Wholesale Flea Market Merchandise

Flea Market Trend Report: Gifts and Novelties

Gift suppliers and their flea market customers have a positive outlook for 2011 sales, as the economy continues to improve. It takes strategy and planning to be successful selling gift products at swap meets, festivals, and flea markets, whether in a middle of the recession or during economic recovery. It’s a challenge, but cost conscious wholesalers are prepared, and that preparation makes all the difference for retailers looking to make profits and meet their customers’ expectations . One optimistic gift supplier is Charles Pugh, co-owner of Henry Brandt & Company. “It’s about knowing your market,” he says. “Everybody is looking for an advantage in the marketplace, especially as the economy is still recovering. A business in the gift industry can survive and meet customer demands best by supplying discounted products.”

The discounted merchandise offered by Henry Brandt & Co. includes greeting cards, inspirational books, journals, inspirational gifts and home decor. The company currently sells to vendors, discount independent retailers, and medium sized chains nationwide. Carrying more than 5,000 skus, the company’s biggest seller is its extensive line of greeting cards, followed by inspirational books, journals and inspirational gifts. Henry Brandt & Co.’s effort to make the best of reduced spending by both retailers and consumers has led the firm to supply top quality, name brand merchandise for about 75 percent to 95 percent off the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, on almost every item available.

In business since 1966, Brandt & Co. is a second generation closeout dealer that had its beginnings in a garage. “My father-in-law, Henry Brandt, started his own business in Chicago after selling his corporation,” says Pugh. Brandt liquidated bank-incentive leftovers from promotions. “That led him into the wholesale business, where he met some merchandise brokers in the Chicago area,” Pugh says. “On a subsequent trip to Branson, MO, he fell in love with the area and moved his business there.” The company evolved into one of the leading Hallmark closeout dealers in the United States in the ’70s and early ’80s, and found its niche in the gift industry.

It is Henry Brandt’s long-standing discounted products that have kept the company in the forefront over the past few years, even during its rebranding campaign, resulting in the renaming of the website as, “Inspirational Wholesale.” Greeting cards are Henry Brandt’s most popular inspirational merchandise, available in over 3,200 designs from the number one and two inspirational card manufacturers. Pugh notes, “We sell name brand greeting cards for $0.25. Our handmade cards are $0.30.” Items available at such low discounts, like the products found on “Inspirational Wholesale” 24/7 virtual online wholesale showroom, provide retailers the opportunity to carry cards, books, journals and gifts in their stores at great price points for customers, while still allowing for healthy profit margins. “Retailers who buy from us enjoy a tremendous amount of markup, depending on their operation,” Pugh says. “Sales for our customers can be very good based on our competitive pricing.

How To Get Items To Sell on Ebay | Connecting Small Business With ...

For anyone wanting to be an eBay seller, a good place to start getting items is your own home. Most of us have items that we want to get rid of, but we don’t have enough for a yard sale, we don’t know anyone we can sell them to, and the items are too good to throw away. But what about after these items are sold? How do you get more items for your burgeoning eBay business? It is actually very easy to do.

Auctions are one of the best ways to get items quickly. Here’s one idea, you are selling on Ebay, why not also buy there? Many people selling on Ebay are sometimes selling large lots for little money. These lots are great for resale. Also, you can do the same thing with local auctions. Quite a few sellers at many auctions sell large lots of good items as well as single items, most of which, you can get cheap enough to make a profit. You can do this because the sellers are selling to a small population, but on eBay, you are selling to the world. You may not be able to sell everything in the lot you buy individually, but those items can be sold as another lot. Don’t buy lots with a lot of junk in them, though, as there is a low probability of being able to sell enough of it to make a profit.

Another favorite place to get items for resale is the flea market. You don’t find many lots here, but you can usually get a decent deal on items for resale-especially if you are lucky enough to find someone who doesn’t know what they have. Always get into the flea market early-early enough to catch people setting out items-and plan to stay there for a few hours at least, if not the whole day. This is to make sure that you see everything at least once. Always try to wheel and deal with the seller. You won’t get a better deal everytime, but you will be able to get better deals often enough to make it worth your while, and it never hurts to ask.

Yard sales are like flea markets, but there is only one seller at each location. As with flea markets, try to deal with the sellers. Also, ask the seller if they have certain items that you are looking for specifically. You never know what they may have held back because they thought that the item wouldn’t sell, or what that person hasn’t even given a thought to selling, but would be willing to sell if there were a buyer. Asking people if they have a certain item works in flea markets, auctions, yardsales, and most everywhere else. It doesn’t hurt, and helps often.

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