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What is the most profitable wholesale product to sell online?
Jewelry, and in particular Silver Earrings, would have to be the most profitable wholesale product to sell online in terms of markup and storage logistics. With high markups and small product size, you don’t have to sell as many products to make a great profit and you don’t have to pay a premium for storage and shipping. In addition, silver jewelry is timeless and will continue to sell. On the other hand, products in the Education & Office Supplies sector such as pencils and writing pads will guarantee repeat sales, as stocks need to be regularly replenished. An invaluable insurance for continued profits.
Tired of waiting for profits to trickle in?
Out of patience with endless customer support requests?
Online retail has opened doors for countless entrepreneurs looking to make their own fortune, but it’s not without its annoyances.
Maybe it’s time to dig a little deeper and explore some other options.
eCommerce is more than just your standard B2C online shop front! In fact, the B2B and wholesale business model was the status quo long before the current direct-to-consumer model disrupted the scene.
So, have you ever considered becoming a wholesaler online? It usually entails working with manufacturers directly and selling their products in bulk, which both increases your order volume AND reduces the number of customers you deal with on a day-to-day basis. This can mean sky-rocketing your profits and reducing your workload in one fell swoop!
Sound interesting? Let’s look at it in a little more detail and dig into some profitable wholesale products to sell online.
How does Selling Wholesale Online Work?
Selling wholesale products online means you’re moving into the B2B realm. You’re not selling individual products to consumers like you would in retailing; instead, you’re selling to other businesses in bulk (who may then shift those products in a retail context).
So essentially, you’re a supplier yourself! This means you’re most likely working directly with a producer or manufacturer and buying your product from them in bulk at cheap prices – although it’s also possible to buy from other wholesalers. When working with manufacturers, it’s also possible to custom-design your own product and have it produced by them, although this is inevitably a lengthier and more involved process, and not recommended for beginners.
Similar to setting up other eCommerce businesses, in order to become an online wholesaler, you’ll first need to find profitable wholesale products to sell online. Your process may look a little something like this:
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Source Your Products:
Product research and market analysis are so important here to ensure you’re not investing your hard-earned cash into duds! Google is an obvious place to start, but dedicated wholesaling tools like SaleHoo are also extremely useful. -
Negotiate With Suppliers
When ordering large amounts of product, manufacturers are likely to be open to negotiation, so it’s always worth having that conversation before agreeing to a price. -
Create a Wholesale Store with High-Quality Product Pages
As with any online sales, you need a quality shopfront that makes a professional first impression, has high-converting product pages that set a minimum order quantity (MOQ), and handles payment transactions effortlessly. Your customers will be paying larger totals than in B2C, so you need to make sure your payment gateway is set up for this. -
Register With Wholesale Marketplaces and Directories
Being part of marketplaces and directories ensures buyers can find your business, which is a vital part of putting yourself on the map as a wholesaler. -
Attend Trade Shows
Another way to spread the word to potential customers, trade shows have always been a go-to for pushing business growth in wholesaling. -
Market Your Wholesale Business
And the work doesn’t stop here! You need to stay on top of your marketing to capture that market share and build your profits.
How Selling Wholesale Online Is Better than Retail
Let’s take a quick look at some of the arguments for selling wholesale online. Of course we’re not trying to say B2C doesn’t have its merits too! Like everything in life, there are always pros and cons to weigh up, and in the end, it always depends on what suits your business best.
Nevertheless, we want to highlight some of the great benefits of going into the wholesale business, which may often get overlooked.
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Fewer customers, bigger orders
Instead of handling 200 individual customers daily, you’ll sell the same amount of product to 1-3 customers. This significantly reduces your workload! -
Easier customer support
Fewer customers also means a significantly easier job handling customer support. Utilizing a cloud contact center for your wholesale business can streamline your communication efforts and help you reach a wider audience effectively. -
Less competition
There are fewer contenders and therefore less fierce competition for customers. -
Reduced marketing budget and effort
In the age of ever-rising customer acquisition costs, it’s reassuring to know you don’t have to acquire as many of them! Plus, with the reduced amount of competition in the wholesale space, there’s less of a race to outbid one another when it comes to ads, etc. -
A large and growing market
With global online sales increasing all the time, online stores need wholesalers to supply the products they’re selling -
Significant discounts with manufacturers
You can negotiate discounts when making large bulk orders
As you can see, there are some very convincing reasons to go into selling wholesale – so if you have the financial means, and you have some good leads on profitable wholesale products to sell online, it’s well worth giving it a shot.
But where exactly can you find suppliers to give you those great bulk discounts everyone is raving about? This is where we come to the next piece of the puzzle.
Where to Find Wholesale Products to Sell Online
Just as your future customers need to be able to find you (e.g. in online directories or at trade shows), you also need to figure out where to find your own suppliers for making those large bulk orders. Not every source and directory is created equal, and you want to make sure that you’re connecting with reliable – ideally vetted – suppliers that are going to make solid future business partners. These sites work as directories, rather than ‘shops’, so you will usually need to make direct contact with individual suppliers before any sales are made.
To make your life easier, we’ve combed through the web and found our Top 5 recommendations.
1. SaleHoo Directory
Hands down the best toolkit for going into wholesaling online is the SaleHoo Directory. SaleHoo is a huge database of 8000+ wholesale and dropship suppliers (set to grow to over 20K in the coming year!) offering millions of profitable wholesale products to sell online. The great thing about SaleHoo is that they pre-vet all suppliers added to their Directory, which just gives you that level of confidence and trust you need to make big wholesale investments.
An available addon to the Directory package is the industry-leading market research tool called SaleHoo Market Insights, which gives you invaluable insights into product trends and sales stats across the globe.
2. Alibaba
Chinese giant Alibaba is a well-known name in the world of wholesale. Featuring thousands of mostly Chinese suppliers on its platform, Alibaba is an established source for finding wholesale products at cheap prices.
It’s most famous for lower-ticket items with a cheaper production value. Nevertheless, you can find products across a broad range of categories, with many identical items being offered by multiple suppliers. It definitely pays off to shop around here, but be wary that the advertised price might not be the one you end up getting with the supplier.
Most of all, keep your guard up, as scams are rampant and don’t always get resoled by the platform.
3. Worldwide Brands
Worldwide Brands has been around for 20 years, and even though you can tell its age from the outdated look of their website, it’s still a decent and extensive supplier directory with a solid reputation.
Getting access to their Wholesale Directory is on the pricier side at $299, but you may well find it’s worth it to find reliable suppliers and avoid scams. After all, as a veteran in the business, Worldwide Brands should well know how to spot a dodgy contender.
4. India Mart
India has been on the up and up for years now, and with a humongous workforce to draw on, it’s quickly shaping up to be respectable competition for China’s ‘workshop of the world’ status.
If you’re looking for an equally economical Alibaba alternative outside of China that will provide a range of profitable wholesale products to sell online, it’s well worth checking out IndiaMart. It’s especially well-known for the sale of pharmaceuticals but lists suppliers and products across a broad range of categories.
As with Alibaba, you’ll have to take into consideration shipping costs to wherever you need your bulk order to be sent to – this can significantly increase your CPU.
5. Faire
Faire is a wholesale marketplace featuring small, independent producers based in Europe and North America. If you’re after more unique products in the clothing, jewelry, food, and home wares categories, this is a good point to start – But be aware that smaller producers are likely to charge a higher CPU too. Accessing the database is free for customers, as it’s funded through commissions from the wholesalers listed.
So now you know where to start looking for some great suppliers to get you started in the world of wholesaling. All that’s left to do is get some inspiration for what exactly to sell. The last thing you want is to place a bulk order for a particular product and then have it sitting around collecting dust!
Read on for our top 15 profitable wholesale products to sell online.
Our Top 15 Wholesale Products
Time to get down to business. What’s a winning product and how are you really going to make this online wholesale business pay off? With 15 years of experience in the eCommerce realm, we’ve learned a few things along the way, and we’re more than happy to share our insights with you.
1. Statement Socks (Clothing and Apparel)
At an estimated worth of $1.3 trillion, the global apparel market is massive, and growing. Everyone needs to wear clothes, and the fast fashion trend of the last few decades has meant that people love to upgrade their wardrobes regularly.
New trends are constantly emerging in fashion, but a couple to watch out for are the move towards more sustainable fabrics such as bamboo and recycled plastics, and the growing desire for unique and quirky accessories.
Enter Statement Socks. Socks are perfect for a wholesale business because they have global appeal, everyone wears them, and they are small to store and ship. And by adding some funky motifs you’re cashing in on that extra niche appeal.
- Why this product works for wholesale: Socks are small and light, so perfect for bulk storage
- What type of retailers you can target: Fashion retailers, especially those that love unique and trendy products
- Sell-through rate: Around 100%
- Purchase sample product
2. Silver Earrings (Jewelry)
Silver jewelry is timeless, and you’ll be sure to find a pair or two of silver earrings in most women’s jewelry boxes. Whether for every day or for dressing up, silver is an evergreen product, plus the small size of items makes it perfect for ordering large quantities. (You may not even have to pay for warehousing if you can make room in a cupboard at home!)
The markup on jewelry is high and you can charge a much higher price than you could for other products – partially because it’s often given as a gift. Yes, there can be high competition in the jewelry category, but if you pick unique products, this could be a very lucrative avenue for you.
- Why this product works for wholesale: High markup potential and compact size
- What type of retailers you can target: High-end fashion and accessories retailers, boutique jewelry shops
- Sell-through rate: 50%
- Purchase sample product
3. Tassel Handbag (Purses and Handbags)
All fashion trends get reborn eventually, and fringe accessories are one of them. From the golden age of fringe and tassels in the 1920s, through the 70s and today’s revival, these funky fringed handbags have been making a comeback and are hot property again.
The purses and handbags market is huge too, with millions of dollars worth being imported to the US each year. And global revenue is predicted to grow into the 50 billions by 2028 too. Not bad!
And if this fringed number doesn’t float your boat, there are plenty of other options to consider, such as clutches, totes, men’s bags, and business bags.
- Why this product works for wholesale: There’s a huge, evergreen market that’s just starting to gain traction again since the pandemic
- What type of retailers you can target: Fashion and accessories retailers
- Sell-through rate: 63%
- Purchase sample product
4. Drones (Electronics)
It’s the age of drone photography and footage! With everyone getting so used to being able to document every moment of their lives on camera, more and more solutions are cropping up to make those lasting memories extra special. Where drones seemed too futuristic to be true only 10 years or so ago, they’re now becoming increasingly common with your average Joe, and everyone wants one.
Worth over $2 trillion, the global electronics industry is one of the biggest in the world, and there’s no sign of that changing anytime soon.
- Why this product works for wholesale: Tapping into a thriving market and a sustained, growing trend
- What type of retailers you can target: General Stores, Electronics Retailers, Photography Specialists, Robot Specialists
- Sell-through rate: 70%
- Purchase sample product
5. Mini Massage Gun (Health and Wellness)
The health, wellness, beauty categories have been on the up and up for years now, but the pandemic has accelerated this trend even more. With more people working from home and an increased interest in staying fit and healthy, products in these categories have seen incredible growth in recent years. The health and wellness industry is set to grow to a huge $7 trillion by 2027!
When considering products in this area, you should stay away from bulkier and heavier exercise equipment such as dumbbells and treadmills, and instead veer towards compact products such as protein powders or smaller gadgets. One such example is a mini massage gun, which is the compact iteration of a product that seems to be gaining more and more traction as a cheaper alternative to getting in-person massages.
- Why this product works for wholesale: It’s a lucrative, trending industry to get into and the smaller size means storage is cheaper than the full-size version.
- What type of retailers you can target: Health & Wellness focused businesses, Wellness Spas, Gyms
- Sell-through rate: 85%
- Purchase sample product
6. Trendy Pet Collars (Pet Supplies)
People love their pets like children – Just one of the great reasons why to delve into this category! Even when the going gets tough, people are never going to stop wanting to spend money and caring for their little furry friends, providing an abundance of profitable wholesale products to sell online
According to a recent study, pet owners spend almost $3500 on their pets per year, so it’s a smart idea to capitalize on this fact and get a slice of the pet supplies pie.
There are all sorts of fun and useful items people buy for their pets, from leashes, bowls, and treats, to toys, blankets and beds.
One such item, which is sure to have excellent curb appeal, are these funky pet collars to make everyone’s little companion look their best.
- Why this product works for wholesale: Collars are small and light for cheap shipping and storage; plus they appeal to both loving cat and dog owners
- What type of retailers you can target: Pet-focussed business, pet supply stores, local pet groomers
- Sell-through rate: 80%
- Purchase sample product
7. Homely doormats (Homewares and Decor)
Have you been staying at home and spending money on your home these past few years? You, and everyone else on the globe! In lieu of traveling, people have refocused on making their home nice and cozy, plus adjusting it to accommodate new working-from-home set ups.
Growth in the homewares category hasn’t shown any sign of slowing down and was estimated to be as big as $727 billion in 2021. The great thing about this category is the huge range of products and sizes – from the smallest detail to the largest furniture items, you can go as large or small as suits your requirements.
The product we’ve selected opens the door to this profitable industry (pun intended). Cute and inviting doormats are the hallmark of any cozy home and are sure to rake in the profits for you.
- Why this product works for wholesale: Size and shape of the product works excellently for compact storage (stacking)
- What type of retailers you can target: Homeware shops, department stores, gift and accessories retailers
- Sell-through rate: 40%
- Purchase sample product
8. Pencils (Education & Office Supplies)
There are some things that are inevitable in life: death, taxes, and school! With budgets getting tighter as the recession gets tougher, more and more parents, teachers and educational institutions are turning towards buying resources in bulk, making it an excellent wholesale opportunity.
And what’s more evergreen than the humble pencil? Pencils are cheap, compact, and easy to ship, making them one of our favorite profitable wholesale products to sell online. Plus they’re a resource that will need to continuously be restocked, so you’re setting yourself up for repeat orders from your customers.
In addition, you’ll be able to target not only educational institutions, but also businesses looking to stock up their stationary.
- Why this product works for wholesale: Stable, recurring demand and excellent product size for storage and shipping
- What type of retailers you can target: Stationery retailers, Educational supplies retailers, Educational institutions, Government organizations, Office supply retailers and more
- Sell-through rate: 70%
- Purchase sample product
9. Energy Bars (Food and Beverage)
Everyone needs to eat, so food and beverage is another one of those evergreen categories that are going to have a stable demand perfect for wholesaling.
However, any category has trends, and two that have been burning steadily for a few years now are ‘wholefoods’ and ‘protein bars’. They both tie into the Health and Wellness trend of the pandemic years and also have the advantage of having a long shelf life and small size – perfect for bulk storage. You’ll be able to target not only the health-conscious audience but also the family and parent demographic who are looking to provide a healthy diet for their kids.
- Why this product works for wholesale: It taps into recent trends and needs to be replenished regularly by customers. Added bonus: Small and light.
- What type of retailers you can target: Health food retailers, sports nutrition companies, gyms, wellness spas
- Sell-through rate: 90%
- Purchase sample product
10. Fragrant Candles (Candles and Fragrances)
A side niche of the homewares category, candles and fragrances are also tapping into the recently exploding trend of home improvement. Aside from having homeowner appeal, candles also make a lovely present and can be capitalized on during the Christmas season.
One advantage of selling candles is their compact size, which means you can store hundreds of items side by side in a single closet – meaning you may not have to pay for warehousing to begin with at all. Candles are also a solid choice if you are interested in venturing into the ‘homemade’ category and start producing your own goods and wholesaling that way.
- Why this product works for wholesale: Compact size and trending category
- What type of retailers you can target: Home improvement retailers, home accessories retailers, furniture retailers, gift shops
- Sell-through rate: 20%
- Purchase sample product
11. Wedding Decorations (Party decorations)
Who doesn’t love to party? There are endless occasions people need party decorations for, from seasonal ones like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, to special days like birthdays, anniversaries, and weddings. The list goes on and on, and especially large-scale events like weddings can be extremely lucrative. Weddings seem only to be getting bigger year to year, with more and more ‘must-have’ accessories like napkin rings, place cards, and gift bags – all great and profitable wholesale products to sell online..
Getting into wholesale wedding decor will be both lucrative and long-lasting, as long as you make sure to follow the most recent style trends for such occasions.
- Why this product works for wholesale: Accessories are small in size and are needed at large volumes for large-scale events
- What type of retailers you can target: Wedding retailers, wedding accessories retailers, wedding planners
- Sell-through rate: 83%
- Purchase sample product
12. Vegan Coffee Creamer (Coffee beans and tea)
What would we do without our morning coffee?! It’s hard to imagine society being quite as productive without that daily caffeine hit… Coffee is a culture and it’s no surprise cafes are popping up absolutely everywhere to bring this black nectar of the gods to the masses.
Coffee beans and tea are relatively cheap to grow and often have an enormous markup of up to 3000% and 1000% respectively! So if you’re a coffee enthusiast and interested in getting into wholesale coffee bean selling, this can be a very lucrative avenue to go down.
If you don’t fancy the research and groundwork involved in purchasing beans directly from the producer, there are plenty of easy product wins in this category. Take for example Vegan Coffee Creamer. Cashing in on the vegan food trend that’s growing and growing, you can really set yourself apart here.
- Why this product works for wholesale: Coffee, tea and related products have up to 3000% markup
- What type of retailers you can target: Cafes – small businesses and chains, Grocery stores, health food stores
- Sell-through rate: 67%
- Purchase sample product
13. Surgical Masks (Surgical Items)
We don’t think we need to tell you why face masks are a lucrative business venture. Those wholesalers already in the business at the start of the pandemic are likely to be taking Scrooge McDuck-like baths in their wads of cash by now.
It has to be said that since then, a lot more businesses have jumped on the bandwagon of selling facemasks, and the market is more competitive. Nevertheless, many wholesalers only in it for the short gain will soon be outcompeted or jumping ship, while demand isn’t likely to reduce as quickly.
Firstly, surgical masks are in constant demand for medical professionals as it is; secondly, the repercussions on people’s sense of caution will mean they’ll want to be prepared to mask up for years to come.
- Why this product works for wholesale: Small and lightweight, perfect for storage and shipping; large demand due to the pandemic
- What type of retailers you can target: Medical supply retailers, Pharmacies, Supermarkets, General Stores
- Sell-through rate: Around 100%
- Purchase sample product
14. Splendor Board Game (Toys)
385,000 babies are born each day, and these little bundles of joy soon grow up to be little people that want to be engaged and entertained. Much like the pet accessories industry, the Toys and Games category benefits from the unwavering love of dedicated parents. Who could skimp on spending when it comes to your kids?
The great thing about board games is that they’re both entertainment for the kids, and provide an awesome activity to enjoy with the whole family. There are numerous board game favorites out there, and Splendour is amongst the top ranks due to its quick play time and ease of learning.
If you’re diligent in your research and pick a bestselling, top-rated game, you could profit from wholesaling it for years!
- Why this product works for wholesale: Box-shaped products are great for stacking in large volumes, plus the toy industry is invariable profitable
- What type of retailers you can target: Toy and games retailers, Book shops, Kids retailers
- Sell-through rate: 69%
- Purchase sample product
15. Popcorn Salt (Spices)
An offshoot of the Food and Beverage category, selling wholesale spices can be very profitable, with profit margins of up to 50% and relatively low competition.
Even if they haven’t been around for all that long, if you consider modern history, spices have become an immovable part of our life and cooking. Who could imagine creating meals without them?
Selling spices is therefore a very solid and reliable industry. A unique example with curiosity appeal, is flavored popcorn salt. Appealing to foodies and snack-lovers alike, this delicious product can also be marketed as a gift option.
- Why this product works for wholesale: Small size, global appeal
- What type of retailers you can target: Supermarkets, smaller grocery shops, Fine Foods/ Delikatessen, Snack retailers, Cinemas
- Sell-through rate: 64%
- Purchase sample product
This concludes our list of favorite top profitable wholesale products to sell online, and we hope you’re feeling inspired to dip your toe in this exciting business opportunity! Wholesaling is often overlooked, but it’s a fantastic alternative for those wanting to escape the oversaturated market of straight-to-consumer commerce.
How to Find the Perfect Wholesale Product
By now, you probably have a good idea of the things you need to take into consideration when choosing a product to sell wholesale online. There are many important factors like demand, profit margins, size and weight and seasonality, which all play into determining your future success in wholesale.
But in the end, you need to think about your individual circumstances and decide what would work best for your business with the resources you have available.
If you haven’t quite found what you’re looking for, the SaleHoo Directory is an amazing place to continue your search. With over 8000 suppliers and millions of products available, it’s an extensive database to find exactly the thing you need, while letting you back everything up with real data from SaleHoo Market Insights.
Also, if you have any eCommerce-related questions or want to know more about the Directory, please feel free to reach out to our team of eCommerce experts, available 24/7.
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