Stock Availability at Wholesale Suppliers

Having a steady stream of merchandise is essential to keeping your resale business stocked up and running. Having the ability to cover the demand of your niche market at any given time only builds your reputation as a reliable seller. To be a reliable seller you must have a reliable source of merchandise.

If not looking to begin trading, you may be working with one or two wholesale suppliers, relying on them to have the merchandise you need, every time you need it. However, what happens if the wholesaler does not have the merchandise you need. What if the products you need don’t show up in the search results?

To understand how the system functions, let’s look a bit deeper into it.

Turnover Rates Between Wholesale Suppliers and Retailers

This relationship is a two-way street. Initially, retailers get their merchandise either directly from manufacturers or wholesale suppliers. However, when the merchandise does not sell, or seasonal goods must be taken off the shelves, retailers turn to wholesale suppliers or liquidators to help them get rid of the merchandise. In any case, both sides are in the business of making a profit on selling their products while having a good turnover rate – shelves can fill and empty quickly.

For you as a buyer, this means you have to act quickly, otherwise the merchandise you are after might be on offer for only a short period of time. This high turnover rate means you will have to be on your toes and check the wholesaler’s inventory regularly, focusing on the merchandise you need. Wholesale suppliers’ listings can change daily as new merchandise comes and goes constantly. This also means you should check back regularly if you don’t see the products you are looking for.

Consider Seasonal Inventory

The main types of products that really do only appear only occasionally are seasonal merchandise. This can be anything from clothing to pool equipment, to outdoor fitness.

Wholesalers will have a significant influx of seasonal goods, but the same way it comes in, it is quickly snapped up by resellers that can hold onto it until it comes into season again next year. This means that when these products are listed, they often disappear quickly, due to being discounted more than usual, and may not reappear again for some time.

As a reseller, you must know when such seasonal goods could be listed by the wholesaler, at what periods of the year, and be sure to buy them as soon as they appear. Of course, if this is a business model that you are interested in, you must make sure you have the required space to store large quantities of merchandise that you will be holding on to for possibly the best part of nine months.

Making Merchandise Categories Work in Your Favor

Large wholesale suppliers will have a large number of categories, which enable you to tailor your search according to your specific needs. Many of them can be similar, meaning you have to check related and similar categories every time you search as you might find more of the products you are searching for that way.

If you are in the business of selling smartphones, you might want to browse the electronics category from several different angles. You might be interested in purchasing Samsung smartphones, so your best choice would be to go directly to the Samsung brand page, but, you might also check out the smartphones category as it might contain the products you need within some of the mixed electronics pallets.

In addition to specific categories, you might want to try searching keywords specific to your needs, rather than hoping that lots have been categorized correctly. In any case, giving yourself time to go through the wholesaler’s inventory is a smart way to go about buying.

If you have not worked with a certain wholesaler before, it is best to check if they have a category for the types of products that you are looking for. If there is nothing in that listing currently, you might want to come back to see if new lots are coming in daily, as they should be with any large wholesalers.

Another way of making sure you don’t miss out on the merchandise you need is to create a business relationship with your wholesaler. Wholesale suppliers reward loyalty, and returning customers do get some perks and advantages, such as a first notice of incoming merchandise. If a wholesaler knows what merchandise you are looking for, they might notify you of incoming items that might be of your interest, helping you securing your stock in time.

Some websites, such as Direct Liquidation have a mailing list you can sign up to, which will give updates on your preferred categories.

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Henley Johnson

Henley currently works as a sales representative for Direct Liquidation, assisting businesses with product sourcing of liquidated merchandise from the largest retailers in the world. Whether you are looking for a pallet or a truckload Henley is here to help you grow your business.

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