When searching for wholesale cookware, the wide variety of options is often confusing. Sources vary from bulk wholesalers, drop shippers, direct from the manufacturer, and retail liquidators. Which option is best depends on the reseller, their budget, the items they wish to sell, and their credentials.

Niche product are often available direct from the manufacturer. Smaller manufacturers and importers are usually willing to sell direct to resellers. They do usually require a significant quantity, which is often a problem for resellers. In addition, they require a resellers license, and sometimes a storefront location. Others will happily sell to on-line resellers. Very popular items, such as “as seen on TV” items are usually made by manufacturers large enough to ignore individual retailers, and must be purchased through the other alternatives.



Bulk wholesalers and importers in the wholesale cookware field usually carry a wide variety of merchandise. Some specialize in types of cookware or product material, others carry the bulk of the market’s product. Most require fairly large bulk purchases. Prices and quality vary widely among wholesalers, so research is needed to locate the best deals. For cookware, material is often more important than brand names, so finding the best quality at the lowest price is a solid approach. As with manufacturers, these companies only sell to legitimate resellers, so a license is usually required.

Liquidators are common in the wholesale cookware market. Usually they carry a wide variety of products, whatever they find available. They offer a wide range of product mix, often at great prices, but with widely varying quality. Goods are usually sold by the pallet, case, or box, so some quantity is required, these liquidators do not often sell by the piece. The downside of pallet and mixed lot liquidations is the wide variety of quality often in the individual batch. Some merchandise might be excellent for resale, others not so good. The buyer must take the entire batch, not pick and choose the best pieces. To compensate, the prices are usually fairly attractive.

Larger drop shippers will often carry a variety of wholesale cook ware. Their coverage is often sporadic, as cook ware is not the hottest selling merchandise for them to carry. The items they have in stock are usually priced well below the department stores, offering a potential for on-line profits. For best overall profitability, one of the bulk wholesalers is often a better option, finances permitting.