Is this Wholesaler trustworthy?

[domefs]

Hello Again!

This question is pointed into the direction of the more experienced people in the E-Commerce space.

I started selling Smartphones a few months ago to finance my other ventures.

Had the idea to import some smartphones to make more profit, so I messaged a wholesaler from UK.

I already read, that they often seem a bit like "scam" companies.

The company provides their ID, name and location but is a bit unpatient with my decions.

I researched the company and found a private limited company on: https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk

Google Earth showed me a normal house, but their pictures showed me a good stock of electronical devices.

I don't want to upload the pictures of the mails here, so I would be very thankful if somebody could reach out via PM and tell me how to identify a reliable wholesaler.

Thank you!

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[jfny]

You might get one or two solid responses via PM. You'll likely get much more information letting the community as a whole review it. Why don't you just hide the sensitive information and then post as much about them as you can without giving it away?

 

[Niptuck MD]

you are doing good due diligence. see if you can get a background report or screen on them.

 

[domefs]

Some mail excerpts here:

"Almight GOD Bless you as you make your purchase.

Hope read from you asap...May Allah be with you.

No scammers are tolerated. : you come to visit our company to inspect our product and also we can ship it to you to inspect.

Note: ( IMPORTANT!!! SCAM WARNING!!! ) you can make your safe payment method by T/T (Bank Transfer) OR Visit our company to inspect products OR Place your order today and have a taste of our services.

Thanks for coming , we hope to do more and more good business with you now and in future."

"Hello Dear Customer , You are in a right place to place your safe bulk order from us ,we are distributor of apple products, we buy directly from Apple INc that is why our product are very cheap and 100% original and unlocked"

"Dear Customer thanks for your response ,I will be happy to do business with your company,I will like you to know that we are an Electronics company that have earned so much reputation in this field,We always give our best service to our customers worldwide and we are not engage in any fraudulent act

We have never doubted your integrity in any manner. Because we have a well established company therefore for many reasons, we are bound to follow standard rules of international trading. We don't entertain one time transaction kind of relationships and only for suppliers to work on long term basis. For this reason, we have to carry out certain procedures so that such a relationship can be established. We do not just look the customer side, but also our side is open for the aany potential customer to verify and make a decision. Our credentials are readily available if you would like to scrutinize. I would therefore urge that you should not worry about anything and try to get along with us. You will find us excellent trading partners if a relationship is agreed between us."

" In addition to my last email,I want you to know we are not some kind of bogus company or involve in any bogus Transaction ,We always complete our business delivery to our customers and protect the integrity of our company

I have attached some shipping invoice of some of our customer we have ship out too as prove

We Ship Via UPS express mail Courier and shipping is FREE - The Tracking and shipment documentations is provided to buyer as soon shipment proceeds.

We are legitimate company and we will never do anything that will tarnish the image of our company .

Get back to us with your delivery name and delivery address including postal code so we can start packaging your order for shipping tomorrow.

Hope to start a long term business relationship with you."

"Why your silent, Take your time to decide what you want to do and we hope to start a long term business relationship with you."

Seems a bit weird at some points, or what do you think?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Niptuck MD]

haha from that email it sounds like some funky phoniness.

 

[domefs]

haha from that email it sounds like some funky phoniness.

I wondered, because they provide Invoices, Certificates etc. with that Company ID.

Maybe it is faked.

They've written in one mail, that I can come to London and visit their company/inspect their stock...

Very confusing...

Are people really doing so much work with writing so many mails, faking everything for a few thousand dollars?

Just wondering.

 

[jfny]

If they are in any way shape or form trying to sell you NEW APPLE products that they claim they got from the manufacturer at a discounted price, then you can bet your last dollar with 100% certainty that you are getting scammed.

Are people really doing so much work with writing so many mails, faking everything for a few thousand dollars?

Just wondering.

Surprisingly, yes.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Gareth]

Wow, that reads as scammy as it gets.

 

[Niptuck MD]

keep up the good "due diligence" this is crucial. in this day and age, we fastlaners MUST be highly aware of the numerous snakes and pigs out there stinking up the place.

 

[biophase]

There is no possible way this is legit.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[AllenCrawley]

Red flags everywhere. Avoid. Most of their communication is about how they are not scamming you, lol. Work on honing your BS meter.

 

[Scot]

Tip 1 it's a scam: Their English is horrible. If they sound like Nigerian Princes, they're probably Nigerian Princes.

Tip 2: May Allah be with you. Nothing against religion, but who puts that in a business correspondence??

Tip 3: All the warnings about scams, usually point to scams.

Tip 4: New unlocked iPhones bought from Apple. That's not a thing that exists.

As @AllenCrawley said, you need to work on your BS meter. Glad you got a weird feeling and brought it here. Because this could have been a nightmare.

 

[DCDeuce]

I'm super new to importing but everything that @Scot said is correct. I'm looking for an import for cell phones as well as there are so many scammer/liars/pigs..etc out there I can understand why you were unsure if this person was legit or not but this guy is legit.

The easiest way i've found to identify if a supplier is legit or a scammer is the payment methods they take and what their products are. For example, I've gotten numberous emails from a few Chinese companies saying they have brand new Iphone 7's for 250 a piece. The price is way to low to be legit BUT these guys have gone so far as to send me actul photos of their iphones but could never tag the photos or send me specific photos i've asked for.

I do know of a couple of places that have legitimate iphones and other cell phones. Try intercellus.com or directliquidation.com

Those are the only two legitimate trading post/websites I've been able to find so far.

Best of luck to you OP

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[amp0193]

Had the idea to import some smartphones to make more profit, so I messaged a wholesaler from UK.

I already read, that they often seem a bit like "scam" companies.

If you have to ask (or make a thread about it), it's a scam.

Simple.

Go with your gut. Always, always go with your gut.



This is coming from a guy who years ago got scammed out of $6k on a bulk phone buy. DON'T DO IT.

 

[amp0193]

I do know of a couple of places that have legitimate iphones and other cell phones. Try intercellus.com or directliquidation.com

Those are the only two legitimate trading post/websites I've been able to find so far.

Here's another one I used in the past: http://duckfishelectronics.com/pages/wholesale.

I did a couple of orders, and made some money. Ultimately, the quality of the used goods as a whole was worse than I was led to believe, but they did refund me when I complained and sent them back.

 

[Walter Hay]

dominikwagenmann If the wholesaler you have contacted is not a scammer selling counterfeit products I'll eat my hat.

Buying and importing genuine phones is a big risk. You have more chance of winning the lottery.

intercellus.com don't have an address on their site. Red Flag

directliquidation.com don't have an address on their site. Red Flag. Maybe they are legit? But don't try to import even refurbished name brands because they will likely be confiscated by German Customs.

http://duckfishelectronics.com don't have an address on their site. Red Flag. Maybe they are legit? But don't try to import even refurbished name brands because they will likely be confiscated by German Customs.

Walter

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[domefs]

Thank you @Walter Hay @amp0193 @DCDeuce @Scot for this valuable information.

I think Input and Output is not in a good relation here, because margins are not the highest and risk seems
to be very high.

Does anyone have experience with phone accessories instead?

 

[DCDeuce]

dominikwagenmann If the wholesaler you have contacted is not a scammer selling counterfeit products I'll eat my hat.

Buying and importing genuine phones is a big risk. You have more chance of winning the lottery.

intercellus.com don't have an address on their site. Red Flag

directliquidation.com don't have an address on their site. Red Flag. Maybe they are legit? But don't try to import even refurbished name brands because they will likely be confiscated by German Customs.

http://duckfishelectronics.com don't have an address on their site. Red Flag. Maybe they are legit? But don't try to import even refurbished name brands because they will likely be confiscated by German Customs.

Walter

Intercellus.com - DC Wireless Dba InterCell, 7309 Arlington Blvd, Suite 208B, Falls Church, VA 22042 - I live in DC i've been to their warehouse in Virginia

directliquidation.com - 1835 E. Hallandale Beach Blvd. Box 617 Hallandale Beach FL 33009 United States

I cannot speak for duckfishelectronics

 

[Scot]

Intercellus.com - DC Wireless Dba InterCell, 7309 Arlington Blvd, Suite 208B, Falls Church, VA 22042 - I live in DC i've been to their warehouse in Virginia

directliquidation.com - 1835 E. Hallandale Beach Blvd. Box 617 Hallandale Beach FL 33009 United States

I cannot speak for duckfishelectronics

Thanks for posting that info. Rep++

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[DCDeuce]

Thank you @Walter Hay @amp0193 @DCDeuce @Scot for this valuable information.

I think Input and Output is not in a good relation here, because margins are not the highest and risk seems
to be very high.

Does anyone have experience with phone accessories instead?

Well, One experiment I have been conducting is buying mobiles phones off of Craigslist and reselling on Ebay, this is a bit risky since the person you're buying the phones off of craigslist from may report the phone as stolen, so far this has not happen to me. Another idea i've had was buying iphones with broken LCD's and screens, repairing them and selling them on ebay, this takes a bit of time to do.

As ofr accessories, I think Alibaba and DHGate has accessories for all cellphones, I have never bought anything off of either of those sites so I cannot speak to the quality of the accessories.

Since you are in Germany, if you have the capital to, I would buy unlocked phones from another part of the world, and resell them locally, again you would have to watch the currency exchange and the cost of shiping...and of course finding individuals who are willing to sell/ship internationally.

I'm not telling you to try any of those things, but they are idea's to get your juices flowing.

 

[domefs]

Well, One experiment I have been conducting is buying mobiles phones off of Craigslist and reselling on Ebay, this is a bit risky since the person you're buying the phones off of craigslist from may report the phone as stolen, so far this has not happen to me. Another idea i've had was buying iphones with broken LCD's and screens, repairing them and selling them on ebay, this takes a bit of time to do.

As ofr accessories, I think Alibaba and DHGate has accessories for all cellphones, I have never bought anything off of either of those sites so I cannot speak to the quality of the accessories.

Since you are in Germany, if you have the capital to, I would buy unlocked phones from another part of the world, and resell them locally, again you would have to watch the currency exchange and the cost of shiping...and of course finding individuals who are willing to sell/ship internationally.

I'm not telling you to try any of those things, but they are idea's to get your juices flowing.

I am very interested in importing smartphones.

Still don't know what to think about these wholesalers.

Will post updates in this thread after getting more information about these things.

 

[amp0193]

Well, One experiment I have been conducting is buying mobiles phones off of Craigslist and reselling on Ebay, this is a bit risky since the person you're buying the phones off of craigslist from may report the phone as stolen

This was my hustle for two years. In the parking lot, I would call up AT&T/Verizon/Sprint and have them check the IMEI as stolen or not while I had the phone in my hands. I had the phone numbers programmed in my phone, and knew what keys to press to get to a rep ASAP. Only one time out of a couple hundred deals did a phone pass the call on the phone test, but get reported stolen later. That means they Craigslisted it FAST, right after stealing.

Another idea i've had was buying iphones with broken LCD's and screens, repairing them and selling them on ebay, this takes a bit of time to do.

I had a working relationship with a local repair shop. They gave me discounted repair rates, and turned my stuff around in 24 hours or less. You can do it yourself, but yeah, it's time intensive. And those screws are so frustratingly tiny....

FWIW, black-listed phones still have a lot of value. (Not stolen, i mean blacklisted because previous owner never paid their bill or whatever). The carriers can blacklist these for use in the U.S., but they still work just fine in Europe or internationally. So sell them on eBay or wherever.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[domefs]

[HASHTAG]#UPDATE[/HASHTAG]: Import starts within the next 2 weeks. Because of a good margin we will talk to some smartphone shop owners. Maybe we can get some bigger customers with this.

 

[DCDeuce]

[HASHTAG]#UPDATE[/HASHTAG]: Import starts within the next 2 weeks. Because of a good margin we will talk to some smartphone shop owners. Maybe we can get some bigger customers with this.

Congrats @dominikwagenmann I'm glad Intercellus.com worked out for you, they're good guys from what I know about them. I'm thinking about becoming a supplier myself so we may talk again in the near future.

Even though I'm new to this business, I currently run another business and I love seeing businesses grow, bet of luck to you @dominikwagenmann

 

[domefs]

Congrats @dominikwagenmann I'm glad Intercellus.com worked out for you, they're good guys from what I know about them. I'm thinking about becoming a supplier myself so we may talk again in the near future.

Even though I'm new to this business, I currently run another business and I love seeing businesses grow, bet of luck to you @dominikwagenmann

Thank you very much.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.