Distributors play important roles in the electronics industry. These professionals offer wholesale mobile phones from the most popular brands to retailers, other distributors, and similar companies. If you asked many workers in the electronics industry, they would have lots of great things to say about distributors.
But is your company ready to partner up with distributors? Why is it beneficial to have help from companies that distribute electronics? Also, where can you find and start working with cell phone distributors?
Trade-In Tech has the answers to all of these questions. With that in mind, let's take a closer look at companies that distribute wholesale phones!
Why You Should Work With Distributors
Are you somewhat new to working with distributors? No worries! Let us give you a quick look at why partnering with companies that distribute electronics can be a great partnership!
Saving a Ton of Time
We all wish that we could have more time. If you're like most people, you feel like there aren't enough hours in the day to complete all of your work. When you enter the massive world of wholesale electronics, you'll often find that buying mobile phones can take quite a bit of time.
First, you need to find sources that have the phones you need. Then, you have to put in phone orders or bids. As your business starts really growing, a lot of your time can be taken up by these tasks. Or you can partner with a major distributor who does most of these tasks before they work with their clients.
A distributor might not be able to take care of all your needs to run a business. But they can come pretty close!
Getting to Choose From Many Different Phones
To say that there are lots of phone models on the market is a major understatement. Whether you're looking for Apple iPhones or Samsung Galaxy smartphones, there are a lot of options to choose from if you know where to look. If you want to have a ton of options when you buy mobile phones online, it's wise to partner with a distributor.
Electronics distributors have access to all sorts of electronics, especially cell phones. After you find a distributor with a large selection of items from the top brands, you can pass on a great selection of items to your customers.
Having Great Prices
If you're looking to stock up on cell phones, one of the last places you'd want to go to is a retail store. Of course, we have nothing against big box retailers. These stores are great places to buy all sorts of things. But they don't typically have phones available at wholesale prices. Fortunately, you can find much better prices by partnering with wholesalers.
Because of their connections, wholesale distributors often offer competitive pricing that retailers can't match. When you work with distributors, you get a great selection and amazing prices. It's hard to beat such convenience!
Easily to Scale Up With Your Business
As businesses grow, so do the needs and opportunities for these companies. Fortunately, distributors are dedicated experts that can scale what they offer to their clients. If you're just starting out, a distributor can offer you a small number of electronics to carry.
After you get some sales under your company's belt, a distributor can begin offering you more devices. Are you tired of selling goods in a brick-and-mortar store and want to start selling things online? Having a distributor in your corner can help you become an e-commerce retailer in no time.
What To Look For From a Quality Phone Distributor
While it's not something most people enjoy, researching companies before working with them is always a good idea. Trade-In Tech has several tips to help you look for the right distributors. Look for the following qualities before you start buying wholesale cell phones.
Industry Experience
One of the first things we recommend looking at when you're in search of a distributor is experience. Of course, every company has to start somewhere. However, is that a risk you want to take with your company's money? If a new company looks good, it's probably better to choose more experienced companies to work with until the newer ones gain more experience.
We recommend looking for a business with at least a few years of experience in the electronics industry. If you can find companies with even more experience, that's an even better sign that you found a quality distributor.
Positive Reviews or Testimonials
What's something that helps businesses choose who they should partner with? Reviews and testimonials. Understandably, most people's brains are persuaded when they hear good things about a product or business. One study found that 90% of people trust another person's opinion about a recommended brand. The crazy thing is that it doesn't even matter if this person is a friend or a total stranger!
It's easy to see why people trust reviews, whether they're positive or negative. So, check around online to see if any people have reviewed the company you're interested in partnering up with. If you're talking to an experienced distributor, it's likely for them to have at least a few reviews from past customers posted online.
Unlocked Devices
If you want to purchase and resell wholesale cell phones, it's imperative to buy unlocked devices. So, what makes locked devices something to stay away from? Here are the main reasons why you should avoid buying locked phones.
Lost
For many people, life moves at a very fast pace. Considering that, it's not uncommon for people to lose things. With that in mind, people often lose small items like wallets and smartphones. In the past, someone who lost their cell phone didn't have much they could do afterward.
However, with sensitive information stored on phones, service providers can now help out a customer by locking their phones. By doing this, no one else is able to access information, photos, or anything else on a smartphone. Essentially, locking a smartphone makes it useless until it is unlocked.
Stolen
Unfortunately, people don't always find the items they sometimes lose. If someone loses their valuable smartphone, it's possible for someone else to steal this device. By having a service provider lock their customer's smartphones, these devices are basically useless to any would-be thieves.
Behind on Payments
If you look at current smartphone prices, you'll soon realize that most of these devices aren't exactly cheap. That's why many smartphone service companies let people pay off their smartphones by making monthly payments. Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that these people will always be able to make their payments on time or at all.
After enough time goes by and a certain number of payments are missed, the cell phone provider can lock the phone (making it useless) until a customer catches up on their payments. If you had these devices in your inventory, they're basically large chunks of glass and plastic that no customer will want.
Outstanding Customer Service
While working with electronics can be awesome, it's important to remember that you're likely working on behalf of a business that's working with other companies. This means that you're this company's customer, which means you should be treated at least reasonably well. If you're not getting great customer service, it might be time to find a new distributor to work with.
Tested Smartphones
There's no guarantee that a distributor will test their smartphones. However, it's likely going to be worth your time to find a distributor who provides tested smartphones. By doing this, it takes another important but time-consuming step out of getting your phones ready to sell. Buying untested smartphones isn't a bad deal if you trust the distributor you're working with.
If you haven't worked with a distributor before, it's never a bad idea to ask if they test their smartphones before selling them. When devices undergo tests, it can give you peace of mind that the phones you receive are in proper condition.
The Best Places to Find Wholesale Distributors
We're now getting into one of the most exciting parts of this industry, which is buying electronics. When you're ready to start working with distributors, try using the following sources.
Trade-In Tech
If you need a sort of one-stop shop to find distributors, it is Trade-In Tech. Since 2012, Trade-In Tech has become an extremely popular platform for people and companies within the electronics industry. Trade-In Tech is also an amazing place to find smartphone distributors. Here's more information about Trade-In Tech.
Wholesale Cell Phones From All of the Top Brands
If you plan on starting a business that sells mobile phones, you'll understandably want devices from popular suppliers. Unfortunately, not every platform has members with access to such popular items. You won't have this problem with Trade-In Tech. That's because our members regularly post phones from companies like Apple, Samsung, Huawei, Google, and many others.
Never Paying Transaction Fees
It's not hard to look around right now and see that things have gotten quite expensive. This situation can make it harder than normal for business owners to buy enough inventory to stay in business. Trade-In Tech understands that every penny counts, especially for small business owners.
To help support your efforts, Trade-In Tech is proud to never charge you transaction fees. It doesn't matter whether you buy a mobile phone each week or hundreds of electronics every month, there are no transaction fees on Trade-In Tech.
Can't Find It? Request It!
As you continue looking for electronics, you might have a specific request from one of your customers. Or you might be looking for a rare phone. If these situations happen, you don't have to stress out. Instead, create a buyer's request. A buyer's request is Trade-In Tech's way of letting our members reach out when they need a certain item or items.
In this case, let's say that you needed a certain type of phone but couldn't find it on the Trade-In Tech Marketplace. If this happens, just head over to the Buyer's Request section and let our members know what you're looking for. It's kind of like having an entire sales team at your fingertips!
If you need to find phones at wholesale prices, it might also be wise to check out LinkedIn. This social platform is meant for people and companies from all walks of life. With a little searching, it's also possible to find wholesalers ready to sell smartphones.
With that said, one major drawback of LinkedIn is that you won't be able to instantly connect with everyone on this platform. Instead, you would need to pay for a premium LinkedIn account. With this type of account, you can connect with and message any LinkedIn member.
While you're on LinkedIn, it's also a good idea to see if there are groups of mobile phone distributors. Sometimes, joining these groups can be a great way to find distributors to partner with.
Another potential way to find distributors is to check out Twitter. While you don't have as much room on Twitter to get your message across as you would on other platforms, lots of people use this social media website.
There are a few great ways to find distributors on Twitter. First, you can always send out a tweet with the right hashtags. We recommend using the words wholesale and distributor somewhere in the hashtags you create.
It's also a good idea to search within Twitter for cell phone distributors. With a little time and effort, you can find relevant accounts to begin following. If a company you're following has what you need, send them a direct message inquiring about how you can start working with them. Those not wanting to directly reach out might also check who they're following for links to company websites.
Many people also find distributors by using Facebook (or Meta if you prefer to call it that). Regardless of what you call this social media platform, it's an amazing way to connect with distributors from around the world. All you need is a free Facebook account.
Facebook is a great social platform to find cell phone distributor groups. If you gain entry into these groups, you should be able to start reaching out to distributors right away. Plus, you can learn more about these members by checking out their respective Facebook pages. You might also get members coming to your page if you post engaging content!
If you're looking for a few extra mobile phones or accessories, you can also check out Facebook Marketplace. However, keep in mind that this service works on a local, in-person basis. This means that you'll need to meet sellers in person to get your mobile phones, which isn't for everybody.
After you get your Facebook account set up, make sure to check out Trade-In Tech's FREE Facebook group!
Online Directories
Some people can also find wholesaler clients by checking out online directories. Sometimes, these websites can list manufacturers and distributors that are accepting new customers. The main drawback of many online directories is that they often contain outdated information. So, be prepared to see a few outdated websites or dead links. With a little patience, you might be able to strike up partnerships with the right distributors.
Using Search Engines
Stepping back from the last method, you can also check search engines like Google and DuckDuckGo to find reliable cell phone carriers. With that said, this method can take quite a bit of time and effort since there are so many potential results to sift through. Eventually, you should find at least several distributors that should be worth your time.
While you're searching, we recommend having a spreadsheet or word document handy. As you browse through the websites of these distributors, you can quickly take down contact information like email addresses, phone numbers, and anything else useful. Having this spreadsheet or document handy when you're ready to start buying phones will be a major lifesaver.
Popular Cell Phones to Watch Out For
Whether you want to work with wholesalers or become one yourself, it's always good to know a little bit of information about popular smartphones. When you're ready to start shopping, look out for any mobile phone lines from the following brands.
Note: This information comes from research on global smartphone market share from Q2 2020 to Q1 2022.
iPhones (Apple)
Chances are, you weren't exactly shocked to see Apple on a list of the most popular smartphone brands. With that said, you might not know that Apple's iPhones are the best-selling smartphones in the world. If you want to sell phones in bulk fast, it's a good idea to consider carrying iPhones.
Currently in its 13th generation, Apple releases a new iPhone almost every year. This release schedule can be great for distributors who want to offer a range of phones to their buyers. iPhones are known for being innovative, featuring immense processing power and many photo and video-taking options.
What's also great about iPhones for resellers is that these devices command a decent amount of money per sale. If you carry iPhones in good condition, it's possible to make several hundred dollars per device.
Galaxy (Samsung)
While Apple's iPhone leads the way in terms of popularity, Samsung remains right behind this company in terms of global market share. What makes the Samsung Galaxy different from the iPhone is that Samsung's phone runs on the Android operating system.
Much like the iPhone, the Samsung Galaxy offers plenty of apps and features to entice customers. Samsung's smartphones are also notable for their large screens and significant amounts of storage space.
Xiaomi Pro
It's true that the majority of our readers come from the United States. With that said, there are other huge markets for smartphones outside of this country. If you're thinking about expanding into international markets, you'll definitely want to consider reselling smartphones from Xiaomi.
While many of the top smartphone manufacturers have been in business for decades, Xiaomi is definitely newer than those companies. Founded in 2010, Xiaomi is one of Asia's largest consumer electronics companies. This company is growing so fast that it actually surpassed Apple in smartphone sales during the second quarter of 2021!
When it comes to Xiaomi's smartphones, this company makes a wide range of innovative devices. One of this company's most popular smartphones, the Xiaomi 12 Pro features three 50 MP cameras, a Snapdragon 8 Gen processing chip, and Xiaomi's exclusive HyperCharge feature. Xiaomi's smartphones also feature a ton of cool photo and video-taking settings, many of which rival what Apple and Samsung currently offer.
Oppo Find and Reno
With 17 years of combined experience, Oppo is another major smartphone manufacturer. Based out of China, this company is another one of Asia's leading smartphone businesses. While this company manufactures many different phones, the Oppo Find and the Oppo Reno are two extremely popular smartphones.
The Oppo Find features a MariSilicon X NPU for incredible imaging power. And this device's Hasselblad camera delivers amazing image quality. This smartphone has more than enough power for games and other apps with its Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip.
If your customers use their smartphones for taking lots of pictures and videos, they might enjoy the Oppo Reno. This current line of smartphones features a combination of three powerful cameras that feature a focal length 10 times longer than other wide-angle lenses. These cameras provide amazing clarity when zooming in, something many modern smartphones still struggle to do. Oppo smartphones are also known for their large screens and immense durability.
We hope you enjoyed this look at wholesale cell phone distributors. If you want to get your hands on high-quality electronics, these professionals can make your life a lot easier. To start partnering up with a huge variety of electronics distributors, consider becoming a Trade-In Tech member. Not sure about whether or not we're right for you? Check out our trial membership, which is your chance to try out Trade-In Tech at a crazy low price.