Be that as it may, we are smart enough to know that most retailers don't buy their wholesale sunglasses from just one vendor. Furthermore, a lot of our customers sell more than just shades. They get their wholesale sunglasses from us and other products from a variety of wholesale suppliers.
All this is to say that the success of your business depends at least partly on who you choose as your wholesale partners. Choose wisely as they aren't all the same. To get you started, here are the top five characteristics of a good wholesaler:
1. They Have the Right Inventory
At the top of the list is inventory. A wholesaler's job is to sell you the inventory you need to stock your shelves. It doesn't make a lot of sense to choose wholesale suppliers who don't offer the right stuff. And by that we mean the types of products your customers want. We wouldn't expect you to choose Olympic Eyewear as your wholesale sunglasses provider if buyers didn't want our products. Thankfully, they do.
2. They Offer Reasonable Prices
As a retailer, you need to be able to mark up your inventory to cover your own costs and make a profit. Here's the thing: your retail price has to be high enough to meet your margin but not so high that you're losing out to your competitors. Finding that balance starts with getting reasonable wholesale prices that leave you plenty of room for markup.
3. They Will Sell to You in Bulk
One of the advantages of buying at wholesale is the ability to make bulk purchases. Buying in bulk should save on both unit price and shipping costs. Therefore, you should buy your wholesale sunglasses from a supplier willing to sell to you in bulk. The bigger the available lots, the better.
4. They Have Responsive Customer Service
Even though you are a retailer running your own business, you are also a customer of your wholesale partners. You deserve the same level of customer service from them that you offer your own customers. When you choose your wholesale partners, pay close attention to their customer service. You should be able to tell how responsive they normally are just based on how easy it is to get your account set up.
5. They Have a Good Reputation
Finally, there is a lot to be said about reputation. Those of us in the wholesale business know that retailers talk. They write reviews and make recommendations. Therefore, we believe it is important that we maintain a good reputation among our clients. Not all wholesale suppliers do.
Before you agree to work with a wholesale supplier, check the company out online. Look for reviews. Type the company's name into Google and see what comes up. And if you have friends already in the business, ask them if they know anything about the company.
Wholesale suppliers will be an integral part of your business. As a retailer, you are going to rely on the suppliers to provide you with high quality products, reasonable prices, and reliable customer service. The wholesaler who doesn't offer all three is shortchanging you. That could lead to a rocky relationship that ends up being more trouble than it's worth.
