Finding Wholesale Mobiles In China, How Not To Get Burnt

Considering reselling wholesale mobile phones or cheap unlocked cellphones online but don't know where to start? Check out this article on sourcing wholesale mobile phones to get some great hints on how to find reliable and ethical suppliers.

If you sellunlocked cell phones, brand name cell phones or mobile phone watches online youcould honestly say that the market has never looked better.

The number ofphones and mobile phone companies has soared in the last 12 months. Besidesbig-name players, like Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Motorola there are now manyChinese mobile phone manufacturers looking for their place in the internationalmobile communication market.

Wifi, Bluetooth,MP4 players, MP3 players, WAP capabilities, cameras, and docking ports formultiple SIM cards are all becoming common features on mobile phones withcustomers expecting more out of their phones than ever before.

Demand forbranded and wholesalemobile phones is also strong with mobile phone use overtaking landline usein some parts of the world and consumers changing their phones every 15 monthson average.

So how can you,as an online reseller tap into this profitable market, what is the best way tofind a supplier and how do you source this new, profitable range of products?

It doesn't matterif you're considering stocking mobile phones through your online auctionbusiness or looking at expanding your range and taking on a different supplier.The process of sourcing mobile phones from makers of cellphones in China isexactly the same and simply finding the companies through a wholesaledirectory, business directory or online is just the first step.

When you find the firm that has products you think you want to resellyou need to go through the steps to make sure it conducts itself professionallyand won’t harm your seller reputation. Ignore the following signs at yourperil:

• It doesn't have any contact details or the contact details turn out to be not working.
• 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, e-commerce and wholesale forums or fraudwatch sites.
• Promotional material they use looks suspiciously like materials from another wholesale dropship company
• Their products are priced too high or too low

When looking atbasic unlocked cellular phones (which have a 2G reception, SD card, basicaccessories, a camera, Bluetooth functionality and WAP capabilities) youshouldn’t really be paying more than US$100.

But with moreupmarket models of unlocked cell phone (which can have everything from WiFi todual SIM cards to 3G connectivity and more high tech cameras) you can expect topay between US$200-$300.

Doing marketresearch on the wholesale mobile phones or unlocked phones you are thinking ofstocking is also a worthwhile exercise. By checking to see if the features arein demand or that style of phone will sell well can potentially save youthousands in unsold stock or free up a product line for a more profitable itemif you are dropshipping. It will also help you determine what price you shouldbe paying, what price you can sell it for and the profit margins you canexpect.

Once you havedone your online research and found the phone looks OK on paper then its timeto order a sample. This is much easier if you do it through a mobile shop in China which hasno minimum order quantity, like Chinavasion but you may be required to orderabout three or four to test.

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

• The manual is in English and makes sense
• The handpiece doesn't click or creak when it is handled and doesn't feel cheap
• There aren't any bubbles in the screen, its set in the right pace and there aren't any black lines when you switch it on.
• The battery won't take a full charge, it doesn't last as long as the supplier suggests or smells funny when it is being charged.
• A component is missing, or doesn't work as promised.
• The phone's speaker or microphone quality is poor or the buttons are hard to operate.

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

By checking outthe companies you're thinking of buying from and researching the products youwant to put online you're sure to find unlocked cellular phones that won't onlysell well they'll keep customers happy and profit margins strong at the sametime.

For Western quality wholesalemobile phones, at Chinaprices visit http://www.chinavasion.com now.