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!

You will want to have a clear, uncluttered background for your picture. The idea is to focus in on the item itself and not everything around it. Try to get a shot of your item as close up as you can without being too extreme. You will also want to have adequate lighting. If shooting a picture in the daytime, make sure that the light is behind you. You can take your picture near the window if you would like, but a filtered area, such as in front of sheer curtain or near it is best. It is best to use a digital camera if at all possible to shoot your pictures. Digital cameras are quick and easy, being able to download them on your computer. It is a great convenience. Cell phone cameras are a great invention and the convenience is incredible, but they do not always give the clearest of pictures. They will, however, suffice in a pinch.

Enhance your pictures today and make them clear and undeniably appealing to the buyer by using the right camera and the right techniques. Clear pictures will put you in the driver’s seat when it comes to being a top-notch seller as an eBay auctioneer. Load up your great pictures along with a detailed item description to make it clear about the item your customers are bidding on. Your success as an eBay seller is in the effort that you put into it.

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!

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.

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.

So let us look at the different types of business legal structures that exist and what they are:

• Sole proprietorship – This is the simplest and most common of all of the legal structures. This is because this is a business that is owned by a single person and that person has unlimited liability. A person who provides services to another is a sole proprietor unless they decide to set it up as something else. So if you’re a contract sign dancer for restaurants and retail stores, you’re a sole proprietor.

• Partnerships – This is when two people decide to go into business together to make a profit. Each person owns a portion of the business and they also own whatever profit or loss that is made. So make sure you are going into business with someone who is in agreement or else you could see some trouble looming ahead. Some husbands and wives go into business in this way.

• Corporations – A corporation is set up through your state and your liabilities are limited. This means you are not personally liable for everything if trouble occurs. You do not become individually responsible for damages like you would through a sole proprietorship or a partnership. LLCs and S Corps are a part of this category. A corporation is considered a separate entity.

But wait. We need to look at this LLC and S Corp thing a little bit better. First of all, LLC stands for Limited Liability Corporation. The above definition more or less covers that. Your liabilities are limited. But what is an S Corp? Well, an S Corp is a corporation that is taxed under Subchapter S of the IRS’s Chapter 1. In other words, they do not pay income tax. Instead, they take income or losses and divide it amongst their shareholders. The shareholders then report the income or loss when it is time for them to file their taxes. So yes, the shareholders are fitting the bill.

So whichever one of these categories you fit in, it is important that you set yourself up accordingly. That way you can be taxed correctly, you will be held liable in the correct situations, and you are legally set up to do business the way you need to.

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.

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.

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:

1. Business Name/Address/Phone
2. EIN (Employer Identification Number) or Social Security Number (Sole Proprietors)
3. Expected purchasing volume monthly/annually
4. References from other wholesale suppliers – Who have you purchased from?
5. 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.

]]> http://wholesale-secrets.com/opening-a-wholesale-credit-account/feed/ 0 http://wholesale-secrets.com/getting-to-know-the-wholesale-packaging-lingo/ http://wholesale-secrets.com/getting-to-know-the-wholesale-packaging-lingo/#comments Sat, 07 Feb 2009 16:57:07 +0000 Rob Cyr http://wholesale-secrets.com/?p=104 Buying wholesale merchandise can be like learning a new language. When searching through catalogs and viewing merchandise online the new wholesale buyer can be confused by the terminology and industry specific abbreviations.

I have compiled a small list of some of the more common wholesale packaging definitions for those who are new to the industry:

Case – This term describes to the wholesale buyer how many of an item will come in the original manufacturers shipping box. Many wholesale distributors will require you to purchase by the case.

Inner Case – Smaller box found in a Case. For example, a Case might contain 60 pieces which is comprised of five Inner Cases of twelve pieces. Five times twelve equals sixty total pieces.

Unit - A unit describes a single item or piece. For example, a case might contain 12 units or individual items

Gross - Term used to describe 144 of any one item. This term is often used to describe small, inexpensive items like children’s rubber bracelets. One gross equals 12 dozen. Abbreviated as “gr”

Dz – Abbreviation for one dozen (12) of an item

Poly Bagged – Refers to an item placed in a polyethylene or polypropylene plastic bag which allows for merchandise protection and consumer inspection. Often used with a colorful or informative Header Card.

Display Boxed – A box specifically designed to be placed on a shelf or retail counter. Display boxes will usually offer product information including merchandising graphics designed to “entice” the consumer into a purchase

Header Card – Cardboard folded card usually attached to the top of a clear poly bag in which the item is held. Offers the consumer an easy way to view merchandise contents.

Window Boxed – Cardboard box with at least one side protected by a clear plastic “Window” which allows the consumer to view contents. Used heavily in the retail toy industry.

Clam Shell – Retail packaging designed to open and close by a hinge along one edge. Clear plastic protective packaging also allows purchaser to view all sides of an item prior to purchase.