eCommerce Store Guide: How to Find Wholesale Clothing Suppliers
If you run an ecommerce store that sells clothes, or you’re thinking of starting one, you might need the help of wholesale clothing suppliers. But, you might not know how to find one that is going to be reliable.
Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to help you find a supplier you can depend on.
In fact, if you keep reading, you’ll learn how to find wholesale clothing suppliers that will help your ecommerce store be successful.
Let’s begin!
What Kind of Clothing Supplier Do You Need?
It’s important you put some time into thinking about the kind of clothing supplier you should seek out. After all, there is a wide range of clothing suppliers to choose from. You want to make sure you pick one that is going to be best suited to your needs.
Do you want help sourcing t-shirts? Do you need help with hoodies? Keep in mind that some clothing suppliers might be able to provide multiple clothing items. But you should not assume that this is going to be the rule.
It’s worth mentioning that gaining clarity now, will also make it easier for you to think about what you actually want from the clothing supplier. The more specific you can be now, the easier it will be to send a brief to the clothing supplier regarding what you know.
Each clothing supplier is going to be able to fulfill a different set of needs. If you would like a special kind of embroidering, make sure you mention this to a prospective clothing supplier. If you don’t you may find yourself working with someone who is unable to complete your order as you would like it done.
Be Careful If You’re Going International
If you are going to source your items internationally, you will need to practice some caution.
That is because some international suppliers might have issues regarding quality control. If you are going to work with an international supplier, check the standards they stick to when producing items.
For example, do they follow the right regulations? If you need to create an item that requires fireproofing, make sure the supplier can stick to these regulations. You also want to make sure that the materials being used to produce the items are good quality.
As a result, there can sometimes be benefits to working with domestic suppliers. Sure, this can often drive some of your prices up. But a lot of the time it can ensure your items are produced to a high standard, by people who are highly skilled.
If you are working with a local supplier, you will also find that it might be easier to get things done.
You will both speak the same language and you can also hold ‘face to face’ meetings. This means that it is easy to communicate your needs. You will, therefore, be able to increase the odds that you end up with a product you’re happy with.
If you want to see an example of a US-based wholesale supplier, click here.
Finding Wholesale Clothing Suppliers
You should be able to find good clothing suppliers, with the help of Google. All you need to do is input the kind of item you need help with, the word ‘suppliers’ and the location. For example, if you want t-shirts produced in Miami, you would search ‘t-shirt suppliers Miami.’
This can be a fast way to find suppliers, but it might not reveal all the suppliers that are available. You may also want to consider finding directories that list the suppliers within your region. You may even want to reach out to people who run clothing companies and ask them who their suppliers are.
You might even want to consider going to a tradeshow. There are specialist tradeshows where clothing suppliers will try to market themselves. These tradeshows provide the perfect chance to speak to people who might be able to help you with your needs.
The good thing about tradeshows is that everyone is going to be under one roof. So if one supplier doesn’t seem promising, you can always move onto another one who will be a few booths down.
The Importance of Samples
Before you work with a supplier, make it a point to request some samples.
Some suppliers will be happy to provide these samples to you. If you are unable to retrieve these samples yourself, you might have to pay a postage fee. But, other suppliers might charge you to produce the sample.
Do not use the fact that someone is going to charge you for a sample, an excuse not to get a sample. You want to be sure that you and the supplier are on the same page, regarding what you want and how you want it. The only way to do this properly is by requesting a sample.
If you find that there is something wrong with the sample, make sure you mention it to the supplier. Do not stop until the supplier gets the end product right. If you find that they are struggling you might want to think about working with another supplier.
Ready to Take Your E-commerce Store to the Next Level?
If you run an e-commerce store that sells clothes, you need to make sure you are working with a reliable clothing supplier. Otherwise, you might end up with poor quality products and unhappy customers.
In this post, we’ve taken a look at some of the things you can do to find reliable wholesale clothing suppliers. You need to think about whether you want to work with local people or not. You also need to think about visiting a tradeshow.
When you find a clothing supplier that looks promising, make sure you obtain samples. This will help you discover if the supplier is able to help you create the kind of product you want to create.
Want to learn how you can start your own business? Check out our ‘start your own business‘ section to see some of our latest content!
