Small town businesses have to be creative to find products to sell. Some find local merchandise to resell in a larger market. Some use the internet to find more distant sources of products.
Small Biz Survival is teaming with goWholesale to find out more about how you use the internet to source products and services for your business. We’re giving away an Apple Nano this week, for the person who gives the best tip on using the web to source products for your business.
Here’s how to enter:
- Leave a comment below with your best tip on using the web to source products for your business.
- You may only enter Small Biz Survival’s Christmas 2007 giveaway once. You can enter different giveaways, but you can only enter this one once.
- Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older.
- Winners will be selected by Small Biz Survival on December 11. The Apple Nano will be shipped shortly after by goWholesale.
- Entries can be submitted until Monday, December 10th, 11:59PM EDT.
Good Luck! And check out goWholesale’s Sourcing Survey 2007 for a chance to win an Apple Touch!
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- About the Author
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Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
Thomas http://www.thomasnet.com/
Alibaba http://www.alibaba.com/
Dave, you are quick! Thanks!
Feel free to expand with more than just links. Include your tips or ideas, also.
Jim Hightower has something to say on this topic —
http://www.jimhightower.com/node/6273
–all about made in America sources.
I found it heartening to learn that Americans still make stuff!
sure can … Thomas is a great reference and tool. They have a free access and paid. Use it to locate a manufacturer of a specific product, or by region, or to research who makes what. A lot of features that assist and/or instruct are fee based but it is a Reasonable price.
Excellent when used with other resources (BBB, Chamber of Commerce, etc…) to drill down to small business needs.
Alibaba is a China based company. I discovered it when I was looking for a certain product. Unable to locate any company in America with as good a quality product (nothing close) a friend suggested I look at Alibaba. I not only found the product but the exact manufacturer of the item I had seen on TV.
I am a “buy American” first kinda guy. Somethings however are no longer made in this country in a quantity large enough to either justify cost (mark up prices product too high) or not at all.
What I think makes Alibaba stand out/worthwhile is you can also list products. So for instance your company represents say “crafters or folk artists or decoy carvers and can handle the potential quantity orders a real trade could develop with folks from other countries.
Beyond a doubt I think it is important to promote/purchase “Made in America” first. I just believe that it is foolish (perhaps closed minded) to ignore the reality of Globalization. Now is the time to make connections around the world. With the dollar down, goods made in America are affordable to many more people.
There are some big hurdles to import/export … both Thomas and Alibaba can help to minimize some of them.
Well … that is my contribution to potential sources for products to sell. Hope it is of help.
Dave
Maesz, that article from Hightower links to some great resources! Thanks!
Dave, thank you for all the additional detail! Great thoughts!
Congrats to Dave “Backlot OPS”! He won the Nano for his terrific thoughts on sourcing.