[MUSIC PLAYING] COREY FERREIRA: So it's time to start searching for suppliers. You can use a number of different strategies, some more effective than others. In this lesson, we're only going to cover finding the suppliers. In the next lesson, we'll go through contact the suppliers and what to expect. So first is Google. The first method of finding supplier is using good old Google, does require a bit more patience and creativity on your part but many suppliers have been found after a bit of digging.
How you search will depend on what you're looking for and what you want to sell? For example, here are a few searches I might make for finding a matcha tea supplier, that will allow me to have my own brand or label on the tea-- dropshipping tea Toronto, wholesale tea supplier Toronto, wholesale tea Toronto, private label match a tea supplier, private label match a tea dropshipper.
If I get too few results or the results are any good special or something as specific as much a tea I might broaden the searches. So tea and coffee draw shippers, tea suppliers, white label tea, private rights tea and tea wholesalers. At this point, I would create a shortlist of suppliers, manufacturers and wholesalers I want to contact. It's important to create a list of as many potential dropship suppliers as possible.
If you're only able to find a few and they all say no or never get back to, you'll be back to square one. As I add suppliers to my list, I want to ensure that they fit my criteria. For myself, I'm looking for much of the suppliers that have low cost per unit, offer private labeling and have low shipping rates with the United States, since that's who I'm targeting. I would also go deep into the search results I'm getting. We need to assume that many of these manufacturers and suppliers aren't good at marketing.
Thus why they seek retailers to sell their products for them. As a result, they probably don't have good SEO either, which means they might be on the 10th page of a Google search you might be making. An addition, don't judge the quality or trustworthiness of your potential suppliers by the look of their website. Again, their specialty is manufacturing, not website design or marketing.
We determine how trustworthy supplier is by talking to them. As you're searching for suppliers, you might need to get creative. Here's a list of terms and modifiers I suggest, you try when looking for a supplier. Product wholesaler, product supplier, product dropshipper, product dropshipping, product manufacturer, product bulk, product reseller, product distributor, product warehouse.
If you get a lot of results containing a website that you don't want such as Dell express, simply add, quote, " aliexpress.com," quote, to your search like this-- product, dropshipping, quote, "-aliexpress.com," quote. Once I have a sufficient list of suppliers to contact, I would begin the process of contacting each of them via phone or email, which I'll get into in the next lesson.
A supplier directory is a database of suppliers, that's organized by market, niche or product. Many directories, employees, some sort of screening process to ensure the suppliers listed are genuine wholesalers. Most are run by for profit companies, who charge a fee for access to their directory. While membership directories can be helpful. So sure for brainstorming ideas, they are by no means necessary. If you already know the product or niche you want to sell, you should be able to find the major suppliers in your market with Google as described earlier plus once you start your business you likely won't need to revisit the directory, unless you need to find suppliers for other products.
That said, supplier directories are a convenient way to quickly search for and browse a large number of suppliers in one place and are a great way for brainstorming ideas for products to sell and niches to enter. If you're short on time and are willing to spend the money, they can be a helpful tool. There are a number of different supplier directories and a comprehensive review of all of them is beyond the scope of this course.
Instead, I'll highlight some of the most well-known supplier directories online. Please note that we are not endorsing any of these directories, we're simply providing you with some options. Worldwide Brands, quick stats, established 1999, thousands of wholesalers or 10 million products price 299 for a lifetime membership. Worldwide Brands is one of the oldest and best known supplier directories.
It advertises that it only includes suppliers that meet a set of guidelines to ensure legitimate quality wholesalers. I've used surgery in the past to find legitimate wholesalers and to brainstorm each000 ideas and I found it useful. If you want lifetime access to a quality directory and are comfortable with a larger one time payment, worldwide brands is a safe bet. SaleHoo-- quick stats established 2005, over 8,000 suppliers price $67 per year.
The SaleHoo supplier directory lists more than 8,000 bulk purchase and drop shady suppliers and seems to cater heavily to merchants on eBay and Amazon. Although I've never used SaleHoo to source products, its $67 annual price is one of the most compelling values among supplier directories and includes a 60 day money back guarantee. If you're comfortable paying for an annual membership or only need to use the directory temporarily, SaleHoo might be worth a look.
Doba-- quick stats. Established 2002. Hundreds of suppliers. Over 1.5 million products. Price-- $29 per month basic, $69 per month advanced, $249 per month Pro. Instead of simply listing suppliers, Doba Service integrates with dropshippers-- hence why they only have hundreds of suppliers-- allowing you to place or is with multiple warehouses using its centralized interface.
Higher tiered membership includes a Push to Marketplace tool that automates the process of listing items on eBay. Doba's centralized system offers more convenience than the other directories, which is why I imagine the pricing plans are significantly higher than the others. If you place a high value on convenience and find a proxy you want among other suppliers, Doba's interface might be worth the cost. However, if you identify quality suppliers on your own and don't mind working with them directly, you'll be able to save around $700 per year or more.
If there are only a few key suppliers in your niche, reducing the number of parties you have to coordinate with, this may be the way to go. Wholesale Central-- quick stats. Established 1996. 1,400 suppliers. 740,000 products. Price-- free. Unlike many other directories, there is no charge to search Wholesale Central for suppliers, because it charges suppliers a fee to be listed and also displays ads on their site.
They also claim to review and screen all suppliers to ensure that they are legitimate and trustworthy. It's difficult to argue with free. And there's no harm in browsing the listings at Wholesale Central. But you'll need to be a little bit more discriminating. None of the suppliers I found appear to be retailers selling to the public at wholesale prices, not something a supplier would do when offering real wholesale pricing. So while we're sure there are genuine wholesale opportunities listed, you may want to be a little bit more thorough with your due diligence.
These are not all the wholesale directories, but a few of the bigger ones. Let's go through one of them really quickly together. I'm going to go through Worldwide Brands since it's what I'm most familiar with. First, I'm going to log into my Worldwide Brands account and click Search Certified Wholesalers in my Dashboard. I would then search my product. In this case, I search macha tea and see what I get. From here, I can begin to browse my results.
One interesting result is full leaf tea company. Worldwide Brands and most other directories provide a ton of information, so that I can begin to determine whether or not the supplier fills my needs. Of course, just like before, I would create a shortlist of suppliers I want to contact. There's no guarantee the supplier I like will want to work with me or be reliable. Order from Competitors-- if you're having a hard time locating a supplier, you can always use the old order from the competition trick.
Here's how it works. Find a competitor you think has dropshipping and place a small order with that company. When you receive the package, Google the return address to find out what the original shipper was. In some cases, it will be a supplier you can contact. Tradeshows-- a tradeshow will allow you to connect with all the major manufacturers and wholesalers in a niche. It's a great way to make contacts and research your products and suppliers all in one spot.
This only works if you've already selected your niche and/or product. And it isn't feasible for everyone. But if you have the time and money to attend, it's a great way to get to know the manufacturers and suppliers in the market. One way to find upcoming shows in your local area is to do a quick Google search such as Wholesale Tradeshow Toronto or Wholesale Tradeshow Canada. All right. Now that we know where to find suppliers, let's actually contact them.
We'll do that together in the next lesson. [MUSIC PLAYING]