Wholesale Business Community

The Funniest Phone Pranks. Ever.

frolickingmaven — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 20:22:00 GMT

Number 1 - Man hates pizza shop owner. Pizza shop owner has a short temper. Man exploits his weakness.

Number 2 - Man phones cab company. Man pretends to be making a complaint. The polite lady listens intently.

Number 3 - Sick of being left on hold? Or poor after-sales service? Watch the tables turn.

Number 4 - Man places order with chinese takeaway 1. Man phones chinese takeaway 2. Man then merges the calls between takeaway 1 and takeaway 2. Chinese 1 think they are repeating the order. Chinese takeaway 2 believe they are hearing an order being placed.

Number 5 - Man is in need of a bonnet for his motor. Man fails to be considerate for other mans feelings. Other man gets mad.

Columbia Wholesale footwear

peter01 — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 10:13:00 GMT

Columbia Sportswear, as a wholesaler and distributor, has been supplying a variety of footwear products you'll need to compete in today's retail shoe industry around the world. It is a global leader in the design, sourcing, marketing and distribution of active outdoor apparel and footwear. As one of the largest outerwear brands wholesaler in the world and the leading seller of skiwear in the United States, the company has developed an international reputation for quality, performance, functionality and value. Columbia Sportswear’s extensive product line includes a wide variety of outerwear, sportswear, rugged footwear and accessories. It has employed more than 1,800 people around the world and distributes and sells products in more than 50 countries and to over 12,000 retailers internationally.

The company’s footwear had become a bona-fide phenomenon, universally accepted as an all-purpose shoe for comfort and fashion. As a wholesale shoe distributor, the company has large selections of ladies’ fashion shoes and sandals for wholesale. Their buyers work around the clock to find their valued customers the best closeout shoes, sandals, clogs and boots. One will find that their shoes and sandals feature the latest fashion and to be offered at the most competitive pricing around. The company is targeted towards quality of services to all.

The next wholesaler could be GUSAC, that works only with top designers and manufacturers. Their products are available in upscale boutiques only and featured constantly in top fashion magazines. The collections they represent are very eye-catching, modern and very fashionable featuring embroideries; enamel sculpted heels and vivid colors. The company features wholesale to top retail shops, and retail on the individual level. As a wholesale entity, they prefer to travel to meet with clients, in order to show samples of products. On delivery to retailers, the product arrives ready to go on the sales rack, complete with hangers and price tags according to the buyer’s specifications. These are exhibited at the cooper Hewitt museum, the first national design triennial, celebrating American design excellence. The company, as a wholesaler remains ever-focused on locating the best and most cost-effective manufacturers for optimal sourcing. And one of the top priorities of its customer assistance specialists is to keep delivery schedules on track. The company is also an expert on finding what will sell, and at what price, in each of the distinct markets. Together, both the companies make up a most vibrant team. They are always on call and ready to supply a vast range of footwear, and at unrivaled value point in the import marketplace. Both the companies, as wholesalers, are unique and concentrate on quality as well as service. The reliability of the products is at its best when compared to the competitors.

Attracting Wholesale buyers

peter01 — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 10:06:00 GMT

Wholesale businesses need, like any other business entity, a secured and continuous flow of wholesale buyers to facilitate continuous substation and growth in the market. But buyers themselves dont help the wholesale business by the goodness of their heart and unfaltering loyalty (unless it is deserved).

Now, we come to the main question that is how are we going to identify wholesale sellers? And once we have found these buyers, how to bring them towards our wholesale business?

So in order to understand the wholesale buyer’s state of mind we must think just as he thinks. We must understand that what might be the need of the buyer and in which price would he be willing to buy the product.

There are various modes of advertising or getting the product noticed, but what must be understood is that we must understand where the buyer is going to search for; if he may search in the yellow pages for the information regarding the wholesale products then putting up an ad in the yellow pages would be the most viable option.

If the buyer thinks that the web offers infinite information on all the products then putting up an advertisement in a particular wholesale site which has a constant amount of prospective buyers who are accessing that site would be the best option.

The wholesale business should keep in mind that it is a sheer waste of money if it gives advertisements in such sites and publications if the wholesale buyer which it is after doesn’t visit that particular site or read the publication. There are various sites and publications which cater to particular types of wholesale buyers so the wholesale business must do adequate study on where it wants to invest its money on advertisements.

That brings us to another aspect that a particular publication or website that has constant inflow of wholesale buyers may not always prove the best , the proper publication or website is the one which has that type of buyers who are interested in the products that you are selling.

If the first step of getting the wholesale buyer is accomplished we step into the second step of engaging the buyer, we must fully inform the whole sale buyer of our product by giving them a complete catalog of the product which must contain the “prices”.

Many wholesalers’ think that hiding the prices of a product is the correct move because of intense competition but this ploy may backfire on them as most wholesalers will want to know what is the prices of the products which they are buying.

The catalog/brochure is the most important of all, as it is often the only form of communication and contact between the wholesale buyers and sellers, and it may be any form such as online or in print but the main thing is it should be clear and should provide all the information related to the product.

The Future of Search Engines

Mihaela — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 11:05:00 GMT

The Future of Search Engines

Conventional search engines are so frequently used that their spectacular development has not been a surprise. Search Engine Optimization is now a vital part of the life of every web site, with the results of that optimization serving as vital information for supporting the web site.

It won’t be the small firms that change the way of search. Search engine powerhouses Google, Yahoo and Microsoft already lead the way and are poised to take search engine technology to the next level.

We are all living a miracle; a simple and affordable device allows s to pick a topic and type a few words into a blank space which then scan millions of Web pages and, in seconds, bring back product announcements, names of experts, research papers, and more, much more… all results which would be very difficult or impossible to find otherwise. We’ve come a long way from the days of ‘going to the library.’

The immediate future is even more spectacular. Technology has already advanced to the stage where it can personalize search engines. For example, a keyword search for the word ‘mouse’ will differentiate between searches for a small, furry rodent and a PC device, based on your preferences. This Concept is called QueryTracker.

The next generation of search engines has arrived, the theme engines. Search engines must now fight a losing battle to provide relevant results while combating spamming and duplicate pages. The goal is the same, but the engines need a way to store more pages, combat spam, and still provide pertinent results.

1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation search engines

First generation search engines based their results on what was on the Web page. Important factors were keywords density and title, keywords in the domain name, keywords in the URL and meta tags. Search engines were beginning to look like yellow pages.

Second generation search engines based page ranking on related links. Newer, better ways of searching now means the days of huge link exchange programs are over.

But the third generation of search engines is already underway, building personal profiles based on past searching habits and the page vector (the keyword density per page).

Other additions include word stemming and a thesaurus on top of the term vector database to assist in keeping a search in context.

It is crystal clear that search engines must change, and change rapidly, to accommodate the needs of the people who use them. Search engines truly are amazing, but people still make the Internet go ‘round.

New Solutions (Query Tracker, Focused Crawler)

The QueryTracker is a the search engine that submits the user’s query daily, returning the answers in the form of web pages that have changed since the previous search or the new ones. QueryTracker’s magic comes from its automatic generation of an additional daily query, based on what it learns about the user’s interests and priorities over time.

QueryTracker’s ability to generate its own searches can compensate for the poorly formed queries that many users write. The most common mistake is that the queries are too short.

Another new direction is the “focus crawler”, making index-only pages related to the specified topics and then tailoring the rankings to the interests of the user. The intelligence behind the crawler dictates that the search engine would get progressively better at building its nightly index by observing the behavior of the searches against it.

Overcoming the lack of relevant search results

It is obvious that the search engines are attempting to accommodate this need for better search engine technology by enhancing their results to better anticipate the user’s intentions. Google has the advertisers with its Adwords service, and the technology to determine which results to show within the email interface.

Yahoo is re-vamping Overture (Yahoo Business Services) and Inktomi; Microsoft is already jumping into the search area with Live search. It looks like these search engine powerhouses will enhance the search engine experience and take search engine technology to the next level.

The future of search engines is based on the fact that users want information to be accessible; they want it relevant and fast. Search engines will be personal assistants, butlers, guides and gurus, able to provide potential answers to the most difficult questions. Search engines of the future will permeate greater aspects of our lives, becoming more localized, persuasive and personalized.

The “Google inside” mobile is no longer a future project. Such mobile access could have voice controlled search functionality that searches for results that are pertinent to the current location on a GPS map. Mobile communications device manufacturers bundle voice controlled Web searching features into their phones and PDAs.

Just imagine the impact of all of this capability on our daily lives. For example, how about our kitchen appliances? We could search for recipes, for specific airplane seats, or search for places to go after arriving at our destination, or do a local search to find a repair service.

The trend is the personalization, the use of all data that the search engines are capturing about their users. Craig Silverstein of Google has a vision that in 300 years, search engines will be more like yeast-based search pets that understand human inferences, feelings and emotions.

Gerry Campbell, general manager of AOL Search and Navigation gave another example: AOL’s current search learns from their users’ habits and location and uses that information to provide more relevant search results.

At this point, an important question to consider is how much information a search engine should be allowed to collect about user before the user’s privacy is violated. My feeling on this issue is that I want the search engines to surprise me with spectacular results. If the search engines of the future will know more about a user, they will present more focused search results, as good as the user’s query.

Theme engines

Michaela Campbell, author of popular books, defines a theme engine as “what you say about your Web page, how the structure of other people’s Web pages compares on the same topic, and what other people say your site is about, to be in harmony with each other, be as one.”

A theme engine looks at all the information on a seed set, or a group of sites and pages that it has already spidered and has in its index. It assigns each page in the index a number or page vector. This becomes the core of the search engine.

Then the search engine adds and calculates words and incoming links to the page, making sure they match up to the term vector. What the search engine has determined that the page is about must match what the rest of the Internet says your page is about in their links to you. The next step is to establish the stats and cache data. If the site is one of a search engine’s top exit pages, it must be good, because people don’t come back and search more once they have found your site. If the site gets searched and clicked on so often that it is in the engine’s cache for speedy data retrieval, the site must be very good indeed.

The idea is the theme based search engine is looking for unanimous approval that the site is about a particular topic; the more narrow the focus on that topic, the better the site will do. In Campbell’s opinion, all search engines are moving towards being theme-based.

To search where no-one has searched before

Search engines providers are waiting for billions of dollars so they can have some of the smartest people in the world working to develop the next great version that will enhance more relevant results.

These days, satellite and aerial imagery are the main attraction (Google Maps, Google Earth, MSN Virtual Earth, TerraFly, and World Wind from NASA)- the stepping-stone to real-time and interactive imagery from space. Real time, high-resolution images delivered over the Internet, showing details such as backyards or streets, are the present and the future for the main search engines.

The search engines are getting smarter and more powerful. Such complex and powerful searches will be practical in three to five years when computers are also more powerful.

Why I Would Give My Money To George Bush's Pension Fund And Scientology Before Giving Africans a £0.01

toffee — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 20:02:00 GMT

I have fell victim to fraud today and found out that I will not be able to recoup a single penny of the $50K worth of goods I have sent to some Nigerian scammer. As the western world decides on strategy for helping clear African debt, I say to hell with that...let's milk them for every penny we can get out of them.

If you are involved in the wholesale industry it is almost inevitable that you are going to get done over at one point, however I really did not see this one coming. At this point in time I would sell my house, my business and my car to see that man buried alive. Rather than making an honest living, there are African scammers out there who work day and night finding people to steal from. Did you know the number 3 industry in Nigeria is not coffee plantations or farming, but in fact credit card fraud? At the moment I have a direct debit set up with my bank which pays $10 a month to help feed Africans. Guess what I will be doing with that tomorrow morning?

While some Africans bite the hand that feeds them, I do realise not all are like that. But maybe there is a moral in this story for everyone. As William Rogers (1879 - 1935) once said...

"The American people are very generous people and will forgive almost any weakness."

I say lets take what we are owed from Africa and leave them to do their own thing. Why should we give money to people who would never do the same for us in reverse circumstances. Stop giving charity to people who would rather see you starve to death than work a day in their life.

If you are feeling like scammers always get their own way at our expense you will be glad to know it is not always the case. While verifying that Nigeria's 3rd biggest economy is credit card theft I came across a forum thread which took me around 3 hours to read. This genius of a man manages to steel thousands of dollars from a scammer who was directly attempting to scam him. The kind Nigerian gentleman threatens to kill the laptop supplier if he does not give in to his demands.

http://www.thescambaiter.com/forum/showthread.php?s=840a7a83460bfe8a0838d1690175fee4&t=109

WHOLESALING, DISTRIBUTING AND RETAILING

flair4wholesale — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 07:11:00 GMT

Wholesale: The business of buying goods in large quantities and selling them especially to retailers for resale is called wholesale.

Wholesaling, Distributing And Retailing

This highly selectable master file offers today's decision makers, in all levels of management, within the retail, wholesale, and distribution industries helpful information. These decision-making executives are leaders in their respective industries. They influence spending for all products and services that can improve their organization's efficiency and position in the marketplace.

In such a retailing environment, how do wholesale markets react? These, and other approaches, include:

• Being pro-active. Wholesale markets that sit back and wait for business to come to them will rapidly cease to be relevant. They have to explore ways to attract business by surveying their customers and identifying their needs. Retailers, for example, may feel the need for improve retail markets, the development of which could provide a measure of competition for supermarkets. Market logistics may need to be re-examined, together with trading hours, in order to maximize the convenience for customers and minimize the delay between harvest and sale. Wholesale markets need to look to their strengths. In many cases, for example, they should be able to supply locally produced produce more freshly than supermarkets that operate just one distribution centre per country.

• Identifying new services. The Foundation has examined a range of services that can be provided. Although supermarket chains in one or two countries may be prepared to site their distribution centres and other facilities in wholesale markets, in most cases this is unlikely to happen and there is little evidence that it has happened to date. Some of the other services identified by Foundation members as being suitable for inclusion on the land of existing markets, however this can be difficult to gain acceptance. Thus markets need to be aware of their real potential for capturing business from supermarket chains. If such potential is limited than they need to explore ways of maximizing business from non-supermarket customers.

• Serving non-supermarket retailers and caterers. If supermarkets do not use the services of wholesale markets then the markets need to look at how they can best serve these other categories of customer. Both retailers and caterers would be attracted by the provision of commercial wholesale cash-and-carry facilities. Such a store in a wholesale market compound would enable traditional fruit and vegetable retailers to diversify into selling new products. It may also encourage dry-goods retailers who have not previously sold fruits and vegetables to start doing so. Many retailers, but particularly larger stores and independent chains that are not large enough to justify having their own distribution centres, could benefit from the one-stop-shop concept, i.e. by being able to buy fruits and vegetables, fish, meat and dairy products and dry goods at one wholesale market location.

• Improving procurement arrangements. Some would argue that such arrangements also enable the retailers to squeeze the farmers’ margins, but that is another discussion. Wholesalers working in traditional wholesale markets cannot dismiss these trends as a supermarket fad of little relevance to them. If they see caterers as potential customers they will also in the future have to be in a position to offer “traceability.” Some British travel agents, for example, are now demanding assurances from hotels regarding the reliability of their food supplies before agreeing to include the hotels in their brochures, thus forcing the hotels to introduce preferred supplier and traceability arrangements. Wholesalers in markets will therefore need to strengthen linkages with farmers in the same way as supermarkets are doing; this will probably lead to reduced opportunities for small farmers and much consolidation of farms, as it is virtually impossible for supermarkets or wholesalers to work with individual small farms. Farmers will be increasingly called upon to specialize. Small wholesalers are unlikely to be able to take such initiatives without support, and this seems to be a role for the market management.

WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTOR RELATIONSHIPS FOR UK AND US COMPANIES

flair4wholesale — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 07:04:00 GMT

This document is intended as an aid to all who are not already familiar with the concept of the wholesale distributor and what they do. This document will discuss:

What the general functions of wholesale distributors are within the supply chain.

1 The characteristics of and demands on wholesale distributors working with specific product types.

2 The various general challenges wholesale distributors face and how they can address them.

3 Brief considerations for selling ERP solutions within the wholesale distribution segment.

The Campaign for Wholesale Distributors includes material offering more specific information for partners with experience in this segment, as well as greater detail on how Microsoft Business Solutions–Navision addresses the needs of this segment.

General Definitions

A wholesale distributor occupies a middle position in the supply chain between the manufacturer of an item and the retailer or end user of that item, holding and delivering a range of goods and often services for resale purposes. The definition does not include manufacturers who sell directly to retailers.

Wholesale Distributor Perform...

A simple way of explaining this is: “we receive orders, we deliver them, and we get paid for them”. The primary purpose of a wholesale distributor could be any one, or more, of the following:

1 To carry many product brands within the same product category, meaning that they can offer a range of choice that a single manufacturer could not (nor would want to) offer. For example, a wholesale distributor carrying gardening equipment can offer a choice of brands for one particular item as well as various supplementary items, making the wholesale distributor a one-stop vendor for a number of different needs within a segment. This makes life easier for both customer and manufacturer, as the manufacturer does not have to attempt to reach each individual customer, and customers can obtain what they want in a smaller number of transactions, rather than go to each individual vendor.

2 To add some form of value to the products they sell that could not have been added by the manufacturers. Examples of this could be superior customer service, maintenance contracts and product or industry expertise. In particular, deep product knowledge across a range of product types is one of the most valuable services a wholesale distributor.

3 Some wholesale distributors also engage in light assembly or packaging of products to add value. This could also involve kitting, where a distributor repackages a number of items from various vendors as one unit, for example stationery kits.

4 To provide the manufacturer with a local presence in a market. Wholesale distributors take on the burden from the product manufacturer to ensure the effective and rapid distribution of items to customers when required, as well as holding the necessary inventory to achieve this.

5 To take on the burden of delivering the variety of quantities that differing customer needs demand. Manufacturers may produce their items in bulk quantities and do not want the job of then distributing items in small quantities to resellers or end users. Instead, the wholesale distributor takes on this role, breaking down bulk deliveries into more manageable quantities and often bundling these with other items from other manufacturers.

How to Pass a Lie Detector Test

Stewart01 — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 02:58:00 GMT

Lie detector tests, like nearly anything, can be reverse engineered and manipulated. When you are hooked to a lie detector your psychological responses to stimuli are being tested.

According to How Stuff Works

As a person is questioned about a certain event or incident, the examiner looks to see how the person's heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate and electro-dermal activity (sweatiness, in this case of the fingers) change in comparison to normal levels.

There are basically 4 unique levels that are tested...

1. Your response to no questions at all.

2.Your response when you are asked a question that there would be no consequences to lying about.

3. Your response to a question which provokes embarrassment, but does not suggest you are guilty of what you are being accused of.

4. Your responses to questions that you be be suspected of lying about.

Example: A Russian man is accused of being a spy by the Chinese government. During testing, the following occurs.

Stage 1. He is asked no questions, and his reading is taken.

Stage 2. He is asked what country he is currently in.

Stage 3. He is asked whether or not he finds a particular fetish arousing.

Stage 4. He is asked questions which relate to whether or not he is in fact a spy.

Should his response at stage 3, the fetish question, read much higher than at the other stages, then the test would indicate that he is telling the truth.

Should his responses be very similar at all stages, during all questions, then they will assume he is either psychotic or a well grounded person who is telling the truth.

Should his response at stage 1, his name, and stage 2, the country he is currently in, be low; and the questions at stage 3, the fetish question, and stage 4, the spy questions, be high then they will think he is lying.

If the test yields different results than the ones mentioned above, then they will say it is inconclusive.

Should our Russian friend wish to manipulate the results, then he has a few options open to him. The safe option is to play for an inconclusive result, and not bank on staying calm at the, stage 4 , spy question. All he would have to do is think about the embarrasing question just before giving an answer to all questions. In order to ensure best results, he should consider the question just as the person goes to speak.

Another -- more risky -- approach would be for him to relax as much as possible during the questions he intended to lie about, but to make himself feel as worked up as possible about the embarrasing questions. In order to stay calm during the lying questions, it is best for him prepare answering them in his head well in advance, and thus make the answer come out without any consideration.

Should he have the opportunity to take a tranquilizer beforehand, then it is most likely that the result will indicate he is a psychotic or a well grounded person. A 400-milligram dose of meprobamate will not only work a treat, but will also go undetected in his blood stream.

Disclaimer: Some people appear to feel strongly that lie detector tests are not to be trusted
, while some would also argue I am not in a position to give advice about lie detector tests when I am nothing but a lousy wholesaler.

Research papers on Cassia Auriculata - PDF download

wholesale — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 10:29:00 GMT

Research papers on Cassia Auriculata - PDF download

Download Here

Singapore Med J 2002 Vol 43(12) : 617-621 O r i g i n a l A r t i c l e

Effect of Cassia Auriculata Flowers on

Blood Sugar Levels, Serum and Tissue

Lipids in Streptozotocin Diabetic Rats

Wholesale Acronyms

tradingasX — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 03:38:00 GMT

PO = Purchase Order = You can find out about purchase orders at wikipedia

BCl = Bank Credit Letter = You have money in the bank

CIF = Cost, Insurance, Freight = This is a phrase coined to speak collectively about these costs which are often considered collectively.

NCNDA = Non Circumvent and non disclosure = This is an agreement which is generally used by brokers to stop buyers and sellers cutting out the middle man.

BOL = Bill of Lading = This indicated that the shipping company has recorded your goods having arrived succesfully be ship.

POS = This is proof that a seller has the stock that they are selling

CC. = Credit Card = Does that really need explained? :-)

CIS - Customer Information Sheet = Exactly what is says on the tin.

COD - Cash On Delivery = you pay/get paid when everything arrives.

COGS = Cost of Goods Sold = The amount it directly costs you to sell goods. This includes the costs to actually buy the product, it includes inbound shipping and outbound shipping if you are paying either or both. It does not include things like wages as they are not direct costs.

DDP = Delivery Duty Paid = Seller pays for delivery costs and takes the risk associated with delivery.

F and B = Fly and Buy = This is where the buyer flys to the sellers place of business in order to inspect goods and that everything seems above board before buying.

FPA = Fee Protection Agreement = This is an obligation that relates to cost.

IFPA = International Fee Protection Agreement = This is an obligation that relates to cost.

FOB = Free on Board = The seller is willing to pay for deliver to A but buyer must get it to B.

FTZ = Foreign Trade Zone = This is basically where goods can sit in limbo for a certain period of time.

GATT = General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade = This is all about reducing barries to trade, and generally about making it easier for countries to trade feely.

LC = Letter of Credit = Works like escrow except done through banks, there is a great article on letters of credit here.

ICPO = Irrevocable Corporate Purchase Order = This is where a company makes a promise to ahead with a transaction. A wholesale merchant may require this so they can buy in goods that they intend to sell to you.

MOQ = Minimum Order Quantity = This dictates the least amount you should be ordering within a given amount of time (or just one transaction) in order to attain the unit price that you have been offered.

JIT = Just in time = This is basically a way of making sure that manufacturing and liquidity is handled effectively. It means that raw materials are brought into the production line until they are needed.

LOI = Letter of Intent = There is great information on letters of intent here

Can you think of any more? If so add them to the comments and we can try and buid a definitive list. It is hard to think of them all at once.

Differentiating Wholesale Merchants and Brokers

brightonboy — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 21:01:00 GMT

What is a Wholesale Broker?

With a wholesale broker they never actually own the wholesale merchandise that they trade with. They charge fees and commissions instead of marking up prices on goods that they buy. If you are not sure on what an agent is, then here are a few synonyms that are often used to represent them -

- Agent

- Broker

-Manufacturer Agent

-Import Agent/Broker

-Export Agent/Broker

-Commission Agent

Many companies are put off dealing with them because they have slightly different obligations than a merchant. Examples include that they are basically just affiliates of the companies they sell for, and they have no incentive to give you a cheap price other than because they want your business.

Companies also do not like dealing with merchants because they feel like money is being wasted. Often they will think that they can push the end supplier down by the % they are paying the merchant. Although this is a logical thought process, it is not what always happens.

What is a wholesale merchant?

Wholesale merchants buy and sell wholesale goods. The difference between a wholesale merchant and a wholesale broker is that they actually own the goods that they sell. They will most likely have a warehouse where they keep the goods that they intend to sell. They may even arrange shipping from a supplier directly to the retailer or buyer, but it is important to understand the distinction. They are buying the goods from them and selling to you, therefore you pay the merchant. Here are a few synonyms that are used that mean the same thing as a merchant -

Merchant

Distributor

Drop shippers (although we are aware this is slightly different they are still merchants rather than agents)

Import Merchant

Export Merchant

Buying Groups

Banner Wholesalers

Buy wholesale cellphones on a Budget

Stewart01 — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 04:34:00 GMT

If you are looking to buy wholesale cellphones on a budget then you are going to have a bit of difficulty in getting them at a unit price that is profitable. To give an indication, I would say that $10-$15K minimum is needed for initial inventory. However, not everyone has that kind of budget when they are first getting their feet wet in the cellphone trade. Furthermore, not everyone is sure that they can shift that kind of volume off the bat. Despite there being many things standing in your way, and far greater industries to enter, many people cannot resist starting off in a market that is large and being happy to settle for a small percentage of it. In my opinion this is the wrong approach, but who am I to stand in the way of your big ideas?

Establish a customer base. If you are considering selling cellphones through mail order, telephone or ecommerce then this will work out much easier to get started, because you will not have to commit to paying rental fees and other expenses that will eat into your profit margins. The main advantage of a smaller business starting out, is that they have much lower expenses than their competitors. Try and keep them that way.

As you establish your business use a white label dropshipper to get started. Whilst you are doing this, try to be as competitive as possible. The more competitive you are, the more customers will remember you and refer their friends.

Once you have a level of consistent sales, THEN it is time to consider buying wholesale when you are working with a small budget. However, before you make your move to quickly go and ask for prices, and get an idea of how much you will save versus your dropshipping arrangement. Before you switch over to a wholesaler ask your dropshipper if they are prepared to lower your price based on your performance thus far and the positive direction you are headed. Make it clear it is an ultimatum without saying it directly. They are pushing more volume than you, so may be prepared to drop their pricing for you to something that equals low margins rather than lose a customer.

If you decide to buy cellphones form a wholesaler then there is clever approaches you can take to maximise earnings and savings. This involves keeping a relationship with the dropshipper at first. What you need to do is instead of buying a few of each model of phone, splash out all your money on the model that you are getting the most volume from if it offers a decent saving compared to the dropshipper. Then continue to use a dropshipper for orders that you do not keep within your inventory. Then over time you can expand your inventory, alongwith your budget when the sales start rolling in :-)

wholesale plasma tvs - knowing your stuff

east2west — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 03:06:00 GMT

If you are wanting to sell any product, you cant just jump in there until you know the product inside out. It is the only way you can appear professional to your customers (businesses and consumers) and ensure that you can anticipate problems before your customers. Of course, not knowing your products will also cause problems when you go to buy them from a wholesaler of manufacturer because you are giving them a welcome invitation to tell you what they like.

In terms of what factors you should be considering, here are some of them -

HDTV support

Connectivity

Screen Size

Aesthetics

Connectivity

In terms of the big manufacturers and brands -

Sony

Samsung

Panasonic

Toshiba

Goodmans

If you want to know the differences between an LCD TV and a Plasma TV then there is a great article on the topic at flattvpeople.com.

Other Facts you must know before entering the wholesale Plasma TV industry are -

A Plasma TV that is less than 50 inches may as well not be one at all.

Scaling and Video Processing are important factors that come with an additional price attached.

The less expensive Plasma TV is suprisinly better than the more expensive ones for watching widescreen DVDs.

In general a larger size does not really mean that the quality is better. Although you may have increased revenue per unit, I think being honest with your customers can be the best way to conduct business.

The thing you must know about plasma tv aging. A Plasma TV is a bit like bread or milk in that they do not age like wine. The only difference is that it does not matter how long you have them for, it is how long you watch them for that is key to their aging. The gases contained within a Plasma TV have been changed so they certainly last longer than they used to, but a lot less than some might expect. They have around 6 years of playtime these days so to be realistic it should no be too much of a concern. However, it does mean they depreciate in value very quickly.

If you live at high altitudes a Plasma TV will create a buzzing noise caused by air pressure.

10 Steps to Avoid Wholesale Trade Scams

BargainHunter — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 18:27:00 GMT

This article is about helping others to learn from mistakes that others have made. I have been lucky enough never to have been scammed, however that is not to say it will never happen. I want to share 10 steps to avoid wholesale trade scams, that might not completely stop anything from happening, but they will certainly help. This article is more aimed at people who are starting out in the industry, but that does not mean that they cannot help everyone.

1. Know your market. Know the prices of good in your market. If you are new to any industry then you risk being scammed if you do not know your stuff. Also try to get to grips with margins and prices in your industry. The more you know, the better.

2. Dont show weakness. When approaching a wholesaler or a supplier, a great idea is to tell them what you have been quoted by others and give them an opportunity to beat it. Why not come in and ask them if they can provide x for cheaper than y? By being firm and showing you know what you are talking about, you will stand far less chance of being scammed. Also if someone is proving quotes that are too low, you should run a mile. Be sensible, and if you are getting products at a cheaper rate than what the big players pay then one of three things applies.

a.) The goods are stolen.

b.) The goods are fake.

c.) Ther arent any goods, and they are going to steal your money.

3. Ask for evidence of incorporation (ie there name ends in inc., ltd, llc etc) If they make out like they are an inc. company and they ask for payment to be made to a bank a/c that is different from this, then they are probably either trying to defraud you or the tax man. Dont deal with a supplier like that. For foreign companies you may want to consider contacting trade consulars within the National Embassy.You should also ask to see ban references. Anything they show you should not be taken as a given to be true. Common sense suggests you should go to great lengths to check it out.

4. Only pay via escrow. Yes, you heard me right.If the person is not based in your country, then the only way you should be completing payment is by escrow, or at least that is what you should tell them. That will seperate the scammers from the legitamate traders from the outset. Even when you go ahead with the transaction in my opinion ewcrow is the only option for international transactions, unless it is a very small amount of money.

5. Do research online for the company. If the are associated with another company then you should certainly be asking some questions. If they have no online presense at all, then I would be surprised, and certainly exect them to have a website at least.

6. Always do a trial order before a large deal and always ask for samples before you place your first smaller order. Even if you are excited about a deal, never rush into anything.

7. Go and visit your supplier if you can. With many this is not possible, and for others the cost of the trip would eat way to far into their margins. If you can, then it can often be worth the hassle.

8. If they seem annoyed that you are going to great lengths to check them out, then it is time that you stop right there. Any legit company will be happy to see that you are a verified sales lead based on the fact you are trying so hard to check them out.

9. If they are negotiating too easily then this should raise a flag, but should not be a reason not to deal with a company. Remember if the company is planning on stealing your money or selling you goods that are not in proper condition, then it is most likely that they will be happy to lose 10% in order to get 90% of your money. Proper companies do not think like that.

10. Trust your instinct.

The Lucrative Wholesale Baby Care Market

wholesaletycoon — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 12:19:00 GMT

The wholesale baby care market is constantly evolving with new innovations coming to the market place every day. New mothers and fathers are also coming online to shop, creating opportunities for wholesalers to thrive. Where before the baby care market was dominated by a small amount of retailers who would deal directly with manufacturers, this has now changed. The wholesale babycare market has now been re-born.

As a retailer that specialises in the baby care market we have also managed to make many in-roads through vertical integration. Where before we were selling only to businessses, we have now been able to expand online, selling B2C as well as B2B. Starting an online business can be compared to starting an offline business in many ways. The only difference is that in the offline world, you can buy a shop and people will come. In the online world that does not happen in a competitive market for products such as baby care supplies.

However, to buy or rent a shop is significantly more costly than it is to build an online presense. For somewhere in the region of $10K you can build a serious online presence, with natural search engine traffic and the ability for non-technical staff to change pricing through an admin function. This has allowed us to grow, without the limitations of having to set up a new website for each geographical area we choose to target. The power of the web is certainly still growing, and it creates opportunities for small businesses to truly compete with global brands.

We are at a time where the competitive landscape of the online world is still being shaped, and for me I have choosen to be part of the baby care market. You should choose a market and aim to dominate it through vertical integration into retailing directly to consumers. This allows you to diversify your business and have B2B and B2C customers. This is what I have done with wholesale baby care, why dont you do the same with your niche?

Wholesale Buying or Dropshipping for a Retailer?

tradingasX — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 08:37:00 GMT

This is my first post, so here goes!

As an online retailer I am always looking for ways to get the best deal and grow my business. When it comes to buying wholesale or having a deal with a dropshipper, this is something that could make or break your business, so it is best to think about it carefully before you make a decision. In this post, I am going to give the advantages and disadvantages of either option.

Advantages of Wholesale...

With wholesale you are likely to get much better pricing than you ever will with dropshipping. This cost saving can make or break your business in a competitive industry.

You can negotiate better pricing because there is more players in the market. For example, it is far more likely that you will be able to find a wholesale supplier or manufacturer than it is you will be able to find a dropshipper who is willing to enter into a dropshipping agreement for the kind of products that you want to sell.

Advantages of Dropshipping....

With dropshipping there is no need for warehouse costs and as a result you can save big in this area. With wholesale it is possible to pay a fulfilment house, however this can be very expensive.

An ability to choose different product lines and not being restricted to what you have in stock. With dropshipping you can choose to have many products for sale, some of which you may not sell that much of, but it will not cost you in excess inventory, as it will a company that buys wholesale.

Grow your business slowly and work your way up through having less commitment to buy big in the first place. Most dropshippers will not force you into any minimum buying commitment at all.

Improve your businesses cash flow through not having to commit to large orders. You are also decreasing risk because you will no longer have to worry as much about being ripped off. If you are ripped off, then it is for a much smaller amount which means you do not have to worry as much at all.

Late Payments for my Wholesale Jewelry Business

agirl — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 14:52:00 GMT

I own a jewelry wholesale business where I import jewelry and then sell it in the domestic market. As much as I love my business one thing that I dont love too much is the late payment culture that exists among my customers. I recently read statistics that suggest that most businesses pay other businesses 60 days later than they are meant to. This is having a terrible impact on my business, because I am not being able to buy in bulk to save money, and therefore I am in a position where by my margins are being pushed as my company acts as a loan service to other companies.

This was not something that I ever expected to be as bad when I first got involved. My intentions were that credit terms would be okay, when dealing with reputable stores and retailers. This has not turned out as I expected. Selling jewelry items and in particular certain product lines, such as wholesale diamonds, can be involve large sums of money so when someone fails to make a repayment within a certain period I am having to borrow even more money from the bank to keep my business trading. I know it is profitable, but my cash flow situation is is certainly a lot less than perfect.

I have heard of compaies that offer rewards for faster payments and things like that. I would appreciate any feedback from anyone about how they deal with issues like this? I want to maintain a good relationship with my customers, but I also want to have more money to help my business to grow.

Fish and Seafood Quotas

webash — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 10:14:00 GMT

How has fish and sefood quotas effected wholesalers, fisherman and consumers? This post explains how we have been effected and provides recommendations for how we should act to overcome these issues. An agreement on fishing quotas has been reached by European Union in face of strong suggestions that there is an ever declining decrease in the population of fish stocks. There belief and intention was to provide a resolution that will keep the fishing industry alive in the short term, in order to prolong the industry in the long term. But why has this caused so much controversy for the people who have been effected by it?After all they have allowed 50% more haddock and 30% more prawns to be caught, which gives an indication that they do have good intentions and will allow quotas to rise as and when they can.

Both wholesale fish purchasers, fisherman industry bodies and environmental groups have all criticised the deal even though many would perceive it as trying to strike a balance. France, Denmark, Spain and the UK were all against the deal and wanted more put in place to protect their fishing industries. Some claim that the heavy reliance of their economies on fishing was the reason that they were the ones that choose to step forward. Other say that they were ignoring scientific evidence to protect wholesalers, retailers and fisherman that rely on the industry. Germany and Sweden for example were firmly in support of the deal feeling it would help everyone in the long term.

One positive thing for fisherman was certainly that those who can demonstrate they catch less cod can worry less and will be allowed more days of fishing over the course of a year. The impact of this for many has been that they try to avoid the rules as best as they can. This has meant that the rules are becoming increasingly difficult to enforce. Many environmentalists feel that the rules do not go far enough as they do not fully follow what the EU commissioned report was suggesting. They say that instead of proving a long term solution, the EU has only acted in a way that will protect fishing stocks longer, but not into the future. In making these points they draw on evidence such as there being 10% less cod in the North Sea than there was in the 1970s.

As this becomes an ever increasingly difficult topic, surely the only option is for our industry to bear the brunt and keep quotas in place until stocks rise. And once they rise, we can have permanent limitations in place to keep them at equal levels as they were years ago. This is what our industry needs, and backed with EU subsidies this can be achieved.

Wholesale Food: The Influence of Supermarkets

webash — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 09:28:00 GMT

As supermarkets continue to gain market share their impact on the marketplace is profound and effects everyone. From farmers and manufacturers of food, all the way through to the end consumer, they are shaping the market place and controlling it as well. As they become ever more prolific in their buying habits, the power they have over their suppliers becomes even more intense. Although having a contract with a retailer of the stature of some supermarkets is certainly appealing in terms of volume, something that is somewhat less appealing is their ability to push margins and dictate pricing.

The consolidation of consumer food companies effects farmers that now see the supermarkets as one of the only ways to towards volume transactions. When in the past wholesalers could offer substantially greater volume, this is no longer the case as their prevalence is giving them power, and the influx in supply allows them to have more options and more power as a result.

Since their inception supermarkets have existed with the aim of providing food of all kinds to suit the tastes and budgets of everyone. With supermarket branded products and so-called luxury brands are under one roof; whether people are looking for fish, meat or packages meals they can find them for a price that is cheaper than what even some wholesalers charge in certain instances. So how do small retailers and wholesalers compete as markets become consolidated, when they cannot compete on ease, accessibility or price?

They key for many has been geography. Small shops have been strategically locating in areas where they can offer foods in a more convenient setting and therefore a person is not set with a choice as to whether to go to them or a supermarket. They simply go to them for daily messages, and use supermarkets for larger orders on a less frequent basis. But, surely that is leaving supermarkets with lucrative consumer transactions and allowing local shops to pick up the loose ends?

This is certainly the thoughts of many. Niche retailers like butchers have been placed in a position where by they have also need to compete in a similar way with supermarkets. It is now common place for there to be a butchers inside a supermarket, and therefore only locality or quality can be how they differentiate.

As many blame consumers for their buying habits, it is surely not their fault as they persue cost effective pricing and efficiency. This is why the market must respond, rather than the consumers. In my opinion, consolidation is the only answer.

Wholesale Herbs

wholesale — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 08:13:00 GMT

Herbs- Natural herbs are the hot commodity in the market. From a cure for an ordinary fever or to the need of a Viagra, people crave for natural herbs which are proven to have non side effects. India, especially south India is abundant with medicinal and aromatic herbs. Around 230 species of rare herbs are found in the souther district of Tamilnadu, - The kanyakumari district.

These herbs are nurtured and grown for centuries by the Kanni's or the malai vasis of kanyakumari district. There are a few sadhus still living in marunthuval malai and they are believed to live on the herbs alone. The sadhu's live eat sleep and meditate in the caves there. Some of them are seen smoking cannabis or kanja as it is called.

The Marunthuvazh Malai also known as the Maruthuva Malai, (Marunthu vazum Malai– the abode of medicinal herbs) is according to tradition,a fragment of the Sanjeevi Mountain, whuch is believed to be flown by lord Hanuman with the life saving sanjeevini Herb.

The sanjeevini mountain was beleived to be taken to lanka by lord Hanuman to save Lakshmana who was wounded (killed?) by Indrajit , the son of Ravana. It stretches for about 2 Km's and the height is approximately 830 meters. Here you will find the abundance of herbs which you can find no where else in the world. The speciality is Avaram Poo which cures diabetes 1 and 2. Avaram poo found in this area is of a great demand. Due to restrictions from forest dept it is not possible to get into the mountain so easily. Avaram Poo which grows at maruthuva malai is a very rare commodity which decreases the blood sugar levels and increase growth in tissues for diabetic patients.

Cassia auriculata is the botanical name for avaram poo and it is proven to control and reduce blood sugar levels. It rejuvenates the body and reduce blood sugar levels drastically. Avarampoo can be cool dried, powdered and used as a tea which helps to rejuvenate and cure diabetes.

We can supply this diabetic herb in bulk (3 kg - 10 kg) every month. Although avaram poo is found in the southern districts, the avarampoo found at maruthuva malai is the best and known to have cured a number of diabetic patients.