Forum Moderators: buckworks
I will not be happy until I have tried this either way and have decided to look into it in more detail. I would like to share my thoughts so far and would welcome comments.
My first decision, I think, is what will the site sell. I have some ideas but find the area of sourcing products/suppliers to be a bit difficult ( I am in the UK). I have direct contact with some small manufacturers of craft type products who may be worth approaching and I have thought of attending trade fairs to source some manufacturers or wholesalers possibly in craft/Jewellery/giftware sectors. I would not be averse to having a number of sites in different sectors eventually.
Do people find trade fairs a good environment to approach suppliers for a novice like myself? Obviously the wholesale prices v's the retail price will be critical so I would like to know if anyone has any advice on approaching suppliers in this way with a view to securing the best possible deal.
I feel that I have a strongish grasp of search engine marketing and have dabbled with small sites to test if I can get any positioning and have had reasonable success in very competitive areas. I think that I would be happy to pay a decent SEM company and or affiliates to promote the site all depending on the margins that I can build in. I am happy that I can source the necessary technical skills to build the site but am most concerned with getting the right products from the right suppliers.
Any general advice in this area would be appreciated.
Tradefairs are the best ways to source suppliers. The Spring Fair in Birmingham (search for this on line and you'll find out more, there is also the Autumn Fair later in the year but is not quite so big, but still pretty huge) is the largest and covers crafts/jewellery/gifts so you've got all your bases covered there.
In general, the suppliers have a fixed wholesale price they sell at and unless you are going to be in a position to buy huge amounts, this price won't be negotiable.
Most suppliers at these events have either a minimum quantity you need to buy, or a total minimum spend. This is often negotiable, but you might find you end up having to pay carriage if your order falls short of their minimums.
There are many people who go to these fairs who are not in the trade, and just want to buy 'one off's. Make sure you go as a professional ie.. with business cards and talk the talk rather than 'i'm thinking of' cos the world and his wife are there doing just that.
My only advice is if you are going to go in to this sector, have a good look at the sites that are currently doing just this on the internet and think what you can offer that other's can't or don't.
Selling small craft items for £2 that you've bought for £1 is not going to pay much of your mortgage unless you selling them in their thousands.
joop
Planning to got to Showcase in Dublin and maybe the spring fair in Birmingham also.
