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Where to get merchandise to sell on an online store?

by aivzdog
16 replies
Hello,

I was wondering where I could get good merchandise that isnt too expensive that I could make a profit from to sell on ebay or an online store. Like bulk products or any other products.

I have always wanted to start an online pet store but never knew where to get my products from. Stores, websites, etc?

Thanks
Anna
#merchandise #online #sell #store
  • Profile picture of the author Kevin Barnes
    What niche are you wanting to sell products in?

    I will post my response to this answer here after you answer.
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    • Profile picture of the author agmccall
      Try worldwidebrands dot com

      They list drop shippers, bulk product, and partial pallet distributors.

      You can also try liquidation dot com they are an auction site that offers liquidation products and pallets of returned mdse.

      And one other dropship directory website is Doba dot com

      al
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  • Profile picture of the author salegurus
    I suggest you find a very targeted niche if you want to sell pet related products, there are established sellers in every niche imaginable on eBay and webstores. It's very difficult to compete and make a decent profit these days unless you somehow buy direct from the source, not even genuine wholesale suppliers have prices low enough for you to compete in most categories.

    When i say targeted niche:
    Pet supplies > Fish> Aquarium Filters> Canister Filters> Fluval Canister Filters

    PS. WorldWideBrands is a good resource for finding genuine suppliers

    PPS. You will need to open a real business, DBA,CC, LLC etc to get a tax exempt certificate and you need a EIN which all real wholesalers require.

    Good Luck
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    • Profile picture of the author fluffythewondercat
      When wanting to becoming an online merchant, there are two ways you can learn:

      1. Dive right in and take your lumps if you make mistakes, or

      2. Research, research, research.

      Both methods have their adherents. It's pretty much dependent on your personal style. I'm more the "dive right in" type, because there's nothing like experience.

      If you decide to start an online store and go at it full time, it will take at least a year before you get any sort of search engine traction. And that's if you're working on SEO every day. Pet supplies is a highly competitive business.

      fLufF
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    • Profile picture of the author TollFreeService
      Check out LNC Pet Supply, you might like them. They offer dropshipping so you don't have to invest in inventory. TopDawgPetSupply has lots more items but also charges a $10 or $35 monthly fee.

      I wouldn't order any lists of suppliers. You can find them all yourself by searching for pet supply wholesale/dropshippers or contacting pet supply companies to see if they can help you out with what you want.

      As for the only sell in a niche category suggestion, I would have to disagree. When I sold on eBay it was hard to make a profit selling only a few hundred items. But once I listed 15,000 the money came rolling in. That of course requires a leap of faith since the listing fees for 15,000 is quite a significant amount.

      Good luck
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  • Profile picture of the author aivzdog
    I have wanted to start an online dog store for a long time now. Dog products are my interest.
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  • Profile picture of the author dkla27
    Try alibaba, they have everything
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    • Profile picture of the author Michelle Stevens
      Originally Posted by dkla27 View Post

      Try alibaba, they have everything
      Including the 40 thieves!!

      I lost a fair bit of money on that site some years back. Wouldn't go near it again
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    • Profile picture of the author Vadimarket
      Originally Posted by dkla27 View Post

      Try alibaba, they have everything
      This has to be one of the worst advices ever giving on this forum.. Stay away from alibaba!

      Also, if you're planning to sell on ebay, FORGET the dropshipers. With dropshippers you're gonna sell same products along with thousands other people just like you, so the competition is way too high. Also, if you make any profit with them, most of it ( if not all) will go towards eBay/paypal fees. And finally, the problem with every dropshipping company is that their products constantly getting out of stock, and you're the one who's always have to explain to your costumers why you don't have the item that they just bought.

      Try to find/make a unique product and then sell ( I know it's hard, but still possible)
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  • Profile picture of the author PassiveIncomeTeacher
    Instead of sourcing the products, why don't you write about dogs and review dog products. You can then sell affiliate products for dogs from Amazon and other retailers that have an affiliate program. This makes it super easy to get started and doesn't cost you much money. After your site gets some traction, you can source some products or even sell advertising to companies with dog related products.
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  • Profile picture of the author aivzdog
    So I am in the right direction with my new blog called Lifetime with dogs? I created it to write posts about dog breeds, news, stories, products. Is that a good idea?
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  • Profile picture of the author CaseyB
    Product sourcing is the key. There are many places to mind it however the pricing changes dramaticlly from source to source. A fellow ecommerce friend of mine say exponential growth and profits in his business after he moved to china for 5 years and made his nessicary connections. This is not an option for most yet this is what really exploded his business.
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  • Profile picture of the author EnglishGent81
    Antique books sale very well on ebay. In very basic terms all you have to do is go to the antique book section of ebay, select the completed listings options and look at the books that have sold, which will be highlighted in green. If you look at the number of bids for the books that sold in auction, that will give you a good idea of how popular the book is. All you have to do is highlight the title of that books where there were a lot of bidders and do a search on google to see if you can find the same book being sold for cheaper than what it sold for on ebay. Medieval books sale very well on ebay.

    Good Luck
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Alan
    I find what works best in 2012 is products you source locally and resell on eBay.


    Originally Posted by aivzdog View Post

    Hello,

    I was wondering where I could get good merchandise that isnt too expensive that I could make a profit from to sell on ebay or an online store. Like bulk products or any other products.

    I have always wanted to start an online pet store but never knew where to get my products from. Stores, websites, etc?

    Thanks
    Anna
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    • Profile picture of the author Dave Espino
      Pet products on eBay - the margins are way too low and I don't think it's worth it unless you can find unique, higher-margin products that have a large demand.

      Dave Espino
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  • Profile picture of the author trade4861
    I did some experimenting buying products from china distributers and reselling from one website I built. I was able to turn good profits too. Trick is to find legit sellers in China.

    Also, I would highly consider opening up your own online store and learning how to write for the Internet. Your profits will be far greater than that of selling on eBay and without the nasty eBay fees.

    One product I use to sell on eBay wouldn't bring me more then $20 dollars which was about 8 dollar profit. Selling on my own site I was able to sell for $40.00 for the same item. I also sold 3 times the amount of products I would on my own site.
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