Finding boutique supplier
Once that you’ve identified whether you want to go down the dropshipping route or the wholesale one, it’s time to find suppliers to source inventory from for your online boutique.
Finding suppliers can be easier than you think. In today's time, with access to the internet, we have tons of information at our fingertips. Whether you are someone who loves to talk and see things in person before spending money, or if you are someone who loves to work from the comfort of your home and not a big fan of face to face interactions, there's always a way to find the right supplier for you.
Here are some options you can consider while finding a supplier:
Contact manufacturers – If you know the niche you want to enter, and even better know the product you’d like to sell, contact the manufacturer to find out more about their wholesale suppliers. Get in touch with the local wholesale suppliers to know if you can source from them and how to get started.
Google – It's easy to find high-quality suppliers who are always on the lookout to market and sell their products. You will have to dig deep. If you google “wholesale supplier of XYZ product,” it is not going to pop up on the first page. You'll have to search and read through various pages and results to find one.
Don't judge the cover by the book – Wholesalers don't spend time putting out a fancy website. It might be a poorly designed old website. Don't let that scare you. Always do your own thorough research and talk to the suppliers before jumping to any conclusions.
Modify your research to make sure you have covered all angles for searching for a supplier.
Buying products in bulk for resale - There are various websites and stores where you can buy products in bulk and then resell for higher profit margins by breaking them down individually or bunching them together with similar items. You can contact wholesale warehouses or auction houses or even businesses liquidating their stock at cheaper rates.
Online marketplaces and retail stores – There are a lot of retail stores online that you can piggyback on. They have lots of high quality branded products to choose from. The disadvantage of using these marketplaces over the dropshipping directories is that you get the products at a retail price and you have to add your markup to sell those products on eBay where they might be selling too. However, with good keywords, it's possible to get a good rank and sell your products irrespective of the selling price. They are a good source to getting started and gaining experience. These include stores like Academy, Wayfair, Costco and more.
Dropship Directories – To find wholesalers that are not only genuine but also sell the niche you want to cater to at wholesale price, investing into the dropship directories is a good idea. They can be a great source for brainstorming too, if you haven't decided on what product(s) you want to sell.
Tundra — One of the website’s I came across recently was tundra.com. It has a wide range of wholesalers you can purchase inventory from without any hassle.
Curious Babe’s Supplier List — I’ve created a list of tried & tested suppliers (both wholesale & dropshippers) in over 10+ different niche(s) that you can look into for sourcing inventory.
Finding The Right Supplier
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