How to Find Online Clothing Wholesalers for your e-Commerce
By: Sarah Ahmed
Tags: Wholesaler, Clothing, Opportunity, Branding

Photo by Colours of Turkey on Unsplash

You have always dreamed of having your own shop, of researching clothing to make people feel their best. Opening a shop, however, has very high start-up and management costs, which are accompanied by factors such as the search for the premises, the warehouse, the clerks etc.

So, you thought that your dream could evolve and transform the clothing store into an online store .

Opening a business and a shop to sell online is no less demanding than a physical shop, but certainly some costs, such as the rent of the premises, can be removed from the list of charges. In addition, selling online allows you to have a wider customer base than a physical store, which has precisely the limit of the geographical location.

After reading everything you can about how to create, manage, advertise an e-commerce, how to manage a warehouse , having gone to an accountant and having consulted web professionals for the creation of sites , you have decided to start your own business. “Online Sale” . And, now that you have a business idea in hand and that you have identified the sector and market niche in which to enter, it’s time to get into the business and understand how to find clothing wholesalers online .

The research and selection of wholesalers is in fact essential if you are not a manufacturer or a craftsman who sells the fruit of his own creativity. Wholesalers will be your sales partners and part of the success of your business will inevitably depend on them.

Wholesalers, producers, distributors and Stockists: let’s clarify the types of suppliers

Contents

Online clothing wholesalers: how and where to find them

1. Make a list of brands that interest you

2. Do Google search

3. Rely on dedicated wholesale directories

4. International websites and Marketplaces

5. Wholesalers specializing in drop shipping

Other ways to find clothing wholesalers-Ten Tips In Conclusion

What to consider when choosing wholesalers for your online clothing store

In conclusion

Photo by lan deng on Unsplash

Help Increase Company Performance

The research phase for online clothing wholesalers is one of the most critical phases in which new entrepreneurs often encounter the first real difficulties. If you are not already an expert in the world of clothing sales and more generally in the world of retailing, it is necessary that you know which are the figures you are going to relate to in order to offer the right garments in your online store.

Wholesalers are one of the main figures operating in the world of goods distribution: their role is that of intermediary. The wholesaler has contacts with numerous producers or distributors from which he purchases goods which will then be resold in large quantities to companies or individuals, who will then in turn sell on the retail market. Wholesalers usually operate in specific market areas, such as clothing and accessories or food.

The manufacturers , as you might guess, are those companies who actually create a clothing product. This means that the purchase channel is direct, therefore there are no intermediaries between you and the goods you are going to sell and consequently the purchase price will be lower (not always).

Although contacting a manufacturer directly may seem the most advantageous choice, we must tell you that this is not the case for three reasons:

The first is that not all manufacturers sell to retailers (you with your shop) but operate through intermediaries such as distributors or wholesalers. The primary activity of a manufacturer is in fact the creation of the product rather than the sale.

Often manufacturers allow the direct sales channel only for very large purchases.

Manufacturers do not give you access to as wide a range of products as wholesalers, who work with multiple manufacturers and distributors, can offer you. Distributors are always intermediaries who have a contract with producers to distribute their products on the territory or on the web, and their task is to find wholesalers.

This figure is not always present in the supply chain of a commodity, in fact very often distributor and wholesaler are the same thing.

Finally, there are the Stockists who are nothing more than companies specializing in the purchase of low-cost warehouse inventories from wholesalers , manufacturers but also shops around the world with the aim of reselling them to the retailer at competitive prices.

Online clothing wholesalers: how and where to find them

Before seeing how to find your online clothing suppliers and wholesalers, you need to know that to interact with any of the figures that operate in the world of wholesaling of goods and clothing you must be in possession of a VAT number . Without a VAT number, few companies will consider opening a business contact with you.

So, remember to take this factor into account and go to an accountant to understand all the tax and legal dynamics associated with professional online selling. If you just want to do an activity test, you could try the opportunities made available to individuals by large international marketplaces such as eBay , to sell both in Italy and abroad.

However, the supplier search phase can be done independently of the possession of the VAT number, but to proceed with the actual contact, our advice is to wait to be in possession of it.

To orient yourself in the search for wholesalers in the online clothing sector, you can start moving on five fronts.

1. Make a list of brands that interest you

When you decide to open a clothing sales business, it is likely that you already have an idea of ​​the type of garments to be sold and the main brands that offer the same products on the market. In this case you can try to make a list of brand names and contact them, asking to join their retail distribution organization.

2. Do Google search

Google, the number one search engine in the world, can be a valuable aid in finding wholesalers for your store or at least in an initial phase of data and information collection. To do this, simply type in keywords such as “online clothing wholesalers”, “online clothing wholesalers Italy”, “international online clothing wholesalers” in the search bar to have thousands of pages to consult.

3. Rely on dedicated wholesale directories

The wholesale directories are nothing more than large databases made available on websites specialized in this field and they are structured to carry out searches divided by product sector, category, company name and so on. Some of the sites you can consult are: Infoimprese, Guida Monaci, Kompass, Yellow Pages and also international databases such as Europages, WorldWideBrands, eWorldtrade.com and Global Sources. The list of sites with dedicated wholesale databases are many and in addition to those we have mentioned, you can deepen the search by asking Google.

4. International websites and Marketplaces

Another option to search for your clothing suppliers is to search for them on international websites and marketplaces that allow you to buy products in large quantities such as: eBay Business and the world leaders of Asian wholesalers Alibaba and AliExpress. If you decide to rely on international realities, always pay attention to the customs duties of shipments to receive your goods

5. Wholesalers specializing in drop shipping

If you have decided to open an online store without having a warehouse and then try to start a business in drop shipping , you may need to look for wholesalers who offer this service: not all wholesalers are willing or have the organization to support a sales system of this type.

Other ways to find clothing wholesalers

For a sales activity to be successful, remember not to neglect the offline tools to search for wholesalers, by participating in trade fairs and specific events dedicated to the business to business of clothing. Taking part in these events allows you to get in touch with many companies and suppliers and to be able to touch the goods firsthand.

What to consider when choosing wholesalers for your online clothing store

Finding clothing wholesalers online is a great challenge for anyone who wants to open a retail business, regardless of whether it is linked to a physical or virtual store. The wholesalers that deal with clothing both in Italy and abroad are many, so to draw up the list of suppliers to contact it is essential to establish selection criteria and skim the list .

To win the challenge of online sales with your e-commerce, you must therefore carefully select reliable suppliers, with a range of satisfying and quality products, sustainable supply times and obviously affordable prices.

What does reliable mean?

Treccani thus defines the characteristics related to the word reliable “ of instrument, implant or sim. that gives confidence, that is, that gives a guarantee of functioning well, or even of method, system, technology, operational program that has a good chance of leading to positive results. “

A reliable wholesaler is therefore a supplier capable of respecting the agreements made both in terms of quantity, quality, timing and prices. A partner with whom to enter into a contract in which the specifics of the working relationship such as minimum quantities, prices, shipping and payment methods, obligations and responsibilities of the parties, the right of withdrawal and so on are put at the bottom.

Knowing whether a wholesaler is reliable or not can only be established with certainty when you work with it together. The only thing you can do in advance is to search online for reviews on the service offered by the specific wholesaler .

If you choose suppliers from your own country, you can also think about paying a visit to the supplier’s company, so in addition to reinforcing the human bond you can also get an idea of ​​how the company is organized.

In addition to the degree of reliability, when selecting suppliers, it is also useful to stop and analyze the range of clothing products that it can offer you, both in terms of quantity and quality.

If the supplier is able to cover the number of products you need, and to offer you quality garments that meet the tastes of the customers you want to acquire, it is time to investigate the timing of procurement of their warehouse and the shipping times of your products.

Considering today’s trends increasingly oriented to very fast delivery times, it is important that the wholesaler is able to supply you quickly. The question of time is even more important if you choose to sell in drop shipping : the shipping process, in fact, although it is carried out directly by the supplier, will compromise the image of your shop if deliveries are not respected.

Furthermore, if you sell in drop shipping, inform yourself in advance about the possibility of the supplier to offer you triangulated shipments , cash on delivery payment to be paid by the recipient, shipment insurance and all those additional services that customers appreciate in the shipment of the products they purchase.

Last but not least is the price factor . For you to have good revenues from your e-commerce, the prices that the wholesaler offers you must be affordable, so that the right margin is guaranteed to keep your online shop standing.

In conclusion

To find clothing wholesalers online you have several possibilities before you. The world of online retailing is very large and finding reputable wholesalers takes time, research and even testing.

So, we decided to leave you some tips to find online clothing wholesalers for your e-commerce:

a) Trust online directories and wholesaling sites like eBay and AliExpress

b) Do not overlook the Global and European and international sector events

c) Draw up a list of wholesalers capable of responding to your needs and with a good reputation in terms of customer management, logistics and the quality of the products they offer

d) Contact the wholesalers on the list by email or by phone or through both methods

e) Request samples so you can see and touch what you are going to upload to your e-commerce and avoid those that do not provide this possibility

f) Check the distribution of wholesalers’ products on the web. If there are many stores that sell the product you would like to sell, be prepared to have very high competition, so try to differentiate yourself

g) Don’t rush to accept the wholesaler’s offer. Think carefully and take the time to choose, negotiate and compare the offer with that of other suppliers

h) Negotiate prices

i) Don’t rely on a single wholesaler

j) Even if you find one or more reliable and affordable suppliers, never stop looking for new wholesalers

k) Make yourself known. If your shop and your name are well-known and reputable, you will have a better chance of building a relationship with suppliers. If you are just starting out, work on your personal brand, communicate through social networks and don’t forget to advertise!