Ask The Gift Basket Expert » Wholesalers

How to Sell Embellished Bags to Gift Basket Retailers

Shirley George Frazier — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 18:00:25 +0000

Patricia asks:

“Hello, I’m a designer for intimate bags, my bags are made with silk, satin, boucle, the fabrics we use are from designers from the US,Europe and Asia.

The embellish is made with a delicate touch of beads, trying to match perfectly the colors and textures. The bags have been designed for women’s most prized possessions like lingerie, shoes and jewels.

I consider this a unique and special gift for any woman that could be in a nice “basket” or in a box. Could you please give me your advice or comments about if you think this product could work in the gift basket industry?”

These products are seemingly a great match for mid- to high-end basket, box and container themes, specifically:

Spa
Thank You
Birthday
New Home/Housewarming
Valentine’s Day
Mother’s Day

One way to promote your product is to visually show gift basket designers and related professionals how it fits within a basket theme and explain the benefits of buying the product.

Testimonials from satisfied retailers will also generate interest and sales.

If you’re interested in pursuing this, contact me through this page for more information.

I wish you the best in promoting and selling these exquisite items.

© 2008-2010 Shirley George Frazier. All rights reserved. Shirley George Frazier is recognized as the leading authority on the gift basket industry. She is author of How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business, The Gift Basket Design Book, and Marketing Strategies for the Home-Based Business. Visit GiftBasketBusiness.com for videos, CDs, reports, tips, online newsletter, and much more to learn, grow, and profit with gift baskets.

Where to Find Specific Wholesale Supplies

Shirley George Frazier — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:03:58 +0000

Laura asks:

“I am still searching for good wholesale resources to provide unique additions to our gift baskets such as cloth napkins, small, decorative serving plates, cheese knives, etc. Can you recommend any vendors for these products?”

I’m not aware of one company, distributor, or supplier that sells all of these items under one roof, but that does not mean one doesn’t exist.

Exhibitors I’ve visited at trade shows either have cloth napkins with towels and placemats but not plates and knives. You may have to purchase these items from two or more wholesalers.

The trade show season is now in full swing. Hopefully, you will be able to attend one in your region or make plans to visit one in another state. You might find success with your search by visiting a show located in a permanent building, such as Americasmart, The L.A. Mart, or Columbus Marketplace.

That’s just three permanent showrooms. Many more exist in the U.S. and around the world.

GiftBasketWholesaleSupplies.com includes a page to search the site for specific items. Perhaps that will be of assistance.

Has anyone found the items that Laura mentions above from a trusted source?

Who Sells Imprinting Machines?

Shirley George Frazier — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:56:02 +0000

Sylvana asks:

“I own a gift basket company in Montreal, Canada and am looking for a machine that imprints favor confetti cards and ribbon. I hear mostly about the Howard machine that imprints ribbons. Do you know of this type of product?”

Unfortunately, I don’t know of a machine outside of the one by Howard that produces this type of imprinting. But that certainly doesn’t mean such a machine does not exist.

I reviewed search engine queries with no good results. My suggestion is to see complementary products that well-known gift basket suppliers sell on their sites. Start with:

Apex Gift Foods

Can Creations

Nashville Wraps

Peters Imports

You find more suppliers on the wholesale page and also at GiftBasketWholesaleSupplies.com.

Is anyone familiar with the machine Sylvana describes?

Three Places to Find Foods, Gifts, and More

Shirley George Frazier — Fri, 30 May 2008 00:21:37 +0000

Amy asks:

“How can I find products in my state? I don’t think there are many manufacturers here, but I don’t know how to check.”

There are three ways to find products in your state.

1. Visit your state’s department of agriculture Web site.

State sites usually have a search engine box on all pages. Put the words “specialty foods” in the box and press the search button to see if anything appears. In addition, look around the site to see if wholesale food links are present.

2. Research the existence of a state specialty food association.

Not all states have one, but yours may. For example, if you live in Tennessee, type the phrase, “Tennessee specialty food association” in a search engine, and put quotes around the words just as you see here.

You may be pleasantly surprised to find a site that leads you to members’ names, addresses, and Web sites.

3. I created a gift basket wholesale supplies site to make it easy for gift basket designers and related professionals to locate products. Check for state resources, which are in alphabetized orderat the top of each page.

How to Find Wholesale Suppliers

Shirley George Frazier — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 16:37:05 +0000

Diane asks:

“How do I find reliable wholesale companies without searching the millions of internet hits?”

One place to find firms is on GiftBasketBusiness.com’s wholesalers page.

Your state’s department of agriculture or economic development Web site may also list companies you don’t know exist.

It’s unfortunate that many suppliers with Web sites do not also have sites that are search engine optimized. In other words, whoever created the site did so without making the space search engine friendly. The site may as well not exist, because you cannot find it.

The other key word in your question is “reliable,” a subjective term for all of us. For example, you can use a search engine or local Better Business Bureau site (local to the supplier) to learn if a company has taken money without delivering goods, but that search will uncover findings only if someone has reported it online.

Good luck with your search, Diane.

[tags]gift baskets, where to find wholesalers, gift basket business[/tags]