How to contact a distributor for the first time ?

I would like to know what is the formal way of contacting a distributor for the first time ?

Since most distributor dont deal with regular customers and only with business onwers, how would I go to contact them even tho I dont have a registered company yet and I just want to know what are the procedures for the first order.

I seriously dont want to screw up my first contact with a partcular company.

so what would be a good check list for things to ask and say?

something like
What is the amount of the first money order and the ones after
how is the delivery done
how many order can I make per month
is there a specific liscence required to sell the products and how much is it

 

What industry are we talking about here..?

To be honest with you it can vary with the type of industry.

Also what country.

 

Canada

clothing companies for a website which I m trying to lay out

 

I am interested in becoming a reseller – how do I go about it?
What benefits do I get from being a reseller for xxxxxx?
How do I obtain a pricelist?
How do I order?
How much is delivery?
How can I pay?
If I order today how long will my order take to arrive?
How do I qualify for discount if I order in bulk?
Can I purchase from your website?
How will I be notified of new product lines?
How do I get free point of sale for my store/web adverts for my site?
I would like to sign up for your newsletter


That should keep you going.. Clothing is not my speciality.

j4md0nut

 

That's a very good start, thanks

I just wanted to see if there was a formal protocol. I thought there was a formal letter sort of like an introduction letter that you send to a future employer...

 

also include your resale id #

 

that's the thing,

How do I get a resale # ?

where do I apply for one, it's all those little things I'm trying to find out.

And yes, I am starting from nothing with barely no knowledge on this but everyone has to start somewhere and since I want to open a website and not a physical store, I thought I could ask here

 

You get a reseller # after you register your business with the state that you are in. Most distributors will require this to verify that you are indeed a business and not just some customer trying to get a sweet deal.

Some distributors may not require a state reseller license, but most will.

If you are just starting out though, you may want to consider dropshipping instead. It saves you the overhead costs associated with maintaining inventory. And you can technically start a dropship business without a reseller/business license...technically...

 

that exacly why I asked because I dont want to be that particular type of customer =)

I have a lot of research to do and I just started reading on my state website (well province since I m in Canada) about all this but too bad government websites are an impossible mission to make money out of them because they would be really easy to fix and make them better.

 

what kind of products are you looking at?
oh and since i see you are in canada, you might have to go to your local chamber of commerce for the resellers id# or might have to contact the distributor directly and see if they cater to international customers.
i think since you are in canada and if the distributor is in america, it might become an import/export issue. best thing to do is ask the distributor first without asking a product/price list.

good luck and let me know if you need anymore help

 

regular clothing and accessories...

I tried to get information on the chamber of commerce website where I live but I wasnt able to find anything about a reseller ID ... so I'll e-mail them or if they cant help any further I ll take an appointment with them