Wholesale Import offers Value Priced Goods

This article was written by Scott McMillin from Wholesale Import. They have been in the wholesale and import business since before my time in this industry, and I have seen consistent growth for the last 5 years. Even during these rough economic times, Michelle and Scott’s Wholesale Imports are still seeing sales growth so I asked him how he does it. Here is what he had to say:

Michelle and Scott’s Wholesale Imports have seen substantial sales increases in the past few years amid downturn economy.
Why?
Many of our items are value priced. Earrings, Necklace and Earring Sets, Bracelets, Beauty Supplies, Hair Accessories and many other items and categories have many SKUs selling for $6.50 per dozen sets or less. Customers who historically have sold more expensive items have found out that by switching to a lower price point item, they can sustain their sales and even increase the margin they are making. The end customer out there is looking to save money and get a larger bang for their buck. Michelle and Scott’s specialize in selling individual stores and providing very fast shipping service and low minimums so that the customer can reduce the amount of inventory they have to carry at one time.
Low prices, Good Value, Fast Service and Low Minimums all contribute to the remarkable success of Michelle and Scotts Wholesale Imports and the customers who use them as their fashion accessory supplier.

Country Western Products Recession Proof

I cannot help but be amazed at the skill many wholesaler merchants possess to navigate the stormy economic marketplace, bucking the trend and continually growing their share of the marketplace.  Dan Mottsman and his sister Paula Brant took over the reins from their parents, who started Western Express Inc 30 years ago.  I spoke with Dan and asked him to shed some light in his successes and offer some tips to wholesalers and retailers  in our ever changing general merchandise market place:

Dan: “At almost every trade show, customers ask us in a surprised tone, “A Western business in Pennsylvania??”. “We’re in WESTERN Pennsylvania”, will be the usual reply from CEO of Western Express,  Dan Mottsman.  This always elicits a chuckle. Most of our potential customers expect that we would operate out of Texas, Colorado, or some other western state.

Since its founding in the late 1970’s by Richard and Evelen Mottsman, Western Express www.wexpress.com has been a family owned and operated wholesale business.   Originally started as a general wholesale business under another name, the business evolved to market mainly country western products, during the “Urban Cowboy” craze of the early 1980’s. Richard and Evelyn’s children Dan Mottsman and Paula Brant (current president) have worked in the business for the past few decades.  In recent years Dan and Paula have taken over operations.

Western Express wholesale product lines include cowboy hats and hat accessories, belt buckles, western shirts, gun holsters, leather goods, and western jewelry, western themed poly-resin products, and t-shirts and sweatshirts.

Country Western Products have maintained their popularity throughout the years, and in fact, seem to be relatively recession proof. In fact, country western products often do better during tough economic and political times. Country Western Products became very popular during the Iran Hostage Crisis from around 1979 through 1981, with the release of the movie “Urban Cowboy”. There was also a surge in country western products during the recession in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, with the popularity of Garth Brooks and other country western singers.

The good thing about our wholesale business is the lack of extreme boom and bust cycles. We strive to find consistent good sellers, and to develop these products or product lines.  This methodology helps to cushion us from the drastic economic fluctuations experienced by many businesses that we come in contact with – especially at the ASD-AMD market.

Although our customers are not limited to western stores, western stores are our core business. We try to market products that have staying power with these clients. That being said, our products are very popular with such non Western business such as gift stores, party planners, truck stops, and flea market vendors.

Our success is due in large part to being responsive to the needs and desires of our CURRENT resellers. Our resellers are often the ones that turn us onto new trends in the business.

Bringing in new customers is secondary to gaining the satisfaction of our current worldwide customer base.

As for our “secondary” goal of bringing in new customers, marketing through www.toptenwholesale.com has been instrumental in our growth.”

Thanks Dan

Wholesale Dropshipping Better Than Ever

Have you ever taken a good hard look at a warehouse filled to capacity with… stuff? I have. I remember back in the Winter of 2006, I was working with PANASONIC’s North American Division on some Document Solutions sales projects, and it was never less than a shocking experience to see how the warehouse of one particular dealership was stacked –- nearly to the roof — with junk. We were selling and servicing clients who covered a full spectrum of operations, from SOHO (small/home-based) to enterprise-level… and it simply blew my mind to see what a state of disarray everything was in. Somehow, things got done… but things also got broken, lost, and confused as the orders would come in, and whenever you needed to get your hands on something, the cavernous warehouse defiantly dared you to make an expedition into its inner recesses. I was one of those guys that was gunning for a new warehouse manager ASAP, because I didn’t have the time or energy to figure out how to separate old from new, broken from functional, and treasures from trash.

What’s in your warehouse?

Now it’s the middle of 2009, and we are dealing with an economy that doesn’t know where it wants to be at any particular moment… and customers who are tired of the run-around. Dropshipping is the new industry standard, as wholesalers and even retailers are beginning to see that letting a seller manage the sales, while the manufacturers and distributors can simply route the goods directly to the customer… is a good idea that has finally come to light.

What’s the secret to dropshipping? Is there something you need to know, in order to get in on the action? Not so much, really. There are, however, some steps you might want to take that will give you the advantage when trying to get your operation going in a customer-centric direction, while utilizing dropshipping channels. Here then, is my quick TopTen list of things to know when looking into the dropshipping option:

• Many online wholesale sources are getting keen, and they are improving their interface for ease of use, even for the newbies out there.

• Several of them are also listening more closely, as users report flaws or offer insights… and changes are made accordingly.

• With competition so ferocious, there is an emerging breed of legitimate companies that are going through great lengths to preserve their credibility in their markets.

• A lot of these companies are erasing borders by offering improved services for shipping internationally. There’s about 6 billion people in the world. Some of them should be buying from you, shouldn’t they?

• Membership has its privileges, and many sites are offering some substantial data to their members. Demographic research could be a few clicks away for you.

• Some great customer service is emerging from all of this.

• Efficiency might never be so easy. As this becomes more common, the processes involved will evolve as well.

• Reputation is everything, and many of the sites are quick to showcase their best partners.

• Shipping charges are not your problem any more, in some cases. Competition will make this more common as well.

• You will become more competitive, and your sales will grow as you develop your business over time.

Sounds easy, and maybe even fun. Of course, there are a lot of potential pitfalls out there, and it’s a well-known fact that there are scams aplenty on our beloved Wild, Wild West a.k.a the Internet… but you wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t appreciate the allure of being rewarded for taking a chance on a venture, would you? One thing’s certain: I wouldn’t be writing this from all the way out in China, if there weren’t some adventure-seekers out there!

TopTenWholesale: Finding T-Shirts , Screen Printing and Embroidery

It sometimes takes years to find a reliable vendor to handle major corporate incentives. While we have tried many different shops to have our T-Shirts, corporate apparel, screen printing and embroidering handles — most have not passed a par mark and we have no placed many reorders. We’ve had local shops mess up our logs, wrong sizes, damaged merchandise, etc,,,. SO, in our hunt to find a new local source for screen printing, embroidery and apparel in San Diego , I was reffed to Brian Farshield of Candroy.com LLC . After meeting with Brian for several minutes, I could tell he had a genuine interest in customer satisfaction and his knowledge of the industry was phenomenal. We need a few dozen, last minute shirts, printed up for the upcoming ASD / AMD Trade Show and the Off Price Show. Not only is Brian meeting our tight deadline, but he even took the time to review the file formats with us and show us exactly how the shirt is going to look.

Can’t wait to get our shipment and we’ll give you all an update once we get the goods

Thanks Brian!

Happy Wholesaling.

Wholesalers Can Learn From Lobsters?

It might sound funny, but it’s true… wholesale lobster — that venerable stuff of fine-dining menus everywhere — is going for a price that makes hot dogs a more expensive choice for a backyard BBQ this Summer. At the time of this writing, all-beef hot dogs are about a buck more per pound than fresh, live lobster that’s been snared off the coast of Maine!

Now, I have a pretty extensive background in the Food and Beverage business (with an emphasis on Fine Dining) and I can certainly tell you that the smart cookies are the ones who jump all over deals like these. Supply goes up… demand goes down… and prices pull a U-turn as the market reflects the overstock of goods. Not much different from the wholesale business overall, eh? Sometimes there are deals to pick up on, and if you act fast enough, you will walk away with a truckload of stuff for cheap.

All this talk of lobsters can produce some pretty comical imagery… and here’s some more: lobstermen (you know, the guys who snare lob-stuhs for a living) are trying their best to earn a few dollars, and have begun making the daily trip out to coastal towns themselves, in the hopes of selling their catch off on their own, rather than pay the extra costs of getting a broker involved. Who can blame ‘em? With the market prices dipping so low, they are losing money just by doing their job… since overhead costs are pretty high, and a typically higher margin makes up for it most of the time.

I like the spirit of the lobstermen. It reminds me of the enterprising types out there who find a good deal, and then act upon it. Wholesale is becoming more and more like this every day, especially with the economy being in the constant state of flux that it’s in. My only concern is that there tends to be a lowering of standards whenever the producer puts on the distributor-hat, and customers lose sight of this as they try to take advantage of a great price, in a no-holds-barred feeding frenzy.

“Lobster dealers and retailers have responded with a letter to state officials saying the lobstermen are actually making matters worse for themselves and will drive down lobster prices even more.” (WWLP News)

So… the price of lobster plummets, and the quality of lobster drops to unfathomable new lows, and everyone starts seeing grilled hot dogs at A-list venues? No… it’s a vicious cycle, but it’s one that can be avoided. Sellers and retailers, wholesalers and distributors… they are critical to keeping things going, without giving way to the temptations of pushing bad product. While the lobstermen might be the best at catching and harvesting lobsters, they probably aren’t the best at selling them. Frankly, the same is true for any area of industry. Salespeople and brokers are necessary, because we are the ones who are looking out for everyone, including ourselves.

Inspiration and fresh ideas can be found in some of the strangest places, and while the story of the lobstermen of Maine might give you a chuckle, it should also prompt you to do a quick search on the Internet for some trends in the market of your choice, for those hot deals and can’t-miss opportunities. Check out our own toptenwholesale.com to get some leads, and try to open your mind to the possibilities of markets you might not have paid much attention to before. This is 2009, and innovation will determine the success stories of the next decade.

Are you getting hungry yet? I am. All this talk of lobsters and hot dogs makes me want to get some lunch.

TopTenWholesale / JPC INC FaceBook Fan Page

Join our Facebook Fan club today!

Today, we announce the official launch of of our Facebook Fan page for TopTenWholesale.com and JPC INC . We want to see your face there and we want to discuss what’s on our mind with you! Please join us….

Why did we start a fan page? For a few reasons…There is no FUN place where the industry can get together and get to know each other. Buyers need introductions to sellers and sellers need to be acquainted with each other. We are not just some corporate machine only selling advertising….We are powered by people and we believe that having a relationship with our customers, partners, and vendors is important.

Come see what’ going on today at the TopTenWholesale Fan Club.

Happy Wholesaling!

Excellent Opportunities for Off Price Show, Top Ten and Others to Help Make America “A Nation of Shopkeepers!”

I read a fantastic article in the Wall Street Journal by writer Joseph Epstein entitled “In Praise of Shopkeepers.” You must read it: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124770241303048557.html.

In this piece, the writer – a fellow Evanstonian (IL) comments on the changing retail in what was once the “Shopping Mecca” of Chicago’s northshore. Epstein takes consolation in the fact that the shopping adventure he once knew as a child can be experienced just a few miles south in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood. A few remarks about an “unpretentious and excellent shoe store,” and a “thrift store loaded with surprising items,” and Epstein speaks the language of the shopper who longs for the “wow factor” that has been missing in today’s corporate big box retail. “The element of unpredictability,” Epstein writes, “of delightful surprise, should be part of the adventure of shopping — an element precluded by the standard stores.”

This is vindication for local businessmen and women like myself (I was then GM for an eclectic group of 4 restaurants that were big players in downtown Evanston) who fought to protect independent retail against an initiative to bring in TIFD-funded big box powers with no real stake in the community back in 1998. Ten years later, not only has speculative risk not worked, but the city fathers scared away entrepreneurs and renaissance retailers in favor of becoming a second rate Lincoln Park (a trendy but over-priced and over-crowded Chicago northside neighborhood).

Going back to the bigger picture, Epstein makes two excellent points as to why independent shopkeepers are critical to our economy and to our society.

“‘England is a nation of shopkeepers,’ remarked Napoleon,…suggesting that…the English, as mere shopkeepers, were unfit to fight the French. Well, we know how the shopkeepers fared at a place called Waterloo. No great surprise, really. Considerable courage and perserverence are required to start and keep a good shop running. Especially is this so today, when real estate rental is expensive, taxes on profits high, and the prospect of being clobbered by a national chain store moving in discourage the initiative needed to open a useful shop.”

For this country to lift itself from the ruins of recession, we need to become a nation of shopkeepers. Self-sufficient people willing to take the risk of opening or acquiring a business can compete with the big boys through better service and sourcing the pleasantly surprising items at even more surprising prices.

The Off Price Show can furnish them with the best deals on a wide selection of quality apparel, accessories, footwear and home & gift. Online vehicles such as OffPriceShow.com, OffPriceshowrooms.com, TopTenWholesale.com, the newly re-designed OffPriceNetwork.com and other JP products can connect indy retailers with suppliers willing to deal in smaller quantities who can also drop-ship anywhere in the world.

Epstein ends his article with a second excellent point, that “Running a good shop is a service to one’s community, of much greater value, in my view, than the work of two hundred social workers, five hundred psychotherapists, and a thousand second-rate poets… A nation of shopkeepers, far from being the put-down Napoleon thought, sounds more and more like an ideal to which a healthy country ought to aspire.”

To this end, I invite all independent and smaller chain retailers to check us out at the show, online and of course, at JP’s sites. Jason, I hope you see this and list your products proudly with some sagely comment. And Jason, I also challenge you and your colleagues, especially at your new property Manufacturer.com, to extend yourselves to the smaller apparel retailers, home & gift shops, general merchandisers, and wholesalers, to take advantage of the online directories and links to vendors so that they can get a “marginal” edge on the competition. Oh wait, you do that already! You know have the Englishman (Daniel Brindley), now help us rebuild this nation of shopkeepers by bridging the gap between excellent values worldwide and THE RIGHT PEOPLE who know how to merchandise them.

TopTen Wholesale Halloween Trends

Trick or Treat? Not really. It’s to get serious about business and prepare for all of those Hallmark Holidays and traditions that bring in the profit and make those uber bonuses possible SO, you sell general merchandise, HBA, novelties, gifts, apparel, etc,, eh?? Alright then, it’s time to think about how and what you are going to ramp up on for Halloween. Wholesalers and Manufacturers should absolutely be prepared by the end of July for all the Halloween products that will hit the shelves next month. Let’s make a list of the Top 10 Halloween Products you should start sourcing now:

1) Halloween Costumes
2) Halloween Candy
3) Halloween decorations
4) Halloween movies, dvd’s and cd’s
5) Halloween Novelties
6) Halloween Books
7) Halloween Balloons
8 ) Halloween bags
9) Halloween make-up
10) Halloween music

Happy Wholesaling and much more to come !

Wholesale Alert: ASD/AMD, Off-Price Trade Shows in August

I reckon it’s high time to touch upon a couple of the big USA-based shows coming up in August, and if you haven’t made the decision to attend the ASD Las Vegas Show, maybe it’s time for all you busy wholesale movers and shakers out there to stop what you’re doing for a few seconds… and take a look at your calendar. After all, it’s already the middle of July. Another show worth noting is the Off Price Specialist Show, which is also going to happen in August, and the first day of September. Summer just got a little bit hotter, didn’t it?

Both of these events are must-see shows for anybody who wants to get a good look at what’s hot in the industry, and what new trends will be making huge waves during the Q4 season… but it’s also going to be a lesson in what products and services have lasting power during these troubled times. Here’s what I think wholesalers on the prowl should be doing to maximize their investment:

• Be prepared… don’t walk into this thing blind, because there’s not a lot of time to cover all the space if you’re running around like a frenzied holiday shopper… and you will definitely need to prioritize your list of things to see, if you want to get the maximum benefit from being there. Even if you don’t know what the floor layout looks like until you’ve arrived, take a moment to get oriented with the map once you’re there, and come up with a tactical plan of attack!

• Decide which product category fits you best… with a list of wholesale items in product groups like Camping & Outdoor/Sporting Goods, Military/Tactical/Personal Security, Electronics & Accessories, Apparel/Hosiery/Footwear, Tools & Hardware/Lawn & Garden, Food/Candy/Snacks, House-wares & Home Appliances, General Merchandise… there is a lot to choose from.

• Look for the signs of stability in the industry… do some research in your preferred area of industry, and look for the companies that have taken the measures to combat the economic downturn… especially the ones who have succeeded. Of course you can find a wealth of information on the Internet-based wholesale news sites like TopTen Wholesale Newsroom, for starters.

• Take notes… I know it sounds really geeky and totally unwired to jot stuff down with a pen and paper(!) but you will be glad you did it after you’ve returned to your hotel room, and dumped the contents of your bags and pockets out onto the bed. Don’t you hate it when you can’t remember why you grabbed somebody’s business card? I do, so I always write some little ‘mental note’ on the back. I suggest a small notepad (or hastily-grabbed cocktail napkins from the hotel lobby) because you will need to write stuff down somewhere, since a lot of Chinese and other Asian exhibitors print their information on the front and back, in Chinese and English.

Go ahead and visit the sites, and make your plans. Hopefully, you’ll be able to use some of my little tips to keep things from getting too crazy, but in the end, it’s up to each and every individual to make this an event that will put a great finish on the overall performance of wholesale in 2009. Happy wholesaling, and don’t hesitate to write if you want to share your own tips and suggestions!

Wholesale Inventories, Prices Drop: What Crisis?

Hmmm… these are interesting times indeed. According to President Barack Obama, as he addressed the G8 summit of foreign leaders last week; lasting worldwide recovery “is still a ways off.” What he forgot to mention was the fact that wholesale sales rose 0.2% in May, and they were boosted somewhat by a 4.4% increase in auto sales, the largest gain since December 2006. (Reuters)

What? You mean people are buying cars… and stuff?

That’s right. It also means that the people who used to shop without thinking much about price and value have begun clipping coupons, while the rest of us – the truly savvy shoppers – continue to sniff out the real deals in this period of economic hardship. If you’re in the wholesale business, it could also mean that your personal economy is going to witness some profitable times ahead.

How can you turn this upward trend into something that makes your pockets jingle? Well, if it was easy… everyone would be doing it. However, I would recommend the one place you can turn your focus towards for now is: the Global Banking Community.

The banks are consolidating, even though they call it diversifying.

It looks like big banks around the world are taking a highly protectionist step, as they start putting a bigger squeeze on lending, and more consolidation efforts will make themselves known in the coming weeks. On the other hand, there is a lot of buzz in the international banking community about the ups-and-downs of the market, particularly in the wholesale sector. Hey, why not? It’s money… and banks certainly do love money. Now that it’s positive, you are sure to start hearing a lot more buzz.

Perhaps echoing the blog post Jason Prescott put up here a few days ago, it’s definitely time to start a big push to advertise yourself to the masses, and firm-up those agreements and relationships with manufacturers and distributors. I’m seeing the same thing here myself, in China. While Beijing is giddily announcing a slowdown – and hinting at a turnaround (don’t hold your breath) – of the economic downturn in the PRC, the reality is that I see a lot of people who were spending money like crazy last year… being a lot more frugal now. I’m also hearing a lot of knee-jerk commentary from the ‘luxury-brand pundits’ who feel like they have missed their chance at getting a bite of the apple. Applying blanket statistics to target marketing/branding strategies, and comparing past performance data and recession-battered KPI’s with today’s forecasts seem to be the modus operandi of the losers, while the winners will regard their chosen markets and target those ‘lower profile’ consumers as a unique animal, and treat them with some well-deserved respect.

Wholesale it is, then. Let Daimler struggle with Mercedes-Benz. You should be riding the big wave while the swells are high, so you can be one of the retailers / wholesalers that are enjoying consumer loyalty long after the tide pulls back.