The 20th and 21st Centuries have seen some of the most dramatic and rapid changes in the nature of economics in history. The 20th Century started as one where goods and services were largely purchased locally and evolved into a time when goods and services often crossed the globe to reach the consumer. The 21st Century has only seen this trend increase and the wholesale sector has been greatly affected by this shifting economy.

A global wholesale enterprise must deal with variables that could have never been foreseen even 50 years ago. The enterprise must have an extensive understanding of the economies in all the nations in which they do business, even to the point of knowing what global and national regulations will affect their business models and how. They also must understand the latest trends in the nations where they sell to retailers and determine which manufacturers with whom they do business are most able to meet the demands of those trends.

What might be minor news to most individuals can be mission-critical information for a wholesaler. If a nation where a large factory from whom the wholesale operation purchases has an outbreak of an illness, for instance, this could potentially affect their retail clients oceans away. If retailers in a nation to whom the wholesaler sells have a particularly bad quarter, it could affect the manufacturers in nations thousands of miles distant. In many ways, the wholesaler serves as the fulcrum on which the global economy balances.

Dropshipping wholesale is a method of purchasing used by some wholesale enterprises that has become popular over the years. In this case, the wholesaler carries no inventory but only orders goods as they are demanded by the retailers. This ensures that the wholesaler does not end up with large quantities of stock that sit in warehouses unsold.

Other wholesalers may purchase large quantities of stock when they can obtain it at a good price. This model is popular with those who sell goods that rarely see a significant decline in consumer need, such as cleaning products, fuel, medical supplies and other items that are used on a daily basis by just about every consumer. Auto lots are sometimes a good example of both models. Consumers may drive away a "floor model" vehicle or order one customized with extras that appeal to the individual in question.