Product Sourcing for Home Business, Drop Shipping Wholesale, and Wholesalers Merchandise Supply Tips

Finding the right products to sell online for your home business requires thought and research. It does not have to be hoplessly confusing and a source of anxiety and worry. If you already know what you want to sell and have done your marketing research and know that the market it good, your journey in this respect will be much simpler.

If, on the other hand, you know that you want to establish a home business--and we mean that literally as a business run right out of your home--but don't really know what you want to sell, then you have some important work to do. That's where we come in.

Typically, there are 5 key ways to find product sources for home business: garage sales, liquidation sales, estate sales, clearance stores, adn wholesalers. Wholesale product sourcing is a huge interest area on the Internet, and other means of finding products get less attention because of that. The five ways just mentioned are really catch all categories and are typically the way many eBay sellers get their start. If you are thinking of selling on eBay or some other auction venue, then you may want to seriously consider liquidated stock.

You can find out more about why that is and why that may be particularly true for auction sites by reading about liquidated versus wholesale items. However, garage sales, liquidation and estate sales may not serve you any purpose at all.

If this is the case, then you will need to locate sources of product distribution. You will need to consider researching manufacturers who distribute directly, wholesale distributors, liquidation closeout specialists, and trade shows.

We are assuming that you have at least some idea of what you want to sell. If not, bear with us, we have a solution for you, as well. First, we want to mention that phone books, Internet search tools, your local library, and chamber of commerce may be some of your best resources for potential leads. Trade shows, especially, are going to be important for you in developing contacts. Enough said. You can find a huge amount of information by simply searching for trade shows on the internet. Add your product category to the search and see what you find. You can read more about this in our article, finding wholesale distributors.

Online wholesale directories are another solution. There are a few prominent directories, and I'll mention straight off that these are viewed with suspicion, and there seems to always be the question of whether or not wholesale directories are a scam. Well, some undoubtedly are and other clearly are not. The question for you is how can you tell the difference? You can't except by experimenting or trusting the advice from some other source. We think that the Salehoo online wholesale directory is reliable and lives up to its promise. It also provides a forum where you can share information and generally get solid answers to questions that would otherwise go unanswered. But, our point, here, is that the right online directory can provide you with a wealth of information and resources regarding vast numbers of product suppliers that you might not otherwise have ready and quick access to. Enough said. More coming later.

Could an online drop ship wholesale directory save you money, help you find low cost wholesale products, provide reliable distributors for wholesale eBay product sourcing, or be of use to you in some other vital way? In a moment, you will discover pointers to help you make the best choice for you.

Fortunately, online directories don't have to be expensive, and though we think that there are really only just a few good ones worth spending money on, they range in price from about $40 to $300.

Please examine the checklist below.

1. I want to network with other buyers and sellers.



2. I plan on selling mass market consumer goods to the public.



3. I want current insider information on the how and what of eBay product sourcing and selling.



4. I am seeking factory/manufacturer distributors.



5. I need current product supplier and market research information.



6. I need more desire more focus in finding a product niche.



7. I am not satisfied with my own list of wholesalers and drop lishippers.



8. I am having trouble finding drop ship companies and genuine wholesalers.



9. I need help determining which product suppliers are legitimate.

If you say "yes" to most of these items, it may be worth it to bite the bullet and spend the money for a wholesale memberhip. The good online wholesale directories all have an option to pay a once only lifetime access fee. As mentioned above prices range from about $40 to $300. Of course, online directories aren't for everybody, but the important question right now is are they for you?

Action if free. Find out more right now!

The best way to seek out your competitors is to try and buy whatever product or service it is you're planning to sell. Enter the market as a customer, and find out what options you would have.

Where to Look

It might be tempting to just use a search engine and go by the results that turns up, but you have to remember that plenty of business still takes place outside the Internet. You should also make sure that you pay attention to more traditional methods of advertising, such as the yellow pages, or your local newspaper. It's worth cutting out and keeping any ads you find, as they can be good to refer to when it's time to start your own marketing.

Do What They Do, But Do It Differently

Notice that I said 'differently', not necessarily 'better'. Don't assume that you'll be able to improve on established businesses if you're doing the exact same thing as they are - they have years of experience, after all. What you're trying to do is distinguish yourself in the marketplace, so that people who are looking for something specific in your chosen industry will come to you.

There are a number of tried-and-true ways of altering existing products to make them succeed in the market.

Start Product Sourcing Right Now

The Price-Quality Line. You may find other businesses that only offer a very high-quality service, and accordingly charge a premium price - or you might find ones that only offer heavily-discounted rubbish. Consider taking their products to the opposite end of the market. If you can offer a product of only slightly worse quality at half the price, then people will jump at it - and, likewise, there are always people willing to pay the most to get the best.

Provide a Service. It is perfectly possible to sell products of the exact same physical quality while providing a better service - to the customer, quality and service are almost the same thing. There are companies out there who can sell computer software that their customers could get almost for free, simply because the customers like to have the support services that they get with their purchase.

Likewise, if service is all you do, then it should be pretty simple to provide a more attentive and personal service than your competitors. 'One-on-one business' gives you a great opportunity to become friendly with your customers, and that's often worth its weight in gold to them.

Make it Simpler. Many businesses offer great products, but they're pitching them to very technical customers. If you're an expert in your field, you will very often find that you can build a great business simply by selling the same thing as your competitors, but going to some trouble to explain and market it to a wider section of the public. Anytime you start using some new technology, the chances are that someone along the way had to work out how to make it simpler. Few new technologies or inventions come pre-packaged for consumer use.

Change the Design. Make it smaller, or change the colour, or make it easier to open and fix. There are all sorts of ways to subtly redesign a product and give it all sorts of bells and whistles that customers will really appreciate. You might even be able to buy products, modify them, and then sell them on.

Build Alliances--Network and Share

Despite what the word "alliances" might lead you to think, you don't always have to be competitive with your competitors. You might find that they have extra work sometimes that they wouldn't mind sending over to you, or you might find that they're willing to give you advice on starting up (if not for free, then perhaps for nothing more than the cost of a few drinks!). Of course, you shouldn't go giving away all your secrets or giving them any other advantage, but that doesn't mean that you should keep away. Pay special attention to any problems that they say they've had, or anything they do that seems to sell especially well.

Believe it or not, your competitors can be your best allies in this home business game, especially if they're home businesses themselves - over time, your competitors might even become your friends.