Brokers, Manufactures, and Wholesalers

To be successful in ecommerce you need to have a good product. To sell a good product you need to find a good supplier. How to Find a Wholesale Distributor? 

A short list from the article:
1. Understand your industry's distribution channels.
Choose between Manufacturer, Importer / Exclusive Distributor, Wholesaler / Regional Distributor, and  Jobbers, "wagon peddlers". 
2. Try the manufacturer first.
3. Have a productive first contact with a wholesale supplier.
Check out their  minimum order requirements and their wholesale unit prices. 
4. Try searching for wholesalers on Google.
5. Look for wholesale lots on eBay.
6. Check major B2B marketplaces.
7. Join industry groups, forums, and other professional networks.
8. Subscribe to all of your industry's trade publications.
9. Attend a trade show.
10. Don't be afraid to make a mistake.

When you have a list of alternative suppliers here are some steps to  quantify and compare. 
1) choose the criteria
2) determine how to rate each alternative
3) determine how to weight the criteria
4) rank alternatives to help in the decision.

Here is an example of how to do it. 

I've evaluated Alibaba and LA Wholesale to practice quantifying and comparing. 
I really liked it. Using a spreadsheet made the process easier for me. 
The main lesson that I've learned from the discussion group is that business decisions are very subjective and based on previous experience more than we'd expect.