Suppliers are needed both for online and stores that are just beginning to work and for those already operating. The stability of the work and the profit of the online store largely depends on how carefully you approach their choice.
All suppliers can be divided into two groups, by the scheme of work:
Dropshipping suppliers are suitable for online store owners who do not have a warehouse and initial capital to work.
Wholesale suppliers who ship goods from the warehouse on a prepaid basis or with a slight delay in payment.
You can start the work of an online store using the dropshipping system, but the full development of an online store and an expansion of the range is impossible without wholesale suppliers. Therefore, the store owner needs to know where to look for suppliers and by what criteria to choose them.
Where to start looking for suppliers?
First of all, you need to decide how much you can invest in a product without prejudice to the store's operation. If you have enough money, you can start looking for large suppliers and direct manufacturers. They sell the goods in bulk and on a prepaid basis but offer fairly low prices. If there is no desire or opportunity to invest in a product, then it is better to look for small suppliers and intermediaries (distributors), who, although they offer prices slightly higher, provide a deferred payment and small batches (up to one unit of goods).
After that, you can proceed directly to the search.
Where to find a supplier?
1. In search engines
You can start your search by adding the phrase "buy in bulk" to the desired query. But this method can turn out to be quite time-consuming, since most sites in the search results will not even be the first intermediaries, and the purchase price is significantly overstated. Also, often suppliers and manufacturers use the site only as a business card, without paying special attention to optimization, so they will not be found on the first pages of search engines. For the same reason, you should not pay attention to the "beauty" of the site and its usability.
Having selected several potential suppliers, you need to call them and request a price list and information on the terms of cooperation. Comparing purchase prices, you can easily weed out intermediaries and choose the most profitable and convenient option.
2. In print media
By purchasing several printed publications (newspapers, magazines, catalogs) of the subject corresponding to the chosen niche, one can find potential suppliers of products in the advertisements placed there. Usually, these ads can be found in ad units.
3. At fairs, exhibitions, forums, conferences
You can track information about ongoing exhibitions in thematic media. At such events, wholesalers and manufacturers display stands with samples of their products, printed catalogs, and promotional brochures. It is very convenient, as you can discuss working conditions, exchange contacts and get profitable discounts.
4. On the websites of competitors
Most often, online stores hide their suppliers, but you can get some information if you want. For instance:
study the competitor's website - the photos may contain the supplier's watermarks, sometimes the photos are simply parsed from the catalog, so you can track the path through the links;
request information about warranty service (or look for links on the website) - more often it is produced by official dealers and suppliers;
request quality certificates - they may have the stamps of the company from which the product was purchased.
5. Local producers
You can look for small manufacturers that produce analogs of products, sometimes even at a much lower price. And let their brand not be so promoted and "famous", but the price will be competitive. These can be small private companies selling small wholesale.
6. Joint purchases
Joint purchasing services are quite popular today - several people get together to place an order on the site at a wholesale price. On similar sites and forums, you can look for suppliers for your online store. But since they all work on a prepaid basis, this option will require investing your funds. But there is also an advantage - if you take some time to read the comments on the forums, you can identify the groups of goods that are in the greatest demand.
7. In spam
All sorts of mailings, which we are used to getting rid of without looking, can also help in finding suppliers. On the site, in the section "About the company", you can place an email for proposals for cooperation and periodically view the letters that come to it. Of course, most of them will be useless, but often manufacturers, in search of distribution channels, make their mailing lists and such offers may turn out to be beneficial.
8. Supplier catalogs
On the net, you can find many online catalogs of wholesalers, where anyone can register their company. Open registration attracts many people who want to place a link to their site in the visited directory, so to find a truly useful resource, you will have to spend a lot of time.
As an Indian spices wholesale supplier in India, we have mentioned all the tips and steps for finding a wholesale supplier in India for starting a New business. If you need a shelled groundnut wholesale supplier in India or any types of pulses wholesale supplier India, you can visit our website for more information.