The most important factor that will

determine the success that you have when

it comes to selling wholesale goods is

whether people want them or not.




If people love the wholesale goods

that you have you will be

90% on your way to making some

good sales. You will also have to

consider the price that you

are paying for your merchandise,

since the price you will be retailing it

for is also very important.




For now I would like to focus on

how to determine if you are picking

wholesale goods that people will

want to buy.




Tip #1




Visit the actual neighborhoods

where your prospective customers

live and work. You want to 

personally see what are the

types of products that they

use, whether it's the dresses

that they wear, the electronics

that they use, or the recreational

activities that they participate in.




This is probably the most efficient

way to determine what type of

wholesale products are preferred

by the people that you will be selling to.




One important thing to keep in mind is

that you might be introducing a new product

that is not currently available to your

prospective customer base.




In that case, your prospective customers

will not have access to your product, so visiting the

neighborhoods where they live and

work won't help in this situation.




The same would apply if your wholesale product is

currently only available at a higher price than you

will be selling it for. For example, your customers

might love to be able to buy Calvin Klein dresses

but they cannot afford them. In that case

you won't see anyone wearing any Calvin Klein

dresses. But if you can retail the Calvin Klein

dresses at a price that they might be able

to afford then you should be able to sell them.




Tip #2




Interview prospective and current customers.

I know that most people associate interviews

with job interviews, but they are just

as important in the wholesale and retail

business. 




If you have visited my warehouse

or have called me, 

you know that I like to ask

my customers questions so that

I can determine the type of 

wholesale merchandise that they

need. 




By interviewing people you

will get factual information

that can help you order the

best possible wholesale goods

for your store, warehouse, or website.




Tip#3




Visit the online forums where your

customers are found. You

can find these forums by searching

on Google using the keywords

that describe your prospects

and the category that you are

considering purchasing wholesale

products in. For example I can

do a search for "Zambian bankers clothing forum".




Hopefully the search results will include forums

where Zambian bankers are discussing clothing.

This information can help me determine what

kind of clothing my Zambian customers that work

in banks are looking for.




Tip#4




Visit the Facebook profiles of

people that you are doing business with.

You should be able to tell from their

pictures what kind of products

they like. You can also send them

a friend request and ask them 

to tell you what kind of wholesale

items they are in the market for.

This tip can be used whether

you sell wholesale or retail.




Tip#5




Visit trade shows that cater to your

industry. You can then see the

wholesale fashions that are being

introduced into the marketplace.

The assumption is that the vendors

have done their research and are

offering fashion, or other products,

that are of interest to people in the

marketplace. You still need to do your

own research to ascertain the demand

for those items.




I personally would put more trust in

established vendors such as international

brands like Tahari, Ralph Lauren,

and Anne Klein. Established international brands

have employees that are in charge of

researching and evaluating the marketplace.

The brands will then introduce products

based on their recommendations.

A fashion brand like Nine West is spending

a great deal of money evaluating and

responding to the fashion tastes of the

marketplace.




Keep in mind that even the biggest

fashion companies can make mistakes,

and even then smallest upstarts can

have a great grasp of the marketplace.




One of the reasons why there are 

shelf pulls is because manufacturers

and retailers have miscalculated the

demand for their products. So

even the most experienced clothing

company can make mistakes.




And a small fashion start up might

be really well connected to fashion trendsetters

so its clothing will be based on the demand

in the marketplace.




From time to time a fashion executive

will leave a large company to start his

own fashion business, so while the

vendor might be new, it's actually being

headed by a very experienced fashion insider.




Tip#6




Test out the marketplace before

purchasing a large quantity of

wholesale goods. At the end of the

day you will only know for certain

if people want your products when

you try to sell them. If you

are unsure about the demand for

a certain style of brand then 

buy a small quantity from your

wholesale supplier and try it out.




I would only recommend that 

if you see a really good closeout

deal that you won't likely see again,

that you should consider taking a chance on

it if you feel that your customers will

love it.




I know that while

running my closeout warehouse

in Brooklyn I have had customers

purchase a small quantity of merchandise

and then return later on to purchase more.

But often I will have sold out the closeout merchandise

that they wanted and they will have missed out.

In those situations it would have clearly

been better for them to have purchased

a larger quantity, or maybe even the entire

closeout lot.




It all comes down to knowing your

customers. The more informed

you are about the preferences

of your customers the easier it

will be for you to take chances

on purchasing wholesale closeout 

deals.




Tip#7




Look at the magazines and websites

that your customers look at. You can

then see articles and advertisements

covering the types of products

that they like. For example,

if you are catering to young male

professionals you might pick up a

copy of GQ

and see which products are being

featured in the magazine.




Tip#8




Visit the boutiques, department stores,

and websites, that are already

selling to your customers. You

should be able to quickly determine

which type of products

your customers are buying.




Please keep in mind that there

are various reasons why you might

not see the type of wholesale products

that you are considering purchasing.

Perhaps the retailers do not have access

to the same wholesale sources or

wholesale pricing that you do.




In other words, they might not

be selling certain wholesale items

simply because they do not

know where to buy them, or

cannot buy them at a low enough price.




If you do have access to merchandise

at a lower wholesale price than other sellers

do, you will instantly have a great competitive

edge over your customers.




That's essentially

why so many retailers from

all over the world shop by me,

because I give them access to

designer and brand name clothing

at below wholesale prices.