Tips to Finding Wholesalers and Distributors
Much Internet search is driven by the need to find wholesalers and distributors and sources of products to sell online. Many of the people who find this site–and perhaps you are among them–are seeking products specifically for small home business or to sell on eBay.
We have talked about finding products to sell online in earlier posts and have even offered specific tips to finding dropship suppliers who cater specifically to you if you are running a sort of mass market consumer goods ecommerce online store. In an earlier post, we talk more about the kinds of things you may need to consider if you plan on running an online ecommerce store as business. The article goes into a little more depth, so be prepared to give it some thought.
In order to find online (or offline) dropshippers, wholesalers, product distributors and a wide range of products to sell online, we have three basic tips:
(1) Network with other business people and resellers of the line or lines products you are interested in selling.
(2) Attend trade shows.
(3) Do research using search directories of manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers.
These three basic tips apply pretty much universally, regardless of the type or level of business you want to get into. I realize that these tips may sound a little like me telling you to, “get a magic rug, sit on rug, now fly.”
If you are planning to start a one or two person home business selling mass market goods from your website, Craigslist, eBay, other online or offline classified ads serives, garage sales or at flea markets, many of your needs may be met by using one of the reliable online wholesale directory and forum sites. The good ones, such as One Source or Salehoo, will provide you with the means to:
(1) Network and share information with other members through a forum.
(2) Research product line information and suppliers.
(3) Contact many hundreds and possibly thousands of suppliers.
Many people starting out and search for information and tips on finding distributors for products to sell online via eBay or on Craigslist or on a small ecommerce site. You probably encounter the plethora of middleman businesses who essentially thrive on your lack of product sourcing knowledge. A good online directory can help you cut through that level of distraction.
For essentially mass market consumer goods, The two reliable, workhorse directories that I personally know of are:
Salehoo
and
World wide Brands
If your market is somewhat more esoteric, then you may need more specialized registers of manufacturers and distributors. You may need to search manufacturer register such as:
The Thomas Register
You may also need to look into manuracturer trade associations and wholesaler associations. These are more likely to be of interest to you if you are seeking products such as awning bolts, lens coating solutions, tractor treads, semi-conductor parts, machining supplies, fertilizer, components for robotics, and so forth. In other words, items that are not generally oriented toward the consumer mass market.
Tradeshows. We haven’t compiled a list of tradeshows yet, but you can get current information by contacting your local chamber of commerce or possibly even your local news outlet. You can search online under “tradeshows” or “tradeshow directories.” One such site listing tradeshows all over the world is:
www.biztradeshows.com
I think it goes without saying that tradeshows and product exhibitions will allow the opportunity to network with and meet the manufacturers in person and share information with other business people.
These are pretty solid tips and should help you get your bearings. Again, if your area of business or intended business is mass market goods, we invite you to:
Tradeshows and Tips for Finding Wholesale Distributors
Trade shows are a great way to help your business gain exposure, to network with other businesses, and to gain new customers. Unfortunately, many businesses have difficulty finding trade shows in their area where they can show off what their company has to offer. Since many businesses do the bulk of their business from their local geographic area, tapping into this market is imperative for the success of the business.
Finding a Local Trade Show Online
One of the best ways to find trade shows in your area is to look online. The Internet is an excellent resource for finding local tradeshows, with many websites being dedicated solely to listing when trade shows will be visiting certain areas.
There are several different websites that can be used to help you find out more information about local tradeshows. Some of these sites include:
AllConferences.com
BizTradeShows.com
EventsEye.com
Exhibitions.co.uk
ExpoDatabase.com
ExpoFairs.com
ExpoGuide.com
GlobalSources.com
JupiterEvents.com
MyTradeFairs.com
Tradeshow.alibaba.com
TradeShowPlaza.com
TradeShowWeek.com
TSNN.com
WhatsShowing.on.ca
Since tradeshows take place around the world and since there are so many different businesses that benefit from the use of tradeshows, there are literally thousands of tradeshow listings within these sites. Therefore, it is beneficial to visit each of these sites and determine which ones are aligned most closely with your business.
The Trade Show News Network, which is found at www.tssnn.com, is a particularly good site to use when looking for local tradeshows. Here, you can find nearly any type of tradeshow by looking through the extensive database that covers both United States and Canada tradeshows.
Expanding Your Geographic Circle
Keep in mind when you are researching tradeshows in your area that you will need to give yourself a wide range of geographic options. Restricting yourself to just the town or city in which your business is located may not be big enough. In addition, if you live near to a major metropolitan area, you will want to look into trade shows in these areas as well. Since these trade shows will likely draw in a large number of visitors, you certainly don’t want to pass up this opportunity.
Going Straight to the Source
In addition to performing searches on the Internet, you can also find out more about tradeshows in your area by contacting trade associations related to professional organizations within your field. By contacting relevant trade associations, you can obtain lists of locations, events, and dates that you can choose from.
Another option is to get in contact with your local chamber of commerce. Your convention and visitor’s bureaus should also be able to give you more information about upcoming events in your area, including tradeshows.
Reading publications related to your field can also be helpful. In fact, most industry-specific publications will provide full year calendars as well as regular updates about upcoming events.
Finding local tradeshows really is not a difficult task. With the help of online publications, local offices, and paper publications such as magazines and newspapers, staying on top of the local tradeshow scene could never be easier.
Create It Displays provides a range of trade show displays, banner stands & trade show booths
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amy_Nutt
Tips to Help Find Online and Offline Wholesale Product Distributors
Dropship wholesale distributors are critical to your online reseller business. The number of people making a living online out of reselling stuff on online auctions such as Ebay is growing exponentially. Closing a sale is the first part of the equation. You would need your dropshippers to deliver the products to your customers on time. Not only that, you must make sure that the merchandise is of high quality. Since your reselling business is largely dependent on your dropshippers, it is paramount to make sure you use only the best dropship wholesale distributors.
Searching online for dropship wholesale distributors is a pretty useful method employed by many resellers. In fact, it is the most popular amongst online resellers. Online dropship wholesale distributors understand the principles of doing business on the internet and can bring greater synergy to your reseller business. Here’s 5 killer tips to find your ideal dropship wholesale distributors online.
Dropship Wholesale Distributors Search Tip 1 – Short Listing
Do a simple search for your product with the words dropshipper, dropshipping, wholesale, distributor, dropship wholesale or wholesaler as the suffix or prefix. For example, if you are selling hand phone accessories, search for terms with quotes like “hand phone accessories dropshipper” or “hand phone accessories wholesale distributors”. This should give you a list of potential wholesale distributors. But your job does not end there. Once again, do a simple search for the words dropshipper or wholesaler and forums and read the posts there. Look out for frequently mentioned wholesale distributor names. Start checking out these wholesale dropshippers.
Dropship Wholesale Distributors Search Tip 2 – Make Use of Keyword Tools
Another trick here which I am going to teach you is make use of free keyword tools such as Word Tracker, Google Keyword Research Tool or Yahoo’s Overture Internet Keyword Tool. Perform a keyword search for terms like your product for instance hand phone accessories, hand phone accessories dropshippers and handphone accessories wholesalers. The reason to do so is to look at what people are searching for. From this simple trick, you get to know what your potential customers want, and which wholesale dropshippers are hot.
Dropship Wholesale Distributors Search Tip 3 – Check out Ebay
You are probably already selling your products on Ebay or other auctions. Search in your market category for your competitors’ similar products. Most resellers do carry some hot selling items. Sometimes it pays to make a small purchase of such product so that you can check out the labels and trace the manufacturer. Make contact with the manufacturer and discuss on possible dropshipping arrangements.
Dropship Wholesale Distributors Search Tip 4 – Online Classified Ad Sites
Hang out at online classified ad sites such as Craiglist and USFreeAds. These are places where you may find identical products that you are selling. Compare the prices of these against what you are selling. If you notice there is a difference, there is a strong likelihood that the seller is getting his or her products from a cheaper and possibly better dropship wholesale distributor. Place an order for the product and look at the postage to see if it gives you the address and contact number of the sender. This doesn’t always work but dropshippers do include their return address in case the parcel is lost especially if the merchandise is shipped overseas.
Dropship Wholesale Distributors Search Tip 5 – Powerful Wholesale Directory
There are online directories that have done thorough research on dropship wholesale distributors. Basically, they conduct interviews and surveys, and attend tradeshows to source for potential wholesale dropshippers to include in their directories. Information such as product lines, company details etc are documented. The benefits to you as a reseller is these directories can help you to find the lowest prices, ie true wholesale prices without any middlemen charges, locate unique niche products to sell and find any dropshipper according to your business needs. You should take note that not all dropship wholesale distributors have an online presence, so you may be missing out on some big fish that are not in the net.
Finding reliable and reasonably priced products to sell can be a headache. Get useful information on wholesale dropshippers at my blog and give your reseller business a boost. This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any ezine, newsletter, blog or website. The author’s name, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.
Davion is a successful webmaster, author and reseller. Discover how you can supercharge your profits and grab deep wholesale discounts from the best dropship wholesale distributors at his blog http://Drop-ship-Wholesale-Distributors.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Davion_Wong
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