How To Find Cheap Wholesale Products For Bulk-Buying & Resale

Are you a new online retailer looking to build up your customer base and drive sales up? If you are, then you’re probably on the lookout for cheap wholesale products for resale!

Remember, online shoppers expect great deals. In fact, that’s part of the reason why eCommerce has blown up in recent years.

This means that finding cheap wholesale items is a great way to boost your profits. This is especially true if you’re a new merchant.

Plus, offering inexpensive items on your website can quickly build up your customer base. It also makes it more likely that online shoppers will make multiple purchases in one trip.

• What Do We Mean By “Cheap Wholesale Products For Resale”?
• Buying Products In Bulk For Resale
• Reselling Products Online With Dropshipping
• How To Find The Best Cheap Wholesale Products To Sell
• Source Cheap Wholesale Products From New & Emerging Brands
• Where Can I Buy Cheap Wholesale Items To Resell? 
• Cheap Wholesale Products That Can Be Profitable
• Buy Cheap Wholesale Products In Bulk From GreenDropShip

What Do We Mean By “Cheap Wholesale Products For Resale”?

First and foremost, let’s be very clear about the terminology we’re using.

Wholesale are products that you – the merchant – buy from the wholesaler (or supplier) at a price that’s lower than the retail price that shoppers pay. In other words, wholesale prices are not available to the regular consumer.

RELATED ARTICLE: How To Start An Online Store: 8 Easy Steps

Additionally, “cheap” is a relative term – what may be cheap for one person is actually expensive for another.

But, in the context of this blog post, we’re generally talking about products that have a wholesale price below $5. However, we will also include a few examples of products that are below $10.

Either way, we’ll only be considering wholesale products that most reasonable merchants would consider “inexpensive”.

It is important to note that “cheap” does not necessarily mean “low-quality”. In fact, we’ll discuss that it’s perfectly possible to find cheap wholesale products that are still high-quality, as long as you have a good supplier to work with.

Then, once the merchant buys these cheap wholesale products in bulk, they store them somewhere until they sell them online. That’s why they’re a reseller of products.

So, without further delay, let’s jump right in! We’ll discuss how you – the merchant – can best find cheap wholesale products to sell online within the conventional retail model!

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Buying Products In Bulk For Resale

Let’s start with some fundamentals: buying products in bulk for resale (or bulk-buying) is a conventional type of retail or product-sourcing model.

It means that you – the merchant – pay for inventory upfront and then store it until a consumer buys it. Also known as inventory-holding or wholesale, in this model you’re responsible for managing your inventory.

Being an online reseller allows you a great deal of freedom and flexibility, including the type of model you decide to use. In fact, that’s just one of the benefits of being an independent entrepreneur!

For instance, there are plenty of merchants who choose to buy cheap wholesale products in bulk from a wholesaler and then resell them online. It’s certainly a popular option!

That being said, the best way to be profitable with this model is to sell a large volume of goods. It ensures that you still make money while keeping your costs low.

However, if you choose the right wholesaler, then cheap does not necessarily mean low-quality. In fact, there are wholesalers with high-quality goods at lower wholesale prices. This means you can charge more competitive retail prices and make a profit. 

Let’s just take a quick look at the profit formula for buying cheap wholesale products for resale:

For this formula, costs and fees are what it costs to run the store, including your dropshipping supplier membership.

You can also use an alternate profit formula:

The cost of goods sold (COGS) covers all the variable costs associated with producing, procuring, and selling the goods.

Your profit margin increases as the wholesale price decreases. When setting your retail price, you want this margin to be as big as possible, so choose products that have a substantially lower wholesale price versus retail price.

RELATED ARTICLE: Dropshipping Profit Margins: How To Price Your Products

1) Challenges To Buying Cheap Wholesale Products In Bulk

Although buying cheap wholesale products in bulk is a totally viable and potentially profitable sourcing model, it still comes with some disadvantages. These include:

• You’re responsible for managing the inventory, including shipping and handling.
• You’ll need enough warehouse space to store all the bulk products that you order.
• Certain products require very specific storage conditions, including climate control.
• You’ll need to follow storage best practices, including methods like first in first out (FIFO).
• Your storage facility must be safe and secure since all this bulk inventory is worth money.
• The shipping costs and warehouse fees will be deducted from your gross profit.
• These extra responsibilities increase your startup and operational costs.
• Logistics become more complex as you manage fulfillment centers and more employees.
• It’s higher risk than dropshipping since you could get stuck with an unsold surplus.
• Most wholesalers have minimum order quantities (MOQs), usually 1,000+ units.

As you can see, there are some definite challenges to buying cheap wholesale products in bulk for resale online. As a result, this sourcing and retail model is not ideal for every merchant.

2) How Do I Store Bulk Wholesale Products?

Buying cheap wholesale products in bulk means that you’ll be storing the goods until the shopper makes the actual purchase. Besides, there’s virtually no way that you’ll sell all your inventory immediately after you get it from the wholesaler.

As a result, there are some rules you have to follow to properly store these bulk items:

• Control the temperature if you’re storing any food or perishable items.
• Adhere to all applicable health laws if you’re storing perishables.
• Follow expiration or best-by dates on food and/or perishables.
• Manage your inventory, including methods like first in first out (FIFO).

You’ll also need enough materials, resources, and employees to ship orders quickly and efficiently. Consumers hate waiting too long for their orders to arrive, so make sure it doesn’t happen!

However, pulling, packing, and shipping orders is a lot more complicated than many people realize. In fact, it’s very time- and resource-intensive.

3) How Do I Find Space To Store Cheap Wholesale Items In Bulk?

If your eCommerce store is small, then you might be able to keep inventory in your house or garage. However, if you scale up, you’ll need to get a warehouse and/or fulfillment center. 

This means that you’ll need to secure warehouse or storage space, usually by renting it. Thankfully, there are some directories you can use to search for space, including:

• LoopNet
• Storefront
• Showcase
• TenantBase
• ReadySpaces
• Digsy
• Warehouse Spaces

Luckily, finding warehouse space isn’t that different from finding a house or apartment. You just need to make sure that you go through a commercial agent or website.

That being said, be sure to ask your real estate agent specifics about the warehouse space. Some common questions include:

• What are the lease terms? How long is the lease?
• What kind of lease is it? Modified gross lease or triple net lease?
• Who pays for improvements? Who’s responsible for repairs?
• Is subleasing allowed? What are the options to renew?
• Are there any inventory liens? Can you modify the space?
• What’s the payment schedule? What’s the security deposit?
• Is it zoned for commercial? Can delivery trucks make the clearance?
• Is it close to public transportation? Is there parking?
• Does it have fire-prevention systems? What about energy-efficient lighting?

Make sure you get all these answers before you sign any paperwork. Plus, when you get the actual lease contract, always look it over carefully!

Remember, commercial leases are almost always longer than regular residential leases. For instance, it’s pretty standard that they’re at least 3 years long and can sometimes be up to 10 years!

If you’re uncertain about zoning, you can call the zoning department for the city or county where you’re renting the warehouse space.

4) How Much Does It Cost To Store Cheap Wholesale Items In Bulk?

Renting warehouse or storage space usually isn’t cheap, especially in recent years.

In fact, according to research by Cushman & Wakefield, rental prices for warehouse space are expected to climb all the way until the end of 2023! At the end of 2021, these rental prices saw an 8.5% increase versus 2020. Plus, vacancy rates were a scarce 3.8%, a record low figure.

In most cases, there are three primary criteria for calculating warehouse leasing prices:

• Floor area
• Base Rental Rate
• Estimated Operating Expenses (either as NNN or CAM)

All three of these are expressed in units of square footage (or sf).

NNN means Net Net Net, which is also known as a triple net lease. It includes the taxes, insurance, and maintenance charges a warehouse tenant must pay in addition to their base rental rate.

CAM stands for common area maintenance and it refers to the management and maintenance costs for a given commercial space. Usually, tenants must pay their rental base rate plus NNN or CAM. 

Additionally, tenants usually have to pay the power bill for the warehouse, which is generally around $2 per square foot (sf) annually.

As of 2022, warehouse space in Los Angeles has an average range of $0.82 to $1.53 per square feet (sf). As you can see, it’s certainly not cheap!

But for many merchants who buy cheap wholesale products in bulk, they can’t get around it: they need to rent warehouse or storage space. There’s just no other way to operate within this retail model.

5) Should I Buy Wholesale Items In Bulk If I Use Amazon FBA?

Some independent entrepreneurs choose Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) as their primary retail and product-sourcing model. 

In some respects, FBA is similar to dropshipping on Amazon, but the inventory and order management are quite different.

RELATED ARTICLE: Amazon Dropshipping: The Complete Guide & Killer Tools

With FBA, you buy wholesale products in bulk from a wholesaler (also known as a supplier or distributor). Amazon then stores these wholesale products at one of their fulfillment centers. When the customer makes a purchase, Amazon pulls, packs, and ships the order to the customer.

Most FBA merchants actually own the bulk wholesale inventory that Amazon is storing for them. They just handle selling it in their online store while outsourcing the inventory management and shipping to Amazon.

Essentially, you’re leasing warehouse space and using the shipping resources from Amazon.

If you buy cheap wholesale products in bulk, what are the advantages of FBA? Essentially, you can benefit from Amazon’s:

• Massive brand recognition
• High level of consumer trust
• Huge base of customers
• Excellent customer service
• Complex shipping infrastructure
• Short shipping times
• Multiple fulfillment centers
• Low startup and operational costs

With over 2.5 billion monthly shoppers, Amazon is very recognizable to consumers. Plus, online shoppers trust this brand implicitly; in fact, 89% of consumers are more likely to shop at Amazon versus other platforms.

However, Amazon charges you for the volume of inventory they keep and how long they keep it. These expenses will certainly impact your bottom line.

Additionally, retailers can buy cheap wholesale products in bulk from wholesalers or suppliers like GreenDropShip. These wholesalers and suppliers will then prep the orders and send them to Amazon’s fulfillment centers.

In fact, GreenDropShip offers free Amazon FBA prep services to all its members!

RELATED ARTICLE: How To Get Ungated On Amazon – Strategies for Sellers

6) Should I Buy Wholesale Items In Bulk If I’m Selling On Shopify?

As one of the most popular and trusted eCommerce platforms in operation today, Shopify is a fantastic choice for selling cheap products online.

It’s highly secure, intuitive, feature-rich, and user-friendly. You can stock up on cheap wholesale products in bulk, find a storage space, and quickly get a store up with no fuss.

Additionally, Shopify has some definite advantages:

• Choose from a huge selection of templates (themes).
• Quickly scale your store up.
• Use design apps to build a sleek-looking store.
• Easily implement email marketing or cart upsells.
• Use the Shopify App Store to maximize efficiency and profitability.
• Boost conversions with easy-to-add trust badges.
• Protect customers’ sensitive financial information.
• Rely on an incredible customer service department, all day every day..
• Find extra help with the Shopify Community.
• Rank higher in search results via search engine optimization (SEO).
• A free 2-week trial (that you can easily extend to 90 days).

But the question remains: should you buy cheap wholesale products in bulk and then sell them on Shopify?

That’s up to you! Although Shopify is especially popular with dropshipping merchants, it is also used by inventory-holding or bulk-buying retailers.

Ultimately, it all depends on whether you’ve secured good warehouse space at a decent rental price. This includes storing perishables that you can then sell in your Shopify store.

RELATED ARTICLE: The Guide To Selling Food On Shopify

You can easily build a slick, secure, and snazzy-looking Shopify store. Now it’s just all about storing those cheap wholesale products that you bought in bulk!

If you’re looking for the right wholesaler/supplier, you should know that GreenDropShip integrates fully with Shopify. We also have a Shopify dropshipping app that lets you add products with just a few clicks.

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• Top 10 Shopify Dropshipping Tips You Need to Know
• Do You Need A Business License to Sell on Shopify?
• Best Shopify Dropshipping Apps in 2022

Reselling Products Online With Dropshipping

So we’ve discussed the conventional wholesale model (also known as bulk-buying or inventory-holding). Let’s take a moment to explore some alternatives.

If you’re looking for an easy way to resell products online, you should definitely consider dropshipping.

This is an online business model in which the seller does not actually handle any of the inventory. Instead, the storage, packing, and shipping of all products are handled by the dropshipping supplier. 

RELATED ARTICLE: How To Dropship: Build A Profitable Ecommerce Store

To make it easier to understand, you can take look at this graphic:

Let’s also take a look at the steps in the dropshipping process:

1. Choose a dropshipping niche, preferably one with little to no competition.
2. Find a dropshipping supplier.
3. Build your dropshipping store. 
4. Add products you want to sell.
5. The shopper buys something via the payment gateway.
6. Place an order with your dropshipping supplier.
7. They pull, pack, and ship the order to the end consumer.

As you can imagine, your dropshipping supplier plays a vital role in the success of your eCommerce operation. So it’s absolutely vital that you find the right one! Without them, your store simply can’t function.

GreenDropShip is an excellent choice if you’re looking for natural and organic products. We carry thousands of US-made items in a variety of niches, including food and beverage, beauty and body care, and health and wellness.

RELATED ARTICLE: Dropshipping Business Opportunities: Your Complete Guide

1) Which Is Better: Bulk-Buying Cheap Wholesale Items Or Dropshipping?

So which is better: buying cheap wholesale products in bulk and then storing them somewhere until you sell them or working with a dropshipping supplier and only ordering what your customer buys?

As is usually the case with these kinds of questions, it all depends on your particular needs as a merchant!

That being said, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each product-sourcing and retail model.

Pros & Cons Of Dropshipping

First off, let’s discuss the pros of dropshipping:

• You can’t order too much or too little inventory and get stuck with a surplus or shortage.
• Most dropshipping suppliers will not impose any minimum order quantities (MOQs).
• Startup costs are extremely low; in fact, you can start dropshipping with very little money.
• No need to rent expensive warehouse space to store your cheap wholesale items in bulk.
• Your dropshipping supplier usually handles returns and refunds.

All the regular hassles of running a retail store are handled by the supplier, letting you focus on marketing to customers.

However, there are some drawbacks to dropshipping, including:

• You’ll have little control over the vendors’ prices.
• Relatively speaking, delivery times are longer.
• You have less control over the entire process.
• You don’t have any say in shipping and/or shipping costs.
• Developing an effective return and refund policy can be challenging.
• Profit margins are narrower compared to conventional wholesale.

As you can see, there are plenty of both pros and cons to the dropshipping model.

RELATED ARTICLE: Is Dropshipping Still Worth It & Profitable In 2022?

Pros & Cons Of Buying Cheap Wholesale Products In Bulk

Let’s start with the pros of buying cheap wholesale products in bulk, storing them, and then selling them from your eCommerce store:

• In most cases, delivery times are shorter.
• You have much more control over prices and costs.
• You can more easily have a say in quality control.
• It’s easier for you to build a brand identity for your store.
• You can resolve customer complaints quickly and efficiently.
• It’s easier to create an effective return and refund policy.
• You’re less reliant on a supplier since you handle packing and shipping.

That being said, there are some cons as well:

• You need to invest in storage or warehouse space.
• If you’re selling perishables, you need climate control and decent inventory management.
• You’ll need to have the resources to pack and ship the orders.
• There’s always the possibility of markdowns.
• It’s an inherently higher risk than dropshipping, especially if you overestimate demand.
• You need to have your own logistics that are effective and efficient.

With both models, buying cheap wholesale products in bulk and dropshipping, you need to have at least a working knowledge of marketing and advertising.

Ultimately, it just depends on your needs, skills, and resources. For instance, if you have easy access to secure and well-managed warehouse space, then buying wholesale items in bulk may be the better model for you!

2) Bulk-Buying Cheap Wholesale Items Or Dropshipping: Which Should I Use?

That’s the ultimate question! Again, it all depends on your specific situation as a merchant and entrepreneur.

Let’s take a look at this handy graphic that compares and contrasts dropshipping versus a conventional wholesale model (aka buying cheap wholesale products):

Additionally, before you commit to either, ask yourself the following questions:

• Are you only building an eCommerce store?
• Or will you also have a brick-and-mortar retail operation?
• Do you have easy access to secure and well-managed warehouse space?
• Can you secure the resources to efficiently pack and ship orders?
• How much startup capital do you have?
• Where are you sourcing your products from? From the USA or overseas?
• How quickly do you want to scale your eCommerce business up?
• What kind of profit margins do you want?
• How much control do you want to have?
• How well do you know this particular market and/or niche?

Ultimately, you should choose to buy cheap wholesale products in bulk and then resell them if you have enough startup capital and are capable of storing, packing, and shipping your own orders.

On the other hand, you should choose dropshipping if you want to test out new markets or expand your product range.

You can also try dropshipping if you have a very specific niche in mind – it’s more competitive due to the narrower profit margins. If you’ve identified an untapped market or non-competitive niche, then dropshipping might be the better option.

3) Buying Cheap Wholesale Products In Bulk vs. Retail Arbitrage

There’s another potential model that online resellers can use: retail arbitrage.

With this model, you’ve identified regular retailers who are selling products far under market value, so you buy them and then resell them for a profit. In other words, you’re essentially acting as a middleman.

That being said, eCommerce retail arbitrage follows these basic steps:

1. The reseller finds an underpriced product online.
2. They list this product in their own store.
3. An online shopper buys the product from the store.
4. The reseller buys the product on behalf of the shopper.
5. If possible, they have the original seller ship directly to the shopper.
6. The reseller makes a profit on the price mark-up.

It’s basically dropshipping, except that you’re not going through a wholesale source.

As a result, anyone could hypothetically find these underpriced products. Plus, shipping and handling times are generally quite long and may make shoppers impatient or dissatisfied.

Finally, not every eCommerce platform allows this, depending on the details of how you do it. As they say, The devil is in the details. That means that it’ll be your responsibility to determine if you’re breaking another store’s rules.

That being said, Amazon is cracking down on “opportunistic resellers”: they’re officially making it much harder for resellers to buy high-demand, low-supply products on Amazon and then resell them at a markup on another website (like eBay).

That means you need to always be sure that you’re operating within the rules of whatever eCommerce platform you’re using.

4) What About Using A Hybrid Retail Model?

For many merchants, combining dropshipping and wholesale (also known as inventory-holding and/or bulk-buying cheap wholesale products) is the ultimate product-sourcing and retail model!

It’s important to note that there are dropshipping suppliers who also function as wholesalers. This means that they offer both dropshipping services and the ability to buy cheap wholesale products in bulk.

This results in a kind of hybrid model, combining dropshipping with bulk-buying wholesale products.

Let’s take a moment to examine why this hybrid model is so valued by some merchants and resellers:

• You find a dropshipping supplier/wholesaler with products you want to sell.
• Add new and untested products to your store via their dropshipping program.
• If they sell well, then you can order the cheap wholesale products in bulk.
• You can eventually negotiate better prices when ordering the bulk wholesale items.

In other words: you test new products with dropshipping since it basically has zero risk. Once you know that a given product will make money, you switch to ordering the wholesale items in bulk and incurring more risk but better profit margins.

GreenDropShip is both a dropshipping supplier and wholesaler, meaning we offer both dropshipping services and the ability to buy cheap wholesale products in bulk.

We’re a domestic supplier/wholesaler with multiple fulfillment centers throughout the USA. This means our shipping times are always short and customers don’t have to wait long.

Plus, we specialize in the natural and organic niche, with all kinds of premium, specialty, and gourmet wholesale products. Many of these are cheap even though they’re still premium quality.

Members gain access to multiple product categories, including groceries, home goods, baby products, haircare, skincare, pet products, essential oils, and vitamins and supplements.

We also offer a Shopify dropshipping app that makes it easier than ever to automate your store and add any cheap wholesale products with just a single click.

How To Find The Best Cheap Wholesale Products To Sell

If you want to find the best cheap wholesale products for your online store, then you’re going to need to do some good old-fashioned product research.

This is the process of researching the market, identifying potential niches, brands, or products, and then choosing which products to sell.

RELATED ARTICLE: Product Research: How To Find Products For Your Store

Product research is so vital because you can:

• Get ahead in an ultra-competitive retail environment.
• Accurately predict trends and demand.
• Order cheap wholesale products in bulk that will sell well.
• Offer curated content so you don’t overwhelm shoppers with choices.
• Get the best return on investment (ROI).
• Find untapped niches with less competition from other retailers.

Now, what are the five criteria for choosing cheap wholesale products to buy in bulk? 

• Price. Get a profit margin between 10% and 20% based on the wholesale prices.  
• Size. This affects shipping costs – bigger products cost more.
• Shipping costs & methods. The best wholesalers can safely ship fragile or perishable goods. 
• Demand. Choose cheap products that online shoppers will actually buy!
• Seasonal trends. Go for items that sell consistently year-round or have a regular season.  

Plus, the best product research tools are:

• Google Trends
• Rising Retail Categories
• Facebook Ads
• CommaFeed
• Ecom Radar
• SaleHoo Market Research Lab
• eBay’s Advanced Search
• WatchCount
• Hashtagsforlikes
• Jungle Scout
• Opportunity Finder (Jungle Scout)
• HelloProfit
• SellerApp 
• KeywordInspector 
• Keepa
• CamelCamelCamel
• Unicorn Smasher

Proper product research is especially important if you’re buying wholesale products in bulk, whether they’re cheap or not. Every time you order in bulk, you’re essentially gambling that consumers will want to buy the products.

If you misjudge the demand and order too much or too little, then you can end up with a surplus or shortage. Either way, your bottom line is adversely affected.

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• Top 17 Current eCommerce Trends For 2022
• Hottest Beauty Trends For 2022
• Top Health and Wellness Product Trends
• How To Find Popular Food Trends

Source Cheap Wholesale Products From New & Emerging Brands

When you’re sourcing cheap wholesale products for resale, what kinds of brands should you choose? Do you go with recognizable and established brands? Or with new and emerging brands?

It seems obvious, right? Choose brands that shoppers will know and love! Your sales will totally benefit from much higher brand recognition.

However, choosing well-established brands means that you’ll frequently have to contend with market saturation. That means that there are too many other retailers selling those same brands, especially via the eCommerce giants like Amazon or Walmart.

If you want to stand out from your competition, you’ll need to:

• Keep retail prices as low as possible.
• Keep shipping and handling times shorter.

Unfortunately, it’s pretty much a given that you can’t consistently beat the eCommerce giants on lower prices and shorter shipping. You might be able to on some products, but not enough to maintain a competitive edge across the board.

RELATED ARTICLE: How To Handle Shipping Times When Dropshipping

So what do you do? Sell new and emerging brands! Of course, brand recognition will be much lower, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t make some serious profits.

There are actually some definite pros to choosing cheap wholesale products from emerging brands. You can:

• Stay out of saturated markets.
• Educate curious shoppers.
• Be at the forefront of trends.
• Avoid direct competition.
• Develop the identity of the brand.
• Get personally invested in new brands.

Remember, buying cheap wholesale products for the inventory-holding model is inherently riskier than dropshipping. But it does yield much higher profits and dividends.

In other words, when you’re right about the profitability of a brand, then you’re really right. That’s why choosing new and emerging brands appeals to innovators and achievers!

Where Can I Buy Cheap Wholesale Items To Resell? 

If you’re trying to find cheap wholesale products in bulk for resale, then you’ll have to find the right wholesaler/supplier.

Once you order them, you can store them somewhere until an online shopper buys them from your eCommerce store. Since you’ll be using the inventory-holding model, you’ll then be responsible for packing and shipping them.

Remember, this is different than the dropshipping model, in which your dropshipping supplier handles all the inventory.

To find the perfect wholesaler/supplier, be sure you follow these simple steps:

1) Start with a Google search

It may seem totally obvious, but this should be the first place you start! However, a wholesaler is also known as a:

• Supplier
• Distributor
• Wholesale distributor
• Wholesale supplier

In other words, they’re simply the source of your cheap wholesale products in bulk. As we mentioned above, some wholesalers also function as dropshipping suppliers.

If you’re looking for wholesale products in a specific niche or cheaper wholesale items, make sure you specify all of that in the search terms.

Please note that you can use various synonyms for cheap, including budget, low-price, low-cost, affordable, and bargain.

If you want to find cheap wholesale items that are natural and/or organic, try these variations:

• Natural cheap wholesaler
• Organic budget wholesaler
• Natural low-price wholesale products supplier
• Cheap natural wholesaler
• Budget natural wholesaler
• Cheap organic wholesale distributor
• Cheap wholesale products organic supplier
• Bargain distributor organic wholesale items
• Affordable natural wholesaler

You don’t need to go with a result from the first page or pages. Just because they’re ranking high doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re the right wholesaler for you.

Finally, if you want to properly vet the wholesalers, ask them the following questions:

• Do you get a discounted price for buying in bulk?
• Is there a membership fee? Or per-transaction fees?
• Do they offer also dropshipping services?
• Are there any other fees?
• Do they offer any apps for eCommerce platforms?
• Is there full platform integration?
• What’s their warranty, return, and refund policy?
• Is their customer service always available?
• What product niches do they carry?

Finding the right wholesaler is absolutely vital to building a profitable and successful eCommerce store, so definitely don’t rush this process!

2) Use a wholesaler directory

There are so many wholesalers out there that it may actually get overwhelming for you during the research process.

If you want, then you can use a wholesaler directory. These are lists of pre-screened, vetted, and approved wholesalers in certain product categories and niches. Some common options include:

• WorldWide Brands. Automotive Goods, Pet Supplies, Toys, Games, Jewelry, Home & Garden, Computers & Electronics, Apparel & Fashion, Accessories, Baby Products, and more.
• Wholesale Central. Electronics, Apparel, Tools & Hardware, Beauty, Housewares, Holiday & Seasonal, Jewelry, Novelties, COVID-19 Supplies, Military Goods, and more.
• Salehoo. Antiques & Collectibles, Baby Gear, Car Parts, General Merchandise, Video Gaming, Electronics, Fashion & Apparel, Sports Equipment & Memorabilia, and more.
• TopTenWholesale. Apparel, As Seen On TV, Automotive, Books & Magazines, Collectibles, Fragrances, Military Goods, Novelties, Office Supplies, Toys, and more.
• Top Wholesale Suppliers. Art & Supplies, Books, Cameras & Supplies, Crafts, Dollar Store, Electronics, Handbag & Luggage, Security & Self Defense, Wedding, and more.
• 4WholesaleUSA. Beads, Books, CBD Oil, Cellular, Closeouts, Computer, Fabric, Furniture, Incense, Knives, Novelties, Sporting Goods, Tools, Truck Parts, Watches, and more.
• SupplyChainBrain. Aerospace & Defense, Apparel, Automotive, Chemicals & Energy, Consumer Packaged Goods, Healthcare, High-Tech/Electronics, and more.
• A Better Lemonade Stand. Apparel, Accessories, Shoes & Textiles; Books, Stationery & Office Supplies; Fitness & Sporting Equipment; Sports Merchandise & Collectibles; and more.
• Inventory Source. Hunting & Fishing; Survival, Tactical, & Camping; Consumer Electronics; Baby, Kids, & Toys; Vitamins & Supplements; Furniture & Home Decor; and more.

However, most of these directories are not free. If you’re looking to keep your startup costs as low as possible, then this might not be the right option for you.

3) Contact the manufacturer of the wholesale items

Contacting the manufacturer of the cheap wholesale products will make them point you in the direction of authorized wholesalers.

Obviously, you can only do this if you already know what brands and products you want to sell. Plus, this method is especially effective if you’ve chosen a well-defined niche.

Remember that the manufacturer is different from a supplier or wholesaler.

The manufacturer is the company that built, produced, and/or created the actual product whereas suppliers or wholesalers buy directly from manufacturers and then sell them to retailers at wholesale prices.

4) What do I need in a low-cost wholesaler?

The perfect low-cost wholesaler should always have:

• Brands that are in high demand.
• Low-cost and cheap products that’ll sell well.
• Emerging brands without market saturation.
• Low membership fees and/or costs.
• Reasonable and competitive wholesale prices.
• Discount wholesale prices for items in bulk.
• Full integration with eCommerce platforms.
• Useful tools – including apps – to make you more profitable.

You should also choose a low-cost and cheap product wholesaler/supplier in the USA instead of one based overseas.

Wholesalers based overseas – especially in China – are popular because they frequently have lower wholesale prices, but the products are usually of inferior quality and their customer service is seriously lacking compared to domestic wholesalers.

Plus, overseas wholesalers frequently sell fake or counterfeit goods while trying to pass them off as the real thing!

Remember, cheap wholesale products doesn’t necessarily mean that the goods are of shoddy build or quality. On the contrary, you can definitely find US-based wholesalers that offer cheap wholesale products that are still high-quality and even name-brand.

RELATED ARTICLES:

• Best Made In USA Wholesale Dropshippers
• What Are The Best Dropshippers In Los Angeles?

5) Choose a low-cost wholesaler like GreenDropShip

So you’ve decided to buy cheap wholesale products in bulk, store them somewhere, and then sell them on your online store. That’s great! You can make some decent money with this retail model.

An excellent choice is GreenDropShip – we’re a US-based wholesaler and most of our products are made in the USA.

We’re both a dropshipping supplier and a wholesaler. That means that resellers can use a hybrid product-sourcing model when working with us: test out new products via dropshipping and then order them in bulk if they sell well.

Additionally, we carry name-brand products, which is unique as most other low-cost wholesalers only carry generic wholesale items. However, we also offer new and emerging brands in our upcoming marketplace.

GreenDropShip Membership breaks down as follows:

• Annual membership. $149.00 per year.
• Quarterly membership. $49.00 every three (3) months.

Please note that all dropshipping services are included in the membership. Plus, resellers can buy cheap wholesale products in bulk with no minimum order quantities (MOQs); also known as minimum order requirements (MORs).

We specialize in natural and organic wholesale products. If your target market is health-conscientious, interested in premium goods, and flush with disposable income, then GreenDropShip is the absolute perfect wholesaler/dropshipping supplier for you!

To see some of the amazing cheap wholesale products that we offer, check out the next section below.

Finally, GreenDropShip operates in multiple natural and organic niches, including groceries, home goods, beauty products, health and wellness items, pet products, vitamins and supplements, and baby products.

Cheap Wholesale Products That Can Be Profitable

So we’ve examined the differences between dropshipping and bulk-buying wholesale items. We’ve also taken the time to look closely at bulk-buying cheap wholesale products for resale and how that’s best done.

Furthermore, we’ve made it pretty clear that cheap does not necessarily mean low-quality, especially if you find the right wholesaler.

All that being said, let’s go over some examples of cheap wholesale products that you can find from GreenDropShip.

Here’s a breakdown by product category:

1) Natural Body Care Products

There are plenty of promising cheap wholesale items in GreenDropShip’s inventory that we chose to mention for a variety of reasons:

• They’re popular and in high demand.
• They’re easier to store.
• Their wholesale price is low, especially compared to the retail price (wider profit margin).
• They’re high-quality.
• They’re frequently certified as Amazon’s Choice.

Thayers Alcohol-Free Witch Hazel Facial Toner

Made of Witch Hazel extract and a blend of other time-tested ingredients. Thayers Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera Formula Astringents and Alcohol-Free Toners are soothing, natural treatments that cleanse, tone, and soothe your skin.

These are the only Witch Hazel products made of non-distilled extract from the Witch Hazel shrub maintaining the highest levels of therapeutic tannins.

• #1 Bestseller on Amazon for “Facial Toners and Astringents”
• Amazon’s Choice product
• Over 12,600 reviews with an average rating of 4.6 stars.
• GreenDropShip wholesale Price: $6.08
• Average Retail Price: $10.95

If we look at the Google search interest for “Thayers Witch Hazel Toner”, you can see that it’s increased over four times in the past three to four years:

Let’s also take a look at the monthly Google searches for Thayers Witch Hazel Facial Toner:

There over 8,000 monthly Google searches for Thayers Witch Hazel Toner and 1,300 monthly Google searches for Thayers Witch Hazel Rose Petal Toner.

Shikai Borage Therapy Advanced Formula Lotion

• Non-greasy & non-irritating
• No animal ingredients & no animal testing
• Rich in borage, an omega-6 fatty acid
• Soy Free & 100% natural
• Formulated & made in California
• GreenDropShip wholesale Price: $1.37
• Average Retail Price: $2.99

Everyone Coconut + Lemon Nourishing Lotion

• No animal testing & cruelty-free
• Made with plant extracts + pure essential oils
• 100% natural: no synthetic fragrances & no parabens
• Gluten-free
• EO Products is family owned & operated since 1995
• GreenDropShip wholesale Price: $1.62
• Average Retail Price: $2.99

Crystal Body Deodorant Travel Stick

• 100% natural & hypoallergenic
• No aluminum chlorohydrate
• Fragrance & paraben-free
• Made with natural minerals
• Safe for the environment
• GreenDropShip wholesale Price: $2.16
• Average Retail Price: $4.99

Alba Botanica Coconut Creme Lip Balm

This highly moisturizing and deliciously fruity lip balm treats your lips to a nourishing island treat any time of day. Sweet coconut and jojoba seed oils moisturize thirsty lips while botanically-based emollients protect against drying. Always 100% vegetarian.

• Sweet coconut scent
• Nourishing & moisturizing
• Features botanically-based emollients
• Amazon’s Choice product
• Average rating of 4.4 stars
• Amazon is low in stock
• GreenDropShip wholesale price: $1.72
• Average Retail Price: $2.82

Let’s also take a moment to look at the monthly Google searches for the Alba Botanica brand:

As you can see from the data, there are nearly 15,000 monthly Google searches for the brand “Alba Botanica”.

Preserve Triple Razor System 

• Handle powered by yogurt cups (100% recycled plastic)
• For men and women
• Easy-to-grip, no-slip handle
• Long-lasting
• Comes with two replacement blades
• Handle recyclable after use
• Amazon’s Choice
• GreenDropShip wholesale price: $4.49
• Average Retail Price: $8.33

Bee & Flower Bar Soap

GreenDropShip offers multiple varieties, including Ginseng (pictured above), Jasmine, Sandal Wood, and Rose Bar

• Plant-powered
• Based on an ancient, traditional recipe
• Known for its pleasing fragrance and rejuvenating properties
• Average rating of 4.3 stars on Amazon
• GreenDropShip Wholesale Price: $0.74
• Average Retail Price: $2.99

The Grandpa Soap Co Epsom Salt Bar

• Hardworking, simple, and pure ingredients
• Based on a natural soapmaking tradition
• All-natural, 100% vegetable base
• No harsh or nasty additives or detergents
• Average rating of 4.5 stars on Amazon
• GreenDropShip Wholesale Price: $0.91
• Average Retail Price: $1.99

Alba Botanica Un-Petroleum Multi-Purpose Jelly 

• Plant-powered body care
• Made with 100% vegetarian ingredients
• No parabens, phthalates, or synthetic fragrances
• Designated as an Amazon’s Choice product
• Over 700 ratings with an average of 4.6 stars
• GreenDropShip wholesale price: $3.83
• Average Retail Price: $5.16

Toms of Maine Deodorant

Tom’s of Maine’s Original deodorant stick provides clinically proven 24-hour odor protection. This aluminum-free deodorant stick uses the botanical ingredient hops to inhibit the growth of odor-causing bacteria to keep you feeling confidently fresh throughout your day!

GreenDropShip carries multiple scents, including Unscented (pictured above), Beautiful Earth, Soothing Calendula, Refreshing Lemongrass, Mountain Spring, Tea Tree

• Aluminum-free
• Totally natural
• Designated Amazon’s Choice product
• Over 2,500 reviews with an average rating of 4.3 stars
• GreenDropShip wholesale price: $4.92
• Average Retail Price: $6.99

Yes To – Hypoallergenic Facial Wipes

• 10 Wipes per pack
• Instantly removes makeup and cleans your face
• 100% Plant-Derived with blueberries, apple & lemon peel
• Hypoallergenic – great for sensitive skin
• Over 500 reviews and an average rating of 4.4 on Amazon
• GreenDropShip Wholesale Price: $3.56
• Average Retail Price: $5.99

2) Health & Wellness

GreenDropShip carries a wide variety of Health & Wellness goods as well. If you’re looking for cheap wholesale products to resell that are still high-quality and have the potential to be highly profitable, then here are some excellent options.

Ricola Cough Drops

Ricola Dual Action drops provide naturally effective relief for both your cough and sore throat. Their unique blend of ten natural Swiss alpine herbs, natural menthol, and soothing syrup center, combine to give you fast, safe relief you can trust.

• Naturally soothes coughs
• Relieves sore throat
• Average rating of 4.7 stars
• Amazon’s Choice
• GreenDropShip wholesale price: $1.82
• Average Retail Price: $5.89

Finally, let’s take a look at the monthly Google searches for Ricola Cough Drops:

As you can see from the data, there are over 12,000 monthly Google searches for Ricola Cough Drops. This means that this cheap wholesale product would be a great addition to your online store.

Ambrosoli Honees Honey Filled Drops

Ambrosoli Honees Menthol Eucalyptus cough drops temporarily relieve coughs from minor throat and bronchial irritation. This product is all-natural and contains only sugar, honey, corn syrup, eucalyptus oil, licorice, and natural flavors.

• Certified organic
• Made without artificial flavors
• Made without artificial preservatives
• Average rating of 4.8 stars on Amazon
• Designated Amazon’s Choice product
• GreenDropShip wholesale Price: $1.80 per bag of 20
• Average Retail Price: $3.99 per bag of 20

Aura Cacia 100% Pure Essential Oil – Texas Cedarwood

• Totally natural essential oil made from Texas Cedarwood
• Made in the USA
• Promotes wellness, health, and relaxation
• Can be used with other Aura Cacia Essential Oils to make customized aromatherapy formulas
• Rating of 4.6 stars on Amazon
• GreenDropShip Wholesale Price: $2.17
• Average Retail Price: $3.99

Spry Dental Defense Gum

• 10 Sugar-free pieces
• For Oral Care on-the-go
• Made with Xylitol – a natural sweetener
• Effective against tooth decay when used as part of a dental care regimen
• Available flavors include Peppermint, Cinnamon, Fresh Fruit, and Spearmint
• Rating of 4.6 stars on Amazon
• GreenDropShip Wholesale Price: $0.58
• Average Retail Price: $0.99

Herbaland Wild Berry Vegan Protein Gummies

• Certified vegan & low-sugar
• Can be used to fuel training or fill gaps in dietary intake
• Great for pre- or post-workout regimens
• 5 g fiber, 10 g protein, 2 g sugar
• GreenDropShip Wholesale Price: $1.90
• Average Retail Price: $2.99

3) Home Goods

The popularity of natural and organic products is spreading beyond just groceries and body care – consumers want home goods and cleaning supplies that are better for the environment and health as well.

We chose to feature these home goods for the following reasons:

• They’re popular and in high demand with consumers.
• They generate repeat sales, so online shoppers will come back if they liked their shopping experience.
• They’re everyday essentials for any household.
• Their wholesale prices are low versus their retail prices.

Grab Green Garbage Disposal Freshener & Cleaner Pods

• Removes odors, loosens grime, and helps prevent clogging in your pipes
• Tangerine plus lemongrass scent – fresh and invigorating
• Made with 100% natural and plant-based essential oils
• No nasty additives or detergents
• Rating of 4.4 stars on Amazon
• GreenDropShip Wholesale Price: $2.87
• Average Retail Price: $4.99

Bon Ami Polish and Cleanser

• Just as effective as conventional cleaners but without toxic ingredients
• Biodegradable and nontoxic
• Made with limestone and feldspar (natural abrasives)
• Effective for the kitchen, bathroom, and cookware
• Cuts through grease, grime, and odor
• Rating of 4.5 stars on Amazon
• GreenDropShip Wholesale Price: $1.41
• Average Retail Price: $2.99

Natural Value Reclosable Storage Bags

• This is an eco-friendly and sustainable plastic product
• One gallon bags that can be resealed
• BPA-free and PVC-free
• Made in the USA
• Rating of 4.5 stars on Amazon
• GreenDropShip Wholesale Price: $1.81
• Average Retail Price: $2.99

4) Groceries

Natural and organic grocery items have exploded in popularity with consumers and GreenDropShip offers an extensive selection of food and beverage products. We’ve chosen to feature some for the following reasons:

• They frequently generate repeat sales.
• They’re pantry staples and popular with consumers.
• Many of them have a wholesale price far below $1.
• They don’t need to be refrigerated so your storage costs will be much lower if you buy in bulk.

Badia Spices

GreenDropShip offers a wide variety, including Cloves, Black Pepper, Complete Seasoning, Cinnamon, Parsley, Cilantro, Thyme, Paprika, and Rosemary

• Badia is a widely-recognized and respected brand of seasoning and spices
• Rating of 4.7 stars on Amazon
• GreenDropShip Wholesale Price: $0.47 – $0.50
• Average Retail Price: $0.99

Justin’s Classic Peanut Butter Squeeze Pack

• Gluten-free
• Naturally sweetened with honey
• Great for kids’ school lunches
• Rating of 4.6 stars on Amazon
• GreenDropShip Wholesale Price: $0.66
• Average Retail Price: $0.99

Izze Beverage Sparkling Juice

Available from GreenDropShip: Sparkling Grapefruit (pictured above), Sparkling Clementine, and Sparkling Pomegranate.

• 100% natural – no preservatives
• No artificial additives
• Caffeine-free
• No added sugar
• GreenDropShip Wholesale Price: $0.85
• Average Retail Price: $1.99

5) Electronics

Although usually more expensive than other categories, there are still electronic products that can be bought in bulk for cheap and then resold for a profit. 

Deal Maniac Bulk Kids Earbud Headphones

• Available on Amazon
• Pack of 10 with various colors
• Each set is individually bagged
• Designed with soft buds to make them great for studying or working out
• High-definition clarity – they’re inexpensive but still sound great
• Rating of 4 stars on Amazon
• Average Wholesale Price on Amazon: $0.99 per pair ($9.99 for 10 pack)
• Average Retail Price: $2.99 per pair

Kirababy Earbuds with Microphone

• Available on Amazon
• Pack of 5 
• Colors include 3 black and 2 white
• Heavy bass sounds, noise-isolating, and high-definition
• Compatible with Apple and Samsung products
• Over 4,000 reviews on Amazon
• 4.6 Star rating
• Wholesale Price on Amazon: $2.19 per pair ($10.99 for 5 pack)
• Average Retail Price: $4.99 per pair 

Smays Micro USB Cable Bulk Pack

• Available on Amazon
• Pack of 12
• Each connector is 3 feet long
• Compatible with all Samsung devices and Moto X, Kindles, LG Flex 2, Blackerry Z10, Nintendo, and Playstation
• Charge times up to 7% faster than other brands
• Certified Amazon’s Choice Product
• Rating of 4.4. stars on Amazon
• Average Wholesale Price on Amazon: $1.17 per cord ($13.99)
• Average Retail Price: $2.99 per cord

6) Clothing & Apparel

Some online resellers decide to sell bulk clothing and apparel, so here are some ideas for those types of products.

Gildan T-Shirt G500 Heavy Cotton 5.3

• Available from Gildan
• The G500 is Gildan’s most popular shirt for bulk orders
• 5.3 oz, pre-shrunk 100% cotton
• Soft and fits perfectly
• Double-needed stitched neckline, bottom hem, and sleeves
• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping
• Average rating of 4.6 stars on Amazon
• Wholesale Price: $1.67 – $2.69 (White or Color)
• Average Retail Price: $4.99 – $6.99 (White or Color)

Meisen Reusable Cotton Fabric Mouth Covering

• Available on Amazon
• Pack of 10
• Unisex
• Black dust cotton – washable and reusable
• Suitable for cycling, camping, running, traveling, climbing, and daily use
• Certified Amazon’s Choice
• Rating of 4.5 stars on Amazon
• Over 1,100 ratings on Amazon
• Average Wholesale Price on Amazon: $9.89 per 10 ($0.99 per mask)
• Average Retail Price: $2.99 per mask

Quality Durables Reusable Face Masks

• Available on Amazon
• Pack of 4 Face Masks
• Unisex for Adults and Kids
• 100% Cotton
• Double Layer of lightweight jersey fabric for breathability and enhanced comfort
• Colors include White/Black/Phantom Grey/Heather Gray
• Over 8,100 reviews on Amazon with a rating of 4.1 stars
• Average Wholesale Price on Amazon: $3.15 per mask ($12.60 per 4)
• Average Retail Price: $5.99 per mask

As you can see from the list, many of these products have a retail price that’s two times or more than the wholesale price. That means that there is a healthy profit margin, even if the retail price is quite low.

When it comes to cheap wholesale products for resale, the name of the game is high volume sales. That’s how you make money with these types of products!

Keep in mind that the profit you make also depends on your sales volume and not just on how cheap the wholesale price is.

For instance, if you get a lot of orders on low-priced items, you will make more profit than if you get only a couple of orders for a higher-priced product.

Buy Cheap Wholesale Products In Bulk From GreenDropShip

Choose GreenDropShip as your low-cost wholesaler and dropshipping supplier. You can find plenty of amazing cheap wholesale products available in our amazing selection of items.

With GreenDropShip, you can use a kind of hybrid model: test new products with dropshipping and – if they sell well – then you can order the wholesale products in bulk from us and sell them in your store.

Plus, we focus on natural and organic goods, most of which are made in the USA. Although we offer plenty of cheap wholesale products, we don’t carry any low-quality items – everything we have is premium, specialty, and gourmet.

That being said, we’ve got a ton of product categories and retail niches like:

• Natural & Organic Groceries
• Vegan & Plant-Based Groceries
• Honey & Natural Sweeteners
• Self-Care, Health & Wellness
• Vitamins & Supplements
• Weight Loss & Protein Powders
• Home Goods & Natural Cleaning Supplies
• Natural Skincare & Haircare
• Essential Oils & Aromatherapy
• Bread & Pasta
• Perishable Food & Beverages
• Baby Products & Baby Food
• Pet Products, Dog Food & Cat Food
• Bottled Water & Natural Soda
• Natural & Plant-Based Sweeteners
• Natural Candy & Snacks
• Dark & Gourmet Chocolate
• Tea & Coffee
• Baking Ingredients, Herbs & Spices

GreenDropShip offers both established and emerging brands in all these niches and product categories, giving resellers maximum choice in the type of cheap wholesale products they want to buy.

We have full integration with all major eCommerce platforms, including Amazon, Shopify, and WooCommerce.

We’ve also developed a Shopify app that’ll help make your store more efficient and profitable. You can add cheap wholesale products to your store inventory with just a few clicks!

Join GreenDropShip today and start selling!