Are you looking for a new career path? If you're interested in a potentially profitable future, it could be a good idea to become an electronics wholesaler. As the person working with manufacturers and retailers, electronics wholesalers buy products from one company in bulk quantities to sell them for a profit.
If you're interested in the electronics industry, becoming a wholesaler is a great way to start a successful business.
Unfortunately, you can't just snap your fingers and become an electronics wholesaler. Becoming an electronics wholesaler takes time and energy. But, don't worry, we have everything you need to launch your electronics wholesale company.
In this article, we're going to take a closer look at:
How to decide what electronics you want to carry in your store.
Where you can find electronics for sale.
How to buy wholesale electronics at low prices.
Tips to help you sell electronics quickly.
Strategies to help you scale up your company as fast as possible.
We have a lot of information to cover, so let's get started!
Part 1: What Are the Benefits of Being an Electronics Wholesaler?
Scaling Your Business Quickly
Something that many new business owners struggle with is making lots of sales in the early stages of their respective companies. Fortunately, you won't have this problem if you're an electronics wholesaler.
Electronics wholesalers make money by charging a price that is significantly higher than what they paid for it. But, due to the high volume of electronics they buy and sell at one time, they can afford to mark up items on their shelves without taking such a big loss when someone doesn't buy their product.
When you wholesale electronics, you're able to have access to lots of electronics at once. Sure, you'll be spending a little more than you would if you bought a single device at a time. However, you'll also have many more devices to resell and make money from.
Saving Money
There's almost nothing more important than watching how much money you spend as a business owner. Fortunately, as strange as it might seem, being an electronics wholesaler is a great way to save money.
Wholesalers are able to obtain connections that not every other business owner will have. With these connections, you'll be able to avoid a lot of markup-related costs that can become quite expensive. If you want to save money and make a profit at the same time, wholesale electronics might be your best bet.
Being in a Popular Industry
In 2020, the consumer electronics market grew by a total of 7%. Each year, hundreds of millions of electronics are shipped throughout the world. This is great news if you're thinking about becoming an electronics wholesaler.
When you're working in such a popular industry, you shouldn't need to spend a lot of time worrying about having to sell products to your customers. Instead, most of them should have a decent idea about what they want.
So, if you're interested in starting a business that doesn't take too much effort to maintain and has the potential to make lots of money quickly, wholesaling electronics is the way to go.
Part 2: Deciding What You Want to Buy and Sell
What do you think about when you think of electronics? Some people might only think about smartphones and tablets. Others might only be interested in carrying desktop and laptop computers.
Before you launch your new electronics business, you must figure out what you want to sell. Would you prefer to only start carrying one type of electronic device? Maybe you want to be a one-stop shop for your customer’s needs and carry everything you can find.
The best way to decide what type of electronics you want to sell is by considering the following two questions:
1. What do I know a lot about?
There's no use in investing all your time and energy into electronics that you don’t find remotely interesting. If you enjoy playing video games, you’d likely understand a lot about video game consoles. On the other hand, you might prefer to sell smartphones or tablets to your customers.
2. What types of products sell the best?
If you're not sure what types of electronics are popular, simply look at which devices people buy most frequently. But you don't need to go elsewhere to find this information. Instead, we've done that work for you.
With that in mind, here's a closer look at the most popular types of electronics you should consider reselling.
Smartphones
If you are talking about the most popular types of electronics, this conversation wouldn't be complete without mentioning smartphones. These days, smartphones are more like miniature computers than phones.
Whether they’re using apps, making calls, texting, or emailing, it's clear to see that smartphones can do it all. With that in mind, many electronics wholesalers love the high level of demand that comes with selling smartphones.
Smartphones are compact devices that almost anyone can bring with them. Plus, the resale value of smartphones makes them profitable devices to have in your store.
If you are wanting to become an electronics wholesaler, smartphones could definitely be a valuable part of your company's inventory.
Popular Smartphone Brands: Apple's iPhone, Samsung's Galaxy, Google's Pixel, and OPPO's X2.
Pros of Reselling Smartphones:
Smaller electronics means they're easy to store
Smartphones are easy to ship.
Excellent profit margins (as long as you're doing your research)
Smartphones are some of the most popular electronics in the world.
Cons of Reselling Smartphones:
Reselling smartphones can get expensive quickly
Having to keep up with the fast-moving smartphone industry
Smartphone prices can change rapidly.
Tablets
As the popularity of smartphones began to take over the world, many electronics companies wanted to offer something even more powerful and larger. This invention would soon become known as a tablet or tablet computer.
It should come as no surprise that Apple, a company known for its superior ability to innovate, would be the business releasing what remains the most popular tablet: the iPad.
With that said, the iPad is far from the only popular tablet on the market. Other companies manufacturing high-quality tablets include Samsung, Google, Microsoft, and others.
Generally speaking, the prices between most smartphones and tablets will be comparable. The only situation in which you might see a huge gap in prices between smartphones and tablets would be if one item was brand new and the other one was excessively old and heavily used.
Popular Tablet Brands: Apple's iPad, Samsung's Galaxy Tab, Amazon's Fire Tablet, Lenovo's P11 Tab, and Google's Pixel Slate.
Pros of Reselling Tablets:
Tablets are easy to store and ship
Extremely popular
Popular among companies, meaning you could achieve lots of B2B sales
Cons of Reselling Tablets:
Some tablets can be extremely expensive (like Apple's popular iPad).
Reselling tablets is a relatively new trend - so you could end up with outdated models quickly.
Computers
While we're on the subject of popular electronics, it's also worth mentioning how profitable it can be to resell computers. As you likely know, there are several types of computers on the market.
People who prefer to do their work and gaming on the go usually prefer laptops. Laptop computers are typically compact and made for someone who wants to take their computers anywhere.
While the laptop remains popular, that doesn't mean that desktop computers are going away anytime soon. Many people still prefer the processing power and low cost of desktop computers.
If you're looking to offer especially popular laptops, consider looking for the MacBook. Apple's MacBooks are great laptops made for those creative types who prefer Mac over PC.
Popular Computer Brands: Apple's iMac and MacBook. Anything from Alienware, Dell, Microsoft, or Lenovo.
Pros of Reselling Computers:
Incredibly popular
Extremely valuable electronics
Available to suit the needs of a wide range of customers
Cons of Reselling Computers:
Not all computers are easy to store
A lot of potential parts to ship and keep track of
The computer industry moves fast, meaning you'll need to stay on top of industry trends
Video Game Consoles
If you asked a growing number of people how they like to spend their time, a decent portion of them would respond by stating their enthusiasm for playing video games. While gaming used to be somewhat of a niche hobby in the 1990s and 2000s, things have changed.
Now, there are entire teams of people earning millions of dollars each year just for playing video games! Also, the rise of e-sports means that the popularity of video games isn't going away anytime soon.
If you're looking for electronics that your customers want, it could be wise to start carrying video game consoles. Plus, what's also great about working with these types of electronics is the massive amount of accessories you can pair with video game consoles.
Many people who use these consoles also regularly purchase video games to play on these consoles. Other popular types of video game accessories include extra controllers, power cables, and audio/video cables.
Pros of Reselling Video Game Consoles:
Gaming is popular among people of all ages
A great way to bundle items into large sales
Making lots of profit per sale
Cons of Reselling Video Game Consoles:
Not all video game consoles are easy to store or ship (especially with accessories).
Many models can quickly become outdated, making it hard to sell them at good prices.
Video game consoles are also often bundled together when sold online. This means you might have trouble selling them individually
Popular Video Game Console Brands: Microsoft Xbox One X, Sony PlayStation 4 + 5, Nintendo Switch
Home Tech
Not all types of electronics exist to play music, movies, or video games. Considering that, an increasingly popular type of electronics involves home tech. You can define home tech as home cameras, smart speakers, and similar electronics used around the home.
These days, home tech isn't strictly meant for homes. Instead, you can typically find many companies using smart doorbells, smart thermostats, and similar types of home tech.
If you want to be on the cutting-edge of the electronics industry, it could be beneficial to have home tech as a part of your company's inventory.
Pros of Reselling Home Tech:
Home tech is one of the fastest-growing trends in recent years.
As more electronics become connected, this industry is likely to grow even larger
Many types of home tech can resell for quite a bit of money.
Easy to bundle items together for big sales
Cons of Reselling Home Tech:
Many types of home tech can be expensive and hard to store or ship (like cameras).
Very little demand for older models
Popular Home Tech Brands: Nest, Sonos, Ecobee, Google, Ring, and Amazon.
Smartwatches
Last but not least, we wanted to mention smartwatches. If you're unfamiliar with these types of electronics, that's okay! A smartwatch is like a watch with a touchscreen and a high-tech interface.
While smartwatches are growing in terms of popularity, they haven't had the reach among consumers that smartwatches or tablets have. But this can change as time goes on.
If your customers want to always stay informed about what's going on in their worlds while looking stylish in the process, consider carrying smartwatches in your company's store. These pieces are available in all different styles, so you can always find one that will suit your customers well.
Whether someone wants a watch with an interface or just something to keep them on time, smartwatches have the potential to be popular items among consumers. You should definitely consider adding these watches to your inventory!
Pros of Reselling Smartwatches:
Small and compact items that are easy to store and ship
Popular
Very profitable
Cons of Reselling Smartwatches:
While they're popular, smartwatches aren't as in-demand as smartphones or computers.
Popular Smartwatch Brands: Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch, Tag Heuer Connected, Fitbit, and Garmin.
Part 3: Finding Electronics for Sale
By this point, you should have an idea of the types of electronics you want to start buying. Now, it's time to find them. While it might seem like a daunting task, finding electronics for sale isn't impossible or even that difficult when you know where to look.
Trade-In Tech
When you need to find electronics for sale online, your first stop should be at Trade-In Tech. Trade-In Tech is a wholesale platform that's exclusively meant for electronics wholesalers.
After you become a member of Trade-In Tech, you'll also find yourself among many other electronics wholesalers. You can find most of them on Trade-In Tech's marketplace, buying and selling all sorts of popular electronic devices.
You'll find all of the previously mentioned types of electronics for sale on Trade-In Tech, including:
Smartphones
Tablets
Computers
Smartwatches
Home Tech
Video game consoles
and much more
What's also great about Trade-In Tech is that we utilize a strict verification system to keep out scammers. We also have a rating system in place to make sure that you can always trust any member you're doing business with.
Another great reason to start buying and selling electronics on Trade-In Tech is that we're proud to offer no transaction fees. Without having to worry about transaction fees, more money goes back into your pockets.
Social Media
Need another way to find electronics at low prices? It could be time to check out social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others. Social media websites are great places to find electronics because they're some of the most popular websites in the world.
It should come as no surprise that many social media companies took the popularity of their platforms and allowed users to start buying and selling goods. Now, most of them offer easy-to-use interfaces that make handling transactions fairly easy.
We recommend checking out buy and sell groups on social media. These sources will be the best ways for you to find electronics for sale fast. With that said, many of these groups have admins that will need to approve you as a member. Fortunately, most of these waiting times are short.
The drawback of most social media platforms is that you'll still need to meet people in person to buy your electronics. Understandably, not everyone is cool with meeting strangers in public.
eBay
When it comes to auction websites, there's almost none more popular than eBay. Since the 1990s, eBay has been a place for people to buy and sell almost anything. It's also a great place to find electronics for sale.
Using eBay is fairly simple. You can browse through this website's many categories (including one dedicated to electronics). Or, you can also start using eBay's search feature to find what you're looking for.
Regardless of how you find electronics on eBay, you typically have three options to buy them. How many options you have is up to the seller. However, you should typically see options to either bid on an item, buy it directly, or make the seller an offer.
Bidding on items can allow you to walk away with deals. However, it's also possible to get outbid by other bidders and end up missing out on what you wanted. Auctions can also lead you to end up paying too much for what you want. The best way to avoid making costly mistakes in auctions is to set a max bid amount and avoid going over it.
Buying electronics directly is fairly easy to understand. In this type of arrangement, the seller sets a price and the buyer would need to spend this same amount to be able to buy an item.
Your third option is to make an offer on a listing. This won't always be an available option - it's totally up to the seller. However, if they do have a "Make an Offer" option, you can send them your best offer. Sometimes, these listings can allow you to get electronics at a low price. Other times, you might be dealing with a seller that wants way too much money for their electronics.
Yard Sales and Local Resale Businesses
If you need a break from spending so much time behind a computer monitor, you might find success with tracking down electronics locally. But where should you go to find electronics in your city?
One of the best ways to track down inexpensive electronics is by hitting up some local yard and garage sales. You never know what you'll find at a yard sale, but it's often a safe bet that someone is trying to get rid of old electronics.
In the past, finding garage and yard sales meant picking up a newspaper and seeing what was listed. Fortunately, things are a little easier now. Your best bet for finding out about local garage and yard sales is to check out Facebook. It's also a good idea to consider looking for any garage and yard sale-related social media groups in your area.
Most of these sales will take place during the weekends since that's when most people are off work. These sales also typically start early in the morning unless otherwise noted. So, make sure you're up early to find the best electronics before any other resellers do.
Part 4: Buying Wholesale Electronics the Smart Way
It's now time for you to learn how to buy wholesale electronics. This concept might sound a little intimidating. But, don't worry, we're going to give you tips we've learned from spending almost a decade in the wholesale electronics industry.
Check Out a Seller's Reviews and Ratings
One of the most beneficial tips we can give you is to always research who you're buying electronics from. We would love to assume that everyone online has honest and good intentions. Unfortunately, that's not always the case.
However, you don't have to worry about being the victim of a scammer. To avoid this situation, always check a seller's reviews and ratings. By doing this, you can learn the experiences of this seller's past buyers.
We know that reading over reviews and ratings will take time. However, spending this time is far better than rushing and being a scammer's victim.
Always Compare Prices
It makes sense to feel excited about making your first electronics purchase. However, you shouldn't let this excitement allow you to rush into anything. If you don't spend any time comparing prices between sellers, you could miss out on some amazing deals. Even worse, you could end up spending way too much money.
You can avoid the previously mentioned problematic situations by always comparing prices between sellers. To show you why this is so important, let's look at a quick example you might encounter while shopping for electronics.
Example:
You find two listings that feature iPhones for sale. Each listing features a total of 20 iPhones. Listing A features 20 iPhones for a total of $1,000 with free shipping. Listing B also features 20 iPhones for sale for a total of $975 without free shipping. In a rush to get a deal, you choose Listing B.
Unfortunately, you find out that shipping costs for listing B will be $200. If you purchased Listing A, you would have only spent $1,000. Unfortunately, the listing that looked cheaper (Listing B) will now cost you $1,175!
Get More Details (If Necessary)
Buying electronics for your business is an important decision. With that in mind, you should always make sure you have all the information you need to make an informed decision about buying electronics.
Hopefully, the seller includes all of the important information about what they're selling. If that's not the case, don't be afraid to reach out and ask the seller for more information about their products.
This information might be more pictures or information about the electronics this person or business is selling. It's understandable to feel like you might be bothering sellers by asking these questions. However, there's nothing wrong with wanting peace of mind about what you're buying.
If you get any resistance or attitude from the seller for wanting more information, it's probably best to move on to another listing.
Part 5: Selling Electronics Like the Pros
It's now time to start making money. You're now ready to learn more about selling electronics like a professional. Follow the tips below to start ramping up your sales as fast as possible.
Join Trade-In Tech
If you need a place to sell electronics, make sure to check out Trade-In Tech. Trade-In Tech started in 2012. Since this time, we've helped tens of thousands of members grow their respective companies. If you want the same results, joining Trade-In Tech is incredibly easy.
To join our platform, all you have to do is:
Visit Trade-In Tech and create your new account.
Provide us with basic information about your business (for verification purposes)
After we verify your business, you're ready to get started!
Pretty simple, right?
Now, let's talk about why Trade-In Tech can help you sell more electronics. Being a member of Trade-In Tech puts you in touch with an exclusive network of electronics wholesalers around the world.
Because of this, you're instantly connected to people and companies that can provide you with what you need.
Take Professional Quality Photos
Something else that can help boost your electronics sales is taking pictures. With that said, some people will rush this process and wonder why their electronics aren't selling well.
When you're taking pictures of electronics that are going up for sale, keep the following tips in mind:
Use natural lighting whenever possible
If possible, it’s great to take pictures of electronics near natural light. Of course, you don’t want to leave your electronics under direct sunlight. This can cause them to warp and receive other types of damage.
If you don’t have natural light, make sure you’re taking pictures of your electronics inside a well-lit room.
Crop your pictures to fill the screen
When you're taking pictures of electronics, it's crucial that you use as much of the screen as possible. To achieve this result, make sure all four corners of your electronics are visible in every picture. This way, buyers will get a close look at your electronics when they preview your listing.
Photograph your electronics from multiple angles
Since people can't touch or see your electronics in person, it's important to give them as much information about the products as possible. To do this, make sure you take pictures from multiple angles and perspectives. This will let potential buyers fully understand what they're looking at.
Make Sure You're Responsive
In this day and age, people expect to receive quick responses. Considering that, it's a good idea to make sure that you're responding to any questions or concerns you receive right away.
You might be thinking there's no way you can be by your computer or smartphone around the clock, which is totally fine. To solve this problem, you might consider having a chatbot set up. It's also a good idea to let people know when you will respond to them if you can't reach out right away.
We know it isn't always convenient to respond to messages, especially if you've been researching and buying electronics all day. However, taking the time to do this should drastically increase your chances of making a sale.
Ship Out Your Electronics Right Away
It's hard to deny the excitement you'll likely feel after making a sale. With that said, it's important to make sure this excitement doesn't mean you wait too long to ship out your items.
In the online world, your customers expect electronics to be shipped out rather quickly. By doing this, you have peace of mind that your customers will soon receive their items. Plus, it will drastically increase your chances of getting positive reviews and feedback from customers.
We hope that you enjoyed this complete guide on how to get started reselling electronics online. Please feel free to share this with anyone who might get value from it. If you need a helping hand building a successful wholesale electronics business, consider joining Trade-In Tech. For more helpful guides, visit tradeintech.com/blog.