Nowadays, our lifestyle has become very different.
Everything is getting digital and we feel more time-consuming and awkward visiting markets that are full of crowd.
This is where E-Shopping comes into play!
It is very convenient for people to shop online within their comfort zone.
So, what could be a better idea than people getting their all favorite brands clothes under one roof?
This can save their time and develop their interest more in your website.
Rather than going into different brands’ websites to shop, when they will find out all the brands in one place it will automatically generate more traffic to your website.
Also, this is the best way to grow your business online.
Do we need permissions/authorization to sell any branded products online?
As we think of selling branded clothes/products on our website, the first question that pops up in our mind is about copyrights, right?
Well, Generally speaking, you can sell branded products online on your website.
That is what stores, online and brick and mortar, do.
You can say you won’t use the brands for any promotional or advertising purpose because you want to build your own name as a retailer.
Some brand products are branded by specific sellers, so you only need to get the seller’s permission, but some big brands require you to obtain the brand’s own approval or obtain the corresponding product license before you can sell branded products.
Once a good has been procured through a legitimate sales channel, there is no further expressed need for authorization from the manufacturer (also known as the principle of exhaustion by the first sale).
However, any E-commerce site should be careful about the usage of third-party trademarks, which should ideally be avoided or limited to the name of the manufacturer.
In an ideal situation, it is advisable to take permission from the sellers (at least the major ones) to sell it through an online channel.
If an e-commerce site is selling its product to a foreign country, it should be careful whether the country allows parallel imports.
Can I sell Nike, Adidas, & Puma Products on my website?
When it comes to these extremely popular brands like Nike, Adidas, or Puma lots of people want to buy their items directly from the manufacturer at wholesale rates and then resell them because oftentimes the demand for these sorts of branded items is extremely high and can even outstrip the supply so it makes sense if you had a way to be able to buy these items directly from the manufacturer surely you’d make a ton of money.
But unfortunately, it doesn’t quite work that way. Lots and lots of other people have had this exact same idea and they try to do this too.
The manufacturers of these items are very very selective of who they will distribute their products to and who they will let resell them.
In many cases, they will only allow brick and mortar stores to resell their item and this is for a couple of reasons.
However, if you wanted to sell Nike shoes you would have to become an official distributor for Nike shoes, to be able to do so you would need to contact Nike directly and apply to become an official Nike reseller for their products some of these include needing a business license and also requiring general liability insurance certificate.
The same applies to Adidas, Puma, and other popular branded items.
Disadvantages of a Resale Business
Along with the good of owning a resale business comes with many challenges so you need to be prepared for them from the start.
Firstly no matter what you sell there will be a lot of competition, be ready to be in a crowded space.
Every item you sell and service you provide will be commoditized so you can be compared to dozens of other resellers as well.
There will be uneven margins too.
There’s money to be made in some products but at the same time not in others so your portfolio needs to be wide enough to cover this.
Dealing with manufacturers can be hard sometimes, resellers sell products that other companies produce.
Any reputable brand will closely control its channel.
Be ready to go along with their terms if you don’t have the customer base to dictate them.
Also, you need to keep in mind that the prices and availability of the products can vary.
You can control some of that risk by taking on inventory.
But of course, now that you can acquire costs to manage inventory a good distribution partner can help balance some of that risk on your behalf.
How to get permission from brands if needed?
The best way to get permission from the brands you want to sell on your website is to directly approach them and become their distributors.
For being able to do that you would need to apply to that particular brand you want to sell to become an official reseller of them.
Most brands want to see what kind of success you have or had before in the resale business before they want you to sell their brands.
Most major brands have very complex distribution strategies so you need to be prepared for ignored messages as well as they already have designated distribution routes and strategies.
Authorization to distribute will be difficult, as you will still have to chase down a person who is authorized to allow your permitted use and get them to write you a permission allowing your intended distribution plan of their branded merchandise.
But keep in mind that these kinds of business contracts take months to years to secure.
Alternatively, you can tie up with a dealer who has brand authorization and can re-sale the products, this is how small resellers work.
Also, if you are trying to sell products without carrying the inventory then you need to find brands that offer affiliate services or drop shipping.
You list the item on your website and if a buyer wants to make an order they are redirected to the order form of the brand.
Things to keep in mind while selling branded products on your website
The most important thing to do before you start selling branded products on your website is to take permission from the brand first.
You also can’t use their images directly to sell the product on your site without their permission.
Only if you are acting in the capacity of a certified affiliate or reseller – that is to say, that the other website is aware of what you are doing and has given you permission.
Otherwise, they can take actions against you, including a cease and desist, getting your site blacklisted, taking you to court etc.
Be mindful that some goods, particularly digital media files, are licensed, not sold, and selling them or relicensing them would get you in trouble.
How can you grow your business online while selling branded products on your website?
While selling branded products on your website, there are lots of other things you need to accomplish to help your business grow online.
First you need to find your niche/industry in which you want to work.
It can be anything like shoes, clothes, bags etc.
Once you will figure it out, it will be more flexible for you to sell branded products on your website.
Now that you have found your niche it’s time for you to find the products related to your niche and then take the permission/authorization from the brand for that product to sell it on your website.
If you are buying the products from retailers and reselling them, then you need to make sure that the product is original and authentic.
Because it will be your responsibility to sell the original product on your website and if you don’t then no one will buy it from your website.
To check the product authenticity before buying it from any retailer you should read the reviews first and make sure that the retailer is authentic and is not a scammer.
Keep in mind that the product description in your website is accurate and it is providing detailed information of the product.
This will help the buyer to buy the products quickly when the description of products you are selling is clear, it will be easier for buyers to know what they are actually buying.
And last but not the least the thing that really matters is your good customer service.
If you know how to deal with customers in a good way then congratulations you are good to go! But if you do not fulfill their expectations of good customer care, then your sales will also decrease, as customers need good customer care.
Try to answer their queries on time.
This will help you grow your business online as customer care is the main key for online business to grow.
