How to find wholesale suppliers for Amazon

Every wholesale business starts with a supplier who will sell to you. The good ones rarely advertise to Amazon sellers, so you have to go and find them. Here is how to find wholesale suppliers for Amazon, the difference between the kinds of supplier you will meet, and how to turn a first contact into a price list.

Know who you are looking for

• Brands (manufacturers): the best prices and the strongest proof that your stock is genuine, but often the highest minimums and the most selective about who they sell to.
• Authorised distributors: buy from many brands and sell to retailers. Slightly higher prices, but lower minimums and many brands in one order. Often the easiest start.
• Wholesalers and liquidators: buy surplus or closeout stock. Prices can be low, but the source is harder to prove and the same deal is rarely repeated.

For Amazon, invoices from a brand or an authorised distributor are what protect you when a brand or Amazon asks where your stock came from. Start there.

1. Start from products that already sell

Search Amazon for a niche, note the brands with listings that sell well and have room for another seller, and contact them. This is reverse sourcing, and it means every supplier you approach already has products worth selling.

2. Ask the brands for their distributors

Many brands do not sell to small resellers directly but will tell you who does. A brand's website often has a “where to buy”, “retailers” or “distributors” page. If not, ask in your inquiry e-mail. One good distributor can open dozens of brands.

3. Go to trade shows

Trade shows bring brands and distributors to one hall, looking for retailers. Meeting a sales rep in person is often the fastest way to an account, and many shows are free for trade visitors. Look for shows in your niche (toys, gifts, pet, beauty, hardware) as well as general merchandise shows. Bring business cards and a short description of how you sell.

4. Use directories, carefully

Wholesale directories and B2B marketplaces list thousands of suppliers. They save time, but quality varies widely: some listings are middlemen reselling other suppliers' stock at a markup. Use them to find names, then vet every supplier before you order.

5. Search like a buyer

Search engines find suppliers too. Combine your niche with words buyers use: “[brand] distributor”, “[niche] wholesale account”, “become a retailer [brand]” or “[niche] distributor [your country]”. Industry associations often publish member lists of manufacturers and distributors.

Red flags

• No business address, no phone number, or a free e-mail address.
• Prices far below everyone else's, especially on popular brands.
• Payment only by wire transfer to a personal account, or by gift cards or crypto.
• No proper invoices, or invoices that do not name the brand and quantities.

Get the price list, then let the numbers decide

A supplier is only as good as the products on its list that make money for you. Ask for the full price list with UPCs, case packs and the minimum order, and analyze it before you commit. When you have several suppliers, compare them on buy rate and landed cost, not on how cheap the list looks.

Wholesale Analyzer helps at both ends. Product search finds brands worth contacting and writes the inquiry e-mail. When the price list arrives, upload the Excel or CSV file, and every product gets a BUY, REVIEW or AVOID decision with its profit, ROI and max buy cost, so you know within minutes whether the supplier is worth an account.