What's the best way to find a supplier?

[Bulgano]

Has been a while since I've posted on here, and had a few ventures I've wanted to take on (thanks to the help of @AndrewNC ). However, a "problem" I have run into currently is "Where" exactly can I find these suppliers to make my product?

Of course, it is different for every product, but if anyone has any methods or stories that might help with finding an appropriate supplier, I feel that would be valuable to anyone who reads this thread.

For example, perhaps there are certain sites/methods you use to figure out what supplier competitors are using?
I'm a complete amateur to this world so my first instinct when it comes to "Finding a supplier" is to look on Alibaba, but like many people on the forum have said (Most notably @biophase ), if it was as easy and just going on Alibaba and buying and selling a product, everyone would be a successful entrepreneur.

Once you've found the supplier, what's the best way to tell if they are trying to rip you off? Does it just come with experience, or is it just a matter of seeming much bigger than you actually are?

Any thoughts shared is greatly appreciated by me, and I'm sure by anyone else who reads this and finds it useful!

 

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[S. Brown]

Looking on Alibaba as a source to find a supplier isn't a problem as long as they are a manufacturer and you are improving a product or creating a product of your own.

It can become somewhat of a problem sooner or later if you are selling what everyone else is selling with no value add and differentiation.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

 

[Walter Hay]

Has been a while since I've posted on here, and had a few ventures I've wanted to take on (thanks to the help of @AndrewNC ). However, a "problem" I have run into currently is "Where" exactly can I find these suppliers to make my product?

Of course, it is different for every product, but if anyone has any methods or stories that might help with finding an appropriate supplier, I feel that would be valuable to anyone who reads this thread.

For example, perhaps there are certain sites/methods you use to figure out what supplier competitors are using?
I'm a complete amateur to this world so my first instinct when it comes to "Finding a supplier" is to look on Alibaba, but like many people on the forum have said (Most notably @biophase ), if it was as easy and just going on Alibaba and buying and selling a product, everyone would be a successful entrepreneur.

Once you've found the supplier, what's the best way to tell if they are trying to rip you off? Does it just come with experience, or is it just a matter of seeming much bigger than you actually are?

Any thoughts shared is greatly appreciated by me, and I'm sure by anyone else who reads this and finds it useful!

You can find a lot of information to help you get started in sourcing products by reading through my AMA: GOLD Sharing my lifetime experience in export/import. Product sourcing specialist.

There are plenty of traps for the unwary, including identifying which suppliers on Alibaba are true manufacturers. There are many thousands of traders falsely listed as manufacturers, because they quite correctly believe that buyers are only interested in dealing with manufacturers. Buying from traders has more issues than the obvious one that you will pay more by doing so.

Walter

 

[Kak]

Has been a while since I've posted on here, and had a few ventures I've wanted to take on (thanks to the help of @AndrewNC ). However, a "problem" I have run into currently is "Where" exactly can I find these suppliers to make my product?

Of course, it is different for every product, but if anyone has any methods or stories that might help with finding an appropriate supplier, I feel that would be valuable to anyone who reads this thread.

For example, perhaps there are certain sites/methods you use to figure out what supplier competitors are using?
I'm a complete amateur to this world so my first instinct when it comes to "Finding a supplier" is to look on Alibaba, but like many people on the forum have said (Most notably @biophase ), if it was as easy and just going on Alibaba and buying and selling a product, everyone would be a successful entrepreneur.

Once you've found the supplier, what's the best way to tell if they are trying to rip you off? Does it just come with experience, or is it just a matter of seeming much bigger than you actually are?

Any thoughts shared is greatly appreciated by me, and I'm sure by anyone else who reads this and finds it useful!

There are other businesses outside of the Amazon box that make great money by the way. Importing and selling on Amazon is beginning to be beating a dead horse. Competition is as stiff as ever. Everyone and their mother has an amazon store now, traffic is getting watered down and distributed widely and the shitty amazon processes in the FBA centers is coming home to roost. The fees are EXTREMELY high now. The paid advertising is more expensive than it has ever been. It HARDCORE violates the commandment of control and I promise this is just the first of MANY speed bumps you're going to hit.

I have said it before and I will say it again, if there is a set "tried and true" formula, it isn't true entrepreneurship.

Now, please don't take what I am about to say as a rude response, this literally is the MOST helpful I can be for you... LEARN TO FIGURE IT OUT.

 

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