Types of suppliers
There are three main groups of suppliers: importers, distributors and wholesalers who may produce the goods themselves. Let's look at each group in more detail.
Manufacturers. They produce goods themselves and, as a rule, prefer to sell them in large quantities. Due to the absence of intermediaries, you can buy goods from them much more profitably, there will be no interruptions in supplies and other problems.
Distributors. They purchase goods from manufacturers or wholesale companies. You can purchase goods from them in smaller quantities than from manufacturers, but the cost will be higher. Most often exit cell phone number list they work with small and medium businesses. It is convenient that when cooperating with such a supplier, you do not need to conclude an agreement with a large number of companies, it is enough to find a suitable distributor.
Importers. Just like distributors, they purchase goods from manufacturers. Only in this case we are talking about foreign companies. Importers undertake the clearance of goods at customs and their transportation across the border. Such services will have a significant markup. You will also depend on the availability of goods in the importer's warehouse.
The choice of supplier mainly depends on the business niche, its features and business model.
Where to look for suppliers
Supplier bases
On the Internet, you can find aggregator sites that present a variety of suppliers for any needs. It is enough to choose such a site, register, and you will have access to the database. This method has more advantages than disadvantages.
Pros:
reliability rating, customer reviews, availability of details;
wide choice of suppliers;
suppliers for different niches are gathered on one platform;
filters by different criteria.
Cons: Some sites require you to pay for premium status to access full databases.
Search offline