Last night, our topic on #HandmadeChat was How To Wholesale Your Handmade Products. Our special guest was Alyssa Middleton, founder and CEO of Vintage Body Spa and the Bath and Body Academy, and IBN's Louisville, Kentucky, Local Director Alyssa Middleton.
Alyssa has been leading Vintage Body Spa since 2007, and her premium spa and bath and body products are in stores nationwide. Last night's chat featured nearly twice as many participants and Twitter search results as the week before. We are growing! Here is a sampling of some of the tips Alyssa shared.
Q1: What are some of the benefits of selling wholesale?
A1a: More exposure for your products.
A1b: Less work for you; more volume per order.
A1c: Increased credibility-online customers and press outlets may ask what retail stores carry your products.
Q3: How do I get started selling wholesale? How do I know if I'm ready?
A3a: Start with local shops, find one that’s a good fit and approach them about selling your products.
A3b: Add a wholesale inquiry form/information packet to your website for out of town shops to learn more.
A3c: Keep approaching stores even if you’re turned down. It gets easier the more you do it.
Q5: What information will retailers need from me to make buying decisions?
A5a: Prices for each product-list wholesale price that they’d pay along with the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.
A5b: Minimum order requirements.
A5c: Your turnaround time to fill the order.
Get the Transcript
The entire chat transcript is definitely worth a read. In addition to Alyssa, several other people chimed in with their tips. You'll find Alyssa's answer to unplanned questions to be informative as well.
Follow Alyssa
Follow Alyssa, and get more information about Vintage Body Spa, where you can buy Alyssa's products retail and, if you're a retail store, inquire about wholesale.
If you would like to learn more about Alyssa's beauty entrepreneur coaching and consulting services, visit her Bath and Body Academy. And stay tuned for Alyss's soon-to-be-published books on soapmaking, which will be co-written with Mary Humphrey, our guest on last week's #HandmadeChat about making handmade soap with milk.
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On The Next #HandmadeChat …
Join us for the next #HandmadeChat, June 28, 8pm ET, when our topic will be How To Use Herbs and Natural Colors in Your Handmade Soap. See you there!
