5 Ways You Can Source Products For Your Online Store

By Amirul Mokhtar · 11th May, 2015

5 Ways You Can Source Products For Your Online Store | EasyStore
Are you still having trouble looking for products to sell? Have some product ideas but don't know how to acquire them? 
Before you start selling online, you need to have your first product. We mentioned in our previous post about selling things you are passionate about and whether you should sell one or multiple products. But how do you actually source your first product? 
I will share with you in this post the ways you can get your first products so you can start selling online. 

Here are FIVE methods:

1. Used or preloved

The best place you can start looking for products is nearest to you. Look around the house for unused items that are still functioning and are still in good condition. Do you have unused clothing you want to get rid off? Video games that you have finished or toys your children have outgrown? Those are all possible products you can sell. Like they always say, "one man's trash, is another man's treasure" and women too of course.

2. Dropship

Would you believe me if I told you that you can sell products without even having the products in hand? That's what dropship is. You can look for suppliers or wholesalers and ask them if they do dropship. Those that do usually will ask for a small payment for you to become one of their agents. In return, you can purchase the products at agent’s price and sell to your customers at the market price. 
Get permission to upload their product pictures and description on to your store. Then you just find customers for those products and your supplier will ship out the items for you. This is a great alternative if you don't have a big enough capital for your online business.

3. Pre-order

Like dropship, you are not holding any inventory or stock. You can get pictures from the internet and upload it to your online store (make sure that you state “pre-order only”). Once an order has been made, you order the product from your supplier and ship it to your customer once you receive it. 
This will usually take a longer time compared to other methods and will work better with items that are hard to find or imported products. Some examples where you can source your products: Amazon, eBay, Zappos, and etc.

4. Wholesale

This is a common method for sellers. You buy the products in larger volume straight from manufacturer or intermediaries. You can get the products at a discounted price based on the volume. Look for local stores that provide wholesale. 
You can usually find them in big markets. Ask the seller how much do you need to purchase to get a discounted price for the items. You can survey different sellers based on the minimum requirement. You can also import products straight from manufacturers in China through Alibaba.com

5. Make your own

If you are the kind of person that would like to have control of every aspect of your product, then this is the way to go. It is also an advantage if you have a certain hobby that involves creating something, for example, arts and crafts. You can sell handmade jewelry, inventions, your own paintings, and so much more. Making your own products allows you to have control over the quality. 
Now you are ready to source for your first product. But keep in mind that not all methods will work for you. You just have to try out and see which one is suitable for your online business. Once you have your products, you can upload them to your online store in just seconds! Get started now.

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