How to Increase Small Business Profits: Related Products You Never Thought to Sell

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.

Tagged as: small business, wholesale products, wholesale reading glasses, wholesale sunglasses