The process of getting consumer goods into the hands of actual consumers is lengthy and somewhat complicated. Where wholesale sunglasses are concerned, it starts with the manufacturers who make all the parts. Those parts then have to be assembled before being packaged and put into the supply chain. It could be months before a pair of sunglasses actually makes it to a retailer's shelf.
As a retailer, your closest connections in the supply chain are your wholesalers and distributors. And if you are like most retail business owners, you do not work with just one. You look to multiple wholesalers and distributors to keep your shelves stocked. The question is one of how well they are doing their jobs.
Wholesalers perform three vital functions on your behalf:
- Working with manufacturers
- Importing from overseas
- Facilitating product distribution.
How well each of these tasks is performed affects every retailer a wholesale operation works with. Ask yourself how well your wholesalers are doing on these three things. If the answer is 'not well', maybe it's time to look for new sources of bulk designer sunglasses.
1. Working with Manufacturers
The primary link between manufacturer and retailer is the wholesaler. Sometimes, there is a distributor involved as well. At any rate, the wholesaler works with manufacturers on behalf of their retail partners. Why? It boils down to sales volume. Manufacturers do not have the time or resources to sell in small quantities and still make money.
Manufacturers rely on bulk sales. They rely on being able to sell entire lots of products all in one shot. Here at Olympic Eyewear, some of the bulk sunglasses we sell are from our own brands. But we also carry other brands made by other manufacturers. We buy in extremely large quantities at the lowest possible price. We then pass that pricing on to you when we repackage and sell in smaller lots.
2. Importing from Overseas
Wholesalers are also the main entities that import goods from overseas. As basic as that might sound, it is really not. Imports and exports are governed by strict rules that have to be followed. Retailers generally don't have the resources to maintain compliance. Wholesalers do.
A good wholesaler who knows the ins and outs of international trade should rarely run into border delays. There should not be many issues involving product classification, improper tariffs, and the like. The result is a seamless process that guarantees the wholesaler always has enough product on hand to supply retailers. But mess up importation and the wholesaler can easily interrupt the supply chain.
3. Facilitating Product Distribution
Finally, wholesalers are mainly responsible for facilitating product distribution across the country. Our wholesale sunglasses are a great example. As a bulk supplier, we sell to customers from coast to coast. We take products obtained directly from manufacturers and distribute them around the country by selling to retailers at wholesale prices.
This may not mean much, but it is actually a big deal from a logistics standpoint. Think about it. We sell to retailers in New York and California. We sell in Florida, Michigan, Texas, Pennsylvania, and on and on. It takes quite a bit of logistics know-how to make sure the wholesale sunglasses our customers order actually make it to them.
Needless to say, operating as a wholesale distributor is quite a bit different from operating as a retailer. We don't mind. We love the challenge of keeping our retailers stocked with men's and women's wholesale sunglasses. How are we doing? We strive to exceed your expectations at all times.