EBay Product Sourcing Tips
EBay product sources are everywhere if you know where to look. Just to get it out of the way, I mention that use of a good online wholesale directory such as Salehoo, which includes an active member forum, can be a tremendous help.
However, the point of this post is to remind you of trade shows. Trade shows may very well be your most valuable source of product distributor contacts whether you need to source for your eBay business or any other retail endeavor.
Anrew Milburn, from My Auction Empires, has some great comments in his blog article titled, How to Attend a Trade Show:
For the last few weeks I have been talking about Trade Shows and Trade Fairs and am in the process of listing some of the more famous ones.
Now a few people have asked me what is the process of attending a Trade Show, is it as easy as going to the show and just looking, or do you need to do some planning.
Well to be honest you can do both, But if you want to attend a Trade Show and get the most out of it there are a few steps you do need to follow.
If you do this then your time at the show will be more profitable and more relaxed.
1) The first step is to get yourself some business cards. You can get these done locally, but the best company I have so far is VistaPrint. VistaPrint offer excellent products and very good prices and at times you can get business cards free of charge and all you have to pay for is the postage and handling.
2) Once you have decided on the Trade Show you want to attend go to their website and sign-up and register for your passes. Now in most cases these passes are free of charge here in the UK. There are show Trade Shows that include a conference and these do make a charge, but this will be explained on their site.
The only other time you will be charged is if you have not registered, and attend the show, and book in on the day and do not have a business card, if this is the case you will be charged as a visitor, or not allowed in.
3) Once you have registered for the show, take a look around the website and see who has a Trade Stand, and start to make your list of stands to visit. A useful hint also is to note down which hall the stand is in and the stand numbers.
4) A few weeks before the Trade Show you will receive your pass along normally with a mini guide listing all the Trade Stands, The Stand Numbers and a layout of the Trade Show.
5) Put these in a folder along with your plans of who to visit and your Business Cards.
6) A lot of people ask what type of clothes do you wear, and again that depends on the type of show and the person attending, but normally it is smart casual or what ever you feel at ease in. (But please check your paper work and see what the Trade Show says)
7) Take with you a small case on wheels so you can put all the catalogues and samples in, as you do not want to be carrying these around with you.
Check the opening times of the show.
9) On the day of the show arrive early. Book yourself in and have a drink, it’s going to be a long day or few days depending how long you are staying.
10) Take a general walk around the show and get a feel for it.
11) Now start going down your list of Stands you want to visit, and approach each one and have talks with them.
12) Finally do not be tempted to buy on your first visit. Remember these are companies with sales people, and what might seem a good buy, and a good price, once you have looked at it and done some research it might not be so good.
Quite often they will have show specials, again do not be tempted.
This is why it’s good to spend a few days at a show so day one can be looking, evenings research and then next day buying.
A visit to Mr. Milburn’s blog will be worth your time as he talks about many different topics related to eBay product sourcing. You are sure to pick up some fine eBay tips. As a plus, he is convivial writer, and I think you’ll enjoy the posts for their own sake.
My secret source of eBay product sourcing tips? This is going to sound like a shameless product plug, but my own personal source of great tips not only for eBay, but for ecommerce or Craigslist is the Salehoo online directory of wholesale, dropship, liquidation-closeout, and factory product sources. The forum always, and I mean always, has recent news about product sources. In addition, Salehoo has brokerage accounts with major retailors allowing it to now provide small lots of liquidation-closeout goods to Salehoo members at really low costs. The same low cost break that you would get if you buying by the truckload. In my opinion, if this sort of thing is of interest to you it is worth your time and action to check out the video tour.
EBay Powersellers True Source Knowing How to Use Real Wholesale Sources
The secret behind every successful eBay power seller is not only their sales skills and reputation but their connections to real wholesale distributors. Sourcing products with real wholesale distributors is the basic need for any eBay power seller. Your business can only be as good as your wholesale distributors are to you.
Building Your Reputation
To be successful at selling a lot of products on eBay you have to build a good reputation with the eBay consumer base. Customers are more willing to buy from someone who has a flawless reputation rather than someone who has no reputation at all. I personally would rather spend a few extra dollars to buy the same product from someone who had a perfect reputation rather than from someone who has a bad reputation or no reputation at all. Keeping a perfect customer satisfaction rating is very important to all power sellers. It takes a while to build a good reputation and you may even need to take some losses just to keep it perfect but it is well worth it for the long term.
Wholesale Distributors
The key to being a successful eBay power seller is having a real wholesale distributor with quality in demand products at your finger tips. You can be successful with a wholesale distributor who offers drop shipping to your customers but you can slowly gain scars on your reputation from some of the problems that can arise from drop shipping services. Using bulk wholesale distributors can grant you full control over your business. You will always know what you have available in stock and you can control the shipping of the product. This is the more professional approach because you can personalize your packages and you can get better prices on your products when you buy in bulk.
Multiple Wholesale Distributors
When you hook up with a wholesale distributor do not just try to sell all the products in their inventory only. Sell only the products that best fit the needs of your target customers and try to find more products of the same kind for your customers from other wholesale distributors. Having a good selection can give you an advantage over your competition. Some people shop for low prices while other people shop for a quality brand. Having two products of the same kind made by different companies can give you the ability to make sales to each type of shopper.
Real Wholesale Distributors
A real wholesale distributor is a company who ships products in from the factory and then ships them out in bulk quantity to retailers all around the world. Wholesale distributors do not advertise their business to the consumer world and any of the products they carry are not advertised and marketed by them. The odds of finding a real wholesale distributor instead of middlemen by using a search engine are very slim. The way a wholesale distributor promotes their business is through word of mouth from business to business and through trade shows which are held annually in most of the worlds major cities.
These are the familiar keys to success as an eBay power seller. If you check the records of most of eBay’s power sellers you will see that they carry only the products for their target market and their products are available in different brands. The power sellers with the highest numbers will always have the best reputations with their customers and usually keep a mailing list and database of their paying customers.
Jason Collins – Expert In Ecommerce Home Business Success
SellersReference.com
Marketing Strategies
Product Sourcing Wholesale Distributors
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