How to source wholesale products in the USA for Amazon and retail

Wholesale is the simplest way to start selling in the U.S. without developing a product of your own. You buy genuine branded goods in bulk, then resell them on Amazon, on your own store or to retailers.

The hard part is not finding someone willing to sell you stock. It is finding wholesale suppliers in the USA who are actually authorized to sell the brand, whose invoices will stand up to a marketplace review, and whose terms leave you room to make money. This guide walks through each of those checks, then covers what happens when the goods arrive.

How wholesale sourcing works

In a wholesale model, the brand already exists. You do not change the product, the packaging or the label. Your job is to buy at a wholesale price, move the stock efficiently and sell it within the brand's rules.

That makes wholesale different from building your own brand. If you want products under your own name, made to your specification, read our guide on how to find U.S. private label manufacturers instead. The two models can sit side by side, but the supplier search, the documents and the risks are not the same.

Wholesale suits you when you want to:

• Test demand in a category before investing in your own product.
• Add well-known brands to a store or catalogue you already run.
• Sell on Amazon in categories where existing brands carry the search demand.
• Supply U.S. retailers or other businesses that want brands they recognize.

Types of wholesale suppliers in the USA

Not every company with a price list is the same kind of supplier. Where a supplier sits in the distribution chain affects price, minimums and, above all, how much its invoices are worth when you need to prove where your stock came from.

A useful habit: whenever a supplier is not the brand itself, ask where it buys. A genuine authorized distributor can usually say so plainly and back it up. A vague answer is information too.

You want to resell an existing brand Start with where you will sell it.

• Amazon, gated brand or category
  • Brand direct or authorized distributor
  • Invoices that show the supply chain
  • Confirm approval rules before buying
• Your own store or U.S. retailers
  • Brand direct or authorized distributor
  • Check MAP and reseller policy
  • Ask about marketplace restrictions
• Clearance or off-price channels
  • Closeouts may fit, with caution
  • Inspect condition and dates
  • Do not use for gated approvals

How to verify a supplier is authorized

Authorization is the single most important check in wholesale. It protects you from counterfeit or diverted goods, from complaints by the brand and from having your marketplace account questioned. Work through these steps before you place a first order:

1. Start from the brand. Many brands list their distributors or have a wholesale page or contact. Ask the brand directly who is authorized to sell to resellers in your channel.
2. Request an authorization letter. If the supplier is a distributor, ask for a letter or agreement from the brand that confirms the relationship. Note whether it covers marketplace sales.
3. Check the business itself. Look for a real address, a working phone line, a business registration you can look up in the state where it operates, and a track record. Trade references from other buyers help.
4. Compare prices with the market. A price far below what authorized sources charge usually has a reason, and the reason is rarely good for you.
5. Ask for a sample invoice. Check that it shows the supplier's full name and address, your business name, product descriptions, quantities and a date. You will need this format for marketplace reviews.
6. Start small. Place a first order you can afford to inspect thoroughly before you commit to volume.

Being "able to buy" a brand is not the same as being "allowed to resell" it in every channel. Some brands sell to resellers but restrict sales on marketplaces. Confirm this in writing before you buy.

What to ask a wholesale supplier for

Your first contact with a supplier should be specific. Introduce your business, name the brands and products you want, state your sales channels and give a realistic first quantity. Then ask for the documents and terms below.

Also ask how the goods ship (cartons or pallets), where they ship from and whether the supplier can deliver to a third-party warehouse. Many wholesale orders go straight from the supplier to a receiving partner rather than to the buyer's own address.

For food, supplements, cosmetics and other regulated products, ask about expiration or best-by dates, lot codes and storage conditions. Domestic sourcing does not remove U.S. labeling or product rules, and marketplaces often set their own date requirements.

Resale certificates and sales tax

In the U.S., sales tax is charged on sales to the final customer. When you buy goods to resell, you usually give the supplier a resale certificate so it does not charge you sales tax on the wholesale purchase.

A few points to know, stated generally:

• Sales tax is set by each state, and the forms and rules differ from state to state.
• Resale certificates are normally linked to a sales tax registration or permit. Whether you need one, and where, depends on where you sell and store goods.
• Many suppliers will not open a tax-exempt wholesale account without a valid certificate. Without one, they may charge sales tax on your order.
• Marketplaces often collect and remit sales tax on marketplace orders in many states, but that does not settle every obligation you may have.

Sales tax for a foreign seller can be complicated. Speak with a U.S. tax adviser before your first order, so you know which registrations you need and what to give suppliers.

Amazon gating and invoice requirements

Some Amazon categories and brands are gated (restricted). To sell in them, you apply for approval, and approval may require invoices from the brand or an authorized supplier. Amazon sets the details and can change them, so always check the current requirements in Seller Central for your specific category and brand before you buy stock.

In general terms, sellers preparing an approval request should expect to need:

• Invoices from a manufacturer or authorized distributor, not from a retail store.
• Invoice details that match your seller account, such as your business name and address.
• Supplier contact details that can be verified.
• Products and quantities on the invoice that match what you plan to list.

Approval is never guaranteed, even with good documents. A brand can also ask Amazon to restrict who sells its products. That is why the order matters: check gating, ask the supplier about marketplace restrictions, and only then buy.

Decide early how you will fulfill Amazon orders, because it changes your prep, storage and cash needs. Our guide on Amazon FBA vs. FBM vs. 3PL compares the options for sellers outside the U.S.

Retail arbitrage vs. wholesale

Retail arbitrage means buying products from retail stores or websites, often on sale, and reselling them. It needs no supplier account, which makes it easy to start. For a business that wants to scale, especially from outside the U.S., the differences matter.

For most international sellers, wholesale is the more practical model: you can negotiate and order from abroad, and a receiving partner in the U.S. handles the physical side.

Receiving and prepping wholesale stock for FBA and retail

Wholesale goods usually arrive in master cases or on pallets, packed for a distributor's warehouse, not for Amazon or a retail buyer. Before they can be sold, someone has to check them and get them ready for the next destination.

1. 1 You Verify and order Authorized supplier, gating checked, small first order
2. 2 Supplier Deliver to receiving Supplier ships cartons or pallets to the U.S. warehouse
3. 3 Warehouse Receive and inspect Count against the invoice, check condition and dates
4. 4 Warehouse Prep and label Labels, bags, sets and cartons for the channel
5. 5 Warehouse Ship or store To Amazon, retailers, or held as buffer stock

Receiving and inspection

The first job is to receive and inspect the shipment against the supplier's invoice and packing list. Count the cases and units, look for crushed or wet cartons, and check that the items, variants and dates match what you paid for. Photos of anything wrong give you something concrete to raise with the supplier.

Prep for Amazon FBA

Since January 1, 2026, Amazon no longer offers prep and item labeling services for the U.S. FBA program. Units must arrive at Amazon already prepped and labeled as required. For wholesale stock, that often means opening master cases, applying FNSKU labels where needed, bagging or protecting items, marking sets correctly and repacking into compliant shipment cartons. Our guide to Amazon FBA prep requirements in 2026 covers the rules in detail.

Abanro handles Amazon FBA prep and labeling at its facility in Orange County, California. Published starting prices include standard prep from $1.20 per unit and pallet receiving from $15 per pallet. See pricing for what each rate includes.

Retail and wholesale orders

Retailers and distributors have their own receiving rules: carton labels, case packs, pallet build and appointment times. Prep for these channels is often simpler than Amazon prep at unit level, but the outbound paperwork has to be right.

Buffer stock

Many sellers keep part of each wholesale order in storage near the ports and send smaller batches to Amazon or to customers as needed, using forwarding and shipping. This keeps Amazon inventory lean and leaves stock available for other channels.

Your first wholesale order

Before you send money to a new supplier, run through this checklist:

• The supplier is the brand or can show it is authorized to sell to you.
• You know whether the brand allows marketplace sales and what its MAP policy says.
• You have checked Amazon gating for the brand and category, if you sell there.
• Your sales tax position and resale certificate are sorted out with an adviser.
• Your margin works after wholesale price, U.S. shipping, prep, storage and marketplace fees.
• You have a U.S. address to receive, inspect and prep the goods.

If you would rather not run the search yourself, Abanro's U.S. Product Sourcing & Procurement service researches U.S. suppliers, requests and compares quotes, coordinates purchasing within an agreed scope, and connects the inventory to receiving, prep, storage and fulfillment in one place.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Supplier availability, pricing, authorization and marketplace approvals vary and are not guaranteed.