Borders, the Michigan-based bookseller announced it will liquidate all its assets and close 399 stores since the offer from Najafi Cos. fell apart and there were no further offers. This is a great opportunity for consumers to discover which liquidation centers and closeouts dealers will pick up Borders’ inventory.

The company opened its first store in 1971 and helped pioneer the book superstore concept along with competitor Barnes & Noble. The book chain’s downfall was accelerated due to fierce competition by discounters and online booksellers, as well as the popularity of electronic books and e-readers like Kindle. At its peak in 2003, Borders had 1,249 stores including Waldenbooks.

A lot of Borders goods will be available through liquidation centers and closeouts dealers throughout Q3 and Q4 of this year for early Christmas shopping. Smart consumers will be on the lookout for these bargains in books, music and related goods.

Wholesale buyers can stock up for resale in flea markets, bargain bins and dollar stores. Visit the new TopTenWholesale.com for quick and easy sourcing as well as many new features.

You can also visit Manufacturer.com, WholesaleU and OffPriceNetwork for closeouts goods. Don’t forget, it’s time to shop for Christmas in July.

Listen up, all you wholesale buyers and suppliers in cyberspace. What I’m about to tell you is nothing short of awesome. I’m talking about the newly re-launched TopTenWholesale.com website that went live less than 24 hours ago. This new B2B wholesale trade platform extraordinaire now offers Supplier Pass® in addition to many new professional services and sourcing tools.

TopTenWholesale’s new features were designed to make global online trade more transparent and convenient than ever before. And it’s there for you to try out. Supplier Pass® Premium Membership gives suppliers verification and credibility never offered before in the USA. Other new features include free listings, product feeds, website templates, video channels and a custom messaging center.

I encourage you to sign in or sign up and complete your company profile. Then, take a look at our new account center by going to My Account. You’ll see the new back end which is very cool and a major improvement over what we had before.

Then take a look at the Search Results Pages; do a few product searches and you’ll notice the difference between Free members, Premium and Supplier Pass® member icons within the listings. Pretty cool, right?

Take a look at the new Website Template for each company. This allows buyers to contact suppliers on the spot and they will know when the supplier is online to provide an immediate response.

All these new features offer time savings and convenience. Best of all, they make TopTenWholesale more transparent and easier to use than ever before. Buyers can see Product Alerts at the bottom of SRPs where they can customize Email Alerts for the new products they choose.

Message Center will keep a record of your communications with Suppliers. You can add suppliers or products to “My Favorites” and manage your favorites in the account center. You can also connect with suppliers via social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, which  are now accessible on their website templates.  Buyers will notice TopTenWholesale covers over 100 new major industries including agriculture, food, hardware and automotive to name a few.

The door to TopTenWholesale is now open, and we invoite you to join our community. Suppliers can join free. It’s no longer necessary to have a website or to be a paid member. Buyers will feel confident choosing you as a supplier if you have SupplierPass®, which means your company has been verified by a 3rd party bank and other institutions. That kind of transparency gives you buyer trust, and the verified supplier option is available in the USA for the first time.

Another first is Batch Upload where you can upload product feeds. If you sign in and go to My Account, you will immediately see what’s available at a glance. Look at the Quick Menu on the left, where you can click on the following links to take action: Premium Membership, Featured Listings, PPC Campaigns, Banners, Add Products, Batch Upload Products and Upload Videos. Clicking on one of these options will either give you the opportunity to take action, or to view information on the status of your campaigns, product uploads, etc. It’s very cool with everything you need at your fingertips.

With these new TopTenWholesale features, buyers can interact directly with potential suppliers, and suppliers can interact with buyers in real time, or not – it’s their choice. Buyers can sort products, add products and suppliers to their List of Favorites and save searches on their own Admin Page. These features will save a lot of time and they provide more convenience for buyers and suppliers alike. Try it, and let us know how you like it!

HANGZHOU, CHINA – Chinese police arrested 36 people involved with fraudulent scams on Alibaba.com, which had prompted the resignation of two top Alibaba executives in February. The suspects were accused of running a criminal gang that used fake personal and business identities to open accounts on Alibaba.com, China’s largest B2B ecommerce trade platform. 

The alleged criminal gang cheated overseas buyers out of more than $6 million dollars. So far, Alibaba.com has refunded $1.94 million to victims of the scam. Alibaba reported 1,219 fraud cases in 2009 and 1,107 in 2010, with an average value of less than $1,200 per case.

TopTenWholesale was first to report rumors of the resignation of Chief Executive Officer David Wei and Chief Operating Officer “Elvis” Lee in response to initial allegations of Alibaba fraud in February, and those rumors were quickly confirmed as Wei and Lee subsequently resigned. TopTenWholesale reported more news on the shakeup as the regrettable details unfolded.

The fraud investigation on Alibaba.com involved Alibaba “Gold Suppliers” cheating global buyers around the world out of over $6 million dollars by taking orders, receiving payment and not delivering the goods. “Gold Suppliers” pay to become verified suppliers upon being investigated and approved as authentic companies that can be trusted. Vetting is done by a third-party service. That gives the vetted suppliers “buyer trust,” so overseas buyers can buy with confidence from “Gold Suppliers.” However, Alibaba Group’s founder Jack Ma wrote in an internal memo in February that about 100 Alibaba.com employees were involved in helping the suspects set up accounts in order to meet their sales numbers, and some of these unfortunately were “Gold Suppliers.”

“As Internet scammers become more sophisticated in using Internet technology to commit fraud while covering their tracks, it becomes more important for wholesale search engines to monitor suppliers, as global trade takes due diligence for both sides,” said JP Communications INC CEO Jason Prescott. “Suppliers who pay for these services appeal to buyers because they assume they can source with confidence from them,” he added.

JP Communication INC’s China-based wholesale search engine, Manufacturer.com has been offering a premium membership called Supplier Pass™ since 2009 without incident. During 2009 and 2010 over 2,300 cases of fraud were reported on Alibaba.com. “Alibaba helped to fuel a new generation of web-based sourcing, and Mr. Ma is a great leader who will inevitably take steps to correct the problem,” said Prescott.

JPC is revamping its flagship site, TopTenWholesale.com, to offer Supplier Pass™ services with premium membership starting soon. Supplier Pass™ vetting for JPC is conducted by 1^st PMF Bancorp, a financial institution operating in the U.S. and in China since 1985.

While some buyers may find themselves doubting the authenticity and ethical conduct of global trade platforms, especially those based in China, buyers should know they can conduct due diligence by double checking on their own through the Better Business Bureau and Standard and Poor’s reports (for large orders). Additionally, a Google search can sometimes reveal Internet scams as people are using social networks and are producing a lot of useful content indexed by search engines and available with a search query.

When browsing the websites and catalogs of closeout and liquidation companies, you will encounter different types of product packaging and purchasing options, the most common of which are: Master Case Lots and Assorted Lots. In theory, any liquidation or closeout product that is sold to you in good condition and at the right price can be profitable for your resale business, but in practice, there is usually one type that is likely to do better for your resale channel than the other. Confused about which you should be looking at and what benefits and drawbacks there may be to each? Read on!

Master Case items are products that are in new condition, and resold inside their original factory packaging. This usually means large brown boxes that detail the items’ country of origin, particular production code numbers and the piece count per box. Inside each larger master carton, you would either find the loose products ready to be resold, or smaller inner packaging that contains sub-master cartons containing the actual products.

Irrespective of the exact outer packaging of the products, the majority of Master Case items will have the following characteristics:

- They will be in all new condition just as they were when they left the factory
- The items inside the boxes will all be identical (or sometimes with color variations)
- They are typically available in larger quantities (in the thousands)
- They may include a small percentage of manufacturer defects also known as “irregulars,” as with any manufactured/produced product line.

Assorted wholesale lots are products that may be in new or returned/used condition, resold outside of the original factory packaging. Individual items may still be in their poly-bags, small protective boxes or original retail packaging, but the items will be sold all mixed inside a larger box or pallet. Assorted lots may or may not be sold with an exact piece count, and are likely to include a wide mix of items within a given product category. Generally, assorted lots are not manifested and buyers need to be willing to accept a mix of items without knowing the exact contents of each lot.

How do these characteristics define which would be most appropriate for your resale channel? While this is not an exact science, the following have proven to be true in our experience over time.

Online retailers like eBay vendors may find that Master Case items are easier to work with as only one product listing needs to be created. The item would need to be photographed and a description written once and sellers would continue moving the entire quantity based on one single product listing. This requires a lot less work than dealing with assorted lots, which can be more labor intensive in photographing, describing and listing each item individually.

Retail stores, depending on the storage space available and the product categories the store carries, can benefit from both kinds of items. Master case items can give you the ability to have a consistent supply of the same product on hand for a while until it runs out, but can be slower to move. Assorted lots can present a merchandising challenge in displaying a lot of different products simultaneously, but the variety of products available and the consistently changing inventory can be attractive to customers, and can entice them to come back to your store to see what’s new on a regular basis.

Flea market vendors typically do better with assorted lots. Having a wide variety of items and being able to sell them all at a flat price or a “lot” price (such as 3 for $5), can move the largest quantity of product in the shortest amount of time. Just place the items on a rack, in a dump bin or on a table, and let customers take their pick of what is available.

Master Case items in a flea market setting greatly diminish the variety of products you are able to offer and limit your sales to those customers who are interested in the specific items you have at that time.

Since flea market vendors usually work with a little less storage space than retail store owners, minimum order quantities are often something to consider. Assorted lots that are typically available in smaller quantities than Master Case items can also be a better choice.

Wholesalers may have an easier time moving Master Case items as they are easy to describe, have an exact piece count, and wholesale buyers are usually more familiar with Master Case goods – their condition and their ability to sell them. That said, assorted lots can also be profitable for wholesalers if they are in the business of selling to retail stores or flea market vendors, or to buyers who are after a wider variety of items with a smaller investment. Brokers of wholesale goods can also do well with both types, depending on the wholesale buyers they are targeting.

All things considered, there is no significantly “better” item for one resale channel or the other. However, it is important to note the differences between the types of merchandise available on the liquidation market in order to best determine what merchandise to invest in. Experimenting with a small mixed lot can present a smaller risk than purchasing a full pallet of several thousand units of one item, on the off chance that it is not right for your business. Then again, you could always resell that whole lot to another retailer or wholesaler, and take it as a learning experience!

Alborz Steel Industries is a company that specializes in the manufacture of stainless steel kitchen sinks, from their primary location in the middle east.

Their full range of products are produced with the highest level of dedication to your complete satisfaction, and come from the beautiful and historical city Shiraz, while the head office is located in Tehran.

Established since 1992, they started out with an annual capacity of only 36,000 sinks, but with continued growth and success the company has reached impressive levels of production that result in over one million sinks per year in more than 100 different models, with 350 employees proudly producing these goods.

When you visit their site, you can easily find information in the following categories:

• Brochures
• How to buy a kitchen Sink
• Kitchen Standards
• News
• Sitemap
• Links

This is a highly respected sink manufacturer that has been eyeing their prospects in growth industries carefully for the last few years, and while their initiative to expand into booming new African territories and burgeoning consumer markets will be the main focus of their drive, they continue to serve all customers with the same level of quality and assurance that they have consistently delivered in the past.

In addition, customer-oriented policies encourage them to promote both Quality Control and Total Quality Management.

As a result they have been accredited with the following quality certificates such as : ISO 9001, IQNet, CSQ, MIC, CISQ, IMQ and UKAS.

Alborz Steel Industries is prepared to enter into negotiations with you today, as they strive to provide the best quality products, prices, and delivery times for their customers.

A combination of two factories and production lines are at the heart of the company’s ability for producing different kinds of sinks.

There are two different sink ranges, which are known as the 鼎lassic・line, and the 擢antasy・line.

Through constant investment in research and development, and a commitment to using the best raw materials and components, the company is enabled with the power to introduce new designs for sinks to their loyal customers.

High quality products and competitive prices have also enabled Alborz Steel Industries to become a major competitive force in the industry, and after only a short time from the beginning, they have captured the domestic market as a pioneer in the sinks industries with average market shares growing more than 50% annually, and the continued success in exporting products to four other continents such as Europe, Oceania, Asia, Africa, and more than 35 countries such as: Greece, Philippines, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Lebanon, South Africa, Kuwait, Nigeria, Fiji, Bangladesh, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Mozambique, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, New Zealand, Jordan, Mauritius, and Kenya.

Without a doubt, there are countless fashion handbags and designer bags to choose from. However, now that the rush of the holiday season has come and gone, we’re all left with the reality of finding solutions to old questions that have vexed the industry for at least a couple of decades.

The big news today is about plastic bag manufacturers, and what they will do to offset the pinch felt after a series of plastic bag bans have been put into effect, in various locations around the world.

While this kind of intervention on the part of authorities has yet to reach the shores of consumer-driven economies like the US, it’s already being seen in countries that have long been struggling with their own forms of pollution and landfill issues, and would like to minimize damage done with a sudden influx of shoppers’ bags being tossed to the wayside.

In Malaysia, the measures to curb waste plastics have put the squeeze on manufacturers.

When asked to elaborate on their feelings about plastic bag bans, the answers were similar. Manufacturers are somewhat unified in their beliefs that outright substitution of plastic bags will lead to desirable changes. Some makers of plastic bags and related products pointed out that the biodegradable products can actually cause more harm than good, as they produce gases like carbon dioxide and methane when they break down in the absence of oxygen, as most landfills are prone to do when waste is buried under tons of rubbish.

On a different note, there are other bag manufacturers who have been hit with the recent headaches caused by lead contamination found in some plastic bag products. Disney-themed plastic bags have been discovered to contain up to 15 times the legal limit of lead, and this has become an issue for Safeway, the retail superstore that carries the bags for customers to use with their seasonal promotions.

Currently, the federal limit for lead in children’s products is 300 parts per million, or 0.03% lead by weight. Long-term and high exposure to lead is toxic and potentially fatal, because it can damage the nervous system, brain, kidneys, and reproductive system. While harmful to all humans, children are particularly vulnerable to the heavy metal.

Perhaps in contrast to the arguments made by plastic bag manufacturers regarding the promotion of biodegradable bags, policy makers in both India and the Middle East are working hard to ensure that not only the lead contamination issues are held at bay, but also that a planned national ban on conventional plastic bags be passed and enforced actively by 2013.

Officials are expecting to see a logo which provides assurance that any bag bearing the mark meets federal requirements for biodegradability and safety levels.

And good news for the people of Alabama, as the town of Haleyville finds itself producing an increased number of sleeping bags.

Currently the town holds the highest level of unemployment in Alabama, and the increased production figures are bringing 20 new jobs to the local factory, as demand for products like sleeping bags has gone up. This not only brings new jobs forth, but company spokespersons acknowledged that it will also contribute to the factory increasing overall production by 33% for the year.

Bag Manufacturer challenges are faced with new innovations, on a daily basis.

When selecting wholesale watches for any size of business, it’s important to keep the costs in mind. Unlike some other favorite items in the wholesale universe that typically cost very little to invest in, watches can easily add up to big bucks n a hurry, and it pays to have a solid game plan prior to making the buy.

On the positive end of things, fashion watches are predicted to be a hot seller for years to come, in spite of some reports from sources that claim a decline should be expected, because of the proliferation of mobile phones.

“While it would be easy to say that the timepiece will go the way of the dinosaur, the dodo bird, or the VHS cassette tape, the argument ends there. Comparing apples to oranges is not going to get anybody anywhere,” says Josh Boyle, a watch dealer from the Montreal who sources watches and other fashion accessories for his Canada-based company, AdVentura Watches, by investigating the production centers in China. Boyle adds that “the demand for fashion watches is greater than I’ve ever seen it before, to tell you the truth. Even though some of the best-known brands are still considered luxury items that put the hurt on an average consumer’s credit card, there are a lot of really nice high quality pieces coming out of manufacturers in China these days.”

Indeed, there have been many other voices raised in support of the fashion watch as an accessory that will endure. Numerous channels from dedicated magazines, blogs, and other media, have been heralding the new age of demand for these items, and the numbers of supporters in this movement are growing steadily.

A hot-button topic these days seems to be the debate whether mobile phones will replace watches. For most experts, the idea is dismissed as highly unlikely, and counter-intuitive to what consumer trends have shown in the past. In addition, many of these experts also point out that fashion watches have gone through a full range of transitions. The consensus is what started as a timepiece has evolved to become a fashion accessory, and finally a symbol of status.

While brand names have always enjoyed coveted status as the greatest earners in the industry, the smaller competitors who produce their own designs and designer-inspired models should not be taken too lightly, either.

Many of the biggest companies who manufacture top-end watches actually share technology and designs for their internal mechanisms, a practice that seems to have become more common in light of the tightening economic conditions of 2008.

When asked about the future of wholesale watches and their related products and accessories, Boyle added his own perspective. “All those knock-offs that people were laughing about 20 years ago are actually finding themselves in demand now, while the luxury market struggles to keep their sales quotas in line with past performance indicators.”

Smiling, Boyle continued by saying “It’s not like these are bad watches. Pretty soon, we might even see the big guys buying them out in order to keep their foothold in the market, or imply being pushed aside by sheer volume of scale when consumers lose interest in the supposed prestige related to them, and start realizing the value behind these goods.”

Many leaders in the industry agree with Boyle’s outlook, even predicting massive turnover of luxury brands as an eventual reality that should be taken into consideration.

Respected and established brands, however, will most likely remain the champs in the overall market for the next decade.

Additionally, the pursuit of brand names has become a quality assurance in the eyes of many consumers, and any Wholesale Watches supplier that can keep pace with the standards of those big names often finds themselves rewarded with due respect and increased demand from customers in all markets.

Looking for beautiful wholesale handbags is easy online, thanks to the power of vertical search engines. Wholesale search engines are a specialized vertical search tool with a database that includes only wholesale suppliers. These databases include manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, importers and even suppliers of closeouts, flea markets and returns merchandise. Thus, when you search on a wholesale search engine or directory, all you get is suppliers of products you may want to source, like wholesale handbags. But that’s not all you get. There are many more benefits for buyers on wholesale search engines.

Some wholesale search engines have a large population of buyers and suppliers that share and communicate by joining the wholesale community, which offers many benefits. For instance, TopTenWholesale offers its community of buyers and suppliers the ability to post business videos on its dedicated video hub. Whether you’re a retailer or wholesaler, you can post your video for free, and there’s a searchable database for finding the videos you need or a video you posted in the past.

Buyers register for free on wholesale search engines, and they receive benefits that aren’t available from traditional search engines like Google and Bing. One useful tool for a wholesale handbags buyer is the use of the Buying Leads tool. This tool allows you to create Buying Leads by sending a message through the wholesale search engine to all of its distributors, wholesalers and importers, telling them what you are looking for in wholesale handbags.

You might be looking for Prada, Vuitton, Gucci, Burberry, Dior or Versace. Perhaps you prefer Michael Kors. Whatever your requirements, you can send out a Buying Lead through the wholesale search engine to all the suppliers that carry the brands you want and have those handbags in stock. The vendors will respond with an offer that goes directly into your email box. When you see the right offer, all you have to do is contact the supplier and contract to buy. No shopping around from site to site to find the best price. Just state your requirements and the offers come to you.

You can find thousands of global suppliers from over 200 countries on TopTenWholesale, and you can source from over 100 product categories. Another great feature for buyers is the New Product Alerts. You can request free email alerts on new products. For instance, you may want to know when a top handbag manufacturer will come out with a new spring line. Request the alert and you’ll be notified when the announcement is made.

There are so many advantages for buyers when they become part of the community on wholesale search engines. And all the services are free. The suppliers, on the other hand, pay for their listings, but these listings bring in lots of business and provide many benefits to them as well.

In conclusion, retail buyers can source many beautiful wholesale handbags online with minimal effort in vertical search engine databases. Wholesale search engines, in turn, offer many free benefits and make sourcing easy. Two wholesale search engines you may want to try are: TopTenWholesale.com and Manufacturer.com.

If you’re a department store or big box shoe buyer, you know that athletic shoes are big sellers, and you know how to buy shoes wholesale online. However, a novice starting out in shoe merchandising doesn’t know the ins and outs of buying shoes wholesale.

Novice shoe buyers know buying at wholesale means great savings and it requires buying in bulk lots, but they may not know the best way to source quickly on the web. This article explains the basics of buying athletic shoes wholesale for newbies and can also be a good review for old hands as well.

When you buy shoes wholesale, the larger your order, the cheaper the price. For example, the price list below was posted on the web by a shoe wholesaler in China.

Wholesale Price:
Quantity (lot)        Price (Per lot)        Processing Time
1 – 20                        $46.39                       3 Days
21 – 60                     $45.36                       3 Days
61 – 80                     $44.33                       3 Days
81 – 100                  $43.30                       3 Days

Finding Shoes Wholesale Online

How did I find this shoe wholesaler? I went to TopTenWholesale.com, queried wholesale shoes on the homepage, and was directed to a search results page where numerous suppliers were listed. Another supplier offered a Branded Shoe Mix package that includes K-Siwss, Vans, Nike, Etnies, Adidas, Reebok, Puma, Phat Farm and Lexani. 20 pairs/boxes, at $16 a pair with shoes coming in an assortment of sizes and styles.

There are numerous supplier websites offering many different kinds of shoes online. In fact, there are thousands, if not millions, of wholesale shoe vendors around the world offering their goods for sale at wholesale prices. All these wholesalers are listed on wholesale search engines like TopTenWholesale, Manufacturer.com, WholesaleU and OffPriceNetwork. Store buyers can contact the suppliers online or by email to discuss the terms of a potential transaction. While the entire sale can be made online, it’s suggested you either visit the supplier’s facility to examine the quality of the merchandise or ask for samples before you buy.

Wholesale Warehouse Sites

Another source for buying shoes wholesale is a wholesale warehouse. There are a wide range of wholesale warehouses offering athletic shoes wholesale. Buyers wanting to source athletic shoes for resale can buy directly from a wholesale warehouse website or from the company’s physical location. One well-known site selling quality shoes is ViaTrading.com. This site offers wholesale shoes from a variety of high end department stores and specialty shoe retailers making their selection of shoes one of the best in the liquidation market.

Online Auction Sites

Last, but not least, you can buy shoes wholesale from online auction sites. One of the most popular auction sites online is eBay, and a number of wholesale shoe companies offer athletic shoes such as Nike, New Balance, Skechers and Keds on eBay.

In closing, you have many choices when it comes to sourcing athletic shoes for resale online. First, you need a good wholesale search engine for sourcing, and then you need to choose a good supplier for your wholesale shoes order. Lastly, you should make inquiries about the supplier to ensure it’s a reputable company offering quality merchandise by visiting their facility to examine the merchandise or by requesting samples before you buy. Going through these steps makes ordering shoes wholesale as easy as pie.

Have you ever thought of opening a boutique and buying wholesale clothing to stock the racks? Now that you can research suppliers and source merchandise online, it might be easier than you think.

There are many things to do before opening your new store. You’ll need a Reseller Permit from your state comptroller’s office. If you hire salespeople, you’ll need an Employer ID number (EIN) from the IRS. You also need to establish a business banking and merchant account, order business stationary and business cards and keep accurate sales/expenses accounting records for income taxes.

You’ve heard the expression, “location, location, location.” You need to locate your boutique on a street that has foot traffic or in a mall where you can beckon customers with an attractive window display as they walk by.

Before choosing a location, first define your customer demographic. Would your customers be working professionals, stay-at-home moms or college students? If they’re professionals, you would stock completely different apparel than you would for students and source the merchandise from a completely different wholesale clothing manufacturer.

The next step is to select a supplier, and you can research suppliers online. Two wholesale marketplaces I can recommend are: TopTenWholesale and Manufacturer.com. You can contact wholesale clothing distributors or manufacturers on these sites by clicking a link to ask about minimum orders, returns, shipping, restocking fees, order deadlines, quality guarantees, etc. But you need to do more than research online.

You should visit the supplier’s facility or at least order some samples to determine if the quality of their goods meets your own quality standards. If you decide to source from suppliers in China, Korea and the Philippines, beware of imitation merchandise.

It’s a good idea to hire an agent in the foreign country you want to source from to check out the supplier’s facility and merchandise for you. When you import goods into the U.S., there are many customs requirements, and you might need help from experienced professionals to make sure all your import documentation is in order. See my article, The ABCs of Importing Goods into the U.S. for more information on importing goods into the U.S.

While choosing a wholesale clothing supplier is relatively easy, it takes some time and effort to evaluate possible choices. To guard against suppliers that sell low quality merchandise, it’s always wise to request samples. Bogus suppliers usually refuse to provide sample products.

Another option if you’re new in the wholesale business is to start with a wholesale supplier in your area to save money on shipping and importing costs. However, there may not be many local wholesalers to choose from, depending on your location. In that respect, online suppliers offer more options and choices. With numerous wholesale clothing suppliers to choose from worldwide, you can find the right wholesale clothing company that fits the needs of your customer demographic.

Be aware that if you decide to source online, there is the risk of ordering from bogus or fraudulent online suppliers. Thus, you need to carefully research and analyze your choices before ordering large quantities. You can check online for reviews, comments from other buyers, or you can contact the Better Business Bureau to see if your prospective supplier has a good record.

Once you choose a wholesale clothing supplier, make sure your agreement spells out all the terms, pricing, ordering requirements, delivery charges and promised delivery times. Getting the right contract with a wholesale partner is important to success of your clothing boutique.

If you’re thinking of starting a new online business, you might want to consider a clothing wholesale business. It’s easier than being a retailer because instead of selling merchandise directly to the public, you sell to retailers and other jobbers after buying in bulk from distributors and manufacturers at wholesale. Then you add a markup and resell with the markup being your profit after deducting business expenses.

Depending on how small your clothing wholesale business is, you can start from your garage and ultimately get a warehouse when you expand. One of the first things you need to do is to register your business with the local county clerk’s office. You might want to obtain a Doing Business As (DBA) or Assumed Name certificate before starting your business. See the check list below for more items that need attention before you start your business.

• Apply for a Reseller Permit through your state comptroller’s office or website. You can’t buy directly from manufacturers or distributors without this permit. It also allows you to buy in bulk without paying taxes.
• Open a business bank account, establishing a merchant account so you can accept electronic payments.
• Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) if you plan to hire employees or if you incorporate your business.
• Maintain an accurate accounting of your business sales and expenses for year-end tax purposes.

• Order business stationery and business cards for your clothing wholesale business. This makes you look professional no matter how big or small your business is.

Now, we’re ready to start in earnest, and the first thing you need to do is decide if you want to be a general clothing wholesaler or if you want to specialize in a vertical niche. General clothing wholesalers sell clothes of all sizes for men, women and children, whereas a niche wholesaler would specialize in one area, like menswear, for instance. Your decision determines how you set up your clothing wholesale business. If you decide to specialize in a niche, or you order from overseas manufacturers, beware of imitation merchandise from China, Korea and the Philippines.

Next, you need to find clothing distributors and manufacturers online and contact them. Two vertical wholesale search engines you might try are http://www.toptenwholesale.com/ and http://www.manufacturer.com/. You can research on these sites, contacting different clothing wholesale manufacturers to ask for their catalog and price list for the merchandise you wish to sell. You should take the time to research these suppliers by visiting their warehouse and buying some sample items. This allows you to determine if the merchandise meets your quality standards.

Communicate with the owner or manager by phone or email to find out what’s required to order in bulk. Usually, each manufacturer or distributor has a different minimum order requirement. Also ask about their return policy, shipping, restocking fees, ordering deadlines and quality guarantees.  Investigate several wholesalers to compare quality and pricing before making a decision. You don’t want to get stuck with inferior merchandise or pay too high a price. When you finish investigating, you can complete a wholesale application from the suppliers you have chosen.

Many manufacturers in China, India and other foreign countries offer very low prices because the cost of labor is cheap. That’s why you must examine the merchandise before deciding to buy from foreign manufacturers, or from any manufacturer for that matter.

If you can’t travel yourself to foreign countries, you can hire an import agent to do your bidding for you on foreign soil. In fact, you might want to get help from experienced professionals to ensure all import documents are in order and in compliance with all international treaties and trade agreements. See my article, The ABCs of Importing Goods into the U.S. for more details on importing goods into the U.S.

In closing, it’s a good idea to start small initially and add merchandise to your wholesale business a little at a time. That way, you won’t get stuck with a lot of poor quality merchandise that’s going to be hard to sell.

If the winter weather and snow that’s blasting various parts of the world right now have everyone feeling like they’ve got the shivers, there is a comforting bit of knowledge in thinking about spring fashions for 2011, which will feature hats and caps as one of the hot sellers for fashion accessories of the year.

As warm breezes blow in, the forecast shows that fashion will take a decidedly tropical twist, with oversized hats and wraps being the new must-have piece for fashionistas who have been keeping their eye on what designers are already cooking up in their studios during the colder months.

Marc Jacobs brings some oohs and ahhs with a spring and summer campaign 2011 that reveals his vision of the new year in bold 70′s inspired outfits that dazzle with vivid pinks and orange hues being the color choices of the season for the highly famed designer. Sneak peeks at the new line during New York Fashion Week revealed some hot styles in dazzling materials and fabrics, with hats being an integral part of the ensembles.

Another item to be on the lookout for is the prolific rise of synthetic furs, as the anti-fur campaign comes full circle in the fashion circuits. Even Queen Elizabeth II had to face the music, as activists and PETA supporters were on the scene in London, to harangue and expose her fashion faux pas in front of reporters and other media who were covering an event where she was a speaker.

Both the Queen’s spokespersons and officials with British government have stated that the fur in question was simply a “restyling” of vintage fur that already existed, so no harm came to any animals in recent days to produce the fashions that were under scrutiny.

Whether the “recycled” look for fur is acceptable to those with animal rights in their sights is a question that remains to be answered, but it’s an important point to consider for wholesalers and suppliers who have inventories of hats with fake fur materials.

The sudden desire and demand for fake furs and synthetic products that spare animals from being used to produce apparel is starting to show up a a positive revenue indicator for many of the dealers who can supply stylish and high quality hats and caps with cruelty-free materials. It’s also driven the prices for these faux furs upward, which will come as a welcome surprise to a good number of sellers who have found themselves stuck in the past, with products that couldn’t compete with the genuine article.

For this reason, it’s crucial to find the right blend of wholesale networks, buyer platforms, and trade finance partners to back up smart decisions. Starting with CMLA™ (www.ChinaMartUSA.com), a trade platform specialized in sourcing Chinese products and bringing the Chinese companies to the US to sell directly to the wholesalers.  ChinaMart™ is a way to begin exploring just how far a solid partnership based on educated choices can go, with the right people bringing their extensive resources and experience to the table. It will also become the most rewarding, as the power of  connected network leads to sales generation and revenue that boosts business to new levels of performance.

Small to medium-size buyers can use PMF Bancorp™ (“PMF” www.pmfbancorp.com) trade finance products, as an integral part of their working capital arsenal, as well as ustilize PMF’s credit verification resources as an important tool for making the right selection of supplier(s) from the start. All this is available on Manufacturer.com’s platform to help avoid the pain of dealing with weak or inefficient suppliers that do little more than fail on a regular basis. PMF provides such credit information and financing in part through its trained staff of professionals who are adept at conducting real-time inspections of Chinese suppliers, and then comparing this information to official Chinese government databases.

Additionally, PMF’s trained staff in its China Offices follow through prescribed processes, based on PMF’s strict training and criteria from PMF’s American trained credit staff. This is just an example of the tools available to create a highly complementary partnership amongst clients, and to make transactions beneficial for all parties involved. The benefits of PMF’s credit expertise in credit management becomes a highly useful tool that levels the playing field and matches small businesses with great trade partners by increasing transparency and minimizing the risk of making bad choices through unnecessary guesswork.

For added stability and performance, the ultimate strength of utilizing Manufacturer.com™ comes from the power to connect USA buyers with verified manufacturers and suppliers in China. American-based customers from TopTenWholesale™, WholesaleU™, and OffPriceNetwork™ provide a way to connect Manufacturer.com™ members with a truly enormous base of existing wholesalers, as their USA networks handle the direct advertising of over 2,000 very large, mid-sized, and small wholesalers, importers, and even exporters ─ that are all buyers to Chinese manufacturers.

Offices are located in China and the USA, and are ready for interested business owners to make the call, and begin the process of creating a high-performance connection with suppliers who can deliver on their merits.

Selling on eBay can be straightforward, but a lot depends on the products you sell and how easy they are to source, store and ship. Once you know your product line, it’s wise to do a little market research to see if others are selling the same products on eBay. Since some merchants sell really cheap on eBay, you may want to make sure you can be competitive.

Below are 6 tips for getting started on eBay ─ start with market research, find your suppliers, get your backend tools, set up your payment services and publish your shipping charges.

1. Market Research – If you want to sell a new product, you should determine if there is a market for it. There’s a lot of marketing information available to eBay users so you can research to find out what products would sell. No matter what products you want to sell, you can see who is selling it, what price they are selling it for and you can also see how well the item sold in the past and how many items sell each day. All this information is on eBay for everyone’s information.
2. Finding Suppliers – Once you know what to sell, you may want to find an affordable source for purchasing your product. Many merchants buy items in bulk at very low prices for profitable resale on eBay. You can import items from overseas or source from US distributors. You can get excellent results by sourcing on TopTenWholesale.com or Manufacturer.com, which have a lot of suppliers from China, India and other overseas manufacturers and wholesalers. You’ll find “verified suppliers” on both of these sites, reducing the risk of buying from foreign suppliers.
3. Estimate Your Costs – Costs can include the price of the products shipped, shipping supplies, your shipping costs to customers, your eBay costs, your costs for accepting online payment such as credit cards or PayPal, etc.
4. Backend Tools – If you are selling multiple products daily, you may need to automate your online eBay business so it takes less time to process orders. You can get special shipping software, inventory tools and payment tools to help streamline your eBay business. These tools cost money, but they can provide a good return on your investment.
5. Payment Services – There are two major payment choices when you sell on eBay: A merchant account for credit card payments, and PayPal, which accepts both credit card and PayPal payments. Both services charge a transaction fee of about $0.30 per transaction or a percentage of the transaction – usually about 3%. A merchant account usually includes a monthly fee but PayPal doesn’t. Find out more by visiting merchant account providers and www.paypal.com.
6. Shipping Charges – The items you sell usually determine your shipping methods. Most merchants do well using USPS, others rely on UPS or Fed Ex, and others have unique shipping service. When you ship a large number of items daily, you must work closely with your shipping partner to ensure timely shipments every day.

Don’t forget that business is 24/7. Once you get established on eBay, your work is never over. You must continuously streamline your business processes, constantly updating product details, eliminating products that don’t sell, adjusting pricing, etc. Then there’s customer service; you’ll have many details to attend to.

eBay can be a great way to sell products from home; however, some categories of products are very competitive, and that’s why you need market research. Needless to say, it’s important to buy products at the lowest price possible so you can offer them at competitive prices. That’s why TopTenWholesale and Manufacturer.com are such great sites for finding manufacturers and suppliers from China and around the world where products cost less because materials and labor are cheaper.

The crucial first step towards finding a good wholesaler is in making the distinction of knowing and understanding a given industry’s distribution channels. Since there are so many ways for products to get from the manufacturer to the seller, it’s also important to realize that no every wholesaler serves the same kind of market. Sometimes buying directly from the manufacturers will prove to be the right move, while locating a regional or local distributor might be a wiser move. The former is fine for anyone who can accept the inherent risks; the latter is best for those who seek some security in knowing their products are being handled by someone inside the country.

In the beginning, it might be common to see first-time buyer making their purchases from smaller wholesalers, even though the prices may be noticeably higher. this is fine, as long as an understanding that increased volume brings increased savings is in play.

manufacturers can be the best source for some, since they represent the greatest potential for low costs and branded items without the expense that marketing often brings into the picture, when dealing with companies that sell to other buyers. Sometimes seeking answers from manufacturers can be a big help, since they can not only offer rock-bottom prices to qualified buyers, but also give some indication of who their authorized sellers are.

Introductions are essential, especially in countries with customs and habits that revolve around personal relationships, like China. Relying solely on emails can be a waste of time, with many messages never even being checked by most Chinese. Trying a chat client like QQ might yield better results, but nothing beats going to the sites for a personal visit.

Vertical sites will also yield excellent results, with both manufacturers and wholesalers being just a click away, and with thousands of manufacturers and distributors available at a moment’s notice. Searching for a wholesaler list can be as simple as putting Google through the paces as well, and a search can often be refined by doing something as simple as inputting brand names, model numbers, and product names. many of the results will also yield names and numbers, but it should be noted that many of the non-vertical methods will also yield the highest number of scammers, too.

Another great resource can be found within industry expert sites that cater to the general public. These resources are invaluable for gaining inside information and specific details, especially if they are answered by industry experts. This kind of information could prove to be the moist relevant and effective, and could make a huge difference in the long term.