How Do I Locate Suppliers for an Online Apparel Business?

Sell your wares online.

It is extremely easy to find suppliers for your online apparel business by doing a simple search on the Internet. The difficult part is choosing the right one. There are a lot of scams out there, as well as legitimate companies that will keep most of the profit to themselves. If you want to choose an apparel supplier who will allow you some wiggle room in your budget so you can earn a profit as well, there are a few easy steps you must follow.

Things You'll Need

• Computer with Internet Access
• Printer
• Spreadsheet software
• Paper
• Highlighter

Instructions

1. 

   Choose your niche.

   Choose a niche. One of the most important decisions you will need to make when starting your online apparel business is the type of apparel and accessories you would like to sell. For example, if you would like to offer only designer couture, you may narrow your search to exclude suppliers who focus on sportswear. Also, if you will be selling designer couture, would you like to find suppliers for shoes, handbags and other accessories, or will you focus strictly on apparel?

2. 

   How will you ship your products to your consumers?

   Decide how to ship your products. If you want to avoid being stuck with costly inventory, choose a vendor that offers drop shipping. In many cases, you will not need to order your products from the vendor until you receive an order from a customer. The best vendors to work with will offer to ship the products directly to your customer in unlabeled packaging so your customers have no idea the product did not come directly from you.

3. 

   Choose a fee schedule.

   Determine what type of fee schedule you can afford. Some apparel vendors will charge an exorbitant setup fee up front, while others charge an ongoing monthly fee. If you do not have a lump sum of cash on hand to pay a setup fee, you may prefer a monthly fee. However, if the monthly fee is too high, it may be worth it for you, in the long run, to take out a small business loan in order to use an apparel supplier who charges a lump sum up front. Also, find out if the vendor offers a fee rebate to resellers who earn a certain amount of profit during a set period of time.

4. 

   Enter your data into a spreadsheet.

   Start a spreadsheet to compare your apparel suppliers. Add the name of each vendor to the first column. Title the other columns with each aspect that will affect your decision. For example, you will need a column to list whether a particular vendor offers drop shipping. Another column could be for the cost of the program. You might also enter information about which apparel designers and labels the supplier offers, as well as how extensive their collections are and how often they change their inventory. Enter the data for each apparel supplier you find into the appropriate columns until you have at least 20 to 30 from which to choose.

5. 

   Call the suppliers.

   Call the suppliers. Find out their qualifications. Ask questions about how long the supplier has been in business and how long it has been in the apparel industry. Ask if the supplier has employees who are specially trained in such areas as pattern design, fashion and other relevant fields. Also, ask for references and follow up with them to ask about their particular experiences with the supplier. Add this information to your spreadsheet.

6. 

   Make sure the numbers add up.

   Print your spreadsheet and analyze the numbers. Eliminate suppliers who are obviously more expensive or less desirable than the others. Highlight several vendors who are possibilities. Make your decision based on fact and reason, rather than your feelings or emotions, to narrow the list down to just a few possible apparel suppliers with whom you would like to establish a working relationship. You may find a particular vendor whose apparel you love, but make sure the numbers add up before choosing to work with them.

Tips & Warnings

• In the apparel industry, drop shipping is usually the way to go for a small business. Inventory tends to stale very quickly, and you could be stuck with a great deal of costly, unfashionable inventory if you attempt to store and ship for yourself.

References

• Wholesale Hub
• Wholesale Clothing
• Tips While Selecting Wholesale Clothing Supplier or Distributor

Resources

• Top Ten Wholesale