Need advice on selling phones and iPods

  • avatar

    by: rjuarez
    SaleHoo Junior Member
    11 posts

    Need advice on selling phones and iPods

    Posted 14 Apr 06 6:22 am.

    I have been with Salehoo for over a month. I have yet to find an item I could buy, no matter how many, that could not be found on ebay for less. What gives??? I really wanted to go with phones and ipods, but most links lead to sellers that want bank wires or Western Union or high prices. These are the most unsecure methods of payment around. Many of the sites do not return emails or answer there phones and suddenly their site is down. I have found through research of my own that many of the ipods coming from foreign countries and will not carry a USA Apple warranty, This came from a call I placed to Apple Inc. The seller specifies an 'International warranty'. Has anyone actually found ipods that one could turn a profit on from a real company? I mean one that accepts credit card directly, has them in stock and is not operating out of their van. Acorrding to Apple the only versions carrying the US warranty are slod in Canada and the US. Buying a 4GB nano for $195 +3% if you use credit card (and good luck finding these available at that price)and selling for ~ $220 at best is not my idea of making money. After ebay and paypal fees, you would be lucky to make $20.
    I think there is one more level to obtain to get to true wholesaleing.
    HELP.....where are the resaleable products???
  • avatar

    by: gr8tdeal2006
    New SaleHoo Member
    2 posts

    Re: Need advice on selling phones and iPods

    Posted 14 Apr 06 6:56 am.

    I am new to this as well and am just as frustrated. I have run across more scams than legit companies. It is quite sad but I am confident that if you take your time and do your research, it will work out. I have a lead which may turn out. If so, I will post and let you know.

    Good Luck,

    Paul
  • avatar

    by: salehoo_group
    SaleHoo Staff
    2057 posts

    Re: Need advice on selling phones and iPods

    Posted 14 Apr 06 9:28 am.

    I have been with Salehoo for over a month. I have yet to find an item I could buy, no matter how many, that could not be found on ebay for less. What gives??? I really wanted to go with phones and ipods, but most links lead to sellers that want bank wires or Western Union or high prices. These are the most unsecure methods of payment around. Many of the sites do not return emails or answer there phones and suddenly their site is down. I have found through researh of my own that many of the ipods coming from foreign countries and will not carry a USA Apple warranty, This came from a call I placed to Apple Inc. The seller specifies an 'International warranty'. Has anyone actually found ipods that one could turn a profit on from a real company? I mean one that accepts credit card directly, has them in stock and is not operating out of their van. Acorrding to Apple the only versions carrying the US warranty are slod in Canada and the US. Buying a 4GB nano for $195 +3% if you use credit card (and good luck finding these available at that price)and selling for ~ $220 at best is not my idea of making money. After ebay and paypal fees, you would be lucky to make $20.
    I think there is one more level to obtain to get to true wholesaleing.
    HELP.....where are the resaleable products???
    Have you ever thought about other items? ipods and cellphones are two of the least profitable items to sell on eBay! I recommend staying clear of these type of products if you are new to this (or sell on otehr sites, not eBay.com) You are 1 of about 1 million people trying to sell ipods when you would be much better going for products that are less competitive, have higher margins and less risk involved. Clothing, ipod accessories are a couple that are much better for resell and less hassle as well.

    People have to get over the mind set that they will get ipods for $100 and resell them for $250. It won't happen, sorry to disapoint :)

    See what is sell and at hihg margins or what you can afford to buy in bulk to get cheaper. Just some advice for you when starting out ;)

    Hope it helps you out a bit.

    Have you got your own online store yet? Check out our latest creation, SaleHoo Stores!

  • avatar

    by: salehoo_group
    SaleHoo Staff
    2057 posts

    Re: Need advice on selling phones and iPods

    Posted 14 Apr 06 9:57 am.

    I am new to this as well and am just as frustrated. I have run across more scams than legit companies. It is quite sad but I am confident that if you take your time and do your research, it will work out. I have a lead which may turn out. If so, I will post and let you know.

    Good Luck,

    Paul
    Best advice for you, is think before you pay anyone. DON'T use western union or wire transfer unless you trust the person and always look around and ask advice beofre parting with large sums of money!

    Start with samples so if something does go wrong you ahve alot less to loose rather than loosing $1000's at once.

    Just some advice, hope it helps :)

    Let us know if you need anything more

    Have you got your own online store yet? Check out our latest creation, SaleHoo Stores!

  • avatar

    by: BruceD63
    New SaleHoo Member
    5 posts

    Re: Need advice on selling phones and iPods

    Posted 14 Apr 06 2:15 pm.

    I think I've scoured the entire internet and several so-called 'International Trade' sites looking for legit iPod dealers. What I found is that most, if not all of them, are not reliable. Many of the sites were getting there merchandise from a company called Mixit4me.com. In case you had not heard, Mixit4me.com was just raided by the FBI. They owed their customers over $17 million dollars and I believe they are filing bancruptcy.

    The problem with any of these iPod distributors is that they are dealing in the 'grey' market. They are not authorized by Apple so what you get is sometimes questionable. The other thing I've seen is people selling knock-off iPods in Apple packaging. Be sure to ask for photos of the iPods out of the box to compare with a real ipod. The front of the player is where the difference is. The knock-offs even have the Apple logo etched on the back. But when you look at the face of the unit, it's definitely not an Apple product.

    The other thing I read was that Apple retail outlets are only making 6 - 8% gross margin on their products. So if you see someone selling a 4G Nano for $150, run for the hills.
  • avatar

    by: rjuarez
    SaleHoo Junior Member
    11 posts

    Re: Need advice on selling phones and iPods

    Posted 14 Apr 06 3:39 pm.

    8) I have looked at ipod accessories, GPS, Phones, Shoes, Cameras, you name it, Just pick one and then take a look at ebay ( or any other high volume traffic site). to compare it. Someone will sell it lower, than you could.
    I am currently waiting patiently for a $4700 ipod transaction to be completed. The seller took paypal and said it takes about 2 weeks. Well we are closing in on two weeks and I am getting nervous for some reason.
    As for suggestion of getting a sample, I have had not luck getting the seller to do this. Has anyone else???
    Movies was a thought, again someone can sell for less, much less. The sellers also bundle several and who knows what titles you are getting, 'Killer Tomatos'.
    Someone please let me in on an item they have actually bought from a Salehoo lead that was profitable, (not pennies) readily available, not stolen, took credit card or Paypal, had the product ready to ship immeditaley, and did not risk import legalities.
    Also, if not ebay, where do you go??
  • avatar

    by: mslilly
    SaleHoo Master Member
    180 posts

    Re: Need advice on selling phones and iPods

    Posted 15 Apr 06 3:27 am.

    I really don't think this could happen for anyone over night - it takes hard work, and money.

    I've been doing Ebay since 1998, and believe me, I've been very disappointed at times. I've researched and researched, bought several of those wholesale list - and WELL some are ok, but this site is the best so far I've found. You have to research. Most of the sites that sell the MOST WANTED THINGS are not going to deal with the smaller people, they want big $$ AND big orders. But hang in there, with this forum, who knows, someone could post the one site and deals you've been looking for!!

    I'm sorry it's upsetting - as I find these sites, I will surely post ...
  • avatar

    by: anonymous
    SaleHoo Master Member
    408 posts

    Re: Need advice on selling phones and iPods

    Posted 15 Apr 06 10:18 am.

    Just like everyone else is saying. You really have to do some research to find some legit sellers. I suggest NEVER buying anything by a wire transfer. If they do not accept credit cards do not buy.Almost 99% of the time people that pay by wire transfers never see their money again.
  • avatar

    by: mslilly
    SaleHoo Master Member
    180 posts

    Re: Need advice on selling phones and iPods

    Posted 16 Apr 06 8:56 pm.

    Yes, please, everyone should remember, if a website says wire transfer only, be very leary ... most will take your money and you'll never see it again. These are scammers ... you can also go to the whois website and check and see when they were registered - but - the wire transfer thing, should be a dead giveaway!

    I suggest - as it says on the site, always use a credit card or paypal. That way, you can more than likely get your money back.

    Post the site here first - maybe one of us has used them ...?
  • avatar

    by: Madalena
    New SaleHoo Member
    3 posts

    Re: Need advice on selling phones and iPods

    Posted 18 Apr 06 10:13 am.

    Hi,

    I've been running an Import/Export & sourcing Agency for a few years now and it takes alot of hard work and determination. There's no quick way to success i'm afraid. I've come across every scam imaginable and can sniff them out with relative ease now. I buy for customers every day and only use reliable sources that I have personally tested and checked out myself with sample orders. You can check my site out at *******DELETED BY ADMIN******* and if anybody wants any free advice, just let send me an e-mail. If you want phones, ipods or consoles let me know. My supplier is based in UK and I have a good relationship with him. If you know of any scams let me know, I write a periodical newsletter for my subscribers and customers on people and companies they should steer clear of.
  • avatar

    by: greggo
    New SaleHoo Member
    1 posts

    Re: Need advice on selling phones and iPods

    Posted 21 Apr 06 9:06 pm.

    Most wholesalers that we buy from are the one's who are able to sell the exact same thing on Ebay for less, that's why it's hard to compete.
  • avatar

    by: cybermarket
    New SaleHoo Member
    2 posts

    Re: Need advice on selling phones and iPods

    Posted 23 Apr 06 9:11 am.

    Yeah, you are really best with a unique product. I currently import from China and sell on eBay - you'll find thousands of suppliers on link hidden. It is totally free, but expect to spend several weeks looking for good suppliers - only deal with the 'Gold Suppliers'. You'll actually never stop looking for new suppliers, so you need to make it a part of your daily routine - it's how your business will grow and become more profitable. If you import something that isn't all over eBay you can do quite well, but people will eventually copy you so you have to keep introducing new products. e.g. 2-3 years ago electric and gas scooters were hot and making everyone money, now they're hopeless.

    I now have the Chinese make products for me with my own badge on them - noone can steal my market or my supplier off me. It's uniqueness in the product or offering that seems to work on eBay. There's so few eBay sellers who are creative with their listings and the 'deals' they do, so with a bit of thought you can come up with a more attractive offer every time.

    When deciding what to import, start with the things you're passionate about i.e. sporting interests, hobbies, etc.

    As far as Salehoo.com goes, I've just signed up so I'm expecting to invest the next 2-3 months trialing suppliers - if they won't send a sample then they aren't thinking about a long term business relationship and need to be avoided. If you're potentially going to spend a lot of money with a supplier they should be bending over backwards to help you.
  • avatar

    by: mslilly
    SaleHoo Master Member
    180 posts

    Re: Need advice on selling phones and iPods

    Posted 23 Apr 06 3:43 pm.

    I agree. :D

    Be care on the link hidden site, don't be fooled by scammers! I've found many!
  • avatar

    by: anonymous
    SaleHoo Master Member
    408 posts

    Re: Need advice on selling phones and iPods

    Posted 20 May 06 2:34 pm.

    I have been with Salehoo for about a month. I have found several places to order from. It was definitely worth the money. I started out wanting to sell IPODS and digital cameras. I did some research and found there was no money in IPODS. Unless the camera is new it is not going to sell for a good profit. People just are too weary to buy refurbished.

    It all depends on what line of merchandise you want to sell. Perfumes, clothing etc. are good money makers.

    I started selling stuff that I had first to build up money for inventory. One good way to start is DVDs there are a lot of good sites on Salehoo for that.

    There are other electronic things to sell. The bottom line is that you have to keep up with the trends. Which took me a long time to figure out.

    This is my experience hope it helps.
  • avatar

    by: javascripter
    New SaleHoo Member
    6 posts

    Re: Need advice on selling phones and iPods

    Posted 2 Jun 06 4:44 am.

    Hey guys, i need to find a good supplier for brand name products any recommendation

    thank you :roll: :twisted: :evil:
  • avatar

    by: 0TNIC
    SaleHoo Senior Member
    102 posts

    Re: Need advice on selling phones and iPods

    Posted 2 Jun 06 8:05 am.

    Hey guys, i need to find a good supplier for brand name products any recommendation

    thank you :roll: :twisted: :evil:
    That kinda post is really slack.

    Its all about looking for yourself really.

    What kind of brand name products are you wanting?
    and using the roll eyes emoticon people are not going to taje you seriously

    maybe supply more details and people may be able to help you
  • avatar

    by: jadzia1182
    SaleHoo Master Member
    153 posts

    Re: Need advice on selling phones and iPods

    Posted 2 Jun 06 1:40 pm.

    javascripter - We all bust our butts trying to find wholesalers and products to sell. No one is going to hand you a million dollar idea. Go do some of the work. Decide what type(s) of merchandise you want to sell, some of the brands for it you want to deal in, then try to find suppliers for it.

    I will pass along a searching tip for you. Once you know what you want to sell, do a google search for 'xyz wholesale' or 'xyz distributor' replacing xyz with the product or brand, and removing the quotes. Also, take a look through SaleHoo's directory. You may find something there you'll like.

    We don't mind helping if you've searched and searched, but we have research of our own to do and don't have the time to do yours too.