Wholesale News & Articles

"Fast pennies are better than slow dollars" is the clever motto of Alan Altschul, President & Founder of US Marketing in upstate New York. The 30 year old company sells first quality, original manufacturer packs to dollar stores, discount stores, wholesalers, flea marketers, auctioneers and exporters, at pricing well below wholesale.

Some of the many merchandise categories featured on the US Marketing website include watches/jewelry, toys/games, gifts, seasonal/holiday, and camera/film/batteries, just to name a few. According to Altschul, "We specialize in selling our customers special opportunity buys at extreme value prices. We only offer our customers value packed deals that mean business and make profits."

Thirty percent of US Marketing's inventory is from overbuys, closeouts and discontinued resources. The remaining 70 percent of merchandise comes from US Marketing's exclusive brands, including EXO and Eclipse. Merchandise sold under these brands are created and designed by US Marketing's VP Sales & Marketing, Karen Kingsley, and by other in-house creative sources. The exclusive brand products are manufactured in factories in China, Taiwan and Pakistan, and imported into the US. The firm's inventory can typically be valued at $4 to $5 million dollars, and is housed in a 60,000 square foot warehouse. The company adds new items every three to four weeks, and has a steady supply of products from its exclusive brands. "Generally, we have a good, solid depth of merchandise in 90 percent of our products. "I attribute the key to our success to our knowledge of the business, having a nose and eyes for what's moving, and knowing what people are looking for," offers Altschul.

US Marketing launched its website just two years ago, and it represents about 25 percent of the company's business. A good 75 percent of sales are still personal contact, conducted over the phone. "Many of our customers have become friends over the years. We like to build rapport with our accounts so we know what they need and want, and also work closely with them to develop their own market," says Altschul.

The Internet has become the fastest, easiest way for US Marketing to show customers and buyers what the firm has to offer. "Today everything is email, sending photos and presentations. We make full color product bulletins on every product, so that the buyer knows exactly what the item is," added Altschul. As a wholesale seller on www.usmarketingdeals.com or www.wholesalecentral.com/usmarketing/, the firm has added accounts from sources that they would not normally pursue, and has spread the company's account base internationally. US Marketing sells and ships to Canada, Mexico, Latin America and England.

Altschul is very interested in doing more business on the web. In particular, he is interested in increasing his wholesale business on multiple case and pallet orders. First time visitors to US Marketing's website should view the merchandise and call the company for pricing.

When asked what makes US Marketing stand out from the competition, Altschul said, "We are well known in the industry, we're honest, have strong pricing and basically, we know what we're doing." To offer the low pricing that it does, the company has a minimum order of $300. The company services mom and pop shops to major distributors. "We are always willing to work with customers, and if a customer wants an assortment of merchandise that equals $300, we'll accommodate them," says Altschul.

When it comes to customer service, the company owns what it sells and is able to ship orders right away. The company usually does not have returns, "We honor any merchandise that is a problem," says Altschul. US Marketing has the capability of imprinting merchandise purchased by companies, that are used for premiums or give-aways. Perhaps the most valuable service offered by US Marketing is its' willingness to blind drop ship for wholesalers, saving them valuable shipping dollars.

"Our merchandise changes very quickly. We frequently do an email blast, letting our customers know about new inventory. We practice guerilla marketing," said Altschul. The company has a solid repeat business. "We have been dealing with the same people for years, and people who buy on a steady basis."

Among some of the best selling items on the US Marketing website is the "Air Touch" Flex PC - Laptop Computer Keyboard, a full functional, flexible standard sized keyboard, made of easy to wipe clean, Silicone. For use with laptops or desktop computers, it comes in a variety of colors, and can be imprinted with a company name or logo.

Also popular are Scrubsters, durable, unisex hospital scrubs, worn by personnel in the medical field. The tops have v-neck styling and the bottoms have drawstring closures. Both are available in a variety of colors.

Another big seller is Pro Floss "Flip 'n Flosser," a patented, FDA approved and easy to use, one handed flosser. The pre loaded spool is equipped with enough floss for 300 flossings. It comes in a choice of four colors.

With new Government travel rules, there is a greater necessity for travelers to have passports. Passport holders are a hot item made from bonded leather. The holders have multiple pockets for carrying identification, a room key and more. Other popular items on the site include an MP3 player with numerous features, herbal tea sets and Super Shot, a reusable camera with 36 exposures.

In the 80's US Marketing published the Original Insiders Closeout Directory. This was the first collection of major companies that specialized in closeouts. It listed buyers, addresses, phone numbers and the products sold. The directory was useful, long before the Internet and even faxing became popular.

The story of Mr. Altschul's entry into this business is an interesting one. He attended Pratt Institute and subsequently went into advertising. Alan befriended a Vice President from Shell Oil. At that time it was popular to give an incentive gift with the purchase of a full tank of gas. Shell had an overabundance of salad bowls that were once used as a give away. The VP mentioned this to Alan and requested that he help him dispose of the bowls. The ad agency Alan worked for had a major food account that sold salad dressing. A coupon was designed, which was attached to the bottles of dressing, offering a complete salad bowl set for their cost. It resulted in an extremely successful promotion. Additional products were requested and this opened the door to US Marketing.

"We are always looking for new merchandise that meets our high standards, to add to our first quality offerings," concluded Altschul, also known as, "The Deal Detective."

For more information:

US Marketing Co.
Alan Altschul, President
Karen Kingsley, VP Sales & Marketing
2571 Rt. 212
Woodstock, NY 12498
Tel.: 845-679-7274
Toll Free: 800-948-0739
Website: www.usmarketingdeals.com

Article ID: 495