A wholesaler is a business that buys products from manufacturers and sells them to other businesses. The wholesaler doesn't operate a store; instead, they supply your small business with inventory that you sell to customers.
 
Whether you run a brick and mortar business or e-commerce store, wholesale distributors play an important role in connecting manufacturers and store owners.
 
Find the Right Small Business Wholesale Supplier
As a small business, you may work with one wholesale distributor or several. But finding the right one to partner with can be tricky. You'll need to find a wholesale distributor that:
 
Connects you with the manufacturers and products your business needs
Has prices you can afford
Serves your geographic region
Is reliable, trustworthy, and easy to work with
Before you can find the right wholesale company to work with, you need to know what products you are selling. Once you know what you're looking for, you can begin searching for the right wholesaler to supply your business.
 
1. Understand Your Industry's Distribution Channels
There are many ways a product can go from manufacturer to retailer. Not all wholesalers serve the same market. Understanding your industry's distribution channels and supply chain can help you find the right wholesale supplier for your retail or online business. Different types of wholesalers include:
Manufacturer: For some products, you can buy directly from the manufacturer. Boutique stores generally buy from small (sometimes one person) manufacturers.
Importer/Exclusive Distributor: A company might have the sole right to import and distribute a product in a certain country. Some may sell directly to retailers, others sell to smaller local wholesalers who in turn sell to stores.
Wholesaler/Regional Distributor: There are usually regional wholesalers who take delivery of boxcar-sized lots and sell to local wholesalers, who then sell to small businesses.
 
Jobbers: These individuals make daily deliveries to local grocers and retail brick-and-mortar stores.
 
Some retailers will move enough volume to bypass jobbers, or maybe in a smaller industry, importers sell directly to retailers. Each industry has its own unique distribution channels, which can then vary by product, region, or country.
 
When you first start, you'll be buying from the smaller wholesalers at higher prices. As your volume increases, you'll be able to get better pricing or move up the supply ladder to a bigger wholesaler.
2. Try the Manufacturer First
Paying wholesalers cuts into your profits. To remove middlemen from the equation, you can start at the source.
 
If you're selling branded items, go directly to the manufacturer of the product. They might sell to you depending on their minimum order requirements. If you're too small for them or they only sell through established distribution channels, ask them for a list of reputable distributors you can contact.
The fewer people you have to go through, the lower your cost will be, allowing you to be more competitive in the marketplace.
When you contact the manufacturer, request a sample of the product you intend to sell. This will allow you to look it over and inspect the quality to make sure it's something you want to sell.
3. Have a Productive First Contact With a Wholesale Supplier
Begin contacting wholesale distributors, either using the list you got from the manufacturer, phonebook listings, or a wholesale directory You want to find out:
 
Their minimum order requirements
Their wholesale unit prices
The region they supply
You can make this initial contact by phone or email, then follow up by phone if you need more information or would like to move forward. To find the best possible match for your business, be honest about what you're looking for and don't try to sound bigger than you are.
 
Don't be afraid to let the people you talk to know you are doing research and looking at other competitors as well. This can help you get better prices, even if you are starting out small.
 
4. Get Specific in Online Searches
If you do an online search, don't just search for general wholesalers or distributors. Be sure to include keywords from your products or niche. Try product names, model numbers and brand names. If any of the potential distributors you find don't have an email address or phone number readily available, you could do a WHOIS search to find the website owner's contact information.
 
The more potential wholesalers you find, the better you'll be able to comparison shop and get a feel for what normal industry prices are, as well as get competitive quotes.
 
5. Look for Wholesale Lots on eBay
Since eBay mainly targets retail consumers, the wholesale options you'll find here are usually only suitable for very low volume retailers. But if you're just starting out, eBay might be the easy start you need to dip your toes into e-commerce.
 
It's also possible that the people who are selling direct to consumers on eBay also have a business-to-business side of their business as well. It's easy to make contact with them on eBay to find out if that's the case.
 
6. Check Major B2B Marketplaces
There are many large B2B marketplaces online where you can buy large lots of products at low prices. Alibaba.com is one of the largest B2B marketplaces of manufacturers, importers, and wholesale distributors. Other B2B marketplaces include:
Look for a marketplace that serves your country or region. There are also industry-specific B2B marketplaces; these can either serve a single country or a global population of retailers.
 
7. Join Industry Groups, Forums, and Other Professional Networks
More experienced small business owners in your industry or niche are often the best source of information about wholesalers. However, other retailers likely will not be eager to share supplier information with competitors. Invest time in networking to build the trust and connections that will help you find the best possible wholesale suppliers for your small business.
 
Participate in online forums which can be a great source of free information and help from other people with experience in your market or industry. You can also build your LinkedIn profile, subscribe to industry newsletters, and join your local Chamber of Commerce or small business networking groups to build your professional connections.
 
8. Subscribe to Your Industry's Trade Publications
Trade magazines are a wealth of information about businesses and relationships in your industry. Nearly every advertiser in the magazine will be a product manufacturer or distributor looking to reach you, and a single issue of a trade magazine can provide the names of dozens of wholesalers or small manufacturers.
 
In addition to magazines, subscribe to online newsletters and blogs. These are often the best way to keep up with daily or weekly industry news and updates.
 
9. Attend a Trade Show
Trade shows are one of the most powerful ways to build and grow your business. These events are designed for retailers to connect with distributors and manufacturers.
 
Trade shows allow you to meet and speak with dozens of wholesalers or manufacturers in a single day. These face-to-face conversations often avoid misinformation or communication difficulties that can occur when contacting people online.
 
The Trade Show News Network is the largest directory of trade shows online. You can search for a trade show by industry, date, city, state or country and/or event name.
 
10. Don't Be Afraid to Make a Mistake
Your first wholesale supplier may not be a vendor that you work with long term. Creating your perfect supply chain is an evolution involving a lot of trial and error.
 
Remember that all you need from your first supplier is a product that you can ship at a profit. It may not be the best wholesale price for you, but you can make changes as your business and professional network expand.
 
Your first goal is to ship a product. Then you can improve your bottom line by trying other wholesale suppliers as you continue to build and grow your business.
 
 

Bulk Inventory Buyers
A voluntary liquidation is a self-imposed wind-up and dissolution of a company that has been approved by its shareholders. Such a decision will happen once a company's leadership decides that the company has no reason to continue operating. It is not ordered by a court (not compulsory).
The purpose of a voluntary liquidation is to terminate a company's operations, wrap-up its financial affairs, and dismantle its corporate structure in an orderly fashion, while paying back creditors according to their assigned priority.
KEY TAKEAWAYS – Closeouts Buyers

• A voluntary liquidation involves the pre-mediated termination of a corporation by selling off its assets and settling its outstanding financial obligations.
• The purpose of a voluntary liquidation is to cash out of a business that does not have a viable future or which has no other purpose in remaining operational.
• Such a liquidation is not mandated by any court or regulatory body but must be approved by shareholders and the board of directors.

Understanding Voluntary Liquidations – Excess Inventory buyers
The start of a voluntary liquidation resolution is initiated by a company's board of directors or ownership. Voluntary liquidations are then enacted when a resolution to cease operations (assuming that operations are ongoing) is approved by its shareholders.
Voluntary liquidations stand in contrast to involuntary liquidations. A shareholder vote allows the company to liquidate its assets to free up funds to pay debts. As such, voluntary liquidations may happen due to poor operating conditions (operating at a loss or the market moving in another direction), or due to business strategy considerations.
Such reasoning may be to exact a degree of tax relief for shutting down, or reorganizing and transferring assets to another company in exchange for an ownership or equity stake in the acquiring company. Voluntary liquidations may also be approved because the liquidating company was only meant to exist for a limited amount of time or for a specific purpose that has been fulfilled.
In addition, voluntary liquidation may happen if a key member of an organization leaves the company, and the shareholders decide not to continue operations.
Voluntary Liquidation Process
In the United States, voluntary liquidations may begin with the occurrence of an event as specified by a company's board of directors. In such cases, a liquidator is appointed. The liquidator answers to shareholders and creditors. If the company is solvent the shareholders can supervise the voluntary liquidation. If the company is not solvent, creditors and shareholders may control the liquidation process by getting a court order.
Voluntary liquidations in the United Kingdom are divided into two categories. One is the creditors' voluntary liquidation, which occurs under a state of corporate insolvency. The other is the members' voluntary liquidation, which only requires a corporate declaration of bankruptcy.
Under the second category, the firm is solvent but needs to liquidate its assets to meet its upcoming obligations. Three-quarters of a company's shareholders must vote in favor of a voluntary liquidation resolution for the motion to pass.

How to sell on Amazon.com as a 3rd party seller has been one of the most searched keywords on Google & for good reason. People are discovering that selling online is not as hard as some make it seem. Amazon seller account is the name of the platform that 3rd party Amazon sellers utilize to list and sell their products.
The idea of shipping your products to Amazon and having them ship, provide customer service, process returns is appealing to entrepreneurs of all ages. 
This process is known as selling through FBA!

Learn more about this process and see if this business model fits well with your lifestyle.

Sell Books on Amazon

Sourcing products to sell on Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) is somewhat different than looking for products to sell on eBay and similar auction websites. You need to start thinking along the lines of selling products at a retail store more so than just selling used items one or a few at a time.
So how can one source products to sell competitively on one of the largest eCommerce sites in the world? Well, there is no one answer to this question. It all depends on the type of products you want to sell. Your own preference for  the kind of eCommerce business you want to build and your customers’ preferences also come into play.
However, there are a few tricks that can help you get started.
How to Source Products to Sell on Amazon
Sourcing Products Overseas
With the world so connected now thanks to the internet, you no longer have to physically go to China, India or Japan to source merchandise from overseas.


Of course, large retailers have been selling products manufactured overseas for years to keep prices low. But today there are a couple of online wholesalers that you can source your products from, and one of the best known of these is Alibaba.com.
This giant online marketplace functions more or less like an Amazon for wholesalers. From the website you can get a variety of products that you can order and have shipped to your preferred destination. As you do this, make sure you search for unique products that are also in high demand so they will quickly sell on your Amazon Store.


Use Google for Your Sourcing
While sourcing products overseas is one option, there are some particular products like supplements that you may want to order domestically. The U.S. has tough FDA regulations so it is wiser to source these kinds of products from approved and compliant suppliers right here at home. If you are, for instance, interested in selling Vitamin C, just search Google for “Vitamin C Private label suppliers.”  “Private label” simply means that the supplier will customize your products with your message and logo after your purchase. This gives you the ability to customize products to make direct connections with your customers — and hopefully generate followup orders.
What’s Next?Once you’ve ordered your products and are ready to sell look into Amazon’s FBA service to handle the fulfillment side of your eCommerce business with ease.
The FBA service allows you to pre-emptively send and store your products in one of Amazon’s many fulfillment centers. The benefit: every time a customer orders a product from your Amazon store, Amazon takes care of the packing, shipping and customer service on your behalf. Pretty cool, right?


find products to sell on amazon

Sell on Amazon FBA

 
Here's a bright and booming sector within retail.
Bulk Inventory Buyers
Off-price retailers — TJ Maxx owner TJX, Ross Stores and Burlington — are expected to see incremental sales growth of $18 billion to $19 billion by 2021, according to JPMorgan. And that boost will primarily stem from the demise of department store chains, analyst Matthew Boss wrote in a Monday note to clients. Excess Inventory Buyers
"We expect off-price will be the primary beneficiary of this brick & mortar sales volume up for grabs and benefit from the plethora of close-out merchandise for several years," Boss said. Closeout Buyers
And when it comes to the growing threat of Amazon, the Street shouldn't be worried about off-price players losing market share, Boss added.
Shares of Ross Stores were climbing more than 3 percent Monday, following JPMorgan's report.
TJX's stock was up more than 1 percent, while shares of Burlington were up close to 2.5 percent on the day. Burlington has been the biggest gainer of the three of late, having climbed more than 8 percent in 2017.
Here's the argument for off-price retail: Amazon's encroachment into the apparel industry more closely resembles a full-price department store, instead of a Ross or TJ Maxx model, JPMorgan's Boss said. He cited the internet giant's Prime Wardrobe pricing structure as an example, saying the fashion focus at Amazon instead looks to mirror companies like Macy's and J.C. Penney.
Since 2011, department stores have lost roughly $25 billion in sales on a combined basis, and are on pace to lose another $22 billion in sales over the next five years, should the downward trend continue, JPMorgan found.
Off-price retailers, on the other hand, have gained $14 billion since 2011, the firm said.
JPMorgan has upgraded Ross Stores to overweight, giving the stock a fresh price target of $74 per share, up from $65. The stock was trading near $63 per share Monday morning.
An important point to also be made is just how difficult the off-price model — offering a treasure-hunt type experience — would be for Amazon to copy online, Boss emphasized in his report. He cites "high barriers to entry" to tapping into the concept successfully.
"The model is difficult to replicate with over 1,000 buyers worldwide currently sourcing from 18,000 vendors in 100+ countries," he said.
Ross Stores' management team has also stepped up defending its turf.
"If I was Amazon, I don't think I'd be looking at the off-price space as my big opportunity," Ross Stores chief operating officer, Michael O'Sullivan, said at an investor conference earlier this month.
"I think within the world of retail, especially given the economics ... I don't think off-price is really the place where I'd focus my energy," O'Sullivan added about Amazon. "Doing a treasure hunt online is much more hit or miss, because you are not actually seeing — or you're seeing it, you're just not experiencing the product in a same way that you would if you were in a store."
Amazon didn't immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.
At a time when many retailers are shuttering stores to get back to a "healthy" footprint, off-price companies have plans to open more doors in the years ahead. TJX even recently rolled out an entirely new nameplate, Homesense, in the United States.
JPMorgan has called out Ross' long-term store target of 2,500 locations as being "conservative."
"The growth runway for ROST is well beyond 10 years," he said, adding that — based on meetings with Ross' management team — JPMorgan believes real estate landlords are more willing to partner with Ross today, especially given the "fall-out" in the sporting goods and office space.
Ross Stores, TJX and Burlington are each forecasting same-store sales growth to close out the year — not something many retailers can promise in such a volatile market today.