If you have spent any time in the past trying to land wholesale accounts for your Amazon business, you know how frustrating it can be to only hear “NO” answers to your requests for accounts. It can feel like you are having a door slammed in your face over and over again, and it can make you want to just quit all together.
But I don’t want you to quit! In this blog post I want to show you multiple ways you can increase your chances of getting a “YES” answer from wholesale companies when you want to open an account.
So let’s jump right into my tips for how to successfully land wholesale accounts:
1. Contact the wholesale company.
Pretty basic first step: You have to make first contact with the wholesale company to get the ball rolling. Many people get caught up in fear of even taking this first step – fear of being rejected, fear of not knowing what to say, fear of reaching out to someone new.
But here’s the bottom line: If you don’t make contact, you’re not going to land an account! You have zero chance of getting an account if you stall out and don’t make contact.
You can contact companies by several methods:
- Phone
- Website “contact us” form
- In person at trade shows
2. Present yourself as a professional.
One easy way to set yourself apart from your competitors who might also be trying to land accounts is to present yourself in a professional manner to the wholesale company. I highly recommend setting up a business website and associated email address with the same domain name.
Think about it this way: Which sounds more like a professional business ready to make a large wholesale purchase, stephen1974@gmail.com or ssmotherman@smothermanproducts.com? (Both of those are fake addresses, by the way, just using them as examples.)
I’m not saying you have to go out and develop an expensive website or email address. You can set up your professional website and email address rather inexpensively through Wix, found at this short link: www.fulltimefba.com/wix. You can set up a drag-and-drop website through Wix in a relatively short amount of time, and you can set up an associated email address along with it. You don’t even need to have a fully functional ecommerce store on this website; even one web page with your business’s mission statement is enough to give wholesale companies an idea of who your business is.
Having your own website domain and email address sets you apart from your competitors who are still using an AOL or Hotmail email address. You are a professional. You will land wholesale accounts where others will not.
3. Communicate up front that you are an Amazon seller.
The last thing you want to do when you’re trying to open a wholesale account is work on establishing a relationship with a new company, communicate back and forth with their account rep, and then at the very last minute tell them, “Oh by the way, I am planning to sell your items on Amazon” – only to have them say back to you, “Never mind, we’re not accepting any (or any more) Amazon sellers.”
Holding back this information is a waste of your time and theirs. If they know up front that you are planning to sell their products on Amazon, they can tell you up front what their policy is for Amazon sellers.
Which leads me to my next point…
4. Deliver a value proposition.
An important part of developing a relationship so you can land a wholesale account is to show the company that you aren’t just interested in what you personally can get out of the account – you’re also interested in what you can bring to the table to benefit them as a company. You want to be of service to this wholesale company, not just find a way to buy items for cheap to resell on Amazon.
If you set up a win-win situation for your relationship with the wholesale company, you are showing them you are not like other sellers. Here are some basic ideas for how you as an Amazon seller can add value to the relationship with the wholesale company:
- Adhering to MAP (minimum advertised price) policy
- Optimizing Amazon listings (learn how here and here)
- Fighting negative product feedback (learn how here)
- Running Amazon pay-per-click campaigns (learn how here)
- Creating new product pages (learn how here)
- Plus many more ways!
Even if a wholesale company originally tells you they are not accepting any new Amazon sellers (or that they don’t want any Amazon sellers at all!), if you are able to add value to the relationship to benefit the wholesale company, you can land new accounts that your competition will not be able to land.
5. Block the NO with a trial period.
Another helpful tactic I have used to land wholesale accounts is to block the NO answer before the company has a chance to give it to me. If you start to sense the conversation is headed towards a NO answer to you opening a wholesale account, you can always suggest a three- or six-month trial period.
Reducing the commitment to a trial period gives you a chance to prove yourself to the wholesale company. They might be more likely to agree to your proposition if you make it time-bound. At the end of the trial period, you both have the opportunity to walk away from the relationship with no harm done because you knew going into it that it wasn’t necessarily permanent. On the other hand, you also have the opportunity to truly wow the wholesale company with the benefits you can bring them, and you can land a permanent account after the trial period.
6. Ask for an Amazon exclusive.
Once you have gotten your feet wet with a few accounts to get started, you are ready to ask companies to give you exclusive privileges to sell their products on Amazon. I recommend only trying this with your more successful wholesale accounts, the ones where both you and the wholesale company have benefited the most from your working relationship.
If you have been able to show a wholesale company how you can work in their favor over time, you might just be able to win the opportunity to become an exclusive seller of their products on Amazon, even if it’s an exclusive to just one of their items at first. Again, it needs to be a win-win situation, and typically this kind of relationship only comes with an investment of both time and money.
If you follow the advice I give in the points above, you are likely to see a decrease in your NO answers and an increase in your YES answers from wholesale companies.
I want to be straightforward, though, and say you won’t see a complete elimination of NO answers – none of us gets a YES every time we want to open a new account. But following these tips should lead to an increase in your success in landing new wholesale accounts and building up the wholesale side of your Amazon FBA business.
What about you? How have you reduced the number of times a wholesaler says no? What strategies have you used to get approved for more wholesale accounts? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments below.
*Post updated for 2022
Discover the Secrets of Profitable Wholesale Sourcing
For the longest time I wanted to add wholesale to my Amazon business. I had actually gone through 3 different wholesale courses to teach me how to do it. Each time I went through a new wholesale course I would try what was taught, but I kept coming up empty. It was extremely frustrating… then I scheduled a phone call with Dan Meadors from The Wholesale Formula. That conversation opened up my eyes to things about wholesale I never thought about before (and was never taught). I took his advice and began to find multiple wholesale accounts. Not only did I find wholesale accounts, I was actually able to successfully land the wholesale accounts.
Would you have wanted to listen in on that conversation? Unfortunately, we didn’t record the call, but Dan and his team have created something even better: a free webinar series focused on successfully adding wholesale to your Amazon FBA business. The content in this free video series is the same content that I heard in my phone call with Dan… and more!
Unfortunately, this free webinar series is currently closed, but if you want me to tell you when the doors are open to the free wholesale workshop again, then sign up for the wait list where I’ll email you the moment the free wholesale workshop videos are available again. This free video series that will open your eyes to what is possible with selling wholesale items on Amazon, so take a moment, and sign up for the wait list.
Stephen,
I have a question regarding the online business website. How should the website describe my business? Should it reveal that I am a third party seller for AMZ? I need more guidance with what should be included. Thank you for your time.
Your site just needs to look professional. Some set up the site to look like an online store, but that’s not necessary. Just a one page site that states the mission statement of your business can be enough. Include contact info that matches what you’re giving the wholesalers. IT does not need to be a complicated thing. You don’t need to mention Amazon… just focus it on the vision, purpose, or mission of your company. That will go a long way. Dan and Eric go into more details in the Wholesale Formula. Find out more in an upcoming free video: https://www.fulltimefba.com/wholesaleworkshop
Hello sir I just subscribed to your blog I want to get up and rolling in this business fast but I don’t have $400 for the first course at the moment. Is there anyway I can learn from the free stuff and start making $$ and then maybe purchase your material for more help?
Yes, you can follow this blog with a ton of free help and get the ball rolling. Here are some ideas:
https://www.fulltimefba.com/category/beginner/
https://www.fulltimefba.com/RAwebinar
Ok thx I appreciate it
I’m looking at the first link you sent and I’m confused cause the other guys that you’re doing the webinar with I think Dan & Eric talk about Reverse Sourcing Wholesale for beginners. So which one is easier to focus on r should I study both techniques?
Wholesale requires more start up capital, so if you’re short of funds, just follow the links I have you… but if you have more money for buying wholesale in bulk, then study the wholesale methods here: https://www.fulltimefba.com/wholesaleformula
Thx
Stephen,
I feel that the content is great; thanks! One question, though: When we take action to optimize a listing, help remove negative feedback, do PPC campaigns, etc., how does that company quantify/evaluate the effects of the enhancements we initiated, versus the overall sales increase? In other words, doesn’t every Amazon FBA wholesale seller benefit from these improvements as well (unless you have an exclusive)? So how will the company know that WE did the work?
Yes, improving the product pages helps all the people selling that item… but that means everyone gets more sales, and everyone goes back to order more. The company can see this in the Brand making more sales… and then you can get MORE wholesale products to sell and maybe even ask for an Amazon exclusive. You can say, these other sellers aren’t going above and beyond for you… why not close this listing off for other sellers and just let me (the responsible seller who cares for this brand) sell the items exclusivly. It can be presented as a win-win for everyone. But even if you can’t get the exclusive, the Brand will be able to sell they are selling more. You can remind them that it was your work that did this.
What can you share about Aibaba?
I have no experience with Alibaba. All of the wholesale items I buy are located in the US.
I love the idea of going into wholesale. Im just confused on what I will need to present to the wholesale company in order to qualify for an account? Is it just a matter of contacting them, or is there paperwork that is involved and such?
The only thing you 100% need is a sales tax certificate. You can get one by searching on google for “your state” and “sales tax certificate.” That’s all you need to get started. Then you can start reaching out to wholesalers and seeking wholesale accounts. Some wholesalers might have you fill out an application, and each of of those is different per wholesale company, but are usually just asking you basic information. Hope this helps!
I am having trouble when filling out account applications where they ask for trade references. How should I deal with that section as I dont yet have any wholesale accounts I have made purchases from (I have opened a couple, but not done any purchase orders yet).
THANK YOU!
You seem to have a few possible actions here:
1. Not fill the reference part out and see if they will approve you anyway.
2. Order from the wholesalers you can order from, and then use their info as references.
3. Fill out the reference part with the wholesalers you have accounts with and see if they will approve you with that.
I wish you all the best!
Great Advice Stepheen, Thank you!
I have a question about enhancing existing listings.
Do you need to be the owner?
I have tried to make changes to existing listings and even though it warned me it was a shared listing it said changes would take up to 15 minutes. However I have never been able to make any kind of changes to an existing listing. It never shows up.
How could I offer to improve the manufacturer’s listing? Ask them to give me their access? Also it is possible that the manufacturer did not even created the listing?
Thanks again and Awesome advide as Always!
For the most part, from what I have learned, if the original creator of the listing is no longer selling, then the seller who has the best seller metrics can usually update the listing in Seller Central. Otherwise, to update a listing if you can’t do it yourself, you’ll want to open a case with a Seller Rep and tell them how you want to improve the listing. If you can cite sources that back up your change suggestions… or if you can “sell” the rep on why these changes will lead to happier customers and more sales, then usually they will update the listing for you. Hope this helps!
And it’s possible that the manufacturer did not create the listing.
Hi Stephen,
Thanks a lot. Great comments. I reside in Canada and will like to start selling on Amazon US website using prep centres. Do I need the sales certificate to get wholesales account with US manufacturers?
Each wholesaler is different, but usually most suppliers will accept your GST/HST registration. They just want proof that they are in fact dealing with a reseller and not the end consumer and the GST/HST registration is usually sufficient for that purpose. Hope this helps.
I have a question. what is the best way to find these whole sale sites? I have looked at sites like wholesale central to try and find wholesale vendors.
This post should be helpful: https://www.fulltimefba.com/find-profitable-wholesale-accounts-amazon-fba/
Hi Stephen, great post! Do you think getting a 3rd party warehouse or prep center s necessary for a newbie like me that is just looking to start doing wholesale FBA? Or can vendor prep & ship my orders into Amz directly on my behalf? As I don’t have a presence in the states, thanks. Greetings from Malaysia.
It all depends on the time you have to spend on doing a minimum wage job – which is basically what prepping and shipping inventory to Amazon is. Some vendors will be open to shipping directly to Amazon, but others will not. If your vendor does not, then I suggest using a prep service in the states to help you with that. I recommend both Brown Box Ninja and My Prep Center for your US based prep needs.
Hey Stephen! It looks like so many of these companies have been burned by Amazon sellers. I’m concerned that eventually they will completely restrict us from selling on Amazon. A few years ago I opened a wholesale account and it was very straight forward and simple. I provided them tax ID plus resale info and we were good to go.. Retail arbitrage was also simple..you could provide store receipts to get ungated and sell most things(Amazon is always changing and implementing some new rule.)Recently, this company (described above) parted ways with me because they changed their resale policy, and would no longer allow me to sell on Amazon or any other third party site. I’ve created my own working business website to appear professional, but obviously I need to sell on Amazon. Typically, as soon as they understand you’re trying to sell on Amazon or any other third party site, you will just get a hard no. I’ve noticed they will ignore anything else you say .. Amazon is a bad word. Most of them really just want brick and mortar stores and do not like online sales. I really hope that they don’t completely block us out one day, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Thank you for this information. It’s really valuable. I’ve stumbled upon various videos that make it sound very easy.. like just open a bunch of wholesale accounts and make lots of money..it’s not that simple.
Honestly, the best wholesale companies to work with are ones who have been burned by Amazon sellers. Ask for a 4-6 week trial and show them you are not the “average Amazon seller,” but instead will do a great job selling their brand. Then you can almost have an exclusive relationship with the brand by earning their trust. It’s harder work to find these, but the profits can be out of this world!
Hi Stephen. Thank you for everything you do to help guide us on this journey! I have a question about my website. I made a basic 1-page website but I am not comfortable putting my mailing/shipping address (which is my home) or phone number on it (personal cell #). Is it o.k. to just put my company name and e-mail address on it for contact information?
You can just put your company name and email and that is fine. It’s not necessary to put your address there. Maybe you can put your city and state if you want to, but that’s not needed either. No problem there.
So I have set up my Amazon account and I’m working on getting ungated in the topicals and toy categories. I have also know how to use Keepa, #HowMany, Inventory Labs, and I’m starting to learn Tactical Arbitrage. I am having a tough time finding products with decent ROI and less competition. I hope after mastering Tactical Arbitrage this will change. I definitely have the capital and time to invest in this business. Do you have any advice for me as o what my next steps should be? I am also in the beginning stages of developing a professional website, but I am not really sure what my mission statement should be or how I should brand the company. Should my company claim to be a business that sells goods from different categories or does it need to be more category specific. For example, should I be a company that resells topicals and other cosmetic goods, or should it be a company that specializes in reselling toys, or should I present myself as a company that sells goods from any category?
No need to be category specific or to spend too much time focusing on the mission statement.
Also, I am currently paying $0.99 per item for prep and pack services, $1.29 if bubble wrap is needed. Is this a fair deal or should I consider switching to another prep and pack service?
Sounds fair to me.
Dear Sir,
According to keepa Graph, there are only two FBA sellers in the listing. should I consider this product for Metoo.
Or Its someone PL and it can put IP Complaint on me!
Your Kind Advise Needed.
Best Regards
-Fahim
in addition to this also, advise me how I can recognise that this is PL – (Private Label) listing. So that sta away from it.
Best Regards
-Fahim
Usually private label items only have one seller. If it has two sellers (and one of them is not Amazon warehouse deals) then I would think it was not a private label seller.
Hi. When placing an order with a wholesaler is it possible to have it delievered directly to an amazon warehouse, thus I would not have to recieve delivery? Thank you.
It’s possible, but it would be something you’d have to work out with each wholesaler. Some are willing to do it while others are not, but it’s a good idea to at least try to get it set up for them to send directly to Amazon.