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Sourcing with a Pro According to McGrath, one of the best sources for products is local distributors because theyre easy to find. Go to http://smartpages.com and you can search by type. Just enter the word wholesale and your zip code and youll get a list of manufacturers and wholesalers within 100 miles of that zip code. And under the company name, youll see the kind of products they carry. For traditional wholesale suppliers, like gift and merchandise manufacturers and overstock distributors, McGrath recommends several online sources: http://Liquidxs.com helps you find surplus branded merchandise and collectibles http://Liquidation.com sells goods by the pallet load Google searchestype in the product name and the word distributor or wholesale. Youll probably have to drill down to the third, fourth, or even fifth page to find real wholesalersthe first few pages are usually jammed with middlemen claiming to have wholesale prices. Research the companies before you use them to make sure they are genuine wholesalers and not retailers. States McGrath, The rule in wholesaling is the closer you can get to the manufacturer of a product, the better your price is going to be. If you dont have time to do the research, check out the Light Bulk Wholesale Directory at http://WorldwideBrands.com or try the wholesale search engine at http://SkipMcGrath.com. Alternative Sources Nearly every medium and large city in the U.S. has a merchandise mart or gift mart. Theyre like indoor malls where product manufacturers have their showrooms. You can see the products and pricing and place orders. Once youve registered at a mart in person, some even have online sites where you can shop the market. These marts arent open to the public, and neither are the tradeshows that come to your area. So to get in, youll need the following: A sales tax number or a resale certificate A business card or letterhead that shows youre a company A commercial checking accountthey may want to see a check in the business name The good news is once youre registered with these marts, youll likely get an invitation and tickets in the mail when tradeshows come to your areawhich saves you the trouble of registering for those. Close to Home A rather surprising source of resale merchandise is eBay itself. McGrath confides, On eBay and all of the other online auction sites out there you can often find tremendous bargains. Sometimes other sellers dont recognize the value of their goods, or they dont photograph them well or write a good title or description. If you know your product market and take the time to present it well, you can turn over some amazing deals in your own backyard. |
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