Subscription boxes promise that everything will be of good quality and arrive just when it should. You have a responsibility as a seller to fulfill this commitment and offer the highest caliber goods. Otherwise, your clients will unsubscribe and choose another service.
Therefore, adding good quality products to the subscription boxes is essential for long-term customers and business success.
But the question is, where can you find the best subscription box suppliers?
In today’s guide, I’ll highlight the best subscription box suppliers and look at a few types of subscription boxes to the source.
Without any further ado, let’s jump into the guide.
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Things to Consider While Finding Subscription Box Suppliers
You should consider a few important things besides product quality while finding good subscription box suppliers.
1. Free vs. Paid Subscription Boxes
You can source products for your subscription boxes in two ways: sourcing free products, and sourcing products that you’ll pay for. This decision can single-handedly determine the type of profit margin that you’ll operate on.
Sourcing Paid Products
For this business model, you purchase the products you want to add to your subscription box to give your customers an excellent experience.
You need to reach out to the brands and wholesalers of the products you want to add to your box.
We recommend conducting thorough research on the supplier and their product quality to help ensure the longevity of your business.
Pros:
- You can control the products included in your subscription boxes.
- You get to leverage the brand’s popularity
Cons:
- A higher upfront cost to buy the stock.
- Lower profit margins.
Sourcing Free Products
Numerous online stores have created subscription boxes that include free samples of their products. Moreover, manufacturers often give away free samples to customers as a part of their marketing strategy.
On the flip side, this method helps expand into new markets. It is a free advertisement as customers will spread the word about the products, and the supplier will get an increase in sales.
Pros:
- Great profit margins.
- Less investment in starting the business.
Cons:
- Limited control over subscription box products.
- Poor supply chain.
2. Dropship Subscription Boxes
Dropshipping is a viable option for entrepreneurs who lack the resources to invest heavily in stock or a retail storefront. This method can significantly boost your cash flow since you don’t have to pay for the product until they’re sold.
Dropshipping subscription boxes are a great way to cut storage space costs because your supplier stocks the products you want to dropship.
Pros:
- Limited investment for business startup
Cons:
- More wholesale cost and less profit margin
- Limited control over package and fulfillment
Best Subscription Box Suppliers
The following are the best suppliers for subscription box products.
1. Niche Wholesalers
Buying products from niche wholesalers is an excellent way to get products at a low cost.
As long as the products included in the box delight customers or serve a recurring need, your customers will love your box and repeat the subscriptions.
Cosmetics and hair care goods are one example. If you deal in well-known products, you can set up various supply chains with different distributors.
Another advantage of purchasing bulk from wholesalers is the high-quality consistency of the products and the brand recognition the wholesaler’s name brings.
Customers who are already familiar with the brand may see your offerings more favorably and consider your business more credible if you use this tactic.
2. Alibaba
Alibaba is one of the world’s largest marketplaces for b2b sellers to purchase and sell goods. It’s used by some of the biggest companies and government agencies worldwide.
It offers a vast array of products from bottles, jars, and bags to outdoor light equipment, accessories, glasses & mugs, etc.
One drawback of this site, if you’re just starting, is usually the suppliers require a larger MOQ(Minimum Order Quantity).
Pro Tip: You can always negotiate on this, and it’s always recommended that you request samples before purchasing any large order. What to look for is sellers with the buyer’s protection badge.
From experience, once you have established a relationship with suppliers, they are usually more accommodating to your requests.
I’d like to mention that you should also be wary of lengthy lead and delivery times, so factor this into your subscription box schedule.
3. Etsy
Etsy is a marketplace comprised mostly of small/medium-sized businesses that often create handcrafted, unique, and small-batch goods. But don’t let that deceive you; Etsy’s extensive beauty, home, and food categories provide a wealth of potential new partners for practically every subscription box.
In addition, Etsy has excellent search filters and category selections. When you have a specific item in mind, this can help you find it more quickly.
4. Search engines
When finding products for your subscription box, search engines serve as the online equivalent of a grocery store. Unfortunately, there’s a lot to sift through.
The best way to deal with the overwhelming number of search results is to refine your queries and keep track of the resources you’ve already discovered. Finding the right companies is important, but saving time is more so; therefore, the fewer results you get, the better.
5. eBay
eBay is another popular marketplace where you can get good products for your subscription boxes. Although it is more focused on selling to direct customers, you can contact the seller and ask them to get the products at wholesale price.
Besides this, eBay also has wholesale and distribution products, but they are limited, so it is possible that you can’t get the products you want, and you might want to go to another supplier.
How to Start a Subscription Box Business?
Recurring revenue from subscribers makes subscription box sales an excellent foundation for a sustainable company model. It’s versatile enough to fit niches ranging from puzzles to cosmetics to pets.
However, launching a subscription box service is no easy task; it requires a lot of time, effort, and passion. You need to know the fundamentals to get you going and ensure success.
To help you with this, I have a guide on Starting a Subscription Box Business that will guide you every step ahead.
Ending Thoughts
I hope this guide will help you to find a suitable supplier for your business. I have also covered a few essential things you should focus on while selecting suppliers.
