How do I find a supplier/ wholesaler

bobsa1

Hi I'm looking for some advice. I want to set up as a sole trader mostly selling on eBay, selling ex high upmarket high street clothing eg. White stuff, Boden etc.
I've never bought clothing from warehouses and don't know how to find which ones stock these types of items. I've thought of asking the companies themselves what they do with overstock but don't know if that is the way to go about it. Any advice appreciated.

sjbrun

Most businesses won't give away their suppliers as it means more competition for themselves.

With most clothing returns that get sold on they often cut the labels off so it doesnt show the brand on the label to devalue it so it cant be sold on at a good price.

Argos sell it by the pallet but you have to shift through what works and what doesn't.

Mistral001

I do not know much about selling clothes on ebay, but I know a there is a steady trade in them on ebay. However, with selling anything on ebay you need to do a search of the site to see what sells well before specialising in a niche. So if you have not done this I would suggest you do this.
Also the descriptions rules on ebay could make ebay not the best place to sell these goods. Have you thought of a market stall or even car boot sales? There the buyer could see the quality close up and would not be relying on a written description.

motorguy

bobsa1 wrote: »

Hi I'm looking for some advice. I want to set up as a sole trader mostly selling on eBay, selling ex high upmarket high street clothing eg. White stuff, Boden etc.
I've never bought clothing from warehouses and don't know how to find which ones stock these types of items. I've thought of asking the companies themselves what they do with overstock but don't know if that is the way to go about it. Any advice appreciated.

And theres the trick - finding a supplier who will (a) sell you items in the first place and (b) sell you items that there is enough margin in to be worth your while after the considerable hassle of selling them on ebay.

Also will upmarket high street stores want you flogging their merchandise on ebay?

Personally - i dont think you have a viable business idea here yet, its just "i want to buy upmarket high street store merchandise cheap and sell it on ebay for a profit" - thats only viable if you can get a supplier, and get the items at the right price.

Theres a bloke over on the pistonheads forum with a similar idea - he fancies setting himself up as a reseller of Apple ipads and computers and wants to know where to get a supplier.

Thats not happening either.

bobsa1

Hi all thanks for your responses. I have checked out eBay and there is actually a very good market in this type of selling and obviously the clothes must be available from somewhere for them to be on eBay.
They appear to be sold as ex Boden etc and don't seem to be breaking eBay rules.
The idea of the market stall is a good one I just need to find a supplier. I'm not looking to have this as my only source of income in the short term.
Any further advice appreciated

Mistral001

As Motorguy has said it is not a case of having an idea for a retail business and then trying to find a supplier by just asking people. Retailers regard their suppliers as their lifeblood and will not disclose who they are to strangers. In fact, instead of trying to find a supplier for a particular type item such as clothes often it is the other way about, where you find a supply of goods and then build up a business around it. It might be by just accident for instance by visiting an auction where you find that on a particular day that the person or people usually bidding on such and such an item is not there that day etc. it might be even finding something while on holiday etc.

Stevie_Palimo

I would suggest looking into smaller independent clothes stores and asking about end of stock deals and so on as they would probably be more than happy to shift older stock to you cheaper than the major players.

motorguy

bobsa1 wrote: »

Hi all thanks for your responses. I have checked out eBay and there is actually a very good market in this type of selling and obviously the clothes must be available from somewhere for them to be on eBay.
They appear to be sold as ex Boden etc and don't seem to be breaking eBay rules.
The idea of the market stall is a good one I just need to find a supplier. I'm not looking to have this as my only source of income in the short term.
Any further advice appreciated

What would be your USP if competing with established ebayers in the same market?

If you buy £5,000 of stock and aim to sell it by being 10p cheaper than the competition, what happens when the competition drop their prices to below yours - and they will do to squeeze you out, plus they probably have more buying power than you therefore are buying cheaper.

If its going to be by supplying different lines, then why arent your competitors doing those lines?

To me, you need to be looking for a gap in the market - all you've done so far is come up with a market thats already crowded and with established players.

Sorry if i'm sounding harsh - but trading on ebay is harsh and customers are harsh. At least on here its not costing you anything

soolin

Running an ebay business is actually surprisingly easy. The only difficult bit is ifinding a reliable and legit supplier - and that's where any prospective seller needs to do some leg work.

SDH

Ive bought a few bits from here
https://www.wholesaleclearance.co.uk/

motorguy

soolin wrote: »

Running an ebay business is actually surprisingly easy. The only difficult bit is ifinding a reliable and legit supplier - and that's where any prospective seller needs to do some leg work.

... i would have thought the tricky bit was making money at it!