What to Consider When Buying Clothes From a Wholesaler

Depending on the location and other variables, the average retail store owner can make up to $140,000 per year. Whether you own a high-end boutique or an affordable retail clothing store, you might need a wholesaler.

When purchasing clothes from a wholesaler, there are many things to keep in mind. After all, it could lead to a partnership that lasts the lifetime of your business.

By buying wholesale shirts, businesses may reduce expenses and maximize their inventory while guaranteeing a reasonably priced and varied assortment to suit a range of requirements.

Not sure what to consider when buying from a wholesaler? Keep reading to learn more.

Finding the Right Wholesaler

Before you can start buying from a wholesaler, you need to find the right one. There are several ways to do this but most people start with their local chamber of commerce.

If you know other business owners, looking into their networks can help you get information on which wholesalers to avoid and which ones to connect with.

Are there any good clothing wholesale channels? China is the world’s largest clothing manufacturer country, you can refer to these clothing wholesale websites to find suitable products and wholesale channels.

Choosing a Wholesaler

Choosing the best wholesaler out of the list of wholesalers you’ve compiled during your search isn’t as easy as it sounds. You can see if they are worth reaching out to by reading online reviews and looking into their website.

If possible, visit the wholesale store in person. Some have amazing showrooms that you won’t want to miss out on.

To see if a wholesaler is right for filling up your store, consider the following questions:

What Clothing Do They Sell?

You’ll want to find a wholesaler that carries the clothing you need, especially if your store has a specific style. To get the inventory you want, you might have to work with multiple wholesalers.

For example, if you are looking for wholesale clothing distributors that carry streetwear clothing, you won’t want to work with a wholesaler who carries only workout clothing. Keep your brand consistent through the merchandise you purchase.

If you are looking for major brands, you can compile a list of wholesalers who carry that brand. From there, you can do a price comparison of each to figure out which wholesaler offers the best deal.

What Price Point Do You Have?

When buying clothes, you’ll need to make a profit. When choosing a wholesaler, you’ll want to get pricing that allows you to hit your profit margins.

Is the Wholesaler Reliable?

You should never work with people you can’t rely on. Cheap clothes aren’t worth the late deliveries or damages that come with the wholesaler.

Do They Have Good Customer Service?

A reliable customer service team is one that you can reach whenever you need it. If you have to jump through hoops to get your questions answered or customer service is not around, choose a different wholesale partner.

Are They Familiar With Their Clothing?

A wholesale partner should have extensive knowledge of the clothing they sell. They can share their knowledge with you so that you can provide your customers with the information that they need.

You’ll also have a partner who stands by the performance and quality of the clothing they are selling. A wholesaler who doesn’t answer your questions might not have the best clothes or don’t care enough to understand them.

Where Does the Clothing Come From?

To maximize profits, you should look into cutting costs where you can. However, you don’t want to forget about quality so you should know where the clothing items you purchase come from.

You can choose an international wholesaler or one in the United States. International wholesalers might have more fees and take longer to ship.

Do They Offer Drop Ship?

If you plan to sell clothing online, it is worth asking wholesalers if they can help you drop ship. This is a fulfillment method where the wholesaler stores your inventory and handles your shipping.

When an order is placed from your online store, you’ll provide the wholesaler with the order information. They will then be able to ship the clothing item directly to the customer.

Drop shipping can help your business save on shipping and storage costs.

Before you decide on this method, ask the wholesaler to send you samples of the clothing you want to sell. This will ensure that the quality is what they say it is.

The Process of Buying Wholesale

Once you’ve found a wholesaler that fits all of your needs, you can start to consider what you need when buying from a wholesaler. The process starts with how much product you need to buy.

You’ll want to avoid over or underestimating when attempting to find your reorder point for all clothing items. Once you have those reorder points, you’ll need to keep track of which items are at or below the desired inventory levels.

During the process, don’t be afraid to negotiate the price of clothing. A wholesaler might be willing to provide a discount if you can prove your sales are doing well and how much business they can expect from you in the future.

During your negotiations, be honest about your intentions. Building a long-lasting relationship with a wholesaler will be extremely beneficial down the road.

Unless you opt for drop shipping, you’ll need to organize your space to store the new clothing items. Keep things labeled and add adequate shelving to make your storage space more efficient.

Buying From a Wholesaler to Get the Right Products for Your Store

To increase your business profits and inventory, finding and choosing the right wholesaler to buy clothes from is key. Take your time with research and ask all of the essential questions.

Buying from a wholesaler also means doing the math to make sure you are setting prices that will return a profit. Work with wholesalers who sell quality clothing and want to support your growth as a store.

Online and physical retail businesses can benefit from buying from a wholesaler with the help of this guide. Keep coming back to our website for more articles like this.