Contacting Wholesalers

You have a list of suppliers. This lesson covers the first approach and, more usefully, the questions you will be asked in reply and how to answer them.

Have the website ready first

The ideal setup is two sites: one representing the business, and an e-commerce store. Shopify is the easiest paid option; WooCommerce on WordPress is the free one.

The store matters because it materially raises approval rates. The shortcut from the preparation lesson applies: put the same products you sell on Amazon on the store at higher prices. You get a real shop with real stock, and it will rarely sell, so you are not committing to fulfil orders from it.

If you cannot manage a store, that should not stop you contacting anybody. But have at least a one-page business site, with what your company does and how to reach it. Some online presence is close to a requirement.

How to make contact

Three options: telephone, the contact form on their website, or email. The lesson's own preference is forms and email, because they scale, and because you can work through a list of fifty in a session.

Telephone is worth using for suppliers you particularly want, for the same reason trade shows work: it is harder to ignore a person than an email.

The first email

Keep the purpose narrow. You are asking how to open a wholesale account, not trying to buy anything. A short, businesslike enquiry does better than a long introduction.

What goes in it, and especially in the signature:

• US: attach your resale certificate. Attaching it unprompted answers a question they were going to ask.
• UK and EU: your VAT number in the signature, if you have one.
• Your company registration number, if incorporated.
• Links to your website and store.

None of this is impressive on its own. Together it is the difference between an enquiry that looks like a business and one that looks like a hobby, and it costs nothing once the signature is set up.

The questions you will be asked

You will normally get a reply with questions. They are largely the same everywhere, including at trade shows, so prepare the answers once.

Where do you sell your products?

Answer directly. You are an e-commerce business and the majority of sales are online. If you also supply local shops, say so, because a second channel makes you more interesting than a pure marketplace seller.

Do you sell on Amazon?

Yes. They will find out, and being caught in a lie ends any prospect of an account with that company permanently.

The framing that works: yes, because it is the largest marketplace available and it would be strange not to use it, and you also run your own store and drive traffic to it. That answers the question honestly while showing you are not solely dependent on one channel.

Are you VAT registered?

Common in the UK, which is why the number belongs in your signature. If you are not registered, say so plainly and say when you expect to be.

Do you have a retail store?

If not, say no, and explain what you do have: a fully e-commerce business with an online presence across several platforms. The question is really "are you a real business", so answer that question.

Can we see your Amazon storefront?

Expect this if you have said you sell on Amazon, and be ready for it. A storefront with three products will not read as a serious operation, which is one more reason to build up your arbitrage inventory before starting this process.

Never lie

Stated firmly in the lesson and worth taking seriously. These questions have verifiable answers. A supplier who catches an inconsistency will not ask about it; they will simply stop replying, and that door stays closed.

Every honest answer above is perfectly acceptable to most suppliers. Being small is not disqualifying. Being caught being untruthful is.

Keep the answers in a spreadsheet

Write down each question and your answer to it. Two reasons:

• Speed. Replies become copy and paste, and you can process far more suppliers.
• Delegation. Once the answers are written down, an assistant can handle the correspondence for you. Without it, every reply needs you.

This is the same document you will extend as new questions come up, and it is what eventually makes supplier outreach something the business does rather than something you do.