Protecting Yourself from Illegitimate Wholesale Suppliers

While many fantastic wholesale sources can be found online, there are also a huge number of sites developed specifically to scam sellers looking for a good deal.
So how do you tell whether you are dealing with a real wholesale supplier?

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First of all:

A supplier may be selling fakes of big name brands but this doesn't necessarily mean he is out to scam you. There are many suppliers in China and other countries selling fakes, but as long as you realize what you are buying, that is not a problem in itself.
The supplier may say they can only accept Western union and wire transfers as payment. These are insecure payment methods, but for Chinese suppliers, these are often the only two options available as credit cards (and therefore Paypal) are almost impossible to get. You should always take the precaution of ordering only a small amount when dealing with a supplier who only takes Western Union and wire transfer for the first time, but many legitimate manufacturers and wholesalers use these methods out of necessity rather than because they are illegitimate.

The Warning Signs

Warning bells should start ringing if you come across any of the following:

Fake address - either it doesn't exist or it exists in a poor or residential area.
No contact details listed on the website.
When you call, the telephone is answered by an individual who does not identify himself on picking up the phone.
You are not asked for a business or tax number.
The company suddenly stop replying to your emails.
Parts of the text or images on their site are copies from other websites.
When you place an order, the company claims they do not have any stock, but want to receive the money before ordering any in.
Your contact becomes shifty when you ask for a product sample

Steps to Protecting Yourself

To find out whether you are dealing with a scammer, try these tips:

Copy and paste some text into Google. If it is copied from another site, you'll soon discover it in the search results.
Check that the website gives a full business name and a registration number.
Ring them to verify the phone number given is good, but don't accept a mobile phone number as enough, all companies should have a land line number.
As for a photograph of the stock with the company logo in the background. Go to www.coolwhois.com and search for the name of the website. A legitimate company will have been operating for over a year (at least!) and their expiration date will be for several years time. Most legitimate companies reserve their domain names for 3-5 years or more at a time.
Use secure payment methods such as Escrow, Cod and Paypal Verified whenever possible.
Ask other sellers what their experiences have been with the company on forums.

How do I Find Something to Sell?

Many people wanting to start an eBay business spend a lot of time fretting over what they will sell. Perhaps these questions are familiar: Where do I find ideas? Should I sell the most popular items? How do I know a good idea? These are important questions everyone faces.
eBay already contains so many items for sale that some sellers feel overwhelmed from the start wondering how they can possibly find a product idea when the market appears to be full anyway.
So where should you start then?

1. Your hobbies

This can be a great way of establishing a niche. Perhaps you love embroidery or making model airplanes? Chances are a lot of other people share this passion and are looking for related supplies. Crafts and hobbies is big market - however, before you jump in headfirst, make sure you do some research to back up the feasibility of your idea. eBay is a numbers game and no matter how great your idea is, it won't work if not enough people are interested. So be sure to use the completed listings search and test the market with some of your own supplies first.

2. Listen to what your friends and family are talking about

Sometimes the best ideas can arise from your friends and family. One seller says she overheard some women at the table next to her talking about the trouble they were having finding a particular brand of baby slings. This got her thinking, and, after a bit of research, she realized they were a foreign brand and hard to find in the USA. A wee bit of research later and she had found a supplier and was successfully selling online. So keep your eyes and ears open! If people you know are looking for a particular item, chances are others will too.

3. Research newspapers and magazines

Newspapers and magazines can provide a ton of information on trends and styles. Just browsing the headlines can often be enough to spark a new idea. Try sitting down with a pen and notebook and skimming the pages of popular magazines and daily newspapers. You should have a list of at least 10 ideas by the end.

4. eBay Seller Central

eBay itself has a fantastic resource in the Seller Central area 'What's Hot'. Every month, a list of super hot, very hot and hot items are published. This is a great way to find ideas but remember that everyone on eBay also has access to this information! The merchandising calendar is also a useful resource.
All successful sellers sell several products, rather than putting all of their eggs into one basket. Not only can trends change with the wind, but some products are only popular during a particular season. For example, dehumidifiers are more popular during winter than summer, while lawnmowers are super hot in spring and have a practically non-existent market in the winter.

5. Find out what your buyers are buying

A good way of expanding your product range is by 'spying' on your buyers. After making a sale, check your buyer's feedback and find out what other items they have been purchasing recently. This will help you get to know what your target market are interested in and expand your range accordingly.
Finding something to sell can seem daunting at first, but I guarantee that once you think of one idea, plenty of others will quickly follow!

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About the Author:
SaleHoo is one of the fastest growing product sourcing portals on the internet. It contains a database of drop ship, wholesale, closeout and manufacturing suppliers offering thousands of product suppliers to consumers! Located at http://www.salehoo.com/?aff=parice123&type=tour, visitors are allowed to sign up for unlimited and lifetime access to the completely searchable database of products and suppliers. The database is regularly updated, ensuring that the latest retail products are always available for purchase and SaleHoo carries the BBB Reliability Seal!