I have read some of the messages that some wholesalers do not advertise on the net. Is there another way to find out who they are. I have looked up alot of info on my own, but this has stumped me. I haven't looked in the phonebook yet, thats my next step.
I have cold called Value City (kinda like TJ MAXX) & the shipping dept. told me that they buy out bankruptcys & things of that nature, but he didnt know any name. I also asked him do they have anyone that buys their overstock & return etc. He told me no. I really dont believe that they just throw their stuff away though. Maybe I didnt know what to say & how to say it. Any suggestions.
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Question about Wholesalers that dont advertise & cold ca
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Assuming you are looing strictly for surplus dealers, there are 2 major companies that buy directly from the reclamation centers used by these big retailers. There may be others but these are the only ones I know of...
GENCO.com
and Federated. Not sure what their domain is.
For the most part, as long as you have money to buy and store truckloads, you will not be treated fairy in many ways.
Also note, that GENCO cherry picks thier loads and sells the working stuff (for the most part anyway) on ebay. REtail, that is. Meaing, they compete against you and possibly cheat you out of better loads by cherry picking and giving you the junk that, for the most part, not even a landfill would be glad to have.
It all depends on which warehouse you deal with - the Ohio warehouse seems to be praised by a fair amount of people , it seems. But largely, as in any business, you need to stand out with them to get the good stuff, menaing, you gotta have the dough and buy alot from them.
If you can't meet the minimum for what you are looking to buy, you will have to buy from the many resellers and brokers on the interent that buy truckloads and sell in smaller quanities, with a markup of course. This is when you have to be extra careful because it is my experience that most of the surplus dealers/brokers you see on the net largely misrepresent the loads they sell.
You can find pretty much any internet-based surplus dealers/brokers both on the W411 search engine as well as on surplus.net. -
As a true wholesaler, I have to defend the companies in this position. When I buy out a factories, I have to buy it all, the good, the bad and the ugly. I have even swept the floor. I can't say, "this is torn or dirty", I have to take it. That means every time I have to handle the merchandise, it adds to the cost. So when someone comes and says they want to buy wholesale, I don't think they just want ten of something. I don't want to hold it for them while they see if they can sell a few at a tme. I have to move volume and I need to recoup my money and space so I can buy again. When my sources come up with new product, I have to be ready to buy or they will go where they will get their money. Then I am moved down on the call back list.
I don't advertise, because I don't want waste my time with people who can't buy it all. It sounds cold and harsh, but I am in the business of moving product.
Go to the library and do some research there. Business to business directories. Go to some close out shows and find some sources.
I realize that many want to do everything on the internet, but the big companies still do much of their business the old fashioned way. And when they go to these shows and spend the money for travel and booths and show memberships, that is where they want to write their major orders.
If someone decides to get into business and they must do their research. There are no cliff notes. They must be willing to spend money to make money. If they want to start out small (walk before they run), then they have to pay the higher dollar, since they don't want/can't make the big investment.
If you know what you want to sell and have done your reseach and have a business plan in mind, then you know why you want to sell it. That you can make money. You have to have all your business costs added to your product. I don't think many understand what a business plan is.
Please understand, if I am selling out my warehouse, and two people come to buy, the person who wants thousands of widgets will get a better price than the person looking to buy a hundred. That is the only way I can be successful. And if I am not successful, then I won't be in business very long either. -
Thanks for the replies.
When you say gotta have dough & buy alot, about how much dough & about how much product do I have to buy? I dont have a store front & I don't have space to store pallets. But if I can get my foot in the right door, I will rent out a storage unit. Then eventually setting up at a flea market. I want to sell higher quaility flea market merchandise, all that dollar stuff is everywhere, and I dont want that.I have the money to buy product, I just want to make sure that I am getting the best of what I get.
I have been to the library & looked up a few books the only one they had was The Directory of Mail Order Catalogs,Comprehensive guide to consumer mail order catalog, it was very old. Even though, I still went to the web and looked up some of the companies listed & I could not find any. Also, another book was Bargain Buyers Guide 2003 (this is at a different branch ). I am having American Wholesalers & distribution Directory delivered at the branch where I go. Has anyone ever heard of any of these?
If anyone can help me on any more advice on researching I surely would appreciate it.
I truly understand people not wanting to give there good sources away, because I see, for myself, the research & time it takes to find out who those sources are! -
What do you want to sell? Upscale flea market is nat a market niche that I'm aware off. Unless you want to sell high-dollar used clothing. Then you need to hit the "gold coast" garage sales. And some uper end consignment shops.
So, what do you want to sell? What do you feel comfortable with and knowledgeable about? Where are your interests and passions?
Finding wholesalers is not too hard, but do you want bakery supply wholesalers, auto parts wholesalers, grocery wholesalers, etc.? I'm only using them as prog\bably ridiculous examples, but if you want wholesalers, they're out there.
Now, some products are not sold through wholesalers. So, you could be looking for items in all the wrong places. You would need to go to the manufacturer.
So, what do you want to sell? If you live in a city of over 100,000 there are probably a number of wholesalers in your town. Over 500,000 and there is sure to be. maybe not what you want to sell, but there are wholeslaers there. Beauty supplies, wholesale florists, wholesale paper goods and more.
They're out there. You need to narrow your search and concentrate on a specific field, or two. -
I would like to have everything for everyone. I have had yearly yard sales & I see what people like to buy. But since I am a female with one 8 yr old boy, that is the stuff that I have sold at yard sells. But....
As far as men I have heard they like nascar, tools, patriotic, fishing supplies, lighters caps etc. Sports items
women-smell goods, home decor, beauty products (high end). I see ALOT of avon at flea markets. Porcleain dolls, crafts. Religious items do good both for men & women. Replica handbags, (not to cheap looking though!)
babies- just about anything, as long as it is nice & clean.
Kids - anything bright & loud. I have found a wholesale website that sells things that Spencers sells. Books. I heard those laser pointers do good.
Have I missed anything??
I just want to offer items that are a step above the normal flea market stuff. The same merchandise but maybe better quality & more of a variety. I have found some (hopefully) good wholesalers. I have yet to buy merchandise until I do more research though. -
If you live in a large metro area there are all sorts of places that sell that stuff wholesale. Look in the yellow pages for gifts wholesale, general merchandise wholesale, etc. Take cash!
If you're not in a good sized city, you'll have to travel to one and snoop around. There are plenty of places that sell that stuff. Maybe not NASCAR, since they license and control it, but the other stuff is out there.
I can't tell you in your area, and I wouldn't give away my secrets in mine. There are places that sell to the small mom & pop c-stores, candy stores, etc. Ask, use the yellow pages, snoop. They're not going to be on the net. -
ALison wrote: I would like to have everything for everyone.
To be perfectly honest with you, that is the wrong path to take for a small fry. Unless you have great ideas to become big chain with a solid business plan that a rich investor is willing to buy into it, you are most likely not going to make it on that path. It is best left to the big boys to be everything to everyone. Your tiem is better spent focusing on niche markets. No, I am not saying it can be done, but from my experience, it is a much tougher road to take with a higher risk.
As for your question of what amount is a large order, that varies greatly form manufacturer to manufacturer, from distributor to distributor, and from product to product. Tiy might have to 50,000.00 to spend on merchandise. FOr a small maunfacturer of, say, trash bags, that migh be a big order, but it ain't squat to the electrinics indutry, where you could easily spend that much on a few plasma TVs alone.
Artbroker said it best...his whole post was right on, from my experience.
You gotta be a risk taker with a bankroll to get the attention of most real wholesalers. that is not to say you cannot start out small, but you will have many more obstacles to face, wholesale price being one of them.
Call a wholesaler, even the ones on the net. Listen to their tone. Once they have wind that you are a small fry with no money and not enough entrepreneurial spirit, a risk taker, you will se their tone change from that of "Hi, I am glad you called. Let's make a deal" to "I relaly don't have the time for these little purchases that will probably never turn into anyhting more than one small sale."
It sucks! For sure, in a way, but that's the way it is.
My thoughts are that it is best to spend alot of time (as a small buyer) researching planning and saving money than it is to just buy what you can get at the lowest price and start selling. -
Assuming you are looing strictly for surplus dealers, there are 2 major companies that buy directly from the reclamation centers used by these big retailers. There may be others but these are the only ones I know of...
GENCO.com
and Federated. Not sure what their domain is.
I just want to clear one thing up:
Federated is not a company that buys from reclamation centers. "Federated" is short for Federated Department Stores, a large corproation that owns Bloomingdales, Macy's and many other mid range to moderately priced clothing stores across the country. They don't buy from reclamation centers, they have thier own distribution centers from which they sell out of season, markdown and overstock merchandise, as well as returns and damages.
So, in other words, Federated is a big retailer and many companies buy from them.
Other than that, everything else you wrote was on point.I don't advertise, because I don't want waste my time with people who can't buy it all. It sounds cold and harsh, but I am in the business of moving product.
Oh, isn't that the truth. One thing people fail to realize is that this business is about relationships-- your relationships with your suppliers, your relationships with your customers. Too many aspiring sellers ignore the relationship part and just jump around from supplier to supplier looking for a pipe dream. -
theclothingbroker wrote:Oh, isn't that the truth. One thing people fail to realize is that this business is about relationships-- your relationships with your suppliers, your relationships with your customers. Too many aspiring sellers ignore the relationship part and just jump around from supplier to supplier looking for a pipe dream.
Well put.
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Years ago, I put together a party plan for art (like Tupperware). I needed prizes for hostess. Went to Anchor Hocking and was able to buy nice glassware and houseware products at very reasonable prices. People went crazy for it.
Last time I was at a flea market, there was a couple selling just Fenton Glass. It was very reasonably priced and were making nice sales.
I don't know much more than that, but check it out. It could be a nice little niche, that you could start out small and put profits back in business. -
I understand building relationships with your suppliers. I will remember that when I start to buy product.
When I decide on a supplier & ready to buy product, how do I go about my first phone call? I am not saying holding my hand through the whole process, but just a few pointers on what I should and should not say. I dont want them shutting the door before I step in. Thanks -
First you will have to have all your tax ID in line so you are prepared to give that information.
You can say you are interested in carrying this line and how do you get a catalog. Tell them what and where you plan to sell their product. They may also have a minimum.
I see Anchor Hocking is part of Rubbermaid now. I would go to their outlet store in Wooster Oh and just buy there. Great prices.
Or just go to the houseware show in July. Chicago. Everyone will be there.
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