If you want to ensure that you can maximize your profits you need to be sure that you are buying your wholesale products directly from the source. While you can easily find countless sources of wholesale merchandise by searching online through Google, WholesaleCentral.com, or TopTenWholesale.com, it is more challenging to ensure that you are dealing with the actual owner of the goods, and not with a middleman or broker.
The more middlemen there are between you and the actual owner of the wholesale products, the higher the price will be for the merchandise you are purchasing. This is because each business that is marketing the goods will add their own profit on them before selling them to the next link in the chain. On the other hand, if for example you are purchasing wholesale office suits directly from a closeout business in New York that owns them, then you can be sure that you will be receiving the lowest possible wholesale price.
Having said this, there are reasons for dealing with a closeout broker, since he or she may have access to more wholesalers than you would on your own. Trust me on this, when I first started my business I spent months looking for high quality brand name clothes, I would have been happy dealing with an in between reseller even if it meant paying a little more. Even though you would be paying a higher price, you would at least have the overstock clothing that you need to stock your boutique with.
By utilizing the following tips you can determine if you are dealing with the primary wholesale seller, or with a third party vendor.
Tip #1
Ask to visit the warehouse or showroom where the wholesale fashion is located. This way you can be certain that the seller actually has possession of the merchandise which he or she is marketing to you. If you are travelling to United States you are welcome to visit my New York warehouse.
Tip #2 Ask about volume discounts on the overstock lots you are looking to buy. If the seller responds that he needs to get back to you, that is a clear sign that he is sourcing the products from another vendor, and first has to determine how many units are available, and at what prices.
Tip #3
Be diligent about conducting your research so that you can find other online wholesalers selling the same product. If you are searching for wholesale business suits you want to see which websites offer them, and at what prices. This way you can see who has the lowest price, since realistically the one with the lowest prices is the owner of the wholesale corporate suits.
To be clear, your primary need as a retailer, whether you are a flea market vendor in New York, an eBay seller in Toronto, or boutique owner in Lagos, is to have high quality fashion that you can sell at a reasonable price. If your only choice is to deal with a middleman then it is okay provided that your wholesale cost still allows you to make money.
