Save Time & Money Finding Genuine 
Wholesale Craft Supplies

How to buy wholesale craft supplies

Believe it or not craft supplies are now a $1.14 billion dollar market, according to market research firm The NPD Group, which attributed the growth to art and craft paper, paint and painting supplies. It's now a good business for craft makers as one of the largest online handmade goods marketplace Etsy reported a 19.4 percent year-over-year increase in active sellers since 2015.

If you're looking to buy wholesale craft supplies to resell for profit, we have some tips for you:

• Find your niche — Craft supply categories are very broad. If you try to sell every kind of craft supply you will find it hard to target your buyer audience, plus that you'll likely burn a large chunk of money buying stock that may not sell.
  Some niche ideas you can do more research on include:
  • unique jewelry
  • paper craft
  • Leathercraft
  • candle making
  • soap making
  • personalized cards gifts
  • knitting supplies
  • scrapbook making
  • clothing accessories
• Keep an eye on best selling products — Don’t assume you know the kind of craft supplies that are going to sell well. Do some research and find out what type of craft sellers are selling best, especially the handmade product sellers, learn what's in their store and what goes into making it. These can give you some inspirations on what supplies to stock.
• Buy supplies you can sell in bundles — Craft makers don't always buy just one items, so you should find opportunity to create a bundle of things people buy together. These make the buying decision for your future customers easier, plus you get to increase your average order value.

Finding trusted suppliers

We’ve dealt with tens of thousands of suppliers. As such, we’ve created a simple 4-step process to vet suppliers before you partner with them:

Contact the supplier and verify their address

— Every good wholesaler will list their business address and phone number. Call them to make sure a real person answers, and Google their address to make sure a real business pops up.

Check your supplier’s reputation and track record

— Try to avoid dealing with supplier’s who haven’t been around for at least 10 years. While these baby suppliers might be good, they haven’t been in the game long enough to prove themselves.

Purchase and inspect their products

— It’s always a good idea to buy samples from a supplier before committing to them. Samples will show you the product quality, their care in packaging, and the speed of their shipments.

Test their customer support

— Because your supplier’s customer service will directly affect your own customer service to your customers, be sure to call them early and often with questions. If they have poor support, consider choosing another supplier.