9 tips for buying iPods wholesale...
Post 1 of 116
1. NEVER buy from asia, ever. Apple does not export the iPod to china, so why would China have great deals on wholesale ipods? Either their fake or greymarket, either way your screwed. Believe me, it is not worth your time looking for asian suppliers of products like these. Instead, stay within your own country like the US.
2. Don't fall for rediculously low prices. The cheapest you can possible get the new 8gb nanos is around $210 - $215 a piece and you have to buy about 25 - 50 total to get that kind of pricing. Anyone offering you 8gb nanos for $150 a piece is nothing but a stone cold crook. To get pricing anywhere near that, you'd have to do a PR(Production Run) from Apple for about 10,000 - 100,000 iPods and even then, your probably looking at $160 - $165 a unit.
3. Always and I mean, ALWAYS use some form of secured payment for your first order and probably for your 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Escrow.com is the best and use only them, I can't think of another escrow company I trust. If they don't accept escrow, back off. Credit cards are not always 100% secured so make sure you check with your bank first.
4. NEVER USE WESTERN UNION OR T/T!! Not ever. Only use bank transfer if you have done multiple and I mean multiple transactions with them. Even then, you are still at great risk for fraud.
5. Use paypal with EXTREME caution. You may think you are secured because paypal will refund you if you don't get your products. What you don't know, you will only get a refund IF the scammer still has your money in his account, which is rare. I've heard a lot of scam stories of people who paid with paypal only to never get any products and when they would file a complaint with paypal, paypal would come back saying their is no money in their account for a refund.
6. Research your company, THROUGHLY! Simply calling the guy and saying well he sounds nice and genuine isn't going to cut it. Your best bet is to check them out on the many wholesale forums out there like this one, bw.net, and thewholesaleforums.co.uk. These are great forums with talking with other traders who have had similar experiances. When in doubt about a company, don't let your greed control you. Walk away and find another company to do business with.
7. When buying in large amounts of 100 or more, try to use Hellmanns or SGS's inspection services. You will pay for it but you can be assured from them that you are getting a genuine product.
8. Be careful with the so called "brokers". Many of the iPod brokers can be legit and useful but remember, you are not getting the iPods from them, they are just taking your money, cutting a percent or dollar amount for themselves and then sending your money to their supplier to handle the shipment. If things go wrong, it can get ugly between the purchaser, broker, and supplier. It is always best to deal directly with the supplier if possible. Always ask who you are buying from if they have the stock themselves. If they say yes, ask for a picture. There is no reason they should deny you that and if they still refuse, walk away.
9. Use alibaba with caution when finding suppliers. Your best bet is to find a supplier on a reputable forum like bw.net or thewholesaleforums.co.uk where there is a feedback system in place and ALL registered sellers have to go through a verification process before being allowed to sell on the forum.
I hope this steers some of you in the right path. Even though most of this was geared towards iPods, it is very similar for those of you trying to buy PSPs, Xbox 360s, PS3s etc..I hate coming on here and reading these stories of these worthless scammers taking away your money. If anyone has any questions, feel free to send me a message and I will try to help you as best as possible.
2. Don't fall for rediculously low prices. The cheapest you can possible get the new 8gb nanos is around $210 - $215 a piece and you have to buy about 25 - 50 total to get that kind of pricing. Anyone offering you 8gb nanos for $150 a piece is nothing but a stone cold crook. To get pricing anywhere near that, you'd have to do a PR(Production Run) from Apple for about 10,000 - 100,000 iPods and even then, your probably looking at $160 - $165 a unit.
3. Always and I mean, ALWAYS use some form of secured payment for your first order and probably for your 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Escrow.com is the best and use only them, I can't think of another escrow company I trust. If they don't accept escrow, back off. Credit cards are not always 100% secured so make sure you check with your bank first.
4. NEVER USE WESTERN UNION OR T/T!! Not ever. Only use bank transfer if you have done multiple and I mean multiple transactions with them. Even then, you are still at great risk for fraud.
5. Use paypal with EXTREME caution. You may think you are secured because paypal will refund you if you don't get your products. What you don't know, you will only get a refund IF the scammer still has your money in his account, which is rare. I've heard a lot of scam stories of people who paid with paypal only to never get any products and when they would file a complaint with paypal, paypal would come back saying their is no money in their account for a refund.
6. Research your company, THROUGHLY! Simply calling the guy and saying well he sounds nice and genuine isn't going to cut it. Your best bet is to check them out on the many wholesale forums out there like this one, bw.net, and thewholesaleforums.co.uk. These are great forums with talking with other traders who have had similar experiances. When in doubt about a company, don't let your greed control you. Walk away and find another company to do business with.
7. When buying in large amounts of 100 or more, try to use Hellmanns or SGS's inspection services. You will pay for it but you can be assured from them that you are getting a genuine product.
8. Be careful with the so called "brokers". Many of the iPod brokers can be legit and useful but remember, you are not getting the iPods from them, they are just taking your money, cutting a percent or dollar amount for themselves and then sending your money to their supplier to handle the shipment. If things go wrong, it can get ugly between the purchaser, broker, and supplier. It is always best to deal directly with the supplier if possible. Always ask who you are buying from if they have the stock themselves. If they say yes, ask for a picture. There is no reason they should deny you that and if they still refuse, walk away.
9. Use alibaba with caution when finding suppliers. Your best bet is to find a supplier on a reputable forum like bw.net or thewholesaleforums.co.uk where there is a feedback system in place and ALL registered sellers have to go through a verification process before being allowed to sell on the forum.
I hope this steers some of you in the right path. Even though most of this was geared towards iPods, it is very similar for those of you trying to buy PSPs, Xbox 360s, PS3s etc..I hate coming on here and reading these stories of these worthless scammers taking away your money. If anyone has any questions, feel free to send me a message and I will try to help you as best as possible.
26 Oct 2006 17:00
Post 2 of 116
Replying to [Xskn Distributor]:
While most of the points in the post are accurate - the first one is not.
Most IPODS are manufactured in China - Shenzhen acutally by a company called FoxConn who are contracted by Apple to assemble the products for them. I have toured the factory - it's huge and secure.
So basically the premise that Apple doesn't ship Ipods to China doesn't hold up. Buying Ipods in China on a retail level from official stores still gets you a better price retail than in most places around the world.
I know it is possible to get good deals for wholesale ipods out of Hong Kong/China - or rather was. Most legitimate trading companies do not deal in ipods anymore because of the very very VERY thin margins - where are 2 years ago i was shipping first generation ipods out of Hong Kong with very good margins - however, i don't bother with ipods anymore as margins on a legitimate level are miniscule.
All you are left with now is a lot of scam companies who promise prices that are out of this world - but can rarely deliver.
While most of the points in the post are accurate - the first one is not.
Most IPODS are manufactured in China - Shenzhen acutally by a company called FoxConn who are contracted by Apple to assemble the products for them. I have toured the factory - it's huge and secure.
So basically the premise that Apple doesn't ship Ipods to China doesn't hold up. Buying Ipods in China on a retail level from official stores still gets you a better price retail than in most places around the world.
I know it is possible to get good deals for wholesale ipods out of Hong Kong/China - or rather was. Most legitimate trading companies do not deal in ipods anymore because of the very very VERY thin margins - where are 2 years ago i was shipping first generation ipods out of Hong Kong with very good margins - however, i don't bother with ipods anymore as margins on a legitimate level are miniscule.
All you are left with now is a lot of scam companies who promise prices that are out of this world - but can rarely deliver.
02 Nov 2006 21:12
Post 3 of 116
Replying to [Xskn Distributor]:![[em16]](http://img.alibaba.com/images/eng/style/icon/emoticons_applause.gif)
what about mp4 1gb...how much should i buy them for? why china dont use paypal
what about mp4 1gb...how much should i buy them for? why china dont use paypal
07 Nov 2006 15:08
Post 4 of 116
Replying to [gzsupplier]:
Yes, so many kind of ipods come from china but all of them is not original made by apple. I have 1 ipod 9gb from china, look like ipod nano but not work properly. Many of mp3 cannot play using by this stuff and now? The stuff is OFF!! cannot use anymore and of course don't have warranty. So don't buy any ipod if they are not authentic made by apple manufacture
Yes, so many kind of ipods come from china but all of them is not original made by apple. I have 1 ipod 9gb from china, look like ipod nano but not work properly. Many of mp3 cannot play using by this stuff and now? The stuff is OFF!! cannot use anymore and of course don't have warranty. So don't buy any ipod if they are not authentic made by apple manufacture
08 Nov 2006 05:56
Post 5 of 116
Replying to [Xskn Distributor]:
This posting is very informative.I've been looking at a company from Indonesia that is selling(supposedly) ipods and xbox 360's at great prices.Nano 2gb-$60,4gb-$80,8gb-$100,ipod video 60gb-$120,80gb-$140-and more.I've read some bad stories about scammers from Indonesia but was hoping it wasn't true with this one.Their website is www.trinopasifik.com.Tell me what you think.Thanks.
This posting is very informative.I've been looking at a company from Indonesia that is selling(supposedly) ipods and xbox 360's at great prices.Nano 2gb-$60,4gb-$80,8gb-$100,ipod video 60gb-$120,80gb-$140-and more.I've read some bad stories about scammers from Indonesia but was hoping it wasn't true with this one.Their website is www.trinopasifik.com.Tell me what you think.Thanks.
10 Nov 2006 14:59
Post 6 of 116
Replying to [leftyrog]:
As all other Indonesian, that offers this kind of merchandise, PURE SCAM !!
rgds
Wilhelm
As all other Indonesian, that offers this kind of merchandise, PURE SCAM !!
rgds
Wilhelm
10 Nov 2006 16:00
Post 7 of 116
Replying to [Xskn Distributor]: Are you a IPOD supplier, if so, contact me.
14 Nov 2006 08:32
Post 8 of 116
Replying to [Xskn Distributor]: Thanks for the tips on iPods. However, your first tip does not make sense to me. IPods are made in China. I did a web search and they are apparently made in a large factory in Longhua, owned by Foxconn. Could you comment on this?
25 Nov 2006 08:49
Post 9 of 116
Have you heard of anything about this company? Sekindta.com Let me know if you heard anything good or bad thanks
01 Dec 2006 08:50
Post 10 of 116
Replying to [Xskn Distributor]:Thank you for that info, how about for the PS3's what would be a legit price, if a supplier is offering you the ps3, I heard of different prices ranging from $125usd to up to $300usd, can you give me a round figure more or less , hope to hear from you soon..
01 Dec 2006 20:31
Post 11 of 116
Replying to [tonito]:![[em1]](http://img.alibaba.com/images/eng/style/icon/emoticons_smile.gif)
Look in EBAY and see how much the PS3 sell for. There are no real supplier at wholesale level on the internet. Why do they sell to you for under $500 when they can sell on EBAY for 3 times the money. All you going to find on the net will be scammer.
Look in EBAY and see how much the PS3 sell for. There are no real supplier at wholesale level on the internet. Why do they sell to you for under $500 when they can sell on EBAY for 3 times the money. All you going to find on the net will be scammer.
02 Dec 2006 16:14