For anyone selling sunglasses, whether you own an optical shop, clothing boutique, or ecommerce store, purchasing inventory at wholesale pricing provides a huge profit advantage over buying at retail.
The Wholesale Discount Advantage
The biggest draw of the wholesale model is straightforward: accessing drastically lower per-unit pricing by ordering sunglasses in large quantities direct from manufacturers or their distributors. But the savings potential is eye-opening.
As a retailer, you would generally pay the standard marked-up MSRP when purchasing individual units from suppliers. A typical pair of fashion sunglasses may cost you $15-20 at retail pricing.
Order that same style through a wholesaler like Olympic Eyewear and you could slash those costs to just $5 or less per unit when buying bulk sunglasses in quantities of 20, 50 or even 100+ units.
Let that discount math sink in; paying just $5 for sunglasses you can still sell for $15-20 and pocket that profit margin. It is easy to see how those bulk savings accumulate fast.
More Variety and Inventory Flexibility
Developing relationships with reputable wholesale sunglasses suppliers means you open up access to thousands of constantly updated styles rather than being limited to a single brand’s latest designs. This inventory variety gives you flexibility to satisfy all customer tastes.
With inexpensive bulk pricing, you can affordably test out new sunglasses designs each season and phase out underperforming lines easily. Many wholesalers also allow no minimum order requirements after hitting an initial bulk purchase threshold. This flexibility helps reduce overstocked inventory and carrying costs.
Exclusivity and Brand Control
Buying wholesale sunglasses directly from distributors provides ways to control your own branding and exclusivity compared to big box retailers. Popular options include:
- Adding Your Logo: Many wholesalers offer affordable customization to etch, engrave or imprint sunglasses frames or cases with your store’s logo.
- Custom Packaging: Having your branded sunglass pouches, display boxes, and shopping bags creates a polished, premium unboxing experience for customers.
- Exclusive Designs: Some distributors grant exclusive geographic rights to certain sunglasses styles, so yours is the only local retailer carrying them.
While big chains are confined to selling manufacturers’ off-the-shelf packages, wholesale partners let you create unique branded products and special offerings customers cannot find elsewhere.
Lower Risk on Trends
As any seasoned retailer knows, properly forecasting fashion trends and styles several seasons out while placing inventory orders is always a challenge. Even one dud line or sunglasses design can take huge bites out of your potential profits if you’re locked into high retail pricing.
But with wholesale bulk pricing that deeply discounts slow-moving stock by 50-80% off standard retail costs, underperforming inventory carries nowhere near the same risk levels. You can heavily discount or clear it out during sales periods without crippling margins.
This inventory risk reduction gives you more freedom to take calculated gambles on up-and-coming sunglasses trends you predict customers will clamor for next season. When you nail it, you’ll earn big rewards on early inventory bought at bulk wholesale rates before demand peaks.
Conclusion
From superior pricing to branding control to inventory flexibility, there’s no question that forging smart wholesale sunglasses distribution partnerships belongs at the core of every successful sunglasses business strategy, whether you’re an established multi-store operation or entrepreneurial upstart.
While it requires an initial inventory investment compared to cherry-picking retail purchases from middlemen, the opportunity to buy bulk sunglasses at up to 90% discounts unlocks potential for exponentially higher sales and profits that just simply can’t be matched through conventional retail channels.
So develop relationships with reputable wholesale vendors, bargain hard for the deepest discounts, and start enjoying the profits and strategic advantages that bulk inventory purchases bring.