LOOKING FOR SUPPLIER

[cvb_sales]

I am starting my store and need help finding a supplier. I appreciate all your advice and comments.

[mr_lincoln]

@cvb_sales   A supplier of what?  Product you can purchase to resell?  If you are thinking of drop shipping stop right there.  You don't want to do that ... too many risks.

[slippinjimmy]

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@cvb_sales wrote:

I am starting my store and need help finding a supplier. I appreciate all your advice and comments.

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People here if they give you any leads at all won't be giving you good ones!

While looking for a supplier you need to identify.....

- type of items

- value of items

- retail margins for said items

Don't just go looking for "some stuff" to sell, sell what you know and know what you sell.

[sg51]

If what you hope for is some source you can order from and sell profitably on ebay, ask yourself why that source isn't selling the stuff on ebay itself.

When you understand that equation, you'll be prepared for the battle.

[femmefan1946]

Look in your local business or phone directory for liquidators, wholesalers, jobbers, importers and manufacturers.

Look for companies who deal in products you know something about.

Go to the company address. Make an appoint ment. Keep the appointment.

Bring money.
Or at least a credit card.

If you have a resale tax number, bring that too. Some companies will not deal without that number.

Since you know about the kind of product the company sells, you can choose items you know will have a market.

Pay for the items.

Bring them home.

Photograph, describe .

Think about how you are going to ship them.

Some things are not meant for mail order. They are too bulky or too heavy to mail at a reasonable cost.

https://postcalc.usps.com/?country=10440

Upload your listings.

Best wishes.

[mam98031]

This is really something you need to research on your own.  It would be a huge business mistake for any seller to tell you who their supplier is so you can compete with them.  

I wish you well, but this isn't the place to gather that info, you need to do your own work to discover your vendors instead of depending on others to do the work for you.

[luckythewinner]

I am starting my store and need help finding a supplier. I appreciate all your advice and comments

Just go to Google and search for "supplier". 

[scstool]

Before you even start looking for a supplier you need to get out the calculator and figure out how many sales at what dollar amount you will need to reach some well defined financial goal. Are you trying to earn a living or just want to help out with some bills? There are many factors that will go into determining profit. Finding suppliers after you do all that hard work is even harder, so don't expect anyone to just turn all that info over to you.

Also you need to understand the risks associated with selling. You need to hold money in reserve to cover returns. There is not much profit in commodity items that are widely available unless you acquire clearance, liquidation, distress, surplus, used, or thrift shop inventory. The trick is to be able to find enough inventory at enough sales/profit potential to meet the goals you set in step 1.

The rules of supply and demand apply, so look for unique items that will sell quick,  very high profit items that sell slow or anything in between that works.

Final tip, shipping costs have risen so high that many lower priced items are just not profitable anymore to sell. Maybe you can bundle them, but if the are widely available the buyer will just buy locally.

[per50nl_5]

OP should've just titled the post, "LOOKING FOR STUFF AND PEOPLE TO BUY MY STUFF"

haha

[penguins_dont_fly]

No seller is going to give up their sources.

Why would they? That would be creating competition for themselves.

You have to do your own research and sourcing ... this is something that all good, long-term successful sellers have worked hard at ... they aren't just going to hand over their secrets.

What we will tell you:

Do not fall for the dropshipping lure. There are a few sellers that have made a successful venture using that route, but they are few and far between and usually have found a supplier that does not sell to every Mary and Joe Public that comes along (hint - they didn't find them by Googling or asking on public forums)

Retail Arbitrage dropshipping is not allowed on eBay.

Sell what you know. Do you have a hobby or interest that you know a lot about?

Sell something that few (or no) other sellers have listed.

Sell things that you know how to ship.  If you have never shipped anything in your life, go watch some YouTube videos on how to package items ... and make sure to watch videos about how things travel through the Postal System and how  Sorting Machines work.

Know your costs. First your COGS (Cost of Goods Sold). This is the amount you pay for your inventory.  Fees, packing supplies, ink, paper and other supplies ... and postage are other basic regular expenses that you will have.

Figure out how much of a Profit you need to make.

Profit = Revenue - (Fees + COGS + Postage + Shipping Supplies + Operating Costs)

Figure out how and where you will be safely storing your inventory once you get it. It should be stored in a way that will not get damaged and should be organised and easy to retrieve when something sells.

Have shipping supplies before the item sells.

And finally ... Know the fees and rules of the platform ... Before you list your first item ... read, read, read ... ask questions before you do anything or if you are unclear on a policy or procedure (that's what we are here for).

Start here:

Familiarize yourself with the policies and procedures for selling:

https://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/index.html

Know your selling limits:

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/listings/selling-limits?id=4107

And Seller Performance Standards:

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/selling-policies/seller-performance-policy?id=4347 

Also ... familiarize yourself with the MBG:

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy....

[lja440]

I'll give you my suppiers.

Local auctions www.auctiopnzip.com

Estate sales, garage sales.

Inspect items before bidding or buying and check on-line trending prices. Know what your listing fees will be and what minimum % you want to pay yourself when you set up a listing.

In other words, your best supplier will always be you. 

[terrycece62]

no easy answers found here 

I have read posts with very good advice  

the key  is research  

know products u want 2 sell  and marketing research ( W ho u want 2 sell them 2)  

 And reasearch  all venues of selling  AND  WHICH ONE IS BEST 4 U

GOOD LUCK

[onlinecentral]

Many sellers succeed with garage, rumage and estate sale finds. There are resale shops like The Salvation Army and Goodwill. Auctions too.
I had no desire to learn about vintage and collectable items and figured there were plenty of people already doing that.
There is a Goods Acquisition Cost meaning your time and gasoline. I figured I would often times have a swing and a miss result for the shopping day.
I also did not want to deal with One-Offs meaning you have one unit.
There is a Listing Cost meaning the labor.
Every One-Off listing requires a photo and description from scratch.
So I decided to buy on eBay to resell on eBay.
I bought lots with dozens of computer cables, typewriter and printer ribbons, drill chucks, electric blankets, etc.
After doing some research, I chose all things of one brand and hoarded that.
You can put together an aisle of a store by putting like items together.
You can build up a library of photos and descriptions and reuse them as new inventory arrives.

[bbravo65]

...do you need shipping free supplies...?

...create an account with USPS, it's free, and you can order their free shipping supplies that will be delivered to your door...

[jewelbiz]

I’ll be your supplier.

 I’ll sell you my 10,000 📚 books now bought over 40 years as an antique dealer.

ebay current item # 193414386609