For both wholesalers and retailers, the ability to offer a wide range of merchandise can be the means to successful sales, especially in today’s economy. Consumers are in the market for value, and smart wholesale companies provide independent retailers with product and pricing options that promote high profit margins, stimulate consumer interest, and enable brands to offer goods at bargain prices.
Here are some general merchandise wholesale suppliers whose products can make you a profit:
- Bargain Max, Inc.
- Direct Liquidation
- Price Master Corporation
- Regent Products Corp.
- R&M Wholesale USA
Bargain Max, Inc.
Bargain Max is a wholesaler, liquidator, distributor, and retailer founded in 1985 by Douglas Hipps. The company specializes in buying closeout merchandise and offers it to independent retailers at the lowest possible prices.
Bargain Max, Inc. offers a wide range of generally merchandise, including:
- Dollar Store Items
- Food Goods
- Health & Beauty Products
- Office Supplies
- Toys
- And more!
“We have always had a hybrid business, with both retail and outlet stores, as well as a wholesale operation,” Hipps said. “The good thing about having a hybrid operation is that your retail will carry you when your wholesale is down, and vice versa. Right now, we’re expanding our business, mainly through wholesale to mom-and-pop shops.”
Special Deals
Promotions are deal specific, and Bargain Max sells by the case, trailer load, and pallet load. There is no minimum order, but the company strives to reach a $300 price point. Bargain Max has agreements with national chains and also works with bankruptcy courts to acquire inventory.
“We’ll break off some goods for our retail outlet and others go to wholesale. We wholesale to all different groups — everything from Native American reservations to Big Lots,” Hipps said. “The export trend is nice for all goods right now, and we are exporting more than we have in the past. There seems to be money from overseas coming into the U.S., which is good for the U.S. designer and regular clothing trends. There is also huge demand overseas for American-made groceries.”
Excellent Customer Service
Hipps says customer service is the heart of Bargain Max. “We’re very conscientious that our clients succeed. We want a marriage. We don’t want someone to buy one load of merchandise and that be it. We call the customer and make sure it’s been a successful purchase for them, and that they have a return on their investment, which is when we offer subsequent deals. I’ve always believed firmly in a win-win situation,” he said.
Direct Liquidation
Direct Liquidation is an online auction platform where verified businesses can bid on different pallets and truckloads of customer returns, end-of-life, overstock, and refurbished products. The merchandise comes from top national retailers with over 100 product categories including electronics, automotive, tools, appliances, and more. All of this can be found on their super easy-to-use online auction platform.
How it Works
In order to bid on products, you must first set up a free user account. After registering, you must first confirm your email, and then verify a payment method to ensure you are ready to start bidding. Direct Liquidation provides several ways to search for the product you desire, including:
- Entering Keywords
- Searching Through Categories
- Browsing Through Featured Auctions
Once you find something of interest, you can start bidding. A bid box is located prominently at the top of each auction page. Enter your bid in the box and press ‘BID NOW.’
For your convenience, you can enter the maximum amount you are willing to pay for the lot. The system will automatically input the lowest bid required to make you the top bid for that auction. If no bids have been placed and yours is higher than the reserved price, your bid will automatically be set to the reserve price for that auction. After, make sure to monitor the auction to see if you’ve won the bid or not.
In-House Refurbishment
All product refurbishment is done at Direct Liquidation’s in-house facilities. Returned items are processed to ensure they operate according to the manufacturer’s original specifications, are kitted with new accessories, warrantied, and placed in retail-ready/new packaging for resale. Merchandise is warehoused at one of six U.S. and Canadian centers and is available for shipment to virtually anywhere in the world.
Price Master Corporation
Located in Queens, New York, Price Master is a national distributor to regional wholesalers, rack jobbers, cash ‘n carry outlets, convenience stores, dollar stores, and many other businesses. The company carries more than 3,000 general merchandise products and leading brands, such as; Duracell, Tylenol, Colgate, Bic, Chapstick, Kodak and more!
On top of these popular brands, Price Master Corporation also carries a variety of products in categories including:
- Consumer Electronics
- Batteries
- Photographic Films
- Health & Beauty Aids
- Vitamins and Energy
- Cigarettes and Tobacco
- And more!
“Whatever is good for convenience stores and dollar stores, we include in our line,” Nahid Najimi, Sales and Marketing Manager for Price Master Corporation, said. “Electronic cigarette lighters are a hot item right now, and retailers can expect 100% margins on our merchandise.”
The supplier delivers free freight within a 50-mile radius from Queens for orders over $1,000. There are also other free freight programs for the rest of the country, and you can inquire about these programs by calling 800-538-3873. Price Master uses Common Carriers, UPS, FED-EX, and DHL for areas outside of their delivery radius.
Regent Products Corp.
Located in River Grove, Illinois, and founded by Mike DePaul and Williams Bailes in 1985, Regent Products Corp. is a supplier of domestic imports, domestic general merchandise, dollar store items, and name brand closeouts. The company carries 4,000 items in 20 categories, including:
- Baby Products
- Health, Beauty, & Wellness
- Books
- Handbags & Luggage
- Lawn & Garden
- Kitchenware
- Seasonal Merchandise
- Toys
- And more!
With closeouts comprising about 25% of the company’s product mix, the remainder are direct imports specifically made for Regent Products. Independent retailers’ margins are generally 40% if they shop for a product mix of closeout and regular items, according to Ken Soens, Sales Manager for the company.
Three quarters of their direct imports are packaged under Regent Products’ Good Old Values brand. All of the seasonal items, toys, party supplies, tools, health and beauty, and kitchen gadgets are branded GOV, but pet and plastic items are not.
Opening Price Point Items
“Regent Products offers a wide range of ‘extreme value’ (opening price point) merchandise,” Soens said. “We can supply and fill the needs of anyone with a dollar store, and we also are heavily involved with grocery trade, drug trade, and mass merchants.”
Hardware chains, like many of its customers, use Regent Products for promotional end caps or circular ads. “They might use our products for a dollar promotion, and put our merchandise such as BBQ tongs and grill cleaners on the front cover to drive traffic into their store. Our products can be viewed as the opening price point, the value item, and there might be something more high-end like a $20 grill scrubber in the store so the customer has a choice,” Soens said.
Eye-Catching Packaging
Regent Products works with major factories that produce products for large retailers around the country, and the quality is very good. Packaging products to sell is critical for independent retailers.
“It’s really important to attract the customer’s eye. Many competitors don’t do that. They just take whatever packaging the manufacturer gives them, and it can be boring and uninviting. We’re trying to bring a little sizzle to the product and packaging,” Soens said.
Popular Products
The company’s most popular category is pets. “Our pet business has gone through the roof over the last five years,” Soens said. “I’ve also seen a huge increase in sales of plastics such as serving trays, food storage, and catering-type products.”
Another popular trend is multiple price points. “‘Two for $3,’ and ‘Nothing over $5’ are growing massively, and we’re responding to that by having more products at those price points to support that segment. We keep our eye on the retail market so we can offer the best value,” Soens said.
Your One-Stop-Shop
Regent Products strives to be the independent retailer’s one-stop-shop by offering great packaging, exceptional customer service, and good freight rates. Here is just some of what you can expect from the company:
- Competitive freight rates
- Full-time customer service staff
- They work with other vendors to get certain products
- An open showroom to browse merchandise
R&M Wholesale USA / WholesaleGoodZ.com
Founded by Raymond Weng and Karen Zhang, R&M Wholesale is a direct import company that specializes in wholesale general merchandise such as:
- Housewares
- Tools
- Kitchenware
- Toys
- Gifts
- Jewelry
- Socks
- And more!
Formerly known as Yweng Trading Inc, the company serves all sorts of resellers looking for a bargain. “We try to carry what everyone needs and to keep up with the latest trends in order to be the most helpful to our customers. When the rubber band bracelets were big, we got those for everyone. Summer items are popular right now, especially light-up toys,” Shannon Miller, Office Manager for R&M Wholesale USA, said.
They are open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm EST, and their customer service representatives can assist you with any questions. Please call 1-866-251-6878 or 330-479-9950 during operating hours. Retailers can also visit their showroom located at 3033 Navarre Rd SW, Canton, OH 44706.
For even more general merchandise wholesale suppliers, visit www.WholesaleCentral.com and click on the ‘General Merchandise’ category.