Yanks Win 27th World Series; Wholesalers Cheer!

It looks to me like the whole country is fed up with bad news, news about the global economy, accounts of countries playing tug of war, and updates on prices going up and down… because the headlines are positively lit up with late-breaking stories of the New York Yankees and their latest big win in the World Series. This could result in a whole lot more than just a ticker tape parade in the Big Apple, but maybe it will become a serious sales extravaganza that makes your numbers for this year go from a foul ball, to a home run with bases loaded! Start looking around at the sites that feature wholesale goods like toptenwholesale.com and its network of sites manufacturer.com, wholesaleu.com, offpricenetwork.com to get a glimpse at the amazing general merchandise, apparel, accessories, gifts, electronics, handbags, jewelry, toys, and more that carry the Yankees logo, and other baseball-related themes.

Just to give you an idea of what I’m seeing from where I stand, there’s a few items besides the usual headgear and jackets that caught my eye. Here’s some of the more interesting – and maybe unusual – items that help buyers get into the fun of supporting their favorite baseball team:

• Wholesale sunglasses with MLB logos and designs…

• Sculpted Yankees mugs and cups for your morning coffee…

• Shot glasses and bar equipment…

• MLB / Yankees reclining chair. Yes, a reclining chair…

• Yankees jewelry and pins…

• Game ticket frames, mega-tickets, and ticket albums…

• MLB Yankees pet clothes…

It sure makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Are you being careful to offer the gifts and discount items that your customers are looking for? Be the one to pitch like the Yankees (who were positively smoking Philly with the pitches) and get your customers to take a swing! Keep in mind that the big parade in honor of the New York Yankees will be held on November 11 down the Canyon of Heroes… this could be the time to think about putting Yankees gear in front of everyone you can reach, since it will be a huge event that requires a lot of fresh merchandise and memorabilia to satisfy the need s of die-hard fans who want to show their undying support for their team. Be the one they turn to for the hot goods they want, and be sure to browse the pages of toptenwholesale.com to Find it. Source it. Profit!

TopTen Report: Dollar Days Recession-Buster!

I’m pretty confused. The headlines are all about a recession one day and a recovery the next, Ben Bernanke is assuring me that  the financial crisis is over, and the price of gold is making my head spin. Brazil is boosting its export market to the USA, and I’m sitting here in Hangzhou, China… watching the country continue to build, build, build. It’s a lot for me to wrap my head around. It probably is for you, too. While leading verticals like Toptenwholesale.com and its network of sites (manufacturer.com, wholesaleu.com, offpricenetwork.com) help buyers locate general merchandise, apparel, accessories, gifts, electronics, handbags, jewelry, toys, and more… there’s a few others in the industry that seem to have a better handle on reality than most right now. A great example of one of them is DollarDays, a wholesale distributor who offers some superb options to the people who are either preparing for lean times in the job market… or maybe even those who are looking for something to bring revenue in while they are unemployed!

Let’s face it, in the middle of this non-recession(?), it pays to have a set of alternatives up your sleeve. I’ve mentioned the rise of opportunities during these economic hard times before, and I’ll say it again: this kind of market presents a lot of chances to service customers who are looking for the best deals, and the most personalized service. While the big box retailers do fine at their job of moving massive amounts of goods, they fail at identifying each customer’s needs on a case-by-case basis. This is where you step in, and make everything right for the frustrated consumer who needs immediate attention! DollarDays offers a whole bunch of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs as well as a quick-install, affordable option to start your own online store.

Here’s some additional highlights:

• This is a company that sells over 25,000 different wholesale goods on its website, and they are very interested in helping you to begin and grow your own business.

• Visitors have a choice between getting set up through their affiliate program, or by allowing the option to stock and sell their own goods.

• While there are hundreds – if not thousands – of sites that sell DollarDays goods, there are also plenty of brick and mortar stores that stock their products as well.

• If you don’t have the space to stock products, DollarDays offers a convenient drop-ship program that allows venders to drop-ship certain products by the piece.

• If you plan on buying a lot of goods from DollarDays, you can enroll in their Platinum Program, which could mean huge savings for you.

Look out for the twitter and facebook links on their site as well, and while you’re at it… make sure you get connected to our pages as well, where you can sign up to receive tweets, feeds, and updates from us about all the ways you’ll continue to Find it. Source it. Profit!

R.G. Riley: Profile of an Off-Price Powerhouse!

What makes a seller successful? In simple terms, it all comes down to how well you manage your business, and how easy you make it for the customer to take part in a transaction, right? Well, that’s the boring textbook version… while you can easily find a huge array of companies like these on the pages of Toptenwholesale.com and its network of sites featuring manufacturer.com,wholesaleu.com,andoffpricenetwork.com, I’d like to point out that one particular seller is certainly worthy of being featured in today’s blog post: R.G. Riley.

“All the consumers are looking for a value, so we’re

able to provide that value and that price because of

the volume we buy.”

R.G. Riley proves that sticking to a game plan is crucial to success, by offering only wholesale closeouts and graded irregular t-shirts, sweat shirts, sweat pants and related active wear. With featured products from Hanes, Fruit of the Loom, Gildan, Badger, Russell,  Delta, and other labels… this company has been in the business of bringing customers the right fit at the right price for over 75 years. Simplicity seems to be the theme with this powerhouse seller too, as they  specialize in case lot prepacks, which are sold by the case. Determining unit cost is as simple as dividing the case price by the number of prepack units. Anyone can do this kind of math! In addition to a simple selling strategy, R.G. Riley’s high-volume inventory changes by over 40,000 dozen per week. Visit their website sometime, to find everything you need from the company’s main contact information, links to tradeshow activity, a public online catalog and a secure online ordering system. They even offer a web site help page that explains the online catalog and ordering modules in detail, and an FAQ page that addresses many common questions and provides additional information about ordering, delivery, and company terms and policies. If that isn’t enough, you can even check out their facility by taking a virtual tour with online pictures, too!

R.G. Riley is an outstanding wholesale clothing distributor featuring inexpensive clothing, including irregular clothing and overstock apparel. Their customers include discount stores, chain stores, food and drug stores, ebay.com merchants, flea market vendors, dollar stores, general merchandise stores, thrift and goodwill stores, as well as charitable organizations. They will also be on display next year, at the following venue:

Off-Price Specialist Show

February 14 through February 17th, 2010

Las Vegas, Nevada

Sands Convention center

Salon A

As a leader in the off-price wholesale clothing industry, R.G. Riley asks do you resell inexpensive irregular clothes and off-price apparel? Do you need irregular clothing and overstock wholesale apparel in all size ranges from Mens, Missy, Boys, Girls, Infant, Toddler, and Plus Sizes? If the answer is yes, then you should make a call, send an email, or at least browse their site today!

November Web 2.0 Expo; TopTen Wholesale has a Discount for You!

I’ve got some big news to share with all of you, and it’s a little on the time-sensitive side… so I’m going to keep today’s post short and sweet. Some of you already know about the Web 2.0 EXPO coming up in November 2009… and that’s great, because it’s a major event geared towards getting some of the most innovative minds behind SEO, web-based marketing, and search-based information management under one roof at the same time. However, if you are one of the people who don’t know about this show… you really might want to stop what you’re doing now, and take just a few minutes to read this!

According to Web 2.0 EXPO, if you happen to be any of these people listed below, you might want to consider going to this event:

• Business strategists
• Web and UI designers
• Product managers
• Marketing professionals
• CxOs and IT managers
• Business managers
• Developers in established companies
• Grass roots developers and hackers
• Companies and organizations tracking emerging technologies
• VCs and entrepreneurs

Starting to get the picture? I reckon if you’re reading this, you are probably going to fall under at least one of these categories. If you want more details about the organization or the show, you can get the longer version of the story on the Web 2.0 EXPO site… or you can just follow a few simple steps, which I will now give you:

• Go to the Web 2.0 EXPO pre-registration page, and get your information plugged into the online form. It’s going to ask you for a little bit of information, but it’s well worth the 5 minutes it might take you to do it.

• Here’s the best part… Toptenwholesale.com is going to give you a little something to help you get a head-start on this amazing show. We’re giving you a discount code that will automatically set you up with a 30% discount on your registration fee! When you get past pre-registration, you will have a chance to enter the discount code… and the one you should use is:

• webny09twc66

• Okay, now that you’ve just saved some money… fire up Twitter on your PC, and copy-and-paste the following piece of text into your message line, and tweet it to your followers:

• Use discount code webny09twc66 for 30% off a Web 2.0 Expo New York conference pass—discount ends October 30! #w2e

• Done deal. You’ve now given all of your customers, partners, and friends a discount code that will allow them to enjoy the same benefits we’ve extended to you! On top of all that, you could also post this discount code on your facebook page, or any other social networking site of your choice. Don’t be afraid to include it in your monthly, weekly, or daily email newsletters and updates as well… since it’s sure to drive more traffic to your site, as your curious recipients will be asking you what all the hubbub is about.

Pretty easy, right? Don’t wait too long, though… this offer is only good until October 30. If you have questions, let us know, and we’ll do our best to get you the straight answers. Last but not least, we’ll hopefully be seeing you in New York… at the Web 2.0 EXPO in November!

“Find it. Source it. Profit!” with TopTenWholesale: copyright 2009

Yes, it’s official — we’ve adopted an official slogan and service mark to help wholesalers, manufacturers, retailers, importers, exporters, drop shippers, and any entrepreneur identify us easily. A slogan should be simple, self explanatory, and easy to remember. More importantly, it should break down the goals of a company in laymen terminology so that anyone can understand it. We think you will all find this helpful when trying to identify our brand and our employees, partners and colleagues know understand our main mission: Helping people Find valuable trading Sources so they can Profit from the relationship.

Give us your feedback. Let us know what you think!

Go and visit our properties: TopTenWholesale.com , WholesaleU.com , OffPriceNetwork.com , Manufacturer.com , Wholezilla.com .. Above all, “Find it. Source it. Profit!” and Happy Wholesaling to all.

Tip your hat to San Diego’s Top Attorneys and Law Firm

I’ve retained dozens of attorneys and firms over the last 8 years. Finding council who understands ones business and personal needs is not only a daunting and tiring task, but a mission that rarely gets accomplished. It’s no secret that just about every business will need the help of a competent attorney or law firm at some point, and my only advise is that you shop around and get comfortable with someone before that time comes. Shopping for an attorney out of desperation usually leaves one to make choices they will regret! Let me see if I can offer a helping hand to anyone in need of council for a complex or minor issue in the state of California.

JP Communications INC went through a relatively complex merger this year. Our targets where dual: a corporation in California and one in Hangzhou, China. This acquisition had to be crafted very carefully, on a budget, on time and in the best interests of all parties and shareholders involved. When looking for a San Diego law firm who handled mergers and acquisitions, we decided to choose Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves and Savitch. We met with an M&A specialist, Roger Rappoprot, who simply put together a merger plan with a well thought out strategy that not only got our deal accomplished on time, but the detail and care Roger gave to us and to our deal was almost unheard of. For the sake of confidentiality, I can not disclose any terms of the deal, but I can say that anyone considering financing, venture capital, merging, acquiring, or any other complex matter should not put any second thoughts into consulting Mr Rappoport. Now, don’t let me stop here…..

San Diego California Business Attorneys

So, weeks after finishing our deal, we needed a solid litigator to assist us with an issue that arouse. Before this issue could get out of hand, we needed someone who understood the business side and personal dynamics of a rather complicated problem. Finding a detailed litigator who understand employment , labor and other areas of law that you can trust to get the job done with a strategy that wont cost an arm and a leg is not the simplest goal to achieve. Too many attorneys are concerned with running up a bill on a client and feeding the pockets of a firm. Not Mr Spencer Skeen of Procopio. Spencer has just an amazing ability to negotiate, understand , form strategy and get a matter settled — Quickly and very effectively. I only wish I could tell you all more……

I also feel that too many people do not take the time to refer and publicly recommend a damn good attorney. Let me see if i can set some precedent here and steer some of you in the right direction. Please take my advise and retain someone you like before it’s too late. We’ve found a great firm in Procopio and I hope that you all can make the right business decisions in follow that same lead.

Good luck and Cheers!

ASD Trade Show and China Brand a Huge Success….

The show is winding down and the exhibits are being dismantled. So, what’s the consensus??? Given the state of the economy and all the facts surrounding the marketplace, the ASD and China Brand Trade Shows were a huge success. From what we can estimate, and the numbers from the show are not out yet, over 35,000 buyers flooded the Sands and Las Vegas Convention Centers looking for new deals on wholesale goods, closeouts, imports, gifts, housewares and jewelry. Talk amongst the exhibitors was mixed. There were vendors like Via Trading , Kole Imports, Four Seasons, Kachina Eye wear, Jay-Y Sunglasses who specialize in middle-lower end goods who had smashing shows. On the other end of the spectrum, there were exhibitors in the higher end of the market who just didn’t do that well. Buyers were looking for deals. Here are some pics you can check out from the ASD and China Brand Trade Show

The show took place in 2 different venues. The Sands Convention and the Las Vegas Convention Center. This marked a real changing of the times. Over the last 10 years, I’ve seen a lot of shuffling, and have to say that one has to stay on top of the news if you want to keep abreast of the exhibitor locations. This was the first time in over a decade that the Jewelry Show did not take place in the mirage. Due to economic and contractual reasons, ASD decided to move the jewelry show over to the Sands. Was it a good move?? I don’t know….There were some exhibitors who despised displaying their high end loose diamonds and exotic — very expensive — jewelry in a general merchandise type setting. The exhibits in the Sands are not typically known for their luster, but for their low pricing and generic flavor. I’ll admit that high end jewelry exhibitors looked out of place. A high end cash and carry event should take place in an environment that feels warm and welcome. Not like a bazaar of general goods and items you’d see at a flea market , off price chain, dollar store, drug store or independent shop. However, and to the flip side, the consolidation of the 2 shows lead to more foot traffic. If the traffic resulted in buyers, there would be a smiling faces…We just don’t know yet.

In all, the show brought in the usual suspects and the final numbers of the show will dictate the rest of the 4th Q and 1st Q of 2010. I can’t say that it was the strongest show ever, but it was well above anyone’s expectations. Next year will mark yet another change as the show gets ready to shift all of the exhibitors to the LVCC for the first time ever. In the coming years, the show will be shifting venues every other year. it would be a real smart idea to start communicating to your buyers about booth # changes and a really good idea for the ASD show to start announcing all the coming changes. I look forward to seeing all of the follow up from ASD about the event and the video that was taken. The feedback from the exhibitors should be interesting. More interesting though, was the 2nd China Brand Show. Blog post to come on that soon…..Let’s just say the relations between ASD and China are getting very strong.

We’re off to the Off Price Show in 2 weeks. By the time we get back, we should be able to provide a final wrap up of the new products, sales, state of the economy, future, and facts surrounding the 2009 ASD Trade Show. By the way , I did find out something new — no longer is it the ASD/AMD Trade Show. It is now the ASD Trade Show. Take note. And….

Happy Wholesaling!

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.

Off Price Retailers knocking em’ Dead!

The headlines of the Wall Street Journal read today that “Retail Sales Fall Again”……Except, there were a couple of bright spots…Off Price and General Merchandise. While the mid-range to end retailers like Abercombie , Macy’s , Nordstroms continue to get smashed due to the lack of purchasing power and credit of the consumer, companies like TJ Maxx , Marshalls and WalMart are tearing it up.

TJ Maxx posted posted 4% increase in same store sales and many other big box ‘tailers selling branded goods for cheap or dollar store items are literally on fire. These guys are raising earnings estimates and beating the heckle out the once might luxury brands.

What’s this mean for you?? Once again, and I go out on a limb to say this, the world of general merchandise, off price, dollar stores, flea markets and discounts continues to be recession proof. yeah, there’s been consolidation, inventories have tightened and some payrolls have been cut — but consumers still need to shop and people need necessities.

I had a sales meeting this morning and brought up an old saying a boss and well respected CEO told me years ago when we went through a dip in early part of the decade : ” When the economy is good, you’ll find a BMW at a WalMart; When it’s bad, you just find more”….. True. I can’t even count the number of “wealthy” individuals I know that have now adapted a Target shopping strategy.

My only advise for wholesalers and manufacturers in this industry is to bark loudly right now. He who barks loudly gets herd the most and if you aint’ advertising to kingdom come your competitors are going to smash you when it does rebound. Seen it too many times. As a testament to practicing what we preach, even we have increased our ad budget and SEO budget right now. It’s just too damn crucial to YOUR survival.

Happy Wholesaling!