Best ways to source wholesale gifts

Getting into wholesale gifts is a great way to get started in online selling. For existing retailers, it's perfect for expanding your product range. Wholesale gifts encompass so many great markets as well as some highly lucrative niches!
You could get into jewelry, homeware such as vases and wall art, picture frames and candles, or gift cards, bath sets or garden ornaments, so there are plenty of items to keep you interested. Best of all, there are so many people who will buy from you not only for others, but also for themselves!
Gifts can be a relatively competitive market, especially when you sell online. Making sure you are paying only the very best price possible and getting access to the most exciting range of products is paramount to your success. How you go about selling is also important in a competitive market. To really bump up your sales, read below for my 5 top tricks of the trade and watch that bottom line grow!

5 tricks of the trade

1. Gifts sell well all year round but to really make a killing, you should customize your product range according to the season. For example, around Valentine's Day, items such as stuffed toys with sweet messages and lingerie will really pick up. Likewise, around Mother's Day, you can expect candles, bath sets, and cook books to turn a big profit. At Christmas, the sky is the limit on how much you can earn - your regular gift items will sky rocket and any Christmas related products like Christmas tree decorations will also be highly popular.
2. Offer fast shipping. So many gifts that are bought online are last minute gifts. Your buyer may have just remembered their mom turns 60 on Thursday and they need to get them something fabulous ASAP. What might turn some buyers off is the possibility of their gift not arriving on time. To remedy this, make sure you state that your items can be delivered the very next day after payment is received. eBay sellers can make the most of "Get it Fast" which gives buyers the confidence that you can ship to them very quickly.
3. Visit trade shows and fairs to get to know what the hot and up and coming products are. It's also a great way to meet new suppliers. If there are no trade shows or fairs in your area, take a look online by Googling the name of the product you want to sell + "wholesale supplier", or sign up to a trusted wholesale supplier directory where you will find the best and most trusted suppliers on the web and will protect yourself from being scammed by shady suppliers.
4. When listing items on eBay, think carefully about the key words you use in your listing title. This is not only the first glimpse that potential buyers will have of your listing, it's also the best possible way to help your listings rank well when buyers search for items. You only have 55 characters to work with so make sure each one counts! Start by using the most important keywords at the very start, this is called front-loading and is a very basic yet effective keyword optimization technique.
5. Try to focus on one target market - at least to start out with. Think about an audience for your gift store, such as men who need something for their wives or girlfriends. Men often feel overwhelmed when they are left to buy something special for their wives so try to make it easy on them by offering lots of great options and tips on what women like (top 5 or 10 best selling product lists are great for men with no clue). This will really help them make the right decision and increase the chances of them coming back for more when they next have to find the perfect gift.