"Cutting open the boxes and pulling out the packs was like Christmas!"

Meet Jenny.

Jenny wanted to get out of the city. She had her eye on a beautiful little town in the Southern Lakes area of New Zealand, but her alternative health practice wouldn't survive the move to such a small town. Not willing to give up this dream of a more peaceful lifestyle, she started looking at other ways to make the move a reality.

While visiting the United States, Jenny had been impressed by the American public's "be prepared, not scared" attitude in the wake of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. She saw an opportunity to market goods from the blossoming "survival" market to her earthquake-prone New Zealand.

She remembered stumbling upon SaleHoo and saving it to her favorites folder. "I call it women's intuition!" she says. With this new business idea in mind, Jenny returned to her favorites folder and took the ten minutes to join SaleHoo to look for a wholesaler.

Jenny's biggest concern when searching for suppliers was how to afford shipping all the way to New Zealand. She had no idea how shipping or customs worked, all she knew was that the supplier had to be rated well by others, speak English, and have fantastic products.

Through SaleHoo, Jenny found a highly rated U.S supplier for survival kits. The supplier even went above and beyond the call of duty by offering Jenny a further discount to help with her shipping expenses. The best moment for Jenny was when Customs cleared her first shipment of goods. "Cutting open the boxes and pulling out the packs was like Christmas!"

Today Jenny is earning around 50% profit on her survival packs, she's sold her house in the city and moves to her new home in September.

She says "The internet is like a minefield — Lots of old bombs and rubbish. SaleHoo has up-to-date information, and they're an impartial third party. There's no coercion to buy from any of the wholesalers listed. Using SaleHoo was like a soft, gentle breeze... the body relaxes because you know someone else has done all the hard work for you — all the sifting and sorting through the thousands of sites out there. You just arrive, type in a few words and bingo!

I have been a bit scared about my new business, but I say 'feel the fear and do it anyway.' Life isn't about staying comfortable, it's about making the unknown the known..."

From the Desk of Marc Ransom
SaleHoo Community Manager
1:17 am, Thursday 16 July

hope you're paying attention, because what you read in the next seven minutes could save you a whole heap of time, money, and hair-pulling. Heaven knows, these are all precious commodities these days!

You know, I've been in this business for what seems like ages now. I've seen people come and go. I've seen some wonderful successes, and I've also seen people go running back to their day jobs.

Why do some people succeed and others fail?

It's pretty simple. Some people know where to look for advice, and they use the tools that are out there. Others try to re-invent the wheel instead of jumping in the car and driving!

The way I see it, you have two options:

OPTION 1:
Go it alone. You're tough. You're smart. You can figure it out yourself. You'll probably end up being suckered by a few con-artists along the way, but we've all been there and this is all part of the learning experience! Really, what's a couple of thousand dollars to learn a very valuable lesson? Hopefully you'll be lucky and choose a profitable product — many new sellers don't get this right — and even if you don't, you'll learn! Years of trial and error should teach you what works and what doesn't, if you can stick at it. You'll be ok... in time.

OPTION 2:
If you don't have that much time and money to burn — option 2 is the fast-track. It's about skipping the hard-learning and getting straight to the earning.

• Smart advice from people who know what they're talking about.
• All the leg-work already done for you — over 8000 of the world's top suppliers laid out before you.
• That's more suppliers than you're ever going to find in Google, by the way. And these ones are legitimate.
• You can talk to other sellers, people in the same boat as you, and swap notes. This is a very, very smart thing to do.
• You can get all this free training and information and save yourself a whole lot of time searching the web.
• No-nonsense advice from a completely independent authority. Good luck finding such unbiased information anywhere else.

All this is right here in front of you. You just have to pay attention and keep reading.

Introducing SaleHoo — Not just another wholesale directory! Inside you'll find:

• Over 5,300 of the world's best, legitimate suppliers — all pre-screened and categorized so you can find what you want, fast.
• Suppliers for every type of product imaginable — from electronics, DVDs, lingerie and clothing right through to plumbing supplies, dehumidifiers and baby strollers.
• Suppliers for top brand-name products: GUCCI, SONY, APPLE, D&G, PANASONIC, NIKE, PRADA, LACOSTE, HP and more!
• All types of suppliers — wholesalers, manufacturers, dropshippers, liquidators. Whether you're after just a few items or a thousand, we've got suppliers to suit.
• Constantly updated database means you're not left holding stale information. In this industry suppliers come and go... we have a full-time team of researchers checking and re-checking our information.
• Need international shipping? No problem. A large proportion of our suppliers are happy to ship overseas.
• Low or no minimum order quantities! Not everyone has the purchasing power of a retail giant, so we've researched suppliers who are happy to deal in smaller quantities.

PLUS

EXCLUSIVE TO SALEHOO: The super-secure three-tier review system

One of the biggest concerns you'll have when choosing a new supplier is whether they can be trusted. What is customer service like? Are the goods up to scratch? Is the packaging ok? Do they steal your money and disappear into the night?

SaleHoo has a three-tier review system that allows you to read other people's experiences with a supplier before you hand over your money. We review suppliers three different ways:

• SaleHoo reviews: We anonymously purchase from suppliers and leave our findings on the supplier's info page.
• Independent reviews: We have a team of eBay powersellers from around the world purchasing on our behalf, and also adding their reviews to the supplier's info page.
• SaleHoo member reviews: Our members can write reviews and give ratings to suppliers as well. These also show up on the supplier's info page.

No other directory offers this level of feedback on suppliers!
(Surprised? Seems common-sense doesn't it?)

But it doesn't stop there...

...What if you could also listen in on conversations between successful sellers: Hear their secrets, discover their favorite suppliers ask all those questions you've been dying to ask...?

SaleHoo is also one of the leading online communities for buyers and sellers on the internet. We're not shy about blowing our own trumpet here. This is where you come to get some first-hand advice from the people in the know.

• Call upon a huge wealth of experience: Many SaleHoo forum regulars have been buying and selling online for years, and still find time to jump on the forum and dish out advice.
• Thinking of using a particular supplier? Don't do anything without asking here first! Talking to others is the single easiest way to prevent yourself being burned.
• Got an idea for a product to sell? Want to know if it's a good idea? Get advice here, but be warned ... our members won't sugar-coat facts. If your product is a sure-fire stinker, they will let you know!
• Name them, shame them! With stories to make your toes curl, this is the section devoted to bad suppliers and bad experiences. Our members share their tales so that others can learn from them.
• Share good suppliers: It's not all doom and gloom. We have a whole section dedicated to suppliers who go above and beyond the call of duty.
• Want greater discounts? The forum is a great place to team up with other sellers and buy in bulk.
• Dedicated staff: Overseeing everything is our super-experienced, straight-talking community manager, Marc Ransom. You can count on Marc to leap in and set the record straight or give advice for tricky situations. He'll also nab any scammers or illegitimate suppliers who happen to make their way onto the forum, so you can be sure it's a safe place to seek advice.

— Like CliffsNotes for traders, these guides
will have you up to speed in no time!

Bonus: How to Find Fantastic Suppliers

We show you how to successfully find and negotiate deals with suppliers on the internet.

Including...

• 5 tell-tale signs that a supplier is no good! Suspect that a supplier might be spinning you a yarn? All but the most cunning of scam-artists can be uncovered with our five-point scammer-sniffing test.
• Which type of supplier should you use? Manufacturers, wholesalers, light bulk wholesalers, dropshippers, liquidators... Each type of supplier has its uses and comes with its own set of pros and cons. Knowing the difference can save you a lot of time, hassle and money!
• Six top tips for dealing with suppliers and making sure you get a great deal.
• How to work out what the real wholesale price is. It's not as easy as it sounds! Know this, and you'll know when you're getting a good deal. Just be careful... there's one trap that almost every seller falls into, and it will send you barking up completely the wrong tree...
• Keeping Safe — What to ask your supplier to avoid rack and ruin! These five quick questions could save you from a heartbreakingly bad deal at the hands of an Asian supplier.

Who are SaleHoo? What do they know about trading?

Founded in 2005, SaleHoo Group is a young, tight-knit company based in Christchurch, New Zealand. We think we're an excellent example of the globe-shrinking power of the internet — We have the privilege of operating out of one of the most beautiful and remote countries on earth, yet we're still able to assemble a team of clever individuals that stretches across the four corners of the world. With staff in Europe, North America, Australia and Asia, as well as our headquarters here in New Zealand's garden city, we think we've got a unique global perspective on a distinctly global industry.

All SaleHoo staff have experience buying and selling online. Director Simon Slade has considerable experience buying and selling on both eBay and New Zealand's eBay alternative Trade Me, while Community Manager Marc Ransom started selling online eight years ago. We've all had our own ups and downs, and we've used this experience in creating and growing SaleHoo.

SaleHoo has been a member of the eBay Developer's Program since 2005 and the Better Business Bureau Online (BBBOnline) Reliability Program since 2006.

We like fast internet, M&Ms, foosball tables and fair-trade coffee.

SaleHoo HQ, Christchurch, New Zealand