What You Need to Know About Third Party Sellers

Are you currently working with third party sellers yet not seeing the benefits? Maybe it’s time to rethink your strategy…

You may have your misgivings about working with third party sellers or resellers, such as violating the MAP policy; however, that’s something that you can prevent. An MAP Policy is simply an agreement between distributors and resellers that there should be a set price range. For example, all resellers, including brick-and-mortar stores, should stay within the price range of $90-100 which includes discounts and price increases. This helps prevent competition and tarnishing the brand’s image by being too expensive or too cheap. 

To help you gain a better understanding of how experienced wholesalers can help you, let’s dig deep into what they can do for you.

What is a Third Party Seller? 

Third party sellers are independent sellers who can either be a private label or a wholesaler. If they are private entities, they may manufacture their own products and sell them on an eCommerce platform such as Amazon. On the other hand, a wholesaler will just buy in bulk from distributors or manufacturers and resell them. 

So, why work with a reseller as opposed to just selling your own inventory? 

Benefits of Working with Experienced Resellers

There are always two sides to a coin. Working with a third party seller may have its pros and cons but the benefits are greater than the downsides. If you’re still wary of partnering with a reseller, here are the benefits you can reap later on:

1. Focused on the Marketplace – There are some resellers who are already experts in the marketplace. Partnering with an experienced seller helps bring your brand to attention without too much effort as they are already equipped with the necessary tools. Plus, you don’t have to worry much about sales. You can focus on other things such as marketing and business expansion.
2. Brand Visibility – Partnering with an established reseller will add to your brand’s reach and may even gain global recognition. For example, there are a few wholesalers who have already expanded globally. Look for an experienced third party seller who has a lot of insights on the market will help you grow and expand your business in the future. 
3. Free Optimization – Finding an experienced seller who can help you with listing creation and optimization will benefit you, too. Since these third party sellers already have existing listings, they can help you refine your product listing by optimizing them. Your listings will have more visibility, better keyword ranking, more sales, and a lower BSR (Best Selling Rank). 
4. Price Stability– Once you have a strong MAP policy agreement with your brand partner, your brand’s margin is already secured. You don’t have to worry about overpricing or underpricing, because all of your sellers must follow your MAP policy. Those who won’t, you have the ability to remove that particular reseller who does not adhere to your MAP policy.
5. Increase in Revenue – You get instant revenue when a wholesaler or reseller purchases your products. Plus you get to enjoy the benefits of an optimized listing and assistance in your overall seller’s account. Your brand partner may analyze, not just your product listing, but your Brand’s health account,  and let you know what you need to do to improve and generate more sales. 
6. Keyword Ranking and Visibility – When you work with an experienced third party seller, you can be assured that your items will never run out of stock in Amazon even if you do. Your product listing will still be visible because your reseller is still actively selling your product. In addition, your product will still hold their keyword rankings because your products are still active through the authorized reseller. If your products run out of stock and you don’t have an authorized reseller, Amazon will penalize your product listing, your top keywords will lose visibility, and your would-be buyers will resort to buying from your competitors. Your buyers would now lose their chance of testing and experiencing the benefits of your product. 
7. Maintaining the Supply Chain – Working with an experienced third party seller helps you keep your supply chain in check. One problem is when your product runs out of stock and you don’t have an authorized reseller. When this happens, you’d have to spend more for expedited shipments just to replenish your stocks and not miss out on sales. However, if you have an authorized seller, your products will not run out of stock and you will still get sales through your wholesaler while you order more stocks without the rush. 

Conclusion

Selling via eCommerce is now the trend since most people opt to stay at home. More and more business owners also turn to buying and selling products to augment their income. A lot of consumers also opt to buy online because it is more convenient and faster, as evident in Amazon’s  fast delivery service. Third party wholesalers are your best bet if you have already established your business. Your brand will gain recognition and have a wider reach when you work with a brand partner.

Need help in optimizing your listings and focusing on sales without worrying about unauthorized sales? Connect with us and we’ll be glad to help you out. 

“Once you have sold a customer, make sure he is satisfied with your goods. Stay with him until the goods are used up or worn out. Your product may be of such long life that you will never sell him again, but he will sell you and your product to his friends.”

— William Feather, American Publisher and Author