merchant, but keep doing it and you'll find someone legit who can give quality merchandise a low and profitable price.
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  • Profile picture of the author paulie123
    Here is the problem with wholesalers and even manufactureres today. They also have accounts on eBay and Amazon and you will be competing against them at prices that will be hard for you to turn a profit (although they will not tell you they have accounts on those sites, they will even deny it). Alibaba was mentioned and it seems importing may be the way to obtain merchandise at cost that will yield a decent price margin. Good luck, it seems selling on eBay is going to the big boys...not the same.
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  • Profile picture of the author eBayer
    In the Chinese marketplace there are giant wholesellers they have direct connections with factories or own a factory themselves, problem is the language barrier and the payment barrier, if you break through them you are in.. what you need to do is have connections with the right people to let you obtain the right supplies at the right price and with those people who don't sell to everyday people, just sell wholesale.
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