These days, a lot of Internet businesses are vying to become your online shopping marketplace. Some are giant worldwide companies, others are small businesses run out of a home. Everyone has a preference as to where to shop, perhaps based on good or bad experiences. And as a seasoned online shopper you want good prices, but also selection, honesty, timeliness in shipping, and decent customer service. All this is pretty much a given. But what if you're looking for more of a wholesale price type of place?

Wholesale pricing for brand name electronics, games, TVs, sports merchandise and numerous other items and categories is actually available to the public, you just need to know where to look. You can save a lot of money if you purchase from an online wholesaler. Be it a Wii, an XBox, a camera, DVR, DVD or even the latest Sony HDTV, it's all available for less. You don't get a free ride, but you do buy for less.

How do wholesalers do it? After all, they have to make money, too. The secret is streamlined operation. They buy and sell in large quantities; they buy up special deals, closeouts, and overstocks; they drop-ship from central locations; and they offer whatever is available. It's the same principle that allows warehouse stores to sell items for much less than grocery stores or even supermarkets. This ay they are able to offer brand name items at unbeatable prices.

How can you take advantage of this unique electronic marketplace? First, you can, of course, simply buy for yourself. Online wholesalers usually have very large selections of just about everything. It is not unusual to find literally hundreds of thousands of items to choose from, and everything is available for immediate shipping. Most people think that you need to be a store or business to be able to take advantage of wholesale buying, but that is not always the case. Likewise, while some wholesalers require minimum quantities, others do not, opening up the advantages of wholesale buying to everyone.

This means there are opportunities beyond just shopping for yourself. If you are an expert in some field, you might open your own online business, selling a selection of items that are then dropshipped directly by your wholesaler. That way you do not have to do your own buying, warehousing, shipping or any of the other back-office tasks that can make a business impossibly complicated and risky. Depending on your goals, you can specialize in some products, carry several product lines, or even have your own superstore where you carry hundreds of thousands of items without having to deal with any of the backend stuff.

Partnership with a wholesaler is also a terrific way to run an eBay business. Here again, you decide what items you want to carry and auction off. Sold product is quickly dropshipped to the winning bidder. If you do some research you'll find wholesalers that have special programs for resellers. They may have special packages, affiliate programs, or even turnkey systems. If you play your cards right, your online shopping marketplace can be an easily managed side business that makes some extra income, or it can become a career.