product, resourcesI am trying to start a business that deals with small machinery. I will need to be able to order these items in large quantities. However, every time I search for something like this, I cant seem to find anything that seems reputable. I always find too much stuff from amazon and the like. I am trying to build motorized bikes, and will need to have bikes, motors, gas tanks, etc in large amounts. I know that the prices I am seeing are unreasonable, because they don’t come directly from manufacturers.
So my question is this:
How can I find companies that will sell me LARGE amounts of very specific small machine parts for reasonable manufacturer prices? Is there a registry or some organization that could point me in the right direction?
The automotive industry is extremely well-organised, with very established channels and umbrella organisations. Simply reading some of the trade press can help you to understand how the industry operates and identify potential partners; attending exhibitions and industry events can be a very good way of connecting with potential suppliers.
For example, here in the UK, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders maintains a searchable online directory of automotive suppliers (free registration required) and run trade events at which suppliers can meet buyers; there also exist membership bodies such as the Motorcycle Industry Association, through which you could contact others who may be able to recommend or connect you with suitable suppliers.
Of course, UK-specific bodies may not be much use to you if you’re not in the UK—but similar organisations undoubtedly exist throughout the world.
Finding good suppliers is a very important factors with value-added producers or resellers (though it is important for any business but service based businesses have a much smaller percentage of expenses in that category).
In some product categories there are lots of suppliers/wholesalers in others they are much less common. For example wholesale food suppliers there are probably a dozen large ones in any large metropolitan centre in North America; meanwhile wholesale tool suppliers will be much much less numerous. A lot of suppliers of perishable goods have local distribution centres or are wholely local whereas it is common for non-perishable suppliers to ship long distance.
To find the right suppliers I would suggest two methods that I have found effective:
wholesale or supplier - this includes phone books and internet.Some things you can get at better prices direct from the manufacturers if you get big enough quantities at a time - and for this I only have one suggestion: get good at being friendly and try calling em up.
If you're looking for wholesale motor bike parts, you might try finding companies that sell motor bikes wholesale, then see if you're able to work out a deal to buy just parts.
You might be able get what you need from Alibaba.com.
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