18 Ways to Find Wholesale Suppliers for Your Amazon FBA Business
Introduction
Developing a sound Amazon supply chain that allows you to purchase high-quality products from wholesale suppliers is absolutely critical to your success on the platform.
Being able to find the right products at the right price to stock in the Amazon warehouse is important, and it is often one of the first challenges that you will encounter as you launch your new FBA business.
Today, we’ll share 18 ways to find high quality Amazon wholesale suppliers that will help your business succeed.
18 Ways to Find Amazon FBA Suppliers:
1. Search Engines
A great tool to find a credible Amazon wholesale supplier is to use the advanced search feature available on many popular search engines.
If you know what you are looking for, you can use this feature to find specific suppliers who may not pop up from a simple search. A few pro tips:
- Use quotation marks to include words in your query
- The minus symbol can be used to remove words
- asterisks can include random search terms
2. Industry Publications
Finding high quality suppliers doesn’t have to be difficult, especially if you have insight into the latest developments in the ecommerce business. There are dozens of different publications in North America that are tailored towards selling online.
It is a great idea to look for publications that are within your specific niche. Consider signing up for newsletters and looking at Amazon logistics blogs to get information about your specific business. The best place to start is typically by searching online. Be sure to include keywords like “publication,” “blog,” or “newsletter” in your search.
3. Trade Shows
Trade shows are an incredible way to network with different people in your industry. In many cases, suppliers, owners, and vendors all attend, meaning that you will have a chance to sample products in person.
Beyond product sampling, you’ll be able to meet with people in real time without having to go through the time consuming process of setting up meetings.
Many vendors who come to trade shows will offer you wholesale pricing, and attending is a great technique to find suppliers for your Amazon Business.
4. Industry Associations
If you aren’t new to the world of Amazon logistics, a great way to source wholesale suppliers is to join an industry association.
In many cases, you can’t join out of the gate. There are often membership fees, and you wouldn’t want this to be the first place you look for a supplier.
If you have some experience and have an exceptional Amazon supply chain, an industry association could be for you. You can often get access to high-quality wholesale suppliers to improve the profitability of your products with exclusive pricing.
5. LinkedIn
In 2022, LinkedIn has 810 million members in over 200 countries and is the largest professional network in the world.
For a growing eCommerce business, LinkedIn is a great place to go to research the key decision-makers at a potential wholesale supplier.
If you spend time building a brand on the platform, it can make the time-consuming process of cold emailing potential suppliers significantly faster, as they will be more willing to reply on the platform.
6. Jungle Scout
Within the past decade, managing your Amazon supply chain has gotten much easier thanks to the introduction of Jungle Scout. This platform is by far the best one for beginners who are entering into the world of Amazon logistics.
If you haven’t heard of it already, Jungle Scout is an Amazon-focused platform that offers you a large wholesale supplier database. You can use it to research high-quality suppliers on Amazon by entering the product name, ASIN, supplier name, or company name.
7. Wholesale Directories
Another great way to locate a reliable wholesale supplier is to use a platform like Salehoo and Worldwide Brands.
These websites allow you to research various wholesale suppliers and comb through dozens of product listings to find the one that is right for you.
8. Facebook Groups
There are now countless Amazon-focused Facebook groups. The communities often number in the hundreds, and they are tailored for Amazon sellers to network, share tips, and tricks, and ask questions.
One critical element here is that you want to ensure that the community is active and that the discussions are valuable. Don’t waste your time if the conversation is not valuable, or if it is obvious that you won’t be able to find any information that will benefit you.
There are some communities that can provide insight into your Amazon supply chain. If you are already a fan of Facebook, consider joining a community and networking there to help your eCommerce business grow.
9. Online B2B Wholesale Websites
Regardless of where you are based, there are dozens of domestic wholesale websites that you can use to find an Amazon wholesale supplier.
If you do the necessary product research, you can find profitable products at competitive wholesale prices, all available with affordable domestic shipping.
For Canada, a few examples include:
For the United States, here are a few great sites:
10. Alibaba
As of January 2021, Alibaba now has over 150,000 Chinese wholesale suppliers listed on its platform. It is the world’s largest B2B marketplace, with millions of product listings. Conveniently, they also often include high-quality products and clearly state minimum orders.
Alibaba is an incredible platform to do product research and find profitable products to fill your Amazon supply chain. There are dozens of eCommerce businesses that leverage Alibaba to source their products.
Finding products on Alibaba isn’t difficult, but taking your time and looking for reputable sellers is important.
11. Direct Referrals
Once you become an established Amazon seller with a highly optimized Amazon supply chain, you may benefit indirectly from your success as you grow. Contacts within your network, other sellers, and colleagues will often have connections that can point you in the right direction.
It pays to ask. Once you have been up and running for a while, consider asking those within your personal network if they have any relationships with reputable Amazon wholesale suppliers.
12. Directly on Packaging
Whether it is on the barcode of the product, or on the primary packaging, there will almost always be the name of the manufacturer listed somewhere on the product. This often includes the name of the manufacturer or distributor, and their contact information and address.
If you purchase a high-quality product from Amazon or see one when you are shopping at a store, consider using their information as a lead for a potential wholesale supplier for your eCommerce business.
13. Direct from Manufacturer
Let’s say you have done your homework and put in some time on product research. If you know the name of the manufacturer, just go for it and reach out to them! This can prevent the time-consuming process of connecting with the wholesale distributor.
In many cases, this will give you access to cheaper prices and a lower minimum order as you are not dealing with a middle man to procure inventory, and you can negotiate with the manufacturer directly.
14. Research your Competitor’s suppliers
What if your competition already has a high-quality and profitable product on Amazon? Take a look at their product listing and research their manufacturer.
If they are using a private label, you can do a reverse search by using the zoom feature and hovering over their product image.
If you can source their product and make minor alterations to the branding, you can often compete with them using brand power or cost.
15. Visit Manufacturing Hubs in Countries You Want to Source From
Nothing works better than getting boots on the ground and visiting common manufacturing hubs like China, India, and Bangladesh.
Be sure to do your homework beforehand to identify which regions specialize in manufacturing the type of product that you may be looking for. This is a sure-fire way to locate a high-quality Amazon wholesale supplier if you put the time into your research.
A few examples of manufacturing hubs in China are:
- Shanghai (Steel)
- Shenzhen (Electronics)
- Hong Kong (Trading & logistics)
- Ningbo (Chemicals)
- Qingdao (Automobiles & machinery)
- Guangzhou (Automobiles)
- Tianjin (Textile)
16. Sourcing Agents
If you aren’t comfortable with the thought of sourcing a wholesale supplier, you can look into a sourcing agent. These are professionals who specialize in finding a supplier for your Amazon supply chain.
They are available on freelance platforms like UpWork and Fiverr and on B2B websites like Alibaba. They will cost a fee, which is either a flat dollar amount or a percentage of the purchase.
Be warned, as with any freelance work, you will want to properly vet candidates before committing to hiring.
17. Amazon Business
Another great tool to find a wholesale supplier is Amazon Business. This is a platform that connects suppliers with eCommerce businesses. They can connect you with corporate sellers and wholesalers.
Your goal will be to purchase products on Amazon Business for discounts, mark them up, and then resell them via Amazon FBA or FBM.
18. Amazon Sustainable Program
To build resiliency and succeed on Amazon in North America, you need to consider a sustainable supply chain. 76% of Americans prefer purchasing sustainable products compared to ones that aren’t viewed as sustainable.
Now more than ever, developing a sustainable supply chain will not only be the green choice, it will also directly impact your bottom line and your ability to sell effectively on Amazon.
While the market is relatively new, it is growing at an incredible rate, and there are many sustainability-focused wholesale directories popping up with each passing month.
A few good examples are:
[Free] Amazon Wholesale Email Template
Struggling to find a way to reach out to manufacturers? AMZ Prep has an amazing email template that you can access here.
Conclusion
Effectively selling products on Amazon is complex. A great seller will have to juggle marketing efforts, logistics, case management, and more – meaning that a great seller will have their hands full.
If you don’t feel like you have the time to focus on finding suppliers for your Amazon business, consider looking at a trusted FBA fulfillment partner like AMZ Prep.