Finding a reliable wholesale supplier is a daunting task specially if you have a new business setup and have no experience. It demands a well-thought and well-researched approach to select the supplier who offers women’s fashion clothing supplies according to your requirements and budget.
Start your Search from Google
If you have no idea where to start, you can always start from Google. It has the answer for everything. Try searching for wholesale jeans suppliers or women clothing wholesalers and you will get many results.
Make women’s clothing industry-specific search that ships to your region and here you go with a long list put before you. In case of lack of contact information of a particular wholesaler, perform a Whois lookup. Again, you are supposed to carry out a comparative research to filter out the most affordable rates for you.
B2B marketplaces
You can try one of those B2B sites like Alibaba where the retailers meet the wholesalers from all over the world. Fashion clothing is one of its top selling products. It can be a little risky because the suppliers are not based in US. You will have to be extremely careful when using it as many people have had poor experiences while dealing with suppliers based in faraway countries. It is better to deal with a US based supplier (or your own country if you are not based in United States).
Make your presence in a trade show
Your attendance in a trade show can be your breakthrough regardless of how tiny of a retail business you are. You will wrong yourself by missing out on the opportunity to meet existing and upcoming wholesalers and fellow big and small retailers. When you meet the dealers in person, that is a whole experience in itself where you learn such valuable information about their business that no website could ever bring to you. A one to one conversation with suppliers and wholesalers is therefore an ideal situation where you can expand your network by handing over your business cards to interested parties and getting exposed to deals which your fashion clothing e-store is in dire need of.
Therefore, keep yourself updated with upcoming trade shows through tsnn.com which is the world’s leading online resource for exhibitions and trade shows.
Make yourself a profile on professional networks and forums
Your participation in online forums and networking sites will be very fruitful for you in the long run. The more people you know from fashion clothing industry on both professional and personal levels, the better for your small business. Some retailers are more comfortable in revealing their wholesaler’s data through networking platforms like LinkedIn. Platforms like these are a great pool of free information if you know the drill.
Do not fear to falter
Since you have just stepped into this new venture of e-commerce, have patience as your first supplier can turn out to be not the perfect one. This is a continuous process of evolution where you will have to go through many trial and error cases until you eventually meet a vendor with whom you can carry out your business forever. Until then, know that your top most priority and need at this initial stage of your business is getting supplied with a clothing lot from a vendor to ship it at a profit. There is a long way to go after you have successfully done this.
Communicate your demands efficiently to the wholesale supplier
Once you have a list of sufficient wholesalers before you, visit and contact each one personally. Skipping anyone of them can mean losing the best dealer that you could have. Make notes when communicating to them and at the last, evaluate and compare efficiently which one best falls on your standards and demands.
The two most important determinants based on which you will filter out the best clothing wholesalers are minimum order quantities (MOQ) and unit wholesale costs. Do not hesitate to negotiate on these even if you are starting too small. When wholesalers hear the mention of competitors offering better prices, they never want to lose you for their good.
Check with the brands or manufacturer
If you have decided upon the brand your online fashion business is going to sell, you can always give a try to contact the manufacturer directly. This is the cheapest method to source your fashion clothing package and hence earn you the greatest possible overall profit. The need of having a mediator and thus the hassle is cut off in the process.
Depending on your budget and requirements, you need to first decide which supplier will suit your business most; domestic or overseas. After having made the choice, do your research over the internet where there is all sorts of information you need about your clothing brand supplier. Their contact information will be easily available via free online supplier phonebook. Link up with your fashion industry contacts for trustworthy referrals of suppliers, and in case of not having any such contacts, make some!
Getting into touch with the clothing factory directly will prove to be a win-win case. Either you will land the opportunity to buy from them if your demand falls near to their minimum order requirements or they will hand over to you a list of their credible wholesalers. The first scenario will minimize your investments and the second will minimize your efforts to find a reputable distributor.
Be as transparent as you can be about your budget and needs. Show your keen interest and enthusiasm in maintaining a long-term bond and the game ends in your favor.
