Do you know all major wholesale directories? There are at least 7 of such places that every drop shipper should know about. Read the blog for more information about them!
Sourcing products from wholesale directories might look like an enormous MMORPG, with thousands of businesses, both legit and scam, fighting for your attention. The good news is that you have tried-and-tested wholesale directories that can help you in your search. Let us take a look at Salehoo first and then provide you with some viable alternatives to it.
SaleHoo
It gathers over 10,000 vetted wholesale and dropship businesses listing well over 1.6 mln products. You will find here a broad spectrum of categories from clothing and furniture to electronics and phone accessories. The platform provides you with multiple free resources like market research tool and members-only forum, among others. SaleHoo main target is small businesses. If you don’t have an online store yet, they can also build it from scratch for you.
Customer support: 24/7 support
Fee: $67 per year
1. WorldwideBrands.com
Worldwide Brands is an alternative to Salehoo, the great predecessor of all wholesale directories, established in 1999 by the eBay seller, Chris Malta. Consisting of over 8,000 pre-screened suppliers, it offers 16 mln products. Why is it better than Salehoo? First and foremost, there is the higher chance of finding low-priced products due to their massive number – 10 times more items here than at Salehoo. You will also find a broad selection of product categories to choose from.
Customer support: 24/7 support
Fee: $299 for lifetime access
2. CodesWholesale.com
Different from other wholesale directories, it lists video games instead of suppliers’ contact details. Every time you want to get a given title, the system will provide you with the lowest-priced offer. At CodesWholesale.com, you get unlimited and instant access to over 2,000 digital games at competitive prices from over 400 screened suppliers. To make sourcing easier, you can integrate your website with top-notch e-commerce software, including Shopify, Magento, Opencart and WooCommerce. This way, games with products information and assets (developers name and website, DLC, release date, screenshots, trailer, PEGI rating, edition, and extension pack) will go automatically from our catalogue to your client. Best of all, you only pay for games you actually sell. There are no fees or long-term commitments. If you need the nitty-gritty of getting into the digital game business, read our previous article.
Customer support: from Monday to Friday: 9.00 a.m. -5.00 p.m. CEST
Fee: free
3. Inventory Source
It’s a product sourcing tool and dropship supplier directory that manages and automates orders. They have over 1 million products ranging from survival and camping to consumer electronics. All items are supplied by more than 180 wholesale suppliers globally. As the registered user, you will get the essentials like suppliers’ fees, contact information as well as their policies. Plus, access to volume discounts, exclusive brands, and seasonal promotions is guaranteed. Thanks to integration with Inventory Source, product details, pricing, images, and current stock levels will display at your own sales system. Also, they offer to build a website for you if you don’t have it yet.
Customer support: 24/7 support
Fee: monthly fee varies between $50 and $399
4. Dropship Direct
A dropship company based in the US aggregating over 120,000 products from around 100 suppliers across the world. Similar to the already-mentioned directories, it builds relationships with suppliers for you while charging reasonable fees. Product categories are pretty robust spanning home to electronics. Like a typical drop shipper, they store the inventory for you, pick-and-blind pack products as well as manage returns. Retailers should handle customer support only. Dropship Direct also allows you to add products to your online store along with images and, in most cases, product descriptions. One of the advantages is an option of integrating with Amazon, eBay, Shopify, Woocommerce, Bigcommerce, Magento, Opencart, and PrestaShop.
Customer support: by phone or email, phone hours: 10:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. (PT)
Fee: $37 a month
5. TheWholesaler.co.uk
It’s possibly the largest, free directory of the UK suppliers covering a wide assortment of products from aromatherapy to toys and games. All suppliers listed under categories with links to their websites are genuine and trustworthy resources. No messy, jumbled lists that you need to dig through for hours. The website is a must-have for retailers looking to sell licensed items, e.g. from Disney. There’s a dedicated Licensed Products category with a fully legit suppliers list. One of the pain-points is its customer support which is far from satisfactory.
Customer support: phone or contact form
Fee: free
6. TopTenWholesale.com
It caters to wholesale providers and resellers of products, both new and used, from agriculture and seasonal items to consumer electronics. TopTenWholesale.com provides you with stock from genuine suppliers. Registered users are free to post inquiries about specific products that will later be answered by suppliers. They do the shipping, warehousing, and fulfill orders. The website is not the best option for dropship businesses though, as you are required to buy in bulk. If you are a starter, go for more user-friendly alternatives.
Customer support: 24/7
Fee: free
7. WholesaleCentral.com
It’s one of the oldest, free to join wholesale directories with over 415,000 products from apparel and clothing to consumer electronics. It provides you with a comprehensive list of over 1,000 pre-screened suppliers and their contact details. You don’t need to register to start sourcing products. However, only registered users will gain access to Product Locator Service and trade publications. The former enables you to inquire wholesalers about products that are difficult to locate. WholesaleCentral.com may not be the best choice for beginners.
Customer support: phone or contact form
Fee: free
Wrapping it up
If you want to pick the right wholesale provider, you should definitely take a closer look at online wholesale directories. Product categories, membership rates, price-lists, customer service as well as trustworthiness are key elements you should consider before choosing a supplier. Never forget that your e-commerce business is as good as the supply partners you work with. All in all, the choice of a supplier will have a long-term impact on your business and how it is perceived by your customers.
And what if you don’t have an eCommerce business yet? Let me convince you to start one here.
About the author
- E-commerce owner and blogger. A trained accountant and an avid gamer. Healthy food aficionado.
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