Finding product suppliers is one of the most important things you need to do if you’re in the process of establishing an online store. When learning how to sell online, you need to understand the process and considerations involved with finding product suppliers.
The following are seven things to know about finding product suppliers for your online store.
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Use the Internet To Find Suppliers
The Internet is one of the best resources available to you when you’re on the lookout for finding product suppliers. Conduct Internet searches and you can find numerous suppliers quickly.
You can also compare costs between various suppliers you’ve located over the Web. Chances are high that you’ll end up finding your supplier using the Internet.
A Good Product Supplier Might Be A Local Store That’s Not Already Selling Online
While many online sellers use the Internet to find their product suppliers, you don’t necessarily have to do it this way. Some online sellers form partnerships with product manufacturers or retailers in their community.
A local company might agree to partner with you if you set up an online store for them. This is especially likely if you already have some experience in online marketing as well as a network of business contacts in your community.
Sticking With Finding Product Suppliers Over the Long Term When Possible is a Good Idea
You’re likely to find that your online selling venture is most successful if you’re able to establish a fruitful and long-term relationship with a particular product supplier. Suppliers are likely to offer better prices if you buy more products and larger quantities from them.
Focus on nurturing your relationships with your suppliers for the best possible deals on products. This will help you generate referrals for finding product suppliers over time.
Many Suppliers Offer Product Samples
Whenever possible, you should do business with suppliers that are willing to offer you product samples. With a product sample, you can evaluate the quality of a particular product before you begin selling it.
Some suppliers may offer samples free of cost. Others may offer samples for a reduced price so that they can attract new buyers to their products.
You’ll Need to Shop Around to Find the Best Options
You shouldn’t think that finding the right supplier is going to be simple. There are a lot of considerations to take into account when finding a supplier.
This means that finding the right supplier should involve a lot of research and effort.
Sites like Alibaba that Focus on Bulk Product Supply are often a Good Option
If you’ll be selling online, you need to buy a product for significantly less than you can sell it for on your online store. This means that you need to find a product for lower prices than consumers can get it for.
One of the most effective ways to do this is to buy bulk quantities.
There are numerous sites like Alibaba on the Internet designed to help online retailers find bulk quantities of products to sell online. You should definitely check out these sites to find bulk buying opportunities from product suppliers.
However, if you are using drop shippers for your online store be sure to have just-in-time stock availability. There is nothing worse than customers ordering products online to learn they are out of stock.
I learned that the hard way many years ago when I had a retail online store.
It’s a Good Idea to Think International
You’re probably already aware of the fact that products manufactured in the United States are generally more expensive than products manufactured overseas.
This means that you should be thinking internationally when you’re looking for suppliers. You’re likely to find the best prices on many types of products from suppliers that are located abroad.
Wrapping Up: Finding Product Suppliers
It will take time and effort to pinpoint the best possible product supplier for the products you sell online.
However, once you’ve found your supplier, you can begin selling quality products to your customers that you acquire at a low enough price for you to make a healthy profit.
Are you selling products online? I’d love to know how you found your product suppliers in the comments below!
She has 30+ years of experience in marketing/advertising with 12 years of experience in content marketing, social media, blogging, and SEO.
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I would vibe deeply with the long term supplier approach Lisa if I moved in this direction. Building long term relationships in general is the way to go for trust factors. Imagine jumping from supplier to supplier every few months or even weeks? Madness. Businesses built on stability and consistency, not flash in the pan, shaky foundations. Think long term to keep things as stable as possible with your physical products based business.
Ryan
Hi Ryan, Yes, that is so true. When I had my scrub business it was easier to work with folks I had as distributors for years than new folks. They were more loyal and would ensure delivery, etc for me. I miss having a retail store online like that. I may do it again someday. Enjoy the rest of your day and weekend ahead Ryan.