HOW TO BUY WHOLESALE

Before we get into specific sources I need to dispense some
general rules about dealing with wholesalers. The first is that
you need to MAKE A SMALL EFFORT to be able to deal with them.
Let me explain why as I"m sure your brain is telling you that
surely they should make it as easy as possible to be able to
deal with them "� NO THAT IS WRONG!

For example - at the top of the chain you will have the company
that makes a film. They want as many people in the world to then
buy that film. Their job is to advertise and create as much
interest as possible. Having created the demand there is no
point if the consumer can"t get hold of the product so to supply
the product we have countless retailers who will sell the film.
We are talking high-street stores, supermarkets, corner-shops,
Internet stores, mail-order and YOU.

The wholesaler is the middleman. Its job is to take stock in
bulk from the film company and distribute it to the many
thousands of retail outlets, making a profit in the process. The
film company does not want to get involved in dealing with
thousands of accounts "� it just wants to concentrate on what it
knows best "� making movies.

So what"s the problem? Well a wholesaler is meant to be a
distributor to the retailer "� NOT a retailer themselves. Given
the fact they are buying cheaply from the film company, a
retailer would be outraged if the wholesaler sold direct to the
public. If this happened retailers would most likely not bother
to sell the film companies products. This wouldn"t be good for
the film company -imagine companies like Wal-Mart or Tesco not
stocking the latest blockbuster releases.

So "� the wholesalers must keep up the pretence of not dealing
with the public and only dealing with genuine traders i.e.
retailers. This is why they erect a few barriers to put off the
end user "� however the good news is that we can EASILY slip in
through the backdoor by knowing what to do and by obeying a few
golden rules.

Do not think for a second you are doing something wrong (you are
not) and do not be nervous "� the wholesalers really want to sell
as many items as they can, they really do want to deal with you,
they just need you to "�play the game" correctly.

Because wholesalers are not dealing with the end-user you will
find that they often appear inefficient and dinosaur-like.
Remembering that they are not a retailer and so they often have
lousy web sites (if they even have one). They also will
advertise the RRP (recommended retail price). This is the price
they recommend the retailer to be selling the product for.

To get the wholesale prices you will generally (but not always)
be required to join first (for free "� avoid anyone charging a
fee) before they give you the "�real" prices.

Let"s also bear in mind that as well as not wanting to upset
their masters (the film company) and their customers (the
retailers) a wholesaler will also NOT want to deal with millions
of customers who buy occasionally, maybe only once.

So they would prefer to deal with traders who are going to spend
bucket loads. How do they know this will happen "� well they
can"t possibly know if you are going to become a superstar or
not and this is where we come in. Even if you want to buy for
your own personal use "� it"s ok - as long as you don"t tell them
this.

They will not turn away potentially massive business so as long
as you appear to be a trader you are in. Remember - someone
running a market stall is a trader who may become a shopkeeper
who may turn into a chain. Wholesalers don"t ONLY deal with huge
retailers.

As well as keeping the prices under wraps the main obstacle is
by getting you to fill in some application forms. You will
generally need to phone or fax a wholesaler to get these "�
warning, your emails can get completely ignored as customer
service is way down on their priority list.

Now let"s get your story right. Many wholesalers will say that
they deal with trade only. There is no need to be a shop owner.
Trade can be mail-order via the Internet (i.e. eBay). If asked I
would use this description as well as saying you trade via
market stalls. Only volunteer this information if asked as many
wholesalers won"t even bother "� they are busy people and
sometimes the rules are lax.

Make up a trade name "� it sounds better to them. Using your
initials is always good i.e. JB Trading.

Sometimes they have large minimum orders (i.e. £100) to put
people off although mostly they don"t. Sometimes this only
applies to the first order.

If you are really unlucky then they may ask for proof of trading
such as letterhead, business card or an invoice from someone.
Even this is quite easy "� just concoct something using your word
processor i.e. Word and they will accept it "� let"s not forget
that you are not claiming to be a huge retailer just a
small-time trader. You don"t have to have a limited company or
be a corporation, most businesses in the world are run as
one-man bands.

When you contact them ask for a catalogue. They will generally
just ask for your name and address. Use your "�trading name" and
use your home address and home phone number. Perhaps ask them if
they have a minimum order size.

Another obstacle is that they sometimes ask for references. In
my experience these are never followed up but are another way to
put off the "�average Joe". It would be quite easy to use a
friend i.e. SP International Export (and using your friends
address).

Applying for a credit account is not a good idea as they are
then very likely to really want references. Mostly you can pay
by credit card and therefore the checks on you are minimal or
non-existent.

Once you have played by the rules and jumped through a few hoops
you will have access to the trade prices and information. Once
you are in "� you are in so this is just an initial
inconvenience.

About the author:

Mark Eastwood is author of the best-selling
book:

href="http://www.cheapdvdsandgames.co.uk">How To Buy Cheap DVDs
and Games and Make Money

This article can be reproduced and published as long as it is
credited to Mark Eastwood together with the web address of:

href="http://www.cheapdvdsandgames.co.uk">http://www.cheapdvdsand
games.co.uk

Author : Mark Eastwood
Site : www.goarticles.com

BobPaton.com � 2010
Hosted by Midsouth Marketing

Online Games | New Media Blog | City News Magazine | Collierville Advertising | Collierville Dragons