How to Buy Dry Dog Food in Bulk for Business

Whether you run a pet store, a mom-and-pop market or a grooming salon, if you sell dog food to customers, you can purchase that food at a reduced price in order to make a profit. Because there are so many varieties of dog food available and a wide range of prices, purchasing dry dog food in bulk requires market research and attention to dog-food quality. Depending on your customers' needs, you have some options for buying dry dog food for your business.

Instructions

1. Set up your business if you haven’t already. Dog food wholesalers may only distribute their product to licensed businesses. If you plan to remarket the dry dog food, this means you must first obtain a Federal Identification Number for tax purposes. You will not pay sales tax when you purchase the bulk dog food, but you must collect sales tax when you resell the food. Download an application and mail it in to the Internal Revenue Service.

2. Interview wholesale dog-food distributors and compare purchasing terms. Some distributors require a minimum amount in an initial order to establish a business account, but others will sell you bulk dry dog food in smaller quantities. Usually, the larger the amount you purchase, the better the price you receive.

3. Choose a distributor that sells the food your customers will purchase. After the dog-food contamination scare, new manufacturers cropped up, offering a wider variety of dog foods and guarantees for their safety. In addition, distributors began offer testing assurances to their retail customers. Ask what safety procedures the manufacturer or distributor uses to guarantee the quality of the food. Most customers will pay a little more for safe dog food.

4. Consider purchasing a dog-food franchise in order to offer a wide variety of dry dog food to your customers. The nice thing about a dog-food franchise is that the business and marketing aspects are already developed. When you buy the franchise, you receive an advertising plan, suggested demographics and training in how best to sell the product. (See Resources.)

Tips & Warnings

• Store bulk food in airtight containers if you repackage the food before distributing it to your customers. The government requires that you provide an exact reproduction of the ingredient list and contact information of the manufacturer, along with your own contact information. You can print large stickers with the required information and stick them on plain bags bearing your logo to personalize the repackaged dry dog food and to offer your customers an incentive to return.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Dog-food franchise opportunities.