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EVERYTHING CAN BE HAD FOR A PRICE-BUT THERE IS A PRICE TO PAY FOR EVERYTHING!

Now that we have reviewed the "big three" let me put them into perspective. There are products that can be obtained through a few of featured supply chains, and then there are products that will never make it to the surplus, wholesale, or drop-shipping market. For instance, to get Louis Vuitton handbags through a surplus dealer is almost impossible. Surplus dealers that are promoting LV Handbags are misleading you.

Same is true for people who are selling designer handbags on Ebay in mass quantities. The likely scenario is that they are Chinese knockoffs. Over 80 percent of popular retail products here in the United States are copied in the People's Republic Of China. Those products include Nike, Reebok, Puma, Adidas, Louis Vuitton, Calloway (Big Bertha) golf clubs, and just about any product that enjoys mass merchandising status.

There is no plan by the Chinese government to stop "knockoff" activity because it is a thriving industry that provides employment for the masses. Despite the pleas from American companies to "cease & desist," there is a tepid response from Chinese officials to do address the issue. When raids are conducted, they are "ceremonial" public relations stunts to appear as if they are actually taking action against the counterfeiters.

Another indicator of authenticity is price. You will not find any authentic Louis Vuitton handbags for 30, or even 100 dollars. Most are 500.00 and up. To illustrate this point even further, just think about the popular celebrities of today who are clothes and handbag aficionados. Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Jennifer Aniston, Angelina Jolie, all sport around town with "Louies" that can fetch up to 10,000 dollars for an exclusive style of handbag. Do you think you will ever have access to these items in the wholesale, surplus, or drop-shipping market?

Forget it! You might not even get these in some upscale boutiques, much less any wholesale or surplus dealer! There are people so well connected that they buy up "hot items" like LV Handbags before they even hit the stores. They know who wants these items, and they will purchase whatever is available just so they can have an exclusive for their celebrity clients. Don't get me wrong. It's not that you can't get "designer duds" or handbags at wholesale prices. You will not get high end clothes and accessories that are featured in the latest issue of Vogue, Cosmo, as a "product for resale," in any wholesale environment, unless you spend thousands for the right of access to such products.

Even if some of these items made their way beyond the connected channels of purchasing, exclusive clothing and handbag items like Louis Vuitton will have limited distribution in "hand picked' boutiques, and well connected purchasing agents. In addition, there are people in the fashion industry, as well as other branded industries that would rather have their merchandise burned, or buried before it would reach the wholesale, surplus, or drop-shipping market! For more information on designer clothing, and to learn about designer "fakes," please refer to the following websites:

http://fashion.about.com/cs/tipsadvice/a/fakingit.htm

http://www.handbag.com/fashion/howtolookgood/spottingfakes/

http://www.fakediesel.com/

For a healthy does of honesty, and an eye opening perspective concerning the realities of purchasing designer clothes for resale, the Clothing Broker will definitely explode some popular myths about obtaining such items:

The Clothing Broker
http://theclothingbroker.com/

THERE IS GOLD UP IN THEM THERE HILLS!

Now lets address the Surplus & Salvage Industry. When people first encounter some of the offers from Surplus dealers, or brokers, they tend to suffer from what I call the "I just found Gold" syndrome. A feverish excitement permeates their brain cells, and reduces them to a quivering pile of jelly, leaving their reasoning skills inoperable! A few thousand dollars later, and after coming to the conclusion that their "Golden Opportunity" turned out to be bars of lead, elation, then turns to anger.

It is a cliche, and I hate using it, but it is more than appropriate when it comes to surplus and salvage products. "If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is!" Some Surplus dealers will hone in one at least one of seven deadly sins--greed! As with wholesale, you will never get certain products for "pennies" on the dollar.  One type of surplus product category that has some people loosing their minds is electronics.

The problem with electronics is that they have a low profit margin even when they are brand new. Finding surplus dealers with good, undamaged, electronic products can be a daunting task. Most electronics returns and overstock can be in pretty rough shape. See Techliquidators.com: http://techliquidators.com

What you are getting from most Surplus Dealers, or companies who specialize in electronic selling is someone's customer returns, i.e., "junk!" Unless you are a electronics technician, or recycler, then I would stay away from "salvage" electronics. Even product that is not damaged, and still in the box or retail blister pack, can have a pretty high surplus price. If you find that someone is offering you a electronics item, be it a DVD Player, or Xbox, for eight dollars a unit, then "buyer beware." More realistic purchases would be lower end items like
vacuum cleaners and cordless phones.

Once again, in demand products like DVD Players, Laptops, Car Audio Equipment, and Plasma TV's, when you do find them in the surplus aisle, will be closer to the retail price because despite their secondary status. For a further explanation of the surplus industry, and how you can avoid "purchasing pitfalls," I would suggest that you read the: "The Ten Tenets Of The Surplus and Salvage Business" found here: