Trade shows / suppliers / samples… for e-commerce?

We learned everything needed to start, after a single trip to a trade show in Las Vegas. After that, we had our contacts and knew the lingo.

$1,500,000 in revenue 1 year later.

Go to the trade show.

1: yes. Register a business then getting in should be good. Do not necessarily pay for a stand, but it allows you to make some contacts and see how things work in the real world.

2: nowhere. Seriously. Google is probably your best bet. There simply is no requirement to register, so there is no central directory.

3: Better Business Beauro. Courts. In general - aking around. Depends on country, area. Ask a manufacturer if you can get hold of them.

4: Depends - on YOU. They are not in the business to send out freebies to wannabes. So, the question is: are you a business or a wannabe asking for freebies. And this is subjective. It is about what THEY think. It is not unnormal to send out samples, but on the other hand the question is whether you appear worthy or not. Especially without´prior business. Later, as established customer, they may send you stuff without even asking ;)

I've been running my own ecommerce software company for 9 years and prior to that I built stores for Eddiebauer.com, Godiva.com, Ragu.com, etc.

1) unless the tradeshow is in or near your town it is probably not worth the cost. The ecommerce related conferences tend to focus on larger store problems because larger stores have money to send people. Learn about SEO online and build a store on ebay, amazon or hosted shopping cart services that are cheap or free.

2) find something you want to sell in a store. Scouring the packaging and see if you can find the city where it was made. Then find the phone number for the company that makes the stuff. Find out what their requirements are to resell.

If that seems like too much work you'll have to sell from a wholesaler who will take a large percent of potential profits. Might as well sell amazon products for commission.

3) Google for "xxx sucks" or "xxx screwed me over." if you see more than one or two links, watch out. One way to reduce risk is to get a line of credit with the wholesaler. You get the goods to sell and pay 30 days later. It may be hard to get but it is great for protection and cash-flow.

4) can't hurt to ask. Some will, some won't.

• Trade shows are rarely worth it for startups and small companies. Go to it with a T-shirt and some of your information and mingle. But don't get a booth.
• Read 4 hour work week. It has information on finding wholesale suppliers, and interesting advice on running online and mail order stores. It's a must read. Some of it is a little far out there, but it will get you thinking.
• It also has information on researching whether your product is viable and how to market it using Google and some other methods.
• Shopify.com is the easiest way to start an online store.