Spain has seen a drastic upward trend in wholesale trade!
It exploded from 412 billion euros in 2020 to 575 billion euros in 2022, according to research by Statista. This promising figure makes Spain an optimistic market for wholesalers.
However, finding wholesale suppliers can be a difficult process. What’s even more challenging is finding a reputable wholesale supplier for your business. There are thousands upon thousands of suppliers out there just waiting to sell you their products, but unfortunately, most of them are not worth trusting.
Therefore, we have done some research on the web and carefully created some really useful ways to find the best wholesale suppliers that fit your business perfectly. Along with these key tips, we will delve into types of suppliers, supplier directories, and much more. Read on to get all this in detail.
What is a Wholesale Supplier?
A ‘Wholesale Supplier’ is a distributor that makes money by selling its goods in bulk to a wholesaler. Because of the high volume, the supplier offers its products at reduced or discounted prices.
Basically, the wholesale supplier is the middleman between the one who manufactures or produces and the one who makes it available to the wholesalers. These wholesalers then do business with retailers to sell the product to the end consumer.
As a result, wholesale suppliers play a critical role in the supply chain. They are responsible for acquiring, storing, preparing for sale, and sometimes packaging, and delivering goods. This cycle continues to make products readily available to the end consumer.
Types of Wholesale Suppliers
The wholesalers can be classified into three types:
Manufacturers are responsible for the entire production of goods and have the ability to customize products to suit individual customer requirements. However, they may be more difficult to contact, especially if their factories are located in remote areas.
On the contrary, wholesalers purchase large volumes of goods from manufacturers and producers before they sell them to retailers. They offer a wide range of products but often have little information about the origin of the products.
Finally, traders act as intermediaries between manufacturers and other actors in the supply chain, without taking any responsibility in the event of product defects or damage.
Importers may also be classified as suppliers if they sell their products to professionals to serve the local market.
How to Find Wholesale Suppliers? 8 Simple Methods
Choosing a supplier is key to success. Here are 8 ways to find a reliable wholesale supplier.
1. Search for Suppliers on B2B Marketplaces
B2B marketplaces are online platforms that connect professional buyers and sellers. They offer a large global network of suppliers that buyers can easily filter to find suitable partners.
These marketplaces make sourcing easier with several great features such as bulk purchasing, order tracking, discounted pricing, and secure payment.
For the buyer, marketplaces provide access to a large supplier base, saving time when selecting manufacturers. In addition, these platforms have the advantage of aggregating a wide variety of products, making it easier to find what you want to buy.
The best marketplaces to find wholesale suppliers are Alibaba, Made-in-China.com, Faire.com, Aliexpress.com and Mediamarkt.es.
2. Go To Supplier Trade Shows
This is the great advantage of trade fairs: they bring together dozens, even hundreds of highly qualified exhibitors in one place. No more endless searches on the Internet, here you are spoiled for choice to find the rare pearl.
You can chat with suppliers over coffee, gather key information about their services and target the most promising ones. Attending trade shows is a profitable strategy for finding wholesale suppliers because you can see the products and negotiate directly with the manufacturers.
Although there are thousands of trade shows around the world, very few are dedicated to exporting or e-commerce. Here are the main trade shows that allow the resale of products:
FITUR and IBTM World of Spain
Canton Fair (China)
Delhi Fair (India)
Magic (United States)
Ambiente (Germany)
The Made in France Show
3. Wholesale Supplier Research on Search Engines
Search engines are by far the best tools for finding a wholesaler online. In addition to the unbeatable Google, there are other alternative search engines that can be just as interesting:
- Google.es or Google.com: a very popular search engine in Spain.
- Bing: Microsoft’s search engine offers many search features to provide more relevant search results.
- Yahoo and duckduckgo.com: These major players offer excellent search features compared to other search engines.
To take full advantage of these search engines, it is important to understand how they work. If you want to get relevant results, you need to choose a combination of keywords that are appropriate for the product you are looking for.
Find wholesale suppliers on Google
When searching on Google, be sure not to use generic words, but be more specific in your search.
For example, include keywords related to your niche or product. You will also get better results if you search in English.
Here are some examples of good Google queries for finding suppliers:
- China [ product name ] supplier
- Manufacturer of [ product name ]
- Export of [ product name ]
Supplier websites are drowned out by B2B directories and platforms (e.g. Alibaba). You will have to go to the second or even third page to see the manufacturers’ websites.
4. Finding Suppliers On Social Networks
LinkedIn is a great place to find suppliers. You can search by keyword, join industry-related groups, and connect directly with people who work for companies in your field.
There are also many Facebook groups that specialize in product niches. Join the ones that are relevant to your products. You can ask questions about suppliers, read reviews, get tips, and more. This tip is especially effective for finding wholesale suppliers for niche products in underdeveloped countries where manufacturers use Facebook exclusively as a means of communication.
Finally, you can also go to Instagram to find suppliers. The results are limited, but you can find some this way. Follow hashtags related to your products and reach out to companies you find interesting.
5. Using Artificial Intelligence – Matchory
Matchory is a platform that uses artificial intelligence to help companies find suppliers around the world. The platform contains profiles of more than 10 million suppliers covering many industries.
The key advantage of Matchory is its ability to generate highly targeted and relevant search results. Instead of spending weeks manually going through supplier lists or doing research, you can perform very specific searches and instantly get suppliers that match your criteria.
This speed and accuracy are made possible by artificial intelligence and big data technologies. Its algorithms constantly analyze supplier data to refine search results and tailor them to the user’s needs.
In addition, the platform provides a wealth of detailed information about each supplier, such as certifications, products, and services offered, and production capabilities. This makes it easy to pre-select the most relevant wholesale suppliers even before contacting them.
Matchory’s intuitive interface also makes the process of finding and selecting suppliers very easy. Users can save lists of suppliers, sort them into different categories, compare them based on different criteria, and more.
6. Supplier Networks
One of the best ways to find new suppliers is to tap into the networks of your existing suppliers. They’re in the same industry as you and likely have contacts and referrals to offer.
You can contact your key suppliers to discuss your product or service needs. Explain that you are looking to expand your supplier network to include such products and ask if they have any suggestions. Most suppliers will be happy to introduce you to their own contacts to help you expand.
7. Wholesale Supplier Directory
Online supplier directories like Visable (Europages) are an effective way to find wholesalers from all over the world. These are great sourcing tools that offer the possibility to search for professionals (manufacturers, suppliers, wholesalers, etc.) via an internal search engine. Once your search is done, you will be able to consult their advertisement and access their website.
8. Find the Website of the Producer or Brand Owner
Working directly with wholesale suppliers is a great way to reduce costs and achieve higher margins. To find the website of a brand or manufacturer listed with a wholesaler, simply type the name of the company directly into a search engine.
Conclusion: The Easiest Way to The Best Wholesale Suppliers
The easiest way to find the best suppliers is to work with a wholesale directory or digital B2B marketplaces.
A wholesale directory gives you access to hundreds of different suppliers, all in one place, so you can compare prices from each supplier.
With a B2B marketplace, not only do you get access to thousands of items, but you also get tools that make your purchasing, inventory, and planning much easier.
There are some unconventional ways to find wholesale suppliers, such as finding them on social networks and using AI.
When you work with a supplier that offers you real wholesale prices on a variety of products, it’s easy to build an online store that brings in a steady income. Best of all, you can do all of this while maintaining very reasonable overhead costs because you’re only paying to work with one supplier instead of several.
FAQs
Q1. What is the difference between a wholesaler and a supplier?
Ans. A wholesaler buys from a supplier. An online wholesaler is therefore the intermediary between the distributor and the retailer.
Q2. Where to start when finding potential wholesale suppliers?
Ans. The first step is to talk with people you know. Their experiences can help you find good suppliers. Online research is also important. Search engines and online directories can help you find suppliers that match your needs. Trade shows and exhibitions are also good for meeting suppliers. You can see their products and services and start building business relationships. Professional and trade associations can also be good resources. They can provide lists of reliable suppliers.
Q3. What are the important criteria for selecting a good supplier?
Ans. Some key supplier evaluation criteria are:
- The products must be of good quality and reliable. Check the supplier’s standards, ask for samples, and consult customer references. A poor product can damage your reputation.
- Price is important. Shop around for the best price. Some suppliers offer discounts on large orders.
- A reliable supplier will deliver on time. Delays can cause you to miss sales or upset customers. Check the supplier’s track record with other customers.
- Check the supplier’s certifications. Scammers will have a hard time forging official documents. Quality certifications help prove the reliability of manufacturers.
- You should be able to contact your supplier easily if you have a problem or question. They should respond quickly to your requests.