The first thing you will need if you want to be taken seriously is a business license. Any individuals calling around for information on pricing will be viewed as an individual calling around for information on pricing. Wholesalers buy from manufacturers. Get to retail stores that sell the products you're interested in and get the manufacturer's names from the product labels. Ask them for catalogs and visit their websites. You will need to find terms of sales, minimums, if they drop ship or if you must hold inventory, and all kinds of information if you are going to represent them as a wholesaler. Remember a wholesaler is the channel that sells to other businesses not to end users. It is a distributor that sells to end users in smaller quantities. You will need a business license and Tax ID in order to buy and sell. You won't have to collect taxes because the channel that sells to the end user collects and pays sales tax. You do have to report income taxes though so you'll need to be registered with the IRS, State and County in terms of taxation. You might want to read books and take classes on accounting and taxes. Your Library is a great resource. Check out the SBA and Score for more information. Write a business plan with alot of "what if" answers to your questions. Learn about marketing because having a business is one thing ... getting customers and suppliers is another.
