If you are an eBay seller, store owner, flea market vendor or even an exporter, yous should be on the look out for new sources for inventory. I am certain that you spend countless hours searching the net looking for new suppliers to buy from.
Have you tried wholesale trade magazines or better know as trade publications? I subscribe to several full color magazines which are mailed to my office once a month, free of charge.
Most of the magazines not only offer tons of new wholesale sources, but also current marketing and retail advice. One magazine in particular, WebWholesaler, is by far the best trade publication out there. Each issue is packed with a variety of wholesale sources for clothing, accessories, jewelry, general merchandise, tools, electronics and more!
I would personally recommend you sign up for a FREE subscription to WebWholesaler. There is no obligation what so ever. Fill out a simple form and you should receive the next issue hot off the press!
Who does not love playing with remote control toys? As technology advances we are seeing a myriad of new RC cars, trucks, helicopters, airplanes, tanks, hovercrafts and even UFO’s! Whether you sell online through an ecommerce store or list items on eBay, remote control toys command huge profits!
I know of several Kiosk sellers who set up displays in large malls and sell these toys daily. They simply sit around and play with the toys causing children, as well as adults, to come over and “play” before buying. What better way to sell then to let someone take a test drive! In my area the RC helicopters are selling really well, in fact I spoke with a kiosk seller who told me they are having a hard time keeping the little “mini” helicopters in stock.
I have found a few RC wholesalers who offer great pricing and depending on how you intend to resell, some of the prices I found are low enough to resell on eBay!
Small Case RC Wholesalers:
HobbyTron.com offers excellent small case pricing for a range of wholesale RC cars, trucks, airplanes and more. They also offer wholesale Airsoft guns. I cross refernced HobbyTrons pricing with eBay closing auctions and it looks as though you should be able to make a nice profit buying from this supplier!
Valorsinc.com – Another great source for wholesale RC products based out of Texas. You will need to register as a wholesale buyer before you can view pricing. One downside to this website, in my opinion, is the black background.
Emirimage.com – Great selection of the latest RC toys; direct import pricing allows the reseller to buy at a deep discount. Buy low, sell high!
As a new seller on Ebay the easiest and most preferred method of payment is through PayPal. If you are planning to do a lot of Ebaying you will want to set up an account on there. Setting up a PayPal account is both quick and easy. All you need to do is go to www.paypal.com and select the “Getting started” option. This section will give you answers to the most basic questions for signing up regarding verification and what it means, countries that PayPal is accepted in, the required information for opening a PayPal account, time zone, their security features and more.
On the left hand side of the page under “Getting started” you will see additional categories that will give you all of the details on fees, account types, sending and receiving money through PayPal, and PayPal’s usage policy on what is acceptable and what is not. Continuing on down the left hand side of the page are other categories as well that will completely outline and answer many other questions pertaining to bank cards, credit cards, account viewing, resolving account issues, filing disputes and claims, PayPal with Ebay linking, products, features, and merchant services.
There are three types of accounts to get you going on PayPal. For beginners, a personal account is fine and best of all, FREE! Once you plan to make this a business you will want to upgrade to a premier or even a business account. The fee is reasonable for either of these accounts and will not empty your wallet. Seller’s fees for all accounts are also a bargain and well worth it for fast and ready payment and convenience purposes. PayPal even has its own special section for its Ebay users.
PayPal a secure and safe method of payment and their customer service is top notch. They are readily available by e-mail or telephone whenever you need them. Sign up for a PayPal account today and begin selling your items on your Ebay auction account. The fastest, easiest, payment choice on the internet is hands down, Paypal!
What the heck is Shelf Pull merchandise? Just as it sounds, shelf pulls are retail products that have been on display in a retail store and then subsequently “Pulled” from the shelf for various reasons. Big Box retailers will pull items from the sales floor for several reasons, including:
- End of season model/style
- Initially purchased too much of an item and therefor have excess unsold stock
- Product no longer being manufactured or distributed
- Product being recalled due to a safety hazard
Most of the time, retailers simply pull items from their retail sales floor to bring in newer items. Think about it, most stores rotate stock to keep their inventory looking fresh and new. Due to this reason, there is an abundance of merchandise which can be purchased on a wholesale level and resold for a great profit. There is no better way to “tap” into major name brands on a wholesale level. The great thing about buying shelf pulled merchandise is simply cost. often, shelf pull merchandise can be purchased for “pennies” on the original wholesale dollar!
Are you looking for name brand merchandise to resell on eBay or through your ecommerce store? Shelf pull merchandise can also be sold through your store front and exported throughout the world!
Ok, I have convinced you…I can tell. Where do you find Shelf Pull merchandise?
Shelf pull merchandise can be purchased through Wholesale Liquidators or buying directly from each department store. Some department stores have their own liquidation department where they sell pallets and truckloads of shelf pull and customer returned merchandise. Most big box retailers will contract a ‘Third Party” liquidation company to move excess or unwanted merchandise. In this case, dealing with this third party is considered buying direct.
Think back to your childhood. Do you remember your first business adventure of setting up your own lemonade stand? You would sell cups of lemonade for only cents, and life was good. Life was good up until that kid set up another lemonade stand right across the street from yours and stole your thunder, right? Unfortunately, that kid is back on the block. However, in this situation, the block is located on eBay. In order to prevent these types of kids from earning all the sales, you need to learn how to compete effectively.
Remember selling your lemonade for twenty five cents, only to realize that the other stand sold their lemonade for ten cents? Competitive prices can make all the difference in selling merchandise. Depending on what you are selling, you should search eBay for the same or similar products. Determine the average price for your product, among fellow eBay sellers. You will want to price your product in this bracket, or slightly below if you do not have much money invested in the item you are planning to sell.
Furthermore, the attractive signs advertising for the other lemonade stands really caught the attention of people. The same method works on eBay. Advertising for your eBay store or items is important. Make your existence known on eBay. This will result in an increase of traffic to your eBay store, which increases your chances of gaining sales. Advertise on the internet, such as social networking websites. You can also promote your eBay items or store in your community or through word of mouth. Advertise and promote your eBay store as much as possible through numerous methods.
Another way to direct prospective buyers to your eBay items is to list keywords for each item throughout the listing and the description. These keywords allow your item to be shown when a buyer searches that term on eBay. Make sure your keywords are relevant to your item and utilize the full amount allotted by eBay.
So when selling items on eBay, it is important to remember that an online business is still a business and requires good customer service. Good customer service is the reason all of those power sellers became power sellers. They’ve acquired their positive feedback for several reasons. Among these reasons may be things like prices, fast shipping, reliability, quick to answer questions and concerns, or the diversity of products they sell. Accumulating positive feedback is always a positive gain for your eBay business.
There is this nasty little rumor going around that says importing small quantities of merchandise is something that is very difficult to do. But the truth is that you can get virtually anything and everything you want. If you want 10 sets of authentic Chinese medicine balls directly from China, you can get 10 sets of authentic Chinese medicine balls directly from China. Perhaps that is all your store needs and no one should tell you, “No, you can’t order that few although you don’t need very many.”
The main difference here is cost. Yes, it is more expensive to ship more items, but the bargain is greater the more you get. And yes, you get a better deal if you order more, but you shouldn’t order more than what you need or you are going to find yourself with an excess of Chinese medicine balls. This actually results in a greater loss for you than having to pay more in wholesale cost because you ordered less. You don’t want to find yourself with an excess of the item and not be able to sell it.
But what happens if a company says they have a minimum order?
How do you conquer that?
Well, even if a company says that they have a minimum order of 25 items and you only need 10, you can order what is called a “sample order.” A sample order is a way in which you can see how the item performs in your store. If it performs well, then you can order more later on. It is important to keep in mind that these companies doing the exporting will not turn down money. They are not going to say, “No, you can’t have this because you don’t need 25 of them.” Letting you order 10 is going to provide them with money they wouldn’t have otherwise. No good business is going to turn down the very cash that makes them grow. That would be counterproductive, don’t you think?
With a sample order you will pay more per piece, but you have the benefit of “testing the waters” before you order in large quantities. So don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t run the store the way you want to run it with the merchandise that you want to sell. Better yet, don’t let them tell you how much of your merchandise you can buy and sell. That is just right out wrong. If you want to order 10, go for it. If you want to order 5, don’t let anyone push you around. You’re the boss, so let them know that.
Most manufacturers realize that a small sample order can quickly turn into a larger order and then, of course, an ongoing trade relationship. A great resource to get started in importing is a site called Alibaba.com where there are plenty of worldwide manufacturers ready to ship in small quantities.
I am an advocate for staying updated with the latest Wholesale Industry trends and suppliers. Anyone one who is actively engaged in buying wholesale merchandise should subscribe to some of the larger wholesale magazines. Not only will your subscription offer new sources, but you will also be updated about consumer retail trends, marketing and merchandising. Subscription fees will vary, but again, well worth the spend!
Here are some of the more popular magazines:
Cover – Tag line reads, “Americas Source for for Wholesale Merchandise“. I have subscribed to this publication for years now. It is roughly 100 pages in length and offers page after page of wholesale suppliers for a wide range of merchandise. In addition the magazine offers retail trends and trade show information. You can view the latest issue online. Take a look- Published by Sumner Communications.
WebWholesaler – “The official print publication of Wholesalecentral.com”. Published by Sumner Communications, this wholesale magazine is a great compliment to Cover (Above). As of this blog post, you can sign up for a free subscription!
The Merchandiser Group – Magazines for the Flea Market and Swap Meet Industry. Published again by Sumner Communications. If you are a Flea Market vendor you need to get your hands on this wholesale trade magazine. Issues are geographically based on three areas: West, Midwest and east coast. Latest issues are available online!
Merchants News – Wholesale trade publication published monthly by Merchants Media. Filled with reputable and long time advertisers, Merchants News, offers a wealth of supplier contact information. A must have subscription!
Wholesale Merchandise “80,000 readers monthly” cannot be wrong, publication offers tons of supplier contacts for flea market vendors, eBay sellers and traditional retail stores.
Closeout News – Counterpart to Wholesale Merchandise, The Closeout News has long been considered the Industry standard for ‘below Wholesale” suppliers. This publication offers suppliers from the Liquidation market. A must have.
Over the years I have subscribed to all of these fine trade magazines. Chose one or all, you will not be disappointed.
Many of the readers who come here are looking for wholesale items to resell on eBay. But, did you stop to think that maybe you can find wholesale merchandise right on eBay? No…. I am not crazy, you actually can purchase large quantities of merchandise through eBay and turn around and retail each item one by one. I know of several successful eBay powers sellers who know how to spot a great deal on eBay and then “flip it” one item at a time right back on eBay!
Some of the more popular items which can easily be flipped on eBay include:
Large lots of apparel – Look for gently used or shelf pull apparel. Shelf pull apparel is simply clothing that was unsold in the original department store for various reasons. Often, this shelf pull apparel will have the original retail tags attached…a real bonus for selling on ebay. You can find gently used clothing lots on ebay that will offer a great source for “single” sales. Look for wholesale lots containing high end name brands. There are a few categories of clothing that sell very well on eBay including maternity, children clothing and plus sizes.
Jewelry lots – You can find great deals on bulk jewelry lots on eBay. There several manufacturers who are selling rings, necklaces, bracelets and body jewelry which can be purchased and resold on eBay. They key to reselling jewelry on eBay is producing quality digital photos for your auctions.
There are hundreds of other bulk lots which can be purchased and resold, they trick is to spend enough time on eBay searching. In addition you want to make sure that when you bid on a lot of merchandise that you factor your shipping cost into you cost per piece. For example, if you buy a 100 pieces of used apparel for $49 and shipping to your doors costs $30, your landed cost per piece is .79 each!
We should take this time to also let you know that once you become an eBay Power Seller you will have access to the Resellers Marketplace – An exclusive “members only” marketplace for those who qualify as an eBay Power Seller. As a Power seller you will gain access to excess inventory directly from many manufacturers, liquidators, and wholesalers.
What exactly is a Seller’s Permit? Sometimes referred to as a Sales Tax License or Resale License this is simply a legal permit to sell taxable merchandise. As a seller’s permit holder, you agree to collect and remit sales tax to the Franchise Tax Board in your specific state. You will need to obtain a sellers permit if you plan on purchasing merchandise on a wholesale level, as most suppliers will require that your license be on file. The license tells the wholesale supplier that you are engaged in reselling merchandise and collecting the appropriate amount of sales tax as required by the Franchise Tax board for your state.
Anyone engaged in retailing merchandise must apply for a state resale license with the State board of Equalization. The process consist of filling out an application offering information about your business. The issuance of your license can take up to two weeks after you application has been submitted.
An application for a resale license will contain all the information you will need to comply with collecting and distributing sales tax for the items you retail in your state. You must collect sales tax for those items which are purchased in the same state your business resides in. For example, an apparel retailer who operates in California must charge sales tax for any purchases or shipment of merchandise (on a retail level) in the state of California. Please consult the Franchise Tax Board or your accountant for retail sales across state lines.
Most wholesale suppliers will offer the opportunity to open a credit account, which will give you the option to order merchandise and pay with flexible terms. Unlike using a credit card, the supplier extends the credit to your business.
Many wholesale suppliers will extend credit offering, “Net 30”, which simply means payment in full is expected 30 days after merchandise is delivered. Often, a wholesale supplier will reward the buyer with additional terms if an invoice is paid in full within a shorter time frame. For example, 2% 10, net 30 would give you, the buyer, a 2% discount if if your payment is received within 10 days of the delivery of your purchase. Each wholesale supplier who extends in-house credit offers different terms, so make sure you understand the terms under your account before buying.
You must apply for a supplier credit accounts often by faxing in a credit application. Your wholesale supplier will offer an application asking some basic information including, but not limited to:
- Business Name/Address/Phone
- EIN (Employer Identification Number) or Social Security Number (Sole Proprietors)
- Expected purchasing volume monthly/annually
- References from other wholesale suppliers – Who have you purchased from?
- Signature authorizing the supplier to run your credit report
Once you have faxed in your application expect up to seven to ten days for approval and account set up. You will be given an account spending limit, which will be reviewed periodically by your supplier and possibly increased based upon your historical ability to meet account terms. Once your credit accounts are set up make sure to protect the power of business credit by paying your invoices on time and early if possible.
