WE'VE MOVED!

We are proud to announce our NEW community destination. Engage with resident experts and fellow entrepreneurs, and learn everything you need to start your business. Check out the new home of StartupNation Community at startupnation.mn.co

selling to catalog companies

jp2007jp2007 subscriber Posts: 2
edited August 2015 in Sales
i have a new product that i want to sell to the catalog companies, the ones you probably receive with around the house products.  like, improvements, problem solvers, lillian vernon, etc.
couple questions before i approach them
what is a typical markup they want?
are there distributors that i need to go through?
do they all take inventory or drop ship?
is it common to sell to more than one at the same time or is it better to enter into an exclusive arrangement with one 
should i just target skymall only which claims 1.8 million passengers per day
will i be required to pay the catalog for my ad space, and if so, how much should i expect to pay?
anything else i should know?
you advice is greatly appreciated
thanks all
jo annejp20072007-6-4 16:36:36

Comments

  • smurph05smurph05 subscriber Posts: 2
    As an internet/catalog retailer I will offer you my perspective.- markup is ideally 2x-you don`t have to go through distributors if you are willing to do some legwork and find the right people within a company to contact.-drop ship-v-inventory is up to you. You set your own rules on this one.-you are just starting out so why put all of your eggs in one basket? If they drop your product then you have no back-up.-Catalogs don`t carry ads, only magazines. Your job is to market your product to retailers, they market it to their customers. I don`t know how Skymall works but you need to contact them and get information for potential advertisers which includes prices, set-up fee`s, demographics, and hopefully some conversion data.There are many people at SUN who have brought products to market. Check out the forums, there are many threads that will be of interest to you including a forum on how to bring your invention to market.
  • GetAGripGetAGrip subscriber Posts: 14
    Jo Anne,  I got into my first catalog by simply calling the company, asking for a buyer or merchandising department, asking them nicely if they mind me sending them some information by email.  They beat me up on the price, but the catalog goes out to over a million people and companies and like Jeff said, other buyers are watching their competitors. 
    You could also hire a manufacturer`s rep that deals with catalog companies, they will do it for 5%-10%.
    Good Luck!
  • SparkleGirlSparkleGirl subscriber Posts: 2
    Hi Jo Anne,
    Here`s a catalog that caters to products created by women http://www.femailcreations.com/we_sell.aspx</A>
    Timing will be key for you as most catalog companies are already planning for their 2008 catalogs.
    Good luck to you!
     
  • jp2007jp2007 subscriber Posts: 2
    Hello everyone.  Thank you for the information and comments.  I am very grateful to all.
    Jo Anne
     
     
  • jasonburtonjasonburton subscriber Posts: 0 Member
    This digitaql copy center http://www.digitekprinting.com/digital-copy-center works on many businesses with the same prospective of marketing.
  • Adam JonesAdam Jones subscriber Posts: 124 Silver Level Member
    While many mail-order companies simply buy your products from you and sell them to their customers, not all catalog companies operate in this way.

    Catalog marketing is a sales technique used by businesses to group many items together in a printed piece or an online store, hoping to sell at least one item to the recipient. Consumers buy directly from the catalog sender by phone, return envelope or online using information in the catalog.
Sign In or Register to comment.