Chris Malta

- Product Sourcing Editor of The eBay Radio Show!

REAL Product Sourcing is never "simple" or "easy"...

...although a lot of people in the search engines would like you to think it is, so they can sell you their "simple or easy" product sourcing "systems".

If success really was simple or easy, everyone would be successful. Finding REAL WHOLESALE SUPPLIERS of products you can sell online is a process that you must understand if you want to beat your competition.

REAL Product Sourcing means buying DIRECTLY from wholesalers

You must buy wholesale products DIRECTLY from the wholesale supplier. Anyone who gets in between you and the actual wholesale supplier for any reason is costing you money. People who get in between you and the actual wholesaler are called "Middlemen", even if they claim not to be. Middlemen want you to think they are Wholesalers. They are NOT. They charge unsuspecting retailers monthly fees and even increase the true wholesale price. All of this means you pay too much for wholesale products, and your competition will always beat you.

REAL Wholesalers never charge monthly fees and always give you TRUE wholesale pricing. Successful Product Sourcing means working directly with the real source.

REAL Product Sourcing involves Market Research

If you simply pick any old product and start selling online, you will fail. You need to know whether people are buying a product before you try to sell it.

Market Research means understanding the Demand for the product, it's current Pricing, your Competition, and more. Market Research is a critical part of REAL Product Sourcing.

REAL Product Sourcing means multiple sourcing methods

No SINGLE Product Sourcing method will make you truly successful. Using only one Sourcing method is like driving a car with only one wheel. Four wheels works much better...

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  Drop Shipping works well, but has it's limits, which include slimmer profit margins and occasional delivery problems. Drop Shipping should be a part of your Product Sourcing, but not all of it.

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  Bulk Wholesaling works well, but most wholesalers have very high minimum orders. Supplementing your Product Sourcing with Light Bulk (low minimum order) wholesalers should be a part of your Sourcing efforts.

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  General Wholesaling works well as an expansion tool. When your Drop Shipping and Light Bulk Sourcing identifies products that sell well, you work with General Wholesalers to get larger quantities of those products at better pricing, and increase your profit margin. When used properly, it is a part of the whole.

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  Liquidation / Overstock Sourcing works well, but it's not a renewable source. Once a liquidation lot is gone, it's gone. If you find a product that sells well, you'll run out of them sooner or later. That's why you need other sourcing methods; so you can find renewable Sources of those products once you identify them.

There are lots of people making real money online. The TRULY SUCCESSFUL sellers use multiple product sources.

REAL Product Sourcing wholesalers are NOT in the search engines

If your first instinct is to look for real wholesalers one by one in the search engines, you're not alone. Almost everyone starts out that way. The important thing to understand is that most real wholesalers do not advertise themselves that way.

Sadly, they don't believe that small home-based online sellers are worth the time and expense to advertise to. They already sell products by the thousands to large retail chains, and they don't think they should spend money to advertise for much smaller accounts.

Many of them will work with you, but you have to find them.

Most of the so-called "wholesalers" who DO show up in the search engines are actually MIDDLEMEN and SCAMMERS trying to cheat you out of your profit margin.