How to find a supplier for an online store: ideas, manufacturers' databases and practical advice. How to make money selling clothes from China and find suppliers Suppliers from Europe and the USA

How to find a business supplier? We will give a detailed answer to this question in this article. Let's talk about the types, categories and differences of suppliers. Where and how to look for them, what points to pay attention to when choosing and further negotiations.

Supplier types

There are 2 types of suppliers on the market.

1. Manufacturers - manufacturers of products engaged in direct wholesale deliveries.
2. Distributors - resellers of the manufacturer's products, wholesale selling it at a premium.
3. Exclusive distributors - representatives of the manufacturer.

It is always beneficial to cooperate directly with manufacturers. They are characterized by stable supply and low prices. Responsible for the quality of manufactured and sold products. They often offer favorable terms of cooperation to regular wholesale buyers: additional discounts, deferred payments, etc.

But we must understand that not all manufacturers make contact with individual entrepreneurs and small shops. For them, large organizations are a priority. And for individual entrepreneurs and small businesses there are distributors.

The disadvantage of working with resellers is the price - it is higher than if the goods were purchased from the manufacturer. But distributors have fewer requirements for cooperation: they work with small businesses and are ready to supply small quantities of goods.

If you are an individual entrepreneur or a small company, then you should not immediately look for a distributor. To get started, contact the sales department of the manufacturer of the product you are interested in. And only in case of refusal, you can resort to the help of resellers.

Categories of suppliers: foreign and domestic

Domestic

Finding domestic suppliers is easy. It is enough to use any search engine or browse online directories, such as Yandex.Catalog.

You can always find a manufacturer or an intermediary that works in the desired region.

When working with domestic companies:

• increases the speed of workflow;
• transportation costs are reduced;
• there are no communication problems;
• the risks of delays in deliveries are minimized;
• there is a chance to get individual terms of cooperation.

Moreover, you can choose a supplier that will meet your requirements.

Foreign

First, difficulties begin already in the search process. For example, not many foreign suppliers work with small wholesale for or retail outlets. They prefer to cooperate with large companies and industrial scale supplies.

Secondly, there are almost always problems with communication. Or you need an interpreter for telephone conversations. Or you have to wait a long time for an answer by e-mail: it may take several days for the letter to be read, for the letter to be translated.

Also, do not forget that the cost of cooperation with foreign companies is higher than with domestic ones. Yes, and you will have to pay a lot: for transportation, for customs clearance and other obligatory payments.

Where to look for a supplier

Now it's worth talking about where you can look for suppliers in your business.

In "Yandex" and Google

This is the very first, simple but effective way.

To find companies of interest, it is enough to enter the desired product in the search box and add “wholesale” at the end. The search engine will display a list of sites from which you can already choose.

First of all, you should pay attention to the first sites marked "Advertising". If companies invest in, then there is a high probability that they are ready to cooperate.

It is also necessary to look through various online directories. They usually have a convenient filter that you can customize to your liking and get a list of companies of interest.

Getting acquainted with the offers on the Internet, it is necessary to study the conditions of cooperation, the proposed assortment and prices. It is desirable to find reviews about a particular supplier.

Profile printed editions

Often in thematic business magazines, newspapers and catalogs, suppliers or intermediaries publish their ads. It is worth finding such publications and reviewing all the proposals, and then communicate with interested candidates.

Typically, such publications publish proposals of domestic companies. Often you can find foreign intermediaries.

Profile events

One of the most effective ways to find a supplier is to visit forums, exhibitions and seminars. This is a great opportunity to immediately personally communicate about the products you are interested in, the terms of cooperation and prices. You can also discuss discounts and other points.

This method requires small investments - often attendance at such events is paid.

Websites of competitors

It is enough to find the sites of your competitors on the Internet and carefully analyze them.

Sometimes, for example, online stores indicate their suppliers on a separate page. But many do not openly disclose such information. However, you can always call under the guise of a buyer and ask whose products a competitor is selling.

If a competitor is an online store, then you should study its catalog. Often you can see watermarks on the photo of goods - this means that the image is taken from the official website of the manufacturer.

Letters in your email

If you already have a website or an online store, then you will find several offers from suppliers in your mailbox. Look for them in your Spam and Inbox folders.

Having considered the most interesting proposals, you can call the interested companies to clarify the conditions and nuances of cooperation.

How to choose the most reliable supplier

Finding a supplier is not difficult. Difficulties arise when it is necessary to choose the most reliable among those found. And here you need to be careful.

To begin with, you should understand that if you sent questions of interest by e-mail, then the manager answered them. These experts are not always able to give comprehensive answers. Sometimes they even conduct a dialogue using template scripts.

It is more efficient to call the suppliers yourself.

When speaking on the phone, you need to be confident. Record each answer to a question. Based on the list of candidates' answers, it will be possible to select the most reliable ones.

What questions should be asked.

• On the quality of production: materials and production technology.
• On the conditions of cooperation: delivery, its terms and price.
• About payment: prepayment, partial, deferred payment.
• About the minimum batch quantities that can be ordered.
• About the availability of the desired product.

The more questions you have, the more information you can get. And perhaps you can learn about some of the pitfalls of cooperation. But usually they pop up already in the process. This also needs to be taken into account.

It is advisable to personally meet with the supplier to view samples of the products offered.

If everything suits you, then you can sign the contract. Only for this it is necessary to hire a lawyer so as not to fall for the tricks of an unscrupulous firm.

What else to pay attention to

Before signing the contract, you need to pay attention to 3 more points.

1. The document must necessarily indicate the responsibility for the quality of the delivered goods. And also all the necessary certificates are attached to it.
2. If the supplier has the opportunity to get a discount, then you should take advantage of this. But sometimes you can get it only after several deliveries. Each company has its own conditions, so they should be discussed in advance.
3. The contract must clearly state the frequency of deliveries and the responsibility of the supplier for their delay.

Before signing the contract, spend 10-20 minutes reading it carefully. But it is better to entrust this task to a lawyer who can immediately detect pitfalls and warn about them in advance.

How to negotiate: what you need to be interested in

When negotiating with a potential supplier, you need to find out:

• Is the company ready to conclude an agreement with you - for example, if you are an individual entrepreneur and you need small deliveries of goods.
• What terms of deliveries and prices adheres to.
• There are some conditions under which you can get a discount.
• What is the minimum quantity to be ordered for the first time.
• Are there certificates for the offered goods.
• How often is the stock and inventory updated?
• Does the supplier notify customers when new products are received.
• What payment methods are available.
• Under what conditions is the return of the goods and within what time frame.

And, of course, you need to get full information about the product.

Questions in negotiations must be asked and formulated clearly. Only after receiving the information of interest, you can proceed to signing a contract or refusing to cooperate.

Additional 5 ways to find a supplier

In conclusion, we will share 5 more ways that will make the search for a supplier more efficient.

1. Find wholesalers in your city and talk to representatives of each of them. Get comprehensive information about each and choose the right ones.
2. Explore wholesale depots in other cities. Particular attention should be paid to the capital - usually they offer favorable conditions and a wide range.
3. Look for a supplier in China. To do this, you need to personally go looking abroad, as this is more effective than blind correspondence by mail or instant messengers. It will not be superfluous to immediately find an interpreter.
4. Find suppliers on AliExpress and request price lists. Then choose the most attractive prices and discuss the terms of cooperation and deliveries.
5. Delegate the search for a supplier to an intermediary company. That is, to give this task to a specialized company. You will have to pay money, but this will help save time and quickly find the right supplier.

Cooperation with Aliexpress has disadvantages. For example, difficulties in assembling a wholesale order or obtaining documents. Delivery of a batch of goods may take several weeks. Plus, in some countries there are restrictions on receiving goods from Aliexpress.

Now you know how to find a supplier for your business. It remains only to use the above tips.

This is a fairly profitable way to earn as an intermediary. Entrepreneurial businessmen will quickly reach a significant number of real and potential fashion buyers if they have sociability, online sales skills and enviable patience.

Moreover, trading goods via the Internet, using special applications for gadgets, e-mail mailings and notifications about ongoing promotions and sales, attracting an audience of social networks, it will not be difficult to quickly form a base of regular customers through the catalog.

Relevance and features of running an online clothing store

Not everyone still knows where it is better to look for reliable and trusted clothing suppliers from famous brands, and it will also be important to decide what criteria should be used to select permanent partners in this type of business.

Special permission or receipt when creating an online store is not required to work on the territory of the Russian Federation. When opening (in particular, an online store), it is enough to have your passport and TIN on hand.

After filling out a certain application form, notarizing it and a copy of the passport, as well as paying the state duty, the documents for starting a business are submitted to the tax office. Having taken the documents, made a seal, opened a bank account for an individual entrepreneur, notifying the tax authorities about the opening of an account, and also having an income book, you can start your business through the sale of an online clothing store.

For this business, you can list the following benefits:

• record keeping;
• Small costs at the initial stage of doing business;
• Freedom in the disposal of funds in an open bank account.

When creating and running software package, you can not only do it on your own or with the help of representatives of a third-party organization when an online store is developed to order, but also through:

• Purchase of a copy with a typical software package;
• Registration (signing of contracts);
• Acquisition of software under SAAS (as a service).

The SAAS service involves the signing of a license agreement. This will provide a range of services and professional support for the goods sold by highly qualified specialists.

Features of work: orient yourself in a variety of clothing directions

When trading goods via the Internet, store owners offer customers to choose the most appropriate payment method when forming a purchase order, while indicating the appropriate type of delivery in the order.

These requirements apply to the online trade of women's, children's and men's clothing, including a range of work and garden clothing. For any of the listed types of clothing, it is important to decide in advance on the demanded and useful assortment.

Studying activities and sales potential competitors, systematically browsing catalogs of branded clothing created for adults and children, as well as getting acquainted with the conditions of sales, organized promotions, it will not be difficult to quickly navigate the demands of the market. It is important to comply with them, to acquire liquid goods, to refuse low-quality products.

In addition to franchising, when a contract is drawn up or a special agreement is signed for the purchase of an online store with a certain software rental period, it is most profitable to open your own business for the sale of inexpensive clothes. This applies to all types of purchased clothing.

However, if the use of franchising conditions involves not only the provision of software, the supply of fully debugged schemes for working with specific brands, but also the availability of samples of all documentation, which contributes to reliability in remote sales, then Chinese goods will have to be worked out independently.

clothes accepted to qualify By:

1. Purpose (everyday, festive, home, uniform, solemn, sports, overalls).
2. Method of use (underwear, light, top, beach, corset, headwear).
3. Season (demi-season, summer, winter).
4. Gender (female and male).
5. Age (children, teens, adults and the elderly).
6. Designs (types of cut).
7. Silhouette (straight, semi-adjacent, adjacent, trapezoidal).

With a focus on this variety of clothing, it is necessary to form an assortment of the online store catalog, focusing on the target audience - potential and real customers.

If you have not yet registered an organization, then the easiest this can be done using online services that will help you generate all the necessary documents for free: If you already have an organization and you are thinking about how to facilitate and automate accounting and reporting, then the following online services come to the rescue, which will completely replace an accountant at your plant and save a lot of money and time. All reporting is generated automatically, signed with an electronic signature and sent automatically online. It is ideal for an individual entrepreneur or LLC on the simplified tax system, UTII, PSN, TS, OSNO.
Everything happens in a few clicks, without queues and stress. Try it and you will be surprised how easy it got!

Supplier types

For more successful online sales, practiced schemes for working with suppliers of clothing of various purposes, acceptable conditions for cooperation with each of them, will come in handy. When looking for specific clothing suppliers, it is necessary to study in advance the specifics of the product, the demand in the market for certain categories, so that you can correctly form.

The largest suppliers are clothing manufacturers, while the smaller ones are intermediaries. For beginners in this type of business, it is proposed to start working with intermediaries who are ready to supply goods in small lots. This is beneficial at the initial stage, when a new project has just been launched, and the business owner has already managed to register his status as an individual entrepreneur or decided to become a legal entity,.

Criteria for evaluation and selection of clothing suppliers

Among the most important criteria in the evaluation and selection of clothing suppliers, the concept of "fashion" comes to the fore.

It is essential that the clothes displayed on the windows of the online store are not only stylish and relevant, but also correspond to the specifics of the product. Stylish clothes that are fully consistent with Western fashion, as well as avant-garde design solutions are a powerful argument for choosing the right supplier of quality branded clothing.

It is equally important when choosing a specific supplier of adult or children's clothing, to take into account the specific tastes of the local population, the region covered, as well as the seasonality of sales and the most favorable conditions for the delivery of ordered lots in large and small wholesale.

Search Methods

Most common methods to find suitable suppliers are:

• Internet directories with search engine queries;
• Actual advertising and links;
• Base of suppliers in special catalogs and published online lists;
• Reference books and catalogs delivered by mail;
• Up-to-date information from ongoing exhibitions and organized conferences;
• Suppliers of potential competitors;
• Proven and reputable manufacturers in their own or nearby regions;
• Foreign suppliers (representatives) of branded goods.

Work schemes

The simplest and most proven option is own warehouse in the online store. But in this case, it is important that the demand for goods imported in the system does not decrease, but that at the initial stage it fully covers the costs of renting warehouse space.

You can use the scheme of working with suppliers of adult or children's branded clothing when the goods are imported for a specific customer order. To do this, you do not need to maintain a large warehouse, and online sales will take place in a mode where, after submitting an application for the desired product, the employees of the online store check the actual availability of the goods from the supplier. Upon confirmation of the application, an advance payment is made, all organizational issues for the delivery of the required batch of clothing for adults or children to the client's address specified in the order are agreed in advance.

If this overalls or uniforms required for employees, service personnel, it is best to cooperate directly with the clothing manufacturer. As for children's clothing, this type of product requires the request for appropriate quality certificates and hygienic conclusions. Working directly with the manufacturer, the delivery time to the buyer of clothes will be minimal.

Can be used complex sales, forming requests for supplies from the warehouse of the online store and directly from suppliers. These are more complex schemes that require cooperation with trusted intermediaries or manufacturers who already have a certain amount of clothing in their warehouses.

Do not forget about the possibility of working on the system.

On sale may be collections of brands, serial production. It is supposed to supply standard products manufactured by factories in full accordance with the approved design, fashionable cut - clothing for leisure, home, leisure.

For information on where to find suppliers for an online clothing store and how to work with them correctly, see the following video:

One of the most important factors for is the right choice of suppliers. Your profit, the quality of the goods sold and the number of complaints and returns from customers will depend on this.

Before you start searching for a product in which you will work. This will significantly affect the strategy of doing business and building relationships with suppliers and customers.

Provider- this is a legal entity or an individual entrepreneur engaged in the sale of manufactured or purchased goods to other legal entities, individual entrepreneurs, as well as individuals for use in business activities or for other purposes not related to personal, family, home and other similar use , including an organization, an individual entrepreneur, carrying out activities for the import of goods from abroad for its subsequent sale.

Where can I get goods for sale in the online store?

Most often, independent production of products is used by those who consider the sale of goods as a hobby or. With your own hands, you can produce a variety of goods, ranging from jewelry to body care products. In the case of hand made, you will only need to purchase consumables.

Among the advantages of this type of production of goods are low initial costs and complete control over product quality and prices. The disadvantages include spending a lot of time directly on the manufacture of goods. This can become an obstacle to business development and scaling. In addition, the range of products will be limited by your skills and abilities.

A profitable option for purchasing products for an online store can be the manufacture of goods in factories and factories to order. You can search for a manufacturer both in your own country and abroad, which often comes out cheaper. Most often, the choice falls on Chinese and Taiwanese companies, which can be accessed through the Alibaba platform.

Ordering goods from the manufacturer is suitable for those who have a unique idea and are confident in their success. The advantages of this method of supplying products are the low cost of goods and quality control. However, you need to remember that manufacturers require an advance and a minimum order quantity. As a result, a trial batch of goods can cost you several thousand dollars. In addition, when working with third parties, you will need some time to establish contacts and overcome legal and language barriers.

Wholesale purchases

This type of purchase of goods is characterized by a relatively simple process. You purchase finished goods from other manufacturers or wholesalers (dealers, resellers, distributors) at a wholesale price and retail at a higher cost in your store. This business model is less risky than in-house production. You will buy products that have already been tested by the market and get rid of the need to make a large minimum order.

Bulk purchases are suitable for those who want to have a large assortment of goods. It is also a great way to promote domestic brands in other countries. Often manufacturers are not quick and do not sell their products abroad. You can take advantage of this omission and become a large wholesaler with good turnover.

When choosing this method of purchasing goods, remember that you will have to compete with other stores. In addition, the price and terms of delivery of products will depend on the manufacturer. Also, with a large range of brands, you will have to contact a large number of suppliers, which takes a lot of time.

Dropshipping

This term refers to the direct delivery of goods that do not actually belong to you. An order will be arranged through you and sent to your supplier (manufacturer or wholesaler). That, in turn, will ship the goods to the client on behalf of your store. Your profit will be the difference between the cost of goods from the manufacturer and the price for the final buyer.

Dropshipping is one of the best options for beginner online stores. You will not need to purchase goods and store them. There is also no risk of buying products that no one will need.

If you decide to engage in this particular type of trade, then keep in mind that this is a highly competitive business. Also, do not count on a large margin per unit of goods. In order to get a good profit, you will have to increase sales volumes, which is not always possible at the start. If the supplier for some reason cannot deliver the goods on time, you will have to communicate with the buyers and resolve this problem.

It's no secret that the number of orders in online stores is growing every year. Moreover, experts predict that this figure will increase in the next few years. Now you can order almost anything online, be it a T-shirt or even a car. However, some niches are much wider than others and are in high demand among buyers.

According to Statista, online sales grew by 9% to 1.66 billion people. The total turnover of online sales amounted to $2290 billion, which is 23% more than in 2016. According to experts' forecasts, by 2021 the turnover will increase by 95%.

According to the Data Insight agency, in 2017 the most popular categories of online stores in Russia were appliances and electronics (27%), clothing and footwear (21%), department stores (18%), home goods (11%). Less demanded goods were auto parts (6%), as well as goods for children (3%), food (2%), beauty and health products (4%).

Despite this, even the most unpopular niches showed a steady increase in orders. For example, in 2015/2016, the growth in sales of food and pet products was 63%, beauty and health - 51%, goods for children - 49%, goods for home and repair - 34%.

Export of goods abroad

As for the sale of goods to other countries of the world, according to the same agency for 2017, in the countries of Eastern and Western Europe, the most popular products were clothing and footwear (40%), home goods (27%) and electronics (9%) . Books (8%) and collectibles (7%) were also in demand.

Suppliers of goods for your online store can be:

• Manufacturer. This is a direct supplier that you can work with directly. As a rule, cooperation directly with the manufacturer of goods is more profitable and reliable. The absence of intermediaries and extra links makes it possible to purchase products at lower prices and offer good buying conditions to your customers.

The manufacturer can be both domestic and foreign. Each product category has its own leaders and proven companies. The manufacturer does not have to be a large factory. Sometimes it can be representatives of medium and even small businesses. The advantage of working with a manufacturer is long-term cooperation and more favorable conditions compared to distributors. However, not everything is so simple here. Often, large manufacturers do not want to cooperate with small shops, since their orders are quite small on an industrial scale. Because of this, store owners have to build relationships with intermediaries who make large orders.

• Distributor. In most cases, goods are purchased not from manufacturers, but from large intermediaries. Usually distributors offer simple and flexible terms of cooperation. But the cost of production in this case is higher than that of the manufacturer.

Such companies work with any stores, so you can choose any volume of orders. In addition, distribution companies often work with several manufacturers, so they offer a good selection of brands.
The downside of such a supplier may be overlaps with the delivery of goods and delays in the transmission of information about new positions.

• Exclusive supplier. To more effectively promote their products among customers, some major manufacturers give their representatives the exclusive right to represent their products. These exclusive suppliers offer lower prices than regular distributors and are also willing to provide favorable purchasing terms. However, start-up entrepreneurs may have problems here. Large enterprises try to work with large buyers and do not conclude contracts with small companies. In this case, you will have to purchase goods from ordinary distributors.

If you do not yet have an established supplier base, then the logical question arises where to find them. Today, there are many options for finding potential manufacturers and suppliers.

Search engines

One of the easiest and most affordable ways to find a supplier of goods is to search Google, Yandex and other search engines. You can enter several options for queries, for example, “men's hats to buy in bulk” or “men's hats to wholesale suppliers”.

Get ready for the fact that the results you need can only be found on page 10 or 15 of the search results. Many suppliers and manufacturers do not pay much attention to promotion on the Internet. Because of this, search engines display their sites on the last pages, and at the beginning they offer the services of resellers with optimized sites and inflated prices.

For this reason, you should not pay attention to the "beauty" of the site and its convenience. It is much more important to find information on how to contact company representatives, get a price list and terms of cooperation.

Although print publications are no longer as popular as they used to be, they can still provide useful information about suppliers. As a rule, such advertising is placed in special blocks.

You can also try to purchase a thematic edition related to the theme of your online store. It is likely that in it you will find contact details of suppliers of goods. Some publications post PDF versions of their magazines on the Internet, which is very convenient. In addition, in the printed edition you can find announcements about holding industry fairs and conferences.

It is most convenient to learn about such events in thematic magazines or websites. Large exhibitions attract a large number of suppliers offering their goods. Often they have stands with product samples and advertising catalogs with them.

This is a fairly efficient and convenient way to find a supplier. On the forum you can communicate with the direct representative of the company, find out the terms of cooperation and ask for the necessary contacts.

Exhibitions are also a great chance to get to know your competitors and find out what they have achieved. Also here you can meet newcomers in your field and understand what they want to offer customers.

Perhaps in your area there is a production that produces exactly the products that you need. In this case, you do not have to look for suppliers for a long time. You can come directly to their office or request a price list and terms of cooperation by e-mail.

A significant advantage of such cooperation can be a lower cost of goods than distributors. However, the option of working directly with the manufacturer is not always possible. Firstly, not all companies are ready to sell their products through online stores. Secondly, a large manufacturer may simply refuse to work with a start-up store that no one has heard of yet.

It is possible that representatives of other online stores will not give you information about their suppliers. However, you can still try to get the names of the companies. First of all, you need to study the photos on the site. They may have vendor watermarks that no one thought to remove. You can also request information about warranty service, which is often provided by suppliers. Finally, you can ask for quality certificates, which may also contain dealer stamps.

The advantage of this method of finding suppliers is that their goods have already been checked by others. You can safely order a trial batch for your store and see if it will be popular with customers.

In the shop

Go to the store and take a picture of a sticker with information about the importer or supplier of the goods you are interested in.

On specialized Internet sites

There are several Internet sites in Belarus where you can find a supplier. All companies are divided into thematic directories to facilitate the search process.

Most popular resources:

In Russia:

In Europe:

In America:

• Find out the sample cost. Before ordering a product, you may need a sample to study. Specify its price and the possibility of obtaining a discount.
• Check the unit price. Be sure to ask about the cost per unit. Find out how the price will change depending on the volume of the order.
• Ask how long your order will take. An important factor is the lead time for your order. Perhaps the supplier will indicate too long terms that will not suit you.
• Find out the terms of payment. Many companies require full prepayment for their products. By specifying this item, you will know how much money you need to purchase the goods. Also, do not forget to ask about the terms of payment in the framework of long-term cooperation.

To prevent potential suppliers from ignoring your request, it is important to follow a few rules for making a request:

• Write a short text. Nobody likes to read long emails, so keep your request short and to the point. Write the questions above to show the supplier that you are serious.
• Don't ask too many questions. It is unlikely that company representatives will want to answer 20 questions that you asked them. Try to find out only the most important things that will help you make an impression about this supplier.
• Do not insist on a very small order. If you specify too small an order quantity in your request, you most likely will not receive a response. To quickly find out the minimum order quantity, call the supplier or send a short request by e-mail.
• Smart text. Be sure to check your letter for grammatical and stylistic errors. If you are writing to a foreign supplier, it is better to write the request in English.

Once you have a few responses from suppliers in your hands, you can start comparing them. As you communicate with company representatives, compare important parameters:

• The cost of production per unit;
• Cost and minimum order quantity;
• Minimum order for a particular product;
• Minimum order per unit of time;
• Location of the warehouse with the goods;
• Terms of delivery and availability of transport;
• Supplier warranties;
• Product certification;
• Methods of payment for the order;
• The presence of a deferred payment;
• Conditions for obtaining discounts;
• Frequency of deliveries;
• Availability of a security deposit;
• Notifying the customer about price changes and termination of supplies;
• Conditions for the exchange and return of illiquid goods;
• Supply of promotional materials;
• Financial participation in the promotion of a brand or products in your region;
• Detailed description of the delivered goods.

For ease of comparison, you can make a table, thanks to which you can quickly analyze the points of interest to you. Also try to follow a few tips:

• Try not to stop at one supplier, but build relationships with several partners.
• It is easier and more convenient to start working with domestic companies and dealers from neighboring countries.
• If you decide to cooperate with foreign suppliers, in particular from Asia, try to find as much information about them as possible.
• Feel free to ask questions that interest you so that in the future there will be no disagreements and omissions.
• Try to build trusting and long-term relationships with partners. Subsequently, this will help you receive discounts and great offers, as well as reduce the risk of interruptions in delivery and return of goods.

Clothing suppliers for an online store: what you need for cooperation + 4 sources for search + we analyze the pros and cons of 3 main suppliers in the world + 7 criteria for choosing a supplier.

Many today are looking for an additional source of income that will not distract from their main work, but at the same time make a profit. A good option for attracting finance is clothes.

If you have the skills to manage a site or a group on social networks, then you can safely get down to business. But even if you encounter this for the first time, you should not worry - there are many detailed guides on the Internet, and you will understand all the details in the process.

However, there are some in which it is better not to fill bumps, but immediately take the advice of more experienced people. For example, the most important moment for the start (and all subsequent activities) is to find suppliers and regular customers.

A lot of manuals and guides are devoted to the issue of attracting and retaining customers. But about that where there are reliable suppliers of clothing for the online store, few know.

In this article, we will lift the veil of secrecy and help you find those suppliers that will help your store earn a good reputation.

1. What do you need to cooperate with suppliers?

If you have long dreamed of starting your own business, then opening an online clothing store is a good chance to try yourself as a businessman. Indeed, for a retail outlet in the network, you do not need to obtain or buy a license to work.

But still, you cannot do without registration - you need to register an individual entrepreneurship.

You may have heard that an online store does not need any "paper" at all. In practice, this can lead to big problems (read - fines).

And most importantly, without you, no more or less serious suppliers for an online clothing store will cooperate with you (and even more so, you will not see work under the “dropshipping” scheme).

So the first step in the sourcing process is to make your business legal.

The process of registering an IP for Internet businessmen does not have any special differences from a regular business:

1. Prepare a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation and an individual taxpayer number.
2. Fill out an application for registration (you can download it on the website of the Federal Tax Service - https://www.nalog.ru/)

After that, you need to pay the state fee (you can also create a receipt on the FTS resource - https://service.nalog.ru/gp2.do)

Attention: do not throw away the check, you will definitely keep it and will still come in handy!

3. All of the above documents, along with a check, are submitted to the tax office at the address of registration (where to go - check here: https://service.nalog.ru/addrno.do)
4. If the tax authority approves the application, then you need to order a seal of an individual entrepreneur and buy a book of income and expenses.
5. The last step is opening a bank account. Working with an online store is just the kind of business where you can’t do without a virtual account.

If you have done everything, then you can start working with a clear conscience.

For your information: now the tax office can check your business online and. Government services are not yet engaged in targeted “catching”, but they can reach you through partners or dissatisfied customers.

2. Clothing supplier for an online store: 4 sources to search

The most important thing when opening your own store is to find a supplier that you can trust.

After all, it depends on him your assortment, delivery of goods, the availability of positions, the quality of feedback (not always without his help you will be able to answer some tricky questions from buyers).

Do not expect that after the creation of a site or a group, the producers themselves will look for you. You need to act on your own.

There are 4 sources where you can find a clothing supplier for an online store.

Source #1. Online supplier directories

There are websites with addresses and data of clothing suppliers (Russian and foreign). There are many offers on such platforms.

Perhaps the only negative is that it will take a lot of time to decide with whom you will cooperate (after all, the choice is really huge).

Here are some similar sites:

• https://yopt.org/postavshiki/type/internet-magazin
• https://www.postavshhiki.ru
• https://optomoll.ru

Source #2. Printed catalogs

Few people today buy paper reference books or catalogs, because everything can be found on the Internet. But there are people who prefer this kind of search for useful information.

You should look for printed catalogs in ... post offices.

The disadvantage of the method is that the information quickly becomes outdated. But, as a rule, the creators of such directories check those companies that they include on their pages. This means that the risk of falling into a one-day firm is reduced.

Source #3. We are looking for representatives in the regions

If there is a factory in your city or the nearest settlement, you can personally visit the enterprise and agree on further cooperation.

You can find such information, as well as contacts and addresses on the Internet.

The disadvantage of this option is a significant time investment. But personal acquaintance with the future supplier is still a significant plus.

Source #4. We visit fairs

In the last 5-7 years, fairs and exhibitions of various products have become especially popular. Clothing factories also participate in such events.

Usually, few people think that at such “presentations” you can not only buy yourself something at a nice price, but also find business partners. But at the fair you personally have the opportunity to check the quality of the goods and agree on favorable working conditions.

You can track information about such events on city portals and groups in social networks (the Internet is our everything) or simply by paying attention to bulletin boards on the city streets.

3. Advantages and disadvantages of clothing suppliers for online stores from around the world

After reading reviews on forums and spending a lot of time on websites looking for a clothing supplier, many entrepreneurs simply do not know who to choose.

Today, there are 3 main global suppliers:

1. Russia.
2. Europe and USA.
3. China.

We will evaluate each of them separately, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses.

No. 1. Suppliers in Russia

Where to look for a clothing supplier for an online store in Russia:

• https://fashion-house-opt.ru
• https://odejda-optom.com
• https://filisi.net

No. 2. Supplier from Europe and America

pros	Minuses
Quality clothing and footwear. The inscription "made in YES EY" for the majority already acts as a guarantee that the clothes are sewn to strict standards.	Checking the goods at customs takes a lot of time (as well as delivery in general).
Many brands known to every Russian.	If you order, then a lot. At the same time, there is a risk that your product will not be sold out (as a result, you will have to sell it for nothing).
Popular firms will quickly bring you income, because buyers trust proven and high-quality brands.	To work confidently with Europe and the USA, you need to know English.

Where can you find a supplier from the US and Europe for an online store:

• https://www.forever21.com
• https://www.juicycouture.com
• https://www.europages.co.uk

No. 3. Clothing suppliers from China

pros	Minuses
A wide range (on Chinese sites you can find literally anything + many products generally begin to gain popularity from China).	It is difficult to obtain a product quality certificate, and the fact of production in China is generally associated with low quality.
Low price for products.	Delivery takes about 1-2 months (if the goods are not yet detained at customs and lost along the way, which sometimes happens).
Suppliers from China constantly hold some kind of promotions, make discounts and put nice gifts in parcels for customers.	There are suppliers who send damaged goods that cannot be returned and sold in Russia.

Where can you find Chinese clothing suppliers for the online store:

• https://tao.ru
• https://www.focalprice.com
• https://aliexpress.com

Each of these potential partners has its advantages and disadvantages. To make it easier to choose, you must first decide what exactly you want to sell and who will be your target audience.

Obviously, a youth fashion store should be provided with Chinese goods, because. this is where many modern trends are born + your young customers will appreciate affordable prices (but quality is not in the first place for them yet).

But women "with money" who need fashionable and high-quality clothes of the best brands are unlikely to be satisfied with the assortment of "made in China". But suppliers from America or Russia will be able to provide the goods they need.

Note! To work, you need to find not one, but several suppliers in the country that you have chosen for cooperation. Indeed, at any time, one of your partners may stop supplying goods or raise the price for no reason.

4. How to evaluate a supplier for an online clothing store: 7 criteria

Experienced online store owners set the following criteria for evaluating clothing suppliers:

1. Product quality.

   This item will depend on who is the target audience of your online store (we already mentioned this above).

   Price policy.

   It also depends on your customers. Remember that a too low price for a product indicates that the quality will be poor (at least, such an association is embedded in the mentality of Russians).

   At the start of your venture, it is better to conclude contracts with Russian manufacturers. In the country, the goods will be delivered to you much faster than from China or America. In addition, delivery and customs control will take both money and time.

   Delivery terms.

   It would be nice to find a supplier who takes responsibility for the delivery of the goods to you, but this is a rare case. Most clothing manufacturers put all the hassle of sending clothes on the shoulders of the seller.

   Aspiring entrepreneurs should look for suppliers that are ready to work (more on what it is in the next section of the article).

   One of the key points. Some clothing suppliers require full prepayment, while others are willing to send goods for sale for free. Each method has its pros and cons, which are best discussed with the manufacturer himself.

   Minimum order amount.

   For a novice businessman, this is an important point. After all, not many people have free resources to order a large amount of goods. There is a big risk in ordering a large batch, because you may not sell everything and lose money in the process.

   Product range.

   At the start, you need to pay attention to those manufacturers that have a wide range. In turn, you will give buyers choice and increase the number of potential customers.

5. Dropshipping as an option for working with clothing suppliers

Some clothing suppliers for online stores offer such a cooperation option as dropshipping.

Your task in this scheme is simple: create your website, compile a catalog of goods with an extra charge (the difference between your price and the factory price will be your profit). In this case, your online store acts only as an intermediary between the supplier and the client.

As soon as the client places an order, you transfer the information and part of the money to the supplier, and he sends the package to the client himself.

Many clothing suppliers for the online store have switched to a similar method of cooperation. Such work is to the liking of novice businessmen, because you do not need to risk your own funds.

The big disadvantage is that often suppliers send the wrong goods or poor quality clothes, and all responsibility to the client falls only on the seller.

How to find a supplier for your online store?

Watch the video and you will find out how and where you can do it:

Decide for which customers, which price category and from which country you plan to order goods. Then the matter is small - look for 2-3 partners in the sources that we cited at the beginning of the text.

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Almost every person who has his own business is faced with the problem of how to find a supplier. After all, today there are a fairly large number of very different companies that manufacture products in almost every area, and among all you need to choose the one that can provide not only a quality product, but also will do it on the most favorable terms.

Categories

All suppliers are divided into two main categories - distributors and manufacturers. Understanding how to find a supplier, you should immediately remember that in this case, manufacturers are directly involved in the manufacture of products, and distributors, in fact, are standard resellers who sell the manufacturer's goods on their own.

What's better?

It is quite natural that it is best to work directly with the manufacturer, as this is much more profitable and reliable. Do not forget that even among domestic companies you can find a lot of manufacturers of really high-quality products in almost every area, from representatives of medium and small businesses to fairly large enterprises.

Every person who has ever figured out how to find a supplier knows that manufacturers provide much more reliable cooperation, as well as a better price compared to various distributors. It would seem that everything is simple - it is enough to contact the manufacturer directly and work with him, but in fact, if everything were so, the distribution business would not exist. The thing is that in the vast majority of cases, manufacturers do not work with small stores, which, in terms of industrial volumes, will make too small orders. That is why the problem arises in how to find a supplier.

The conditions that a store must meet if it wants to work with a distributor are an order of magnitude smaller than those set by the manufacturer himself.

Features of working with distributors

Often, working with distributors is distinguished by its flexibility, as well as the simplicity of conditions, but at the same time, the cost of their products is an order of magnitude higher. Distributors do not go over the volume of orders and work with almost any company. At the same time, they have cooperation with several manufacturers at the same time. Thanks to this, they can offer a good assortment to their customers. In some cases, there may be certain delays in deliveries, as well as the possibility of obtaining up-to-date information about the availability of a particular product, as well as the release of various new products, because initially the manufacturer himself will have to provide this information to the distributor.

Possible schemes of work

When trying to figure out where to find suppliers, you need to understand exactly what scheme you are going to work with. In particular, there are only three main ones:

• work with own warehouse;
• dropshipping, which involves the sale of goods without a warehouse;
• combined option, which provides for the sale of goods with its own warehouse.

You should choose the most suitable system for you, depending on what kind of products you are going to trade, as well as how exactly the goods will be delivered to customers.

With own warehouse

If we are talking about a start-up store, then in this case you can use this scheme if you are going to sell goods that are small in size and will not take up a lot of space. In the process of growing your store, it will be possible to further expand the area and subsequently place large deliveries of goods there. You just need to figure out how to find a supplier from China or another country you need, and then sell his products from your own warehouse.

If you have your own warehouse, then in this case you can always get the most complete information regarding the availability of goods, as well as its quantity in stock. If your warehouse is additionally equipped with a specialized showroom, then in this case you will have the opportunity to demonstrate your product to a potential buyer in advance even before it is purchased. The speed of delivery will be extremely high, because you can immediately send the order to the buyer directly from your warehouse, and you will not have to wait until it is delivered from some other warehouse.

Flaws

Of course, there are certain disadvantages in the process of working according to this scheme. In particular, this applies to the fact that you will have to independently deal with all issues of maintenance, security, and supply of the warehouse. In this case, any product that will remain in stock for a long time unsold will be a direct freeze on your funds. Also, you will not be able to start with small batches of goods, as a result of which you will need to have a solid initial capital.

Without own warehouse

In this case, the costs are an order of magnitude smaller, that is, you can launch your own store much faster, while not investing a large amount of money in it. You just need to find a reliable supplier who agrees to work on such a system, and then start selling. In the overwhelming majority of cases, companies work even with those stores that initially do not intend to buy large quantities of goods, although not everyone adheres to this vision.

At the same time, you should understand that in this case there is an order of magnitude longer delivery time, while you will have to constantly update information about whether a certain product is in the supplier’s warehouse, because there is always a possibility that the product that you have ordered, the company will not be available, as a result of which the waiting time will be significantly delayed. Among other things, one should not forget about such a thing as the human factor, because the more links in the supply chain, the greater the chance that this or that error will pop up somewhere.

In the vast majority of cases, this scheme is used only for the first time of operation. In this case, you work out all sorts of mechanisms of your own business in detail, and after everything acquires a certain clarity, you already begin to gradually switch to operating your own warehouse.

Combined variant

Combining both schemes, for example, you can keep the most demanded goods in your own warehouse in order to deliver them to the buyer as soon as possible, and deliver those that are sold less efficiently through the supplier's warehouse.

domestic suppliers

In fact, there is nothing difficult in finding a domestic supplier, and there is no difference in what exactly you are looking for, since you can find suppliers of clothing or any other product using search engines or various catalogs. You always have the opportunity to refine the search criteria you are interested in in order to ultimately find exactly those companies that will work with your region, as well as to eliminate in advance those whose conditions are unacceptable to you.

It is also possible to use the services of specialized companies that are engaged in a professional search for suppliers. Due to the fact that in recent years the number of offers has increased significantly in almost every area, this service is quite relevant if you do not want to spend several weeks or even months searching.

Among other things, you can attend all kinds of exhibitions or meetings of entrepreneurs for certain products, since it is also quite simple to find suppliers for a store there. This option is the most profitable among all for the reason that you will be able to personally know your supplier, because it has been repeatedly proven that personal contact allows you to achieve a trusting relationship between partners much faster.

What are the benefits?

Working with a domestic supplier, you significantly speed up the possible document flow, as well as reduce transportation costs. At the same time, it is worth noting the fact that in the overwhelming majority of cases, certification is undertaken directly by the supplier, and you will only need to check all relevant documents. Delivery is much faster, but there are many more options for mutual settlements. If necessary, you have the opportunity to visit the supplier yourself in order to resolve certain issues or directly check the quality of the products supplied to you. This is especially true for those who want to find a supplier of products.

What are the disadvantages?

If we talk about what are the shortcomings of domestic products, as well as margins on imported goods, then due to the significant variety in the choice, you can always find a supplier that will fully meet your needs regarding the terms of cooperation, as well as the parameters of the products you need .

Foreign suppliers

If we talk about foreign suppliers, then finding them is quite more difficult, since finding a supplier for an online store that has just started working is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. At exhibitions, people generally prefer to cooperate with large stores, while you can only find a supplier through search engines or all kinds of sites if you speak the appropriate language.