If you’re in the business of buying goods wholesale, chances are a lot of those goods are being imported from Asian countries like China, Vietnam or Thailand. When you buy wholesale lots of these goods, you may either be getting them from a distributor here in the US, or direct from a manufacturer in Asia, or you may even decide to go there and get them yourself. Regardless, it is educational to take a look at where a lot of these items come from.
The goods you buy wholesale may originate from two decidedly different types of suppliers. You may be buying them from a distributor or a wholesaler, but where do they come from to begin with? Who makes them? In some cases, your imports come from mid-size to large manufacturers, who cater specifically to the wholesaler/importer market. These mass-produced goods may be of good quality, but they are, after all, mass-produced. More unique and original goods can also be had from the second type of supplier, and this is the individual craftsperson who sells their products in a large bazaar. A surprising number of the goods found in online stores, retail shops and on offer from wholesale distributors actually originates from an individual craftsperson’s simple back-room workbench.
Take jewelry, for example. Outside of the more costly fine jewelry that incorporates diamonds, rubies and emeralds, most ordinary costume jewelry and jewelry that uses semi-precious stones are made by individuals, who sell their goods in bazaars. These are for the most part, not large companies. They are either very small operations with just a few people, or in many cases, just a single person. Many such goods are sold in the big, bustling bazaars of Asia’s back streets, where dealers spend their time collecting large quantities of these goods for export. Let’s take a look at one of them.
In Bangkok, the world-famous Chatujak Market contains goods that often find their way to shops all across America. Looking for attractive, inexpensive, genuine fresh-water pearls? You can find them here at surprisingly low prices. Imagine if you will, a small vendor stall, no more than 10 feet by 10 feet, with pearls hanging everywhere. The vendor is also the jeweler, who will custom-make a pearl necklace for you to your exact specifications. He is sitting in the back of his stall eating noodles. There are hundreds of people walking by, and it’s hard to even get up to the counter, and when you do, you notice a live chicken standing on top of the vendor’s workbench. You pick out the silver clasp and the quality of pearl. He shoos away the chicken and gets to work, and ten minutes later, you have your necklace.
Besides freshwater pearls, you can find virtually anything and everything there. There are thousands of vendors in this sprawling center of commerce, with goods ideal for import—including costume jewelry, handbags, and wallets made from leather, snakeskin, alligator, and stingray. There are dozens of vendors selling silk scarves, cashmere pashminas, and decorative batiks from India.
Chatujak is visited by tourists and locals alike, but there are quite a large number of importers, individuals who run import shops back home, wholesale distributors, and online merchants who visit as well, searching for unique items. The number of people buying in large bulk quantities is so great that there are several shipping companies right there in the bazaar who will take your goods and ship them back to your stateside location. As you shop, you can continue returning to the shipping stall to drop off your goods until you’re done.
Whether you go in person or purchase them through a distributor, these highly unique and creative items made by craftspeople—and not mass-produced—present an excellent opportunity for highly saleable goods that you can acquire at very reasonable prices.
Recent Comments