Sourcing Wholesale Mobile Phones And Cell Phone Watches, How Not To Get Stung

Author xlxmarketing 9.6.2008. | 19:45

Are you thinking about getting into the wholesale mobile phone or mobile phone watch resale market but don’t know where to start? Check out these insider tips and tricks on how to make sure the watches and cellphones from China that you source will be guaranteed to make you money and keep your customers happy

 

Putting potential products under the magnifying glass is always a good idea.

Wifi, Bluetooth, MP4 players, MP3 players, WAP capabilities, cameras, and docking ports for multiple SIM cards.

Mobile Phone aficionados have never had it better than they do now, but what does it mean for dropshippers and online vendors trying to supply this market?

The increased acceptance of mobile phone technology means that multiple companies are offering customers a wide variety of phones with an incredible array of capabilities. Indeed makers of wholesale mobile phones and mobile phone wrist watches are competing with big name players like Nokia and Apple for sales.

And consumers are clamouring for more and more phones with Japanese consumers getting to the point where they think the iPhone is too simple (wired.com/gadgets/wireless/news/2008/06/japan_phones?npu=1&mbid=yhp).

So how does this affect the dropshippers, eBay traders and online vendors trying to supply this market? What it means is that there are more mobile phones on the market today for more companies, at a more affordable price which caters too a growing market.

It wasn’t so long ago that the average phone just had the most basic of functions. Regardless of whether it was a Nokia, Motorola or simply a non-trademarked wholesale mobile phone from China pretty much all it could do was tell the time and date, send a text message and make a phone call.

These days, while the cell phone is still built mainly to make voice calls, it should serve a myriad of other functions too. Cell phones — be they the newest iPhone, a wholesale mobile phone from China, or an unlocked cell phone — should serve additional social purposes including messaging, photos, sometimes video as well as offering data connectivity to the web but more importantly to e-mail.

While this is great news for end users and a fantastic boost to eBay traders’ profit margins it does mean bigger workloads when it comes to sourcing new products.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re interested in stocking wholesale mobile phones, unlocked cell phones or mobile phone wrist watches here are some of the things you’re going to have to look out for…

Wholesale Mobile Phones

Thunder - Quadband Dual SIM Wifi Touchscreen WorldphoneMcLovin Quadband Dual SIM China Cell Phone with Keyboard

Just some of the fantastic wholesale mobile phones available today.

Whether you are considering stocking mobile phones through your online auction business or you’re simply looking at expanding your range and taking on a different supplier then you’ll need to follow a process to make sure you’re not getting cheated or selling your customers faulty products (a concern which mostly worries dropshippers).

In fact, if you’ve been selling things online for any amount of time you’ll know that finding a company that exports cellphones is only the first step towards putting it online.

Once you do find a website which has wholesale mobile phones that you think you’d like to sell the next thing to do is to make sure the company is legitimate and professional. some signs that a business shouldn’t be trusted with your orders are:

  • Their website is badly put together, has very few product photos, or stolen product photos and has little to no contact information
  • Many people have complained about them on dropshipping (dropshipforums.com), e-commerce (powersellersunite.com), wholesale forums (thewholesaleforums.co.uk) or fraudwatch sites (fraudwatchers.org).
  • Their products look too much like trademarked phones (more about this later)
  • Their products are priced too high or too low (more about this later)

 

fraudwatchers

Sites like fraudwatchers have community forums where companies and individuals can complain about fraudulent sites.

The next step is to make sure the phones they are selling don’t look too much like a trademarked phone and possibly have features that are unique and interesting and will sell well amongst customers.

Anybody who has dealt with the ‘HiPhone’ (crunchgear.com/2008/02/05/hiphone-looks-mighty-familiar-almost-iphone-like) lately will know that companies like Apple go after makers, vendors and end users of fake iPhones with a vengance and, if the product isn’t stopped at customs, you might just find yourself with an angry letter from the legal department for the product your phone is imitating.

Outside of that, the more unique features you can offer or the more original the wholesale mobile phone looks, the more likely you will find a market for it.

As a result doing market research for the products you’re thinking of stocking is key before buying a sample to see if it’s ok.Checking to see if the features are in demand or that style of phone will sell well can potentially save you thousands in unsold stock or free up a product line for a more profitable item if you are dropshipping. It will also help you determine what price you should be paying, what price you can sell it for and the profit margins you can expect.

goldilocks-negotiations.jpg

It’s no fairytale, there is really a Goldilocks price range for wholesale cell phones.

While mobile shops in China and makers of cellphones in China sell a wide variety of wholesale mobile phones with a even wider variety of functions there is still a ‘Goldilocks range’ which eBay traders, dropshippers and online store owners should keep within when searching for a new phone.

With basic phones (which have a 2G reception, SD card, basic accessories, a camera, Bluetooth functionality and WAP capabilities) you shouldn’t really be paying more than US$100.

But with more upmarket models (which can have everything from WiFi to dual SIM cards to 3G connectivity and more high tech cameras) you can expect to pay between US$200-$300.

Once you have done your online research and found the phone looks OK on paper then it’s time to order a sample. This is much easier if you do it through a mobile shop in China which has no minimum order quantity, like Chinavasion, but you may be required to order about three or four to test.

When testing a phone it’s important to be as thorough as you can possibly be. Here are some things you might want to check out:

  • The manual (Make sure it is in English and all of the instructions make sense)
  • The hand piece(Make sure it doesn’t click or feel to much like plastic)
  • The screen(Are there any bubbles in the screen, is it in the right place, is there any black line across the top when you switch it on?)
  • The battery(Will it take a full charge, how long will that charge last, does it smell funny when it is charging/being used?)
  • The charger, headset and other accessories(Do they work? How well do they work?)
  • The phone’s performance(How well does it operate? Can it make calls and text messages? Can the SIM card be taken out and put in easily and work? Are the calls clear? Are all the functions present and working?)
  • The general appearance(Are there any scratches or flaws? Does the box look good?)

If the unlocked cellphone passes mustard then the next step is to put it on your stock lists.

However, when you do list unlocked cell phones and wholesale mobile phones online it’s usually wise to put as much details into the listings as possible to avoid customer questions and complaints.

Read Part Two of this blog to learn insider tips and tricks on how to sourcing fantastic mobile phone wrist watches…

Author xlxmarketing 9.6.2008. | 19:45
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5 Comments

  1. raj December 1, 16:22

    Its nice

  2. raj December 1, 16:23

    both site are same

  3. china sourcing service June 22, 21:46

    why should you “almost copy” a trademarketphone, why not design one by a (cheap chinese) designer?

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