Hi,

All I want to do is buy stuff to sell. But how, who, where, do i start?

I'm having a very hard time researching as so many don't reply to emails, have telephone numbers or i'm faced with myriads of directories which seem to want you to join (and sometimes pay) them just to see more lists!

I haven't much money and so far I'm tempted by sites which offer lucrative goods for sale at very low ('trade') prices for resellers. But I'm worried that once you've signed up and paid the trade prices won't be low at all.

I ve been stung by something similar before. Once I found out that you can only buy in bulk and/or they're auctions - end prices reach usually around the 2-3 thousand mark!

How does anyone find good suppliers or is this how it is???

Poke around some of the threads on these forums. There are some great ideas around. I haven't tme just now to write a few of them out, but you'll find them quickly enough anyway, I should think. Just look for titles asking the same question, or similar. It's been asked loads of times.

It is even possible to start with nothing, provided you can find a buyer first.

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Last edited by Anthony; 25-11-2007 at 11:55 PM.

Thanks I'll do that.

Purchase a copy of The Trader magazine,it has hundreds of wholesalers listed.Website at http://www.thetrader.co.uk/about.php

Scott

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Thanks. Perhaps I've not looked long enough but I haven't seen anything that really answers my questions.

I've just subscribed to the trader but haven't received my first copy yet.

My problem is something like this:

I've seen stuff selling for example at 'trade' prices for £158 where the high street price is £200
Then I've seen 'trade' price at £900; high st. £1500

What I'm getting at is that the 'trade' prices, (or what I call normal 'sale' prices), are still too high even if money has been knocked off for traders.

Does anyone know of any really good deals?

I've come across a couple of sites where the prices on the initial webpage are very low but I'm afraid that once I've joined the prices will no longer be as cheap. How can I know?





Sorry I usually skim rules because they're often about manners and conduct right? Have I broken a rule already?

It appears to me you are starting in the wrong place, eyeoftheneedle. I mean in your mind, not where you are physically. You are trying to find stocks which undercut the cheapest stocks around. it just doesn't work like that. Only a Midas could ever afford to operate like that and hope to be successful.

You find out what people need. Don't look to see what most people are selling. That's the wrong way round. hat's how you get onto bandwagons with no margin and stay on that pointless merry go round of trying to find ever cheaper suppliers and being tempted by scammers. Find out what people need.

Get a clear idea of what they are prepared to pay. Normally. Not on eBay. The more I see people starting off there, the more I believe it's a fool's paradise. You learn all the wrong lessons there. Perhaps it used to be good. But take a close look now, in the cold, hard light of day. Find out what normal people are prepared to pay.

Then, from the list of what is required, find out about sources. When you have found one or two items, maybe more, which you can make a margin on, buy some and sell them.
IF YOU THEN FIND THEY WILL SELL ON EBAY TOO, THAT IS A BONUS. EBAY SHOULD NOT BE A STARTING POINT FOR ANYONE WISHING TO BE A SERIOUS TRADER IN 2007/2008.

Apologies for the bold caps, mods, but that point being emphasised is long, long overdue.

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Last edited by anotheruser; 26-11-2007 at 05:45 PM.

[quote=anotheruser;131468]It EBAY SHOULD NOT BE A STARTING POINT FOR ANYONE WISHING TO BE A SERIOUS TRADER IN 2007/2008.
quote]

Spot on.

As has been discussed a million times before on many different forums, eBay is now flooded with products in most of its catagories. You will find it next to impossible as a small trader to be the cheapest on eBay.

New traders need to differentiate themselves from the competition. For example my business dropships wetsuits. As we have a few businesses who buy from us for eBay they will struggle to be the cheapest. To combat this one has created a great listing template which highlights other items in their eBay shop. Another has created a measurement tool which decreases customer returns.

eBay should only be seen as a marketing expense. If you are to become a serious trader you need your own website. You then need to drag any customers that you obtain through eBay and Amazon to your website with promotional emails and special offers.

Anyone can do it, it just takes a hell of alot of hard work.

Good Luck!

The pricing examples that you offer are from 20 to 40 percent Gross Profit. Not bad for online sales.

Yes, they could be better. My retail business in a mall did close to 70% gross, and I wouldn't think about buying something I could not "double up" on and most of my stock was priced at 3 times cost, for a gross of 66%.

But you are looking in the wrong places. Even in 2007 there are many true wholesalers who do not sell on the net. They may have a site for their established customers to order, but they are not soliciting to the general population and don't do any SEO, since they generally don't want to be bothered by every Tom, **** and Mary emailing about buying at wholesale.

I don't subscribe to The Trader, but I do receive several trade pubs ech month, and more and more of the advertisers are not legitimate importers and wholesaler, but middlemen selling packaged deals and bundles of stuff dropshipped by others.

There are plenty of genuine wholesalers, but many don't advertise. They sell through trade shows and their own sales reps. They often don't want to sell to online sellers. They want real stores, carrying a significant quantity of their goods to make it worth their while to service the account.

They want shops where their sales rep can go in a write an order on a let's say weekly basis. They want to have scheduled deliveries to their accounts, where the accounts order on a specific daay of the week and their goods are delivered the next day. Or, even daily deliveries. I had one supplier with the key to the back door of my shops. I would order as late as 6 PM and they would deliver in the wee hours of the morning. My stock replenishment order and any special orders would be sitting inside the back door when we opened in the morning.

Are people like this going trolling in Google? Not hardly.

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Last edited by Anthony; 06-10-2008 at 08:09 AM.

I just written a lengthy reply when I must of clicked something because the whole thing disappeared! Why isn't there a copy and paste button!!!!!??????

BAH!!!

I'll have to reply from my flawed memory now. First of thank you all for your replies. But now I'm even more depressed then I was because from what I can gather it's become more dumbass for a person to open an online biz. How then can a person start!!??

Originally I would've got into business the traditonal way. I already saw a mentor who thought an idea of mine was viable. But then I discovered online trading and thought that would be an easier way. Is that right - just buy and sell? I was hoping later it'll become a stepping stone for my other brainwaves.

But now you guys are also telling me that it would be better to find out what people are willing to pay. That's fine and dandy but how? I mean the area I'm interested in seem expensive for me to buy from let alone sell on. Oh wait a minute are you telling me that is the wholesaler I should be negotiating with?

In that case thanks for the suggestion of visiting trade fairs.

Another thing ... hang on my finger just slipped on the keys so I think I better post this in case I lose it like before. I will continue in another post.

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Last edited by eyeoftheneedle; 26-11-2007 at 06:25 PM.

We are not telling you not to trade online. Quite the opposite. All we are saying is that eBay is the wrong place to start trading online. And we are telling you there are other places besides online to trade.

No, we are not saying negotiate prices with wholesalers. You do not have the financial muscle to bargain with them. If the wholesaler you find has prices you do not like, you either find another wholesaler or you live with it.