Do not use search engines to find online wholesalers and distributors. The vast majority of REAL wholesalers do not advertise on the Internet. They simply don’t need or want to! As a wholesaler, they usually do not sell directly to the public, just to other businesses. This is why you need to make sure you’ve established your business identity before starting your wholesaler search (see my post on Establishing Your Business Financial Structures for some guidelines on starting your business). The real wholesalers do not advertise on the Internet because they simply don’t want to be bothered by thousands of smaller companies with marginal orders. They would prefer just dealing with the larger retailers.
Avoid the Middleman!
When you search for wholesalers and distributors though online search engines, you’re likely to encounter middlemen pretending to be real distributors. In fact, they’re just acting as intermediaries between the real wholesaler and you, and charging you more than what they pay the wholesaler. This cuts back on your profit and makes the middleman big bucks since they’re not competing to sell the product to the public. You are!
So where do you find the real wholesalers and distributors? Are they kept a secret?
No, wholesalers and distributors are not secret, but they are hidden treasures because many people simply do not know the proper way to find them. While finding them does take a little effort and patience, anyone can do it.
How to Manually Find a Wholesaler
The process is simple. Let’s say you want to sell a particular MP3 player. If you own that MP3, look on the back of the device or in the product manuals for the manufacturer of the product. If you don’t own the product you’re looking to sell, try going to a store that may sell it, like Best Buy. Take a notepad with you and write down some information from the product. Look for model and serial numbers and any references to manufacturer.
Once you know the manufacturer’s name, give them a call. Let them know your business name and ask them if they sell to individual companies. Chances are they will say no, but this is to be expected. If they won’t sell directly to you, ask for an authorized list of distributors for their products. The initial sales rep may not know the answer, but someone at their company should be able to get you a list.
Once you have obtained a list from the manufacturer of their authorized distributors, simply give the distributors a call and setup an account with them. If they have multiple distributors, see if they have a website listed and visit each. If no website is available, give each company a call. You’re looking to see which distributor offers the best services for your needs. Do you need them to drop ship for you? If so, this would be an important question to ask them.
Bottom line, if you want a real wholesaler, you’ll have to do some homework. The process is not difficult, but will involve a little research and effort. Remember, avoid searching the online search engines for this information. Wholesalers and distributors don’t advertise, so 99% of the time the ones you see listed online are fake wholesalers run by middlemen.
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