E-commerce is a gigantic industry and has only gotten bigger in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Economic devastation, not helped by the lockdowns, stay-at-home orders, and almost all physical retail outlets being forced to close, drove more people to e-commerce than ever before. That is, both buying and selling. The United States is second only to China when it comes to e-commerce sales. The U.S. market has been forecast to reach over $843 billion by the end of 2021, and in all of North America, e-commerce sales have grown by 31% since 2020. In addition, the e-commerce market makes up around 19.5% of total retail sales worldwide. With the market having never looked healthier, more people than ever before are setting up their own online businesses.
The Importance of Choosing the Right Wholesaler
Choosing a product to sell can be difficult, with seemingly endless options. The aim is to find something to sell that is not already so popular to the extent that the market is over diluted, but which could prove to be popular enough to have selling potential in the online marketplace. Once a product has been chosen, you must decide on a place from which you will source your product. There are things to bear in mind when considering where you will source your wholesale products:
Quality – The quality of the product is of the utmost importance. This includes how accurately the product is described as well as the consistency of quality from product to product in each bulk order. Listening to feedback from early customers can help you make conclusions on the quality of the product you are receiving.
Price – Once again, this is a crucial part of your business. After all, it is a business and set up to make as much money as possible (among other things). You, as the business owner, must make a decent enough margin on your products for your business to be viable. Price can, and usually does, go hand in hand with quality; finding the sweet spot between affordability and quality can make or break your e-commerce venture.
Service – The best wholesalers and manufacturers will make you feel like a valued client and partner. Are they communicative and friendly when called upon? Even the biggest manufacturers should be responsive as soon as possible as it can only be a positive for a wholesale business. The quicker any issues are solved with your e-commerce business, the better it reflects on the wholesaler. It is, in fact, mutually beneficial as more sales from your site will increase orders from the wholesaler.
Biggest and Best U.S. Wholesalers
Given the boom in e-commerce, there was a subsequent boom in wholesalers. These are some of the biggest and best on offer to U.S. small business owners:
Alibaba – Alibaba launched in 1999 and is available to people in over two hundred countries. It sells an enormous range of products, including electronics, jewelry, pet supplies, and homewares.
Costco – The name is recognized up and down the U.S., and they sell more than groceries – pet supplies, books, sportswear, and outdoor gear, among many others.
Bwanaz – Bwanaz launched in 2017 but have a huge following and some notable partners, including the giants that are Microsoft and Walmart. They provide beauty supplies, clothing, bag, and furniture.
Olympic Eyewear – Wholesale sunglasses are on offer from by Salt Lake City-based Olympic Eyewear. From aviator sunglasses to wayfarer sunglasses, they offer assorted dozens of different kinds of eyewear at prices that allow business owners a big enough margin to make a decent profit.