I am planning to start a small retail business in the NJ area selling women's athletic wear. Since I don't have any investment money to rent a space, I am thinking about starting this out of my apartment at first. I am mainly interested in fitness\yoga wear.
I have looked into several brands that I would like to carry but I am finding out that these brands will not sell me merchandise at wholesale prices unless I am an established business and have an actual storefront. Please advise as to how I can get started.
#1. "RE: Retail Startup Advice Needed (Fitnesswear)" In response to Reply # 0
Jennifer how do you plan to sell out of your home? Do you want customers coming to your apartment? Or will you create a web site?
Local town ordinances probably won't allow you to sell directly out of your home. But you can set up a web site business.
You will need to register your business name with your county offices and you will need to apply for a reseller ID (tax ID). That reseller ID is generally all that a manufacturer will require of you to be able to purchase wholesale.
You will also need to set up a merchant credit account to be able to accept credit cards. Again, you will need to provide the reseller ID and a business bank account.
All of these tasks are fairly simple and inexpensive. I offer a lot more help at my web site.