If possible you should look locally first so that you can avoid shipping costs that can cut into your profits. If there are wholesale sources in your area or at least a close drive to you, you can just rent a van or something like that. Some suppliers may even offer free or at least low cost delivery.

Here are a few ideas to help you get started finding products at wholesale that you can resell. Locally you can look up wholesalers in trade directories and possibly in your Yellow Pages. Personally, I use the internet quite extensively to find products. You can just put in the name of a product you want to buy wholesale along with the term such as "wholesale designer handbags".

Another excellent option is to attend trade shows since most wholesale merchants are members of trade organizations that hold regular trade shows. I have a friend in the jewelry business that gets diamonds and other precious stones at very low prices by attending trade shows.

You can sometimes find the wholesale source for a product subversively by looking for the products in a local store and getting the address or URL of the maker off of the packaging and then contact them directly.

After you have found some sources where you can obtain niche products perform due diligence on them to be sure they are reputable and that they have approval from the makers of the products. This can save you legal hassles later on.

The next thing you want to do is to be sure that you know all of the details of the terms of payment, cost of shipping, return policy, etc. If possible get references when you can from other clients that are using their services.

Now that you have narrowed your choices down and have found a wholesaler that you want to do business with you need to find out what kind of quantities you can buy in. If you are a small merchant you may not be able to afford to buy in large quantities, so you may be able to partner with someone else or find a wholesaler that will dropship for you at a slightly higher price. This is often a viable option for those just getting started in business. I hope that this article was helpful to you.