Feedback needed on www.topperliquidators.com

Hi I am new to SaleHoo, based in UK.
am hoping to learn a lot for all the information available here & the knowledge from all the members !

1/. I am looking at the above company. there are 5 reviews on the Directory.
Has anybody else heard about this company? or used them?

2/. are wholesellers able to freely register to the directory (without pre selection?) or does the SaleHoo team qualify them?
I am trying to assess if that mean that there are scammers amongst all the companies, mainly the one listed with "0 review"?

Thank you for your help

Hi thierry, and welcome to SaleHoo.

To answer your first question, I have not personally done any business with Topper, however having dealt in the US surplus market some time ago, I can tell you that they are a genuine supplier and have been in the industry for quite some time.

That said, do not mistake any liquidator for a wholesaler just because they sell in bulk. There are big differences between the two, and while dealing in the surplus market can bring good rewards, they come with serious dangers for the inexperienced trader.

To answer your question regarding the suppliers in our directory. Yes, our team does verify suppliers before adding them to our directory. That said, we are never able to fully guarantee any supplier 100% for many reasons.

Just because a supplier has a great track record of service over a period of time, doesn't automatically mean that they will always live up to that record in the future, for whatever reason!

We can only do so much to provide a safe trading environment. It has to be a partnership, with members assisting by doing their own checking as well to ensure the suppliers they are interested in are still providing a great level of service.

Another area you need to be aware of is dealing with Chinese suppliers through B2B sites such as DH Gate. Where DH Gate are a perfectly legitimate supplier, some of the traders they have listed in their directory are less than genuine.

Yes, I know I'm making it sound like a bit of a mine field, and to be honest ..... it is!

You can never do too many checks on suppliers in this game, it's the best possible way to ensure you don't throw your cash away like so many unfortunately do.

You'll find a host of safe trading advice here on the site, and the staff, along with our fantastic members are always happy to assist with any questions whatsoever, so never hesitate to ask ..... just as you've done this time : )

Hi Fudjj,
Thank you so much for your time to answer (and quickly too!) & for info about Topper

Can you guide about where to learm more about the differences between liquidator & wholesaler? You talk about danger of working with liquidators, can you say more?

I fully understand that you qualify the suppliers going into the directory but that you cannot guarantee 100%, thanks for confirming this.

I am aware of the mine field with chinese suppliers as I got caught ordering through www.alibaba.com ! (I did some good research, even got a chinese friend to talk to them & look at their premises, but 7 weeks on & nothing received…) I have learnt!

Based in UK, I am quite reluctant to buy from suppliers directly in China unless I can go there myself to check. Am looking into US suppliers list.

Yes, SaleHoo is a fantastic place to get all the info I need to feel confident about this business, I am very impressed by the time and efforts all thre SaleHoo staffs take to get the posts answered, offering great guidance…

Thank you
Thierry

Very welcome Thierry,

In regards to the differences between wholesale and liquidation. May people mistake anything sold in volume as being wholesale, in fact the word "wholesale" is uses so much as a marketing term these days, that many even confuse drop shipping as wholesale.

Wholesale essentially is the brokerage between a manufacturer and a retailer. The manufacturer produces the item, the wholesaler then stocks the item where retailers can then purchase for sale.

Wholesale works on volume, you more you buy, the better the price you can secure, within reason of course.

Liquidation, while selling in volume and offering the same discounted structure, is different because they deal in a variety of stock. Some new, some customer returns, some salvage, some insurance sell offs, in fact there are many types of stock that a liquidator can sell.

This is the key area where people do get into trouble when dealing in the surplus market. They may well be under the impression that they are buying a certain quality, when in fact they are buying a far less quality.

It's a market that can deliver some great rewards over a period of time, and I stress over a period of time. Liquidation should never been seen as a quick money making opportunity, as one load of stock from a single supplier can very well be different form the exact same supplier the next time you order.

You can find that your investment can move around a lot, up on one load, down on the next and so on. That said, my opinion is that most will make money from this method if they buy correctly and measure their success over a longer period of time.

It's an industry where you can never ask too many questions, and the moment someone is hesitant in providing you with an acceptable answer, it's time to start looking for a new supplier!

Excellent lines of communication between suppliers and traders is important in any business, but absolutely paramount in the surplus market.

This subject has been very well canvased on the forum, and I would suggest doing a search for the terms "liquidation" or "surplus" to learn far more. It's information well worth learning if this is a market you are considering using as a supply source.

Cheers