Small businesses online and off can increase their income with some creative thinking and knowledge of their customer’s interests and needs. There is no reason any business can not sell related products and wholesale sources are abundant.
One such source is CTS Wholesale and their site reminded me of times when I wish what they sell had been available when and where I needed it. Let me explain.
When I worked for IBM I drove 50,000+ miles a year. Driving in bright sunlight was hard on my eyes so I always wore very dark sunglasses. Sometimes they were fairly easy to find – but other times I had to stop several places to buy another pair because mine were lost or broken.
What Type of Businesses Should Buy and Sell Wholesale Products?
Easily make 12x-17x your investment or more selling these for $8-$12
It is a no-brainer for convenience stores and gas stations to carry sunglasses – but many do not – even though they sell products other than gasoline. That is one product they really should carry – and when you buy wholesale sunglasses they generate a handsome profit.
There is something even more needed and in demand and a logical product for far more types of businesses to sell. Now that baby boomers almost all need reading glasses they should be widely available – but they aren’t.
Why Restaurants, Cafes Should Sell Reading Glasses
Every time I meet someone for lunch or dinner someone borrows reading glasses. Sometimes no one thought to bring them because we don’t wear glasses except to read print. (Most of us don’t need them to use our computers.)
Do you realize how many baby boomers there are who need reading glasses?
Any place that has menus could offer reading glasses for sale. They’re inexpensive, you don’t need a large selection of them, and they are one of the few impulse purchases even practical people often make.
Easy profits selling lighted reading glasses boomers need at $36 / dozen
Some restaurants are so dark it is hard to read their menus in the available light. Did you know there are lighted reading glasses? They’re not often seen, so they would be even more likely to generate sales.
I find them handy for reading in bed without having to have a lamp on (great when one wants to sleep and one wants to read.) They make reading particularly small print, curved print on bottles, and print on packages in stores much easier.
Other places that really need to sell reading glasses are any store that carries bottles or packages with fine print on them: drug stores, grocery stores – even second hand shops. People don’t buy when they can’t see what they’re buying!
What Else Could You Be Selling?
And reading glasses are not the only products that would sell quickly. Restaurants, cafes – even donut or coffee shops – could increase income by having a small selection of commonly used items such as:
- Sunglasses and accessories
- Reading glasses
- Note pads
- Pens
- Lighters (note that most ecommerce sites ship EMPTY lighters so you need to buy and sell fluid)
- T-shirts and caps
Business Start-Up Is Easy With Wholesale Package Deals
Auto related businesses where drives have to wait for their cars – such as car washes, oil and lube businesses, tire shops, and auto mechanics could sell the above items, plus car related accessories such as:
- Phone chargers
- AC to DC converters
- Air fresheners
- Armorall
- Shop towels
- Tire pressure indicators
- Tire gauges
You have a captive audience who may have nothing to do. Why not offer them
items they need instead of having them pacing and irritable while waiting?
Many entrepreneurs make a good living selling these and other products they buy wholesale out of their businesses, at swap meets, at shows or concerts, on their Web sites, or on auction sites like eBay.
How Wholesale Differs From Affiliate Marketing
Why specialty mall carts can sell more product than stores
Buying wholesale from a manufacturer like CTSWholesaleSunglasses is different than selling as an affiliate. The profit margin is larger, but you have to pay shipping to your location and handle shipping to your customers (unless they’re local, of course).
Wholesale hats are another big seller you should consider. Because they’ve been in business so long – over 20 years – they know what colors, sizes and styles sell best and that is all they carry.
Why not check out their site? They sell products and displays for them. Be sure to notice the special package deals and volume discounts. And don’t forget to consider lighted wholesale reading glasses for people like me – and nurses!
To find out more, check out their video:
You can follow CTS wholesale on social media and ask them about selling products at:
- Twitter @CTSwholesale
- CTSWholesaleSunglasses on Facebook
- Read the CTSWholesale blog for more tips
What can you sell to supplement your income?
Do you have any tips for increasing retail sales?
Share them in the comments below.
Want to know more? See Buying Wholesale Basics.
Disclosure: This is NOT a paid post. When I asked CTS Wholesale if they had reading glasses because I felt they should be widely available and specifically asked about lighted reading glasses, CTS Wholesale offered to send me samples to show my nursing friends and use myself.
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Great article. I really think that’s a wonderful idea about selling the reading glasses in a restaurant setting. It’s all about taking advantage of an opportunity or nitch because if you don’t someone else will. While my trailer rental company is not currently involved in the area for wholesale marketing, I can see how this could be a big hit, if done right. My company takes advantage of the complimentary goods approach of selling. For example we offer services, installation, and other products to compliment the trailers that we rent to our customers.
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Enlightening share I must say . A cafe selling reading glasses and lighters is such a wise idea. Nice tips for auto related business as well . Enjoyed the read .
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January 30, 2013 at 10:58 am
Hello Purnima,
Please choose CommentLuv posts that are suitable for all audiences and do not promote vices. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing the idea. Wholesale marketing works the same way as affiliate marketing but it takes a lot of perseverance.
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Interesting post. I don’t sell sunglasses or readers but I certainly wear them. It seems like CTS Wholesale is a great place to purchase merchandise from if someone were to start selling sunglasses and other related products. I like the video presentation of the company and how it shows their merchandise displayed in such a way it makes me want to go out and purchase a pair of sunglasses.
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One can increase your business online if you are bale to do something new. One should create new strategies that will interest the customers and needs.
Yes, you have to be creative when it comes to marketing a product or websites because there are millions of people selling items same with yours so really there’s a slim chance that your stuff will be noticed. Here’s the trick, sell products that has a low competition so that you’ll have the bigger opportunity to dominate the market.
Great ideas for traditional businesses!
I myself am selling virtual products so I think affiliate products related to my field would work much better. Then I do not have to expand outside the virtual world, which could cost me more than make new profits.
An intriguing post!!! I never thought that a cafe could indulge in the selling of reading glasses. It is indeed an innovative idea and does not even require a hefty investment for the diversification. Thanks for sharing this significant tips for aggrandizing the profits. Much appreciated!!!
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I see wholesale as a nice marketing method. Maybe you don’t earn as much as you would regularly earn, but increase in brand awareness will help you later.
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i agree. these are affordable, practical products that are easy to sell and increase a business’ profits.
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Good post. Never thought about selling reading glasses in that way before.
Another thing you could sell is badges. You can buy a badge machine for around £100. Theres even quite a healthy market for them on ebay. Thats my 2 pence
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I recently added a small display of sunglasses and reading glasses on my counter next to my cash register. This time of year in January I didn’t expect to sell many sunglasses but it is surprising how many people try them on while they are waiting for their change. I put a reading card on the counter next to the reading glasses where the text starts out with capital letters and then progressively gets smaller. I sold four pair of reading glasses in one week. That’s a nice add on sale I wouldn’t have had otherwise. In this economy every extra dollar you bring in counts!
Any good salesman knows that the complete solution for their customers should always include attachments. Sunglasses and reading glasses are certainly an attachment whose vertical markets know no boundaries.
I remember once when I was a younger man, I lost my sunglasses at a distant swimming hole. It was bad because the sun was shining right through the windshield as I drove home. Thankfully though, the first little Ma and Pa store I came to sold them. They seem small and benign, but never overlook the importance of being able to shade your eyes.
As for the reading glasses, I bet my grandfather wished Denny’s had carried them. Routinely we would go out for breakfast and he would buy the newspaper; expecting to enjoy the read with his morning coffee and pancakes. Often though he would be disappointed because he forgot his glasses!
well nice post. I have been selling hats and apparel supply online and i am getting good responce from my users. they love to buy online
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I am thinking I seriously need to get a pair of those lighted readers! That would be so perfect for when I’m laying in bed with a good book, and I agree with Ashleen, selling reading glasses in cafes would be terrific, and very convenient for customers.
Nice blog, you really describe important tips for increase small business profits. I really like this blog.
Affiliate marketing is good for small and individual bloggers who can’t afford Buying wholesale from a manufacturer like CTSWholesaleSunglasses. profit margins are good in buying wholesale but everyone can’t afford that, thanks for the nice article…
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January 24, 2013 at 12:45 pm
Hello Jawad,
Affiliate marketing allows people who can’t afford inventory to sell thousands of products and not have to worry about the shipping or customer service.
There is far more profit to reselling wholesale products and some of them are affordable for most anyone. What many do is start with one product, and then as they make money with it use the profits to add another and another.
Many people – and even entire families – make a living selling at swap meets or on eBay. While not the easiest way to make a living, it can be quite profitable especially as profits allow them to keep expanding into new product lines.
Some of those sellers out in the middle of malls do a booming business – possibly making as much as a regular store or more.
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I have seen that Wholesale marketing is good and with affiliate marketing you can earn good money but what I think that we need to be consistent as sometime we got very slow response.
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Nice blog, you really describe important tips for increase small business profits. I really like this blog.
Thanks!
It’s quite surprising that you had come up with that idea of selling reading glasses in a cafe. Well, that’s pretty good suggestion. Sometimes, we fail to actually see the potential product that could help our business.
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January 24, 2013 at 12:57 pm
Hi Ashleen,
Common sense is a rare quality we need to use more. Too many are set in their ways or listening to advice from people that doesn’t really apply to them. With this idea, a cafe could spend $36 and turn it into $360+ over time.
Their customers will appreciate being able to read the menu and order more and their business will gain much needed income with no additional overhead.
We often wait for a table or wait to checkout. Why not take a proven strategy known to work of having impulse items at the cash register and in the waiting area and turn that into new revenue?
Something else any store could sell is snacks, desserts, even local produce in season or locally produced crafts, pastries, jams, jellies – with some imagination there is much that will work.
Little cafes in rural areas often hang paintings and crafts on their walls and sell them on consignment for those who produce them. They sometimes sell pies, baked goods, or preserves someone local produces. Others let local musicians play free for entertainment (and usually refreshments and sometimes dinner) so the musicians can sell their CDs.
Sadly, many have bought into the ridiculous impediments to business that build up over the years. I used to buy pies from a Mennonite widow lady who baked them to feed her five children – until someone turned her in for using her oven at home. She even had little typed ingredient lists in her healthy pies – only a few ingredients.
Apparently there was a law that you have to have a commercial oven to sell what you bake. Personally, I prefer to buy what I want and would repeal all such laws that prevent ethical people from producing what willing buyers want.
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