How to Find Wholesale Suppliers for Your Canadian Online Business

It can be difficult and time-consuming to find wholesale suppliers in Canada for your business. Business supplier database is not readily available in most cases. This is particularly true if your business is operating in a niche market or in a remote location where you can’t find local suppliers. Canada is a big place and wholesalers in your area may not be advertising their business in the places that you search for suppliers.

Even if you find a wholesale suppliers in Canada , the price can become a deal breaker. For many supplies and materials, you may be able to find a better deal outside Canada. In such cases, you will need to overcome language barriers, deal with the customs authorities and currency exchange issues.

Finding Wholesale Suppliers in Canada

There are several places that you can search to find out if there is a local or international supplier available to do business with. Some of the regular places to search include the following.

Online Databases – One of the best places that you can search for and find suppliers are online databases. These wholesale directories in Canada are similar to yellow pages with the added advantage that they can be accessed from anywhere. They are very easy to use and provide detailed information about wholesaler in your area.

The downside is that online listings may not be up to date as most wholesalers don’t update their account frequently.

Industry Associations – Most associations of wholesalers and suppliers run dedicated wholesale directories in Canada that provide supplier contact information. Associations also highlight news about events such as trade shows, new technology launches and other information that can be useful for businesses. The only issue here is that there may not be an association for your supplier if it is a very niche industry.

Federal Corporation Registry – The Canadian federal government also maintains the database of all incorporated businesses that can be used to search for wholesale suppliers. This is quite effective for finding registered suppliers. The problem is that unincorporated businesses are not covered in this database.

Using B2B Wholesale Distributors Database

When searching for a wholesaler through an online database, you need to look for certain qualities. The wholesaler must be reliable in delivering the agreed supplies on time. The supplies must meet the quality standard consistently and any defective materials must be replaced without additional cost to you.

The wholesaler must offer competitive prices so that it gives you space to try out different marketing strategies. The supplier must also be able to meet and respond to fluctuations in your orders and not penalize you for ordering a lower amount.

When you are trying to find a distributor on a database, search for different terms related to your requirement. For example, you should enter keywords such as ‘plastic bottles supplier’ when looking to buy plastic bottles through a distributor.

Different industries in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico use the common North American Industry Classification Code (NAICS). If you search for the code, you will find it easier to find the supplier you are looking for.

You can also use various social media platforms to find and connect with the supplier. If you put up a post on LinkedIn or Facebook or tweet about your supply needs, someone in your network is sure to guide you in the right direction.