How to Find Amazon FBA Wholesale Suppliers [LNIM156]

Hook

The biggest question in Amazon FBA wholesale is where the suppliers come from. This episode answers that with two clear methods: finding suppliers directly through trade shows and outreach, or using reverse wholesale sourcing to trace products back to their distributors.

What You Will Learn

• How to find wholesale suppliers through trade shows and direct outreach
• How reverse wholesale sourcing works and why it gives you a warm introduction
• Which product categories are easiest to start with on Amazon

Episode Summary

Supplier selection or product selection — what comes first? Both approaches work, and this episode walks through each one.

Finding suppliers first: I started by looking for wholesalers in broad categories like sporting goods, outdoors, and home products. These categories sell well on Amazon and are not gated, meaning you do not need special credentials to sell them. The best way to find suppliers is through trade shows where distributors rent booths to find retail customers. Get the attendee list, or visit in person and start conversations. You can also find distributors online and contact them directly by email or phone.

When you reach out, explain that you are an online retailer looking to buy their products. In many cases they will send you a product catalog. The most useful catalogs include UPC codes, pricing, and SKU information so you can evaluate profitability on Amazon.

Reverse wholesale sourcing: Start with a product you find in a store. Take a picture and the UPC code, then research the manufacturer online. Contact them and ask about authorized distributors. When you reach that distributor, introduce yourself by saying the manufacturer referred you. That warm introduction opens the door to their full catalog of hundreds or thousands of products.

Either approach gets you to the same place: a relationship with a wholesaler and a list of products to analyze for Amazon profitability.

Key Takeaways

1. Start with ungated categories. Sporting goods, outdoor equipment, and home products are accessible without special Amazon credentials.
2. Trade shows are lead generation for wholesalers. They want to hear from new retail customers.
3. Reverse sourcing provides warm introductions. Manufacturer referrals open doors that cold outreach cannot.
4. The goal is catalog access. Whether you find the supplier or the product first, you want their full product list to analyze.

What Has Changed Since This Episode

• More Amazon categories are now gated. Always verify current selling requirements before investing in a new product category.
• Wholesale sourcing software has matured. Tools for analyzing supplier catalogs against Amazon data are more powerful and affordable than they were in 2018.
• Competition has increased. More sellers are doing wholesale FBA, which means margins require more careful analysis before committing to inventory.

Resources

• Amazon FBA Wholesale Explained [LNIM155]
• Late Night Internet Marketing Facebook Community
• Subscribe to Late Night Internet Marketing

Full Transcript

The full transcript for this episode is available at LNIM 156 Transcript: How To Find Amazon FBA Wholesale Suppliers.

Take Action

Choose one method this week: find a trade show attendee list in a niche you are interested in, or visit a store and trace one product back to its distributor. Getting started is more valuable than getting it perfect. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.