Wholesale Merchandise - General Merchandise - Sources for Wholesale Merchandise

1. The customer culture of gamers is perfect for wholesale merchandise and used video game merchandise.

Gamers not only willingly purchase used and wholesale video game titles, most prefer them. For the under 18 crowd, Mom and Dad are the primary source for new video game items, so the lowest priced games are purchased. Even the most successful titles are heavily dependent upon word-of-mouth advertising campaigns and professional game reviewers, making most gamers willing to wait for used versions or wholesale video games to become available. Plus, the wear and tear of normal use is minimal, and original packaging is frequently considered optional.

2. Pricing standards are wide open, and based on nearly pure concepts of supply and demand.

The major strip mall outlet for used and overstock video games has been GameStop for a number of years now. A newspaper pricing guide from the store was once the main pricing guideline for trade-in and resale value on video games and accessories. Today, with the development of Internet auctions, games sell at the price consumers are willing to pay. In most cases, the lowest prices are tagged onto wholesale game consoles and game titles with the oldest release dates.

There is however a growing market for rare and hard-to-find video games. The majority of games in this category are from older systems that are no longer supported or manufactured by the original developer. A quick check for a Disney Mix Dance Dance Revolution for the PlayStation on eBay will show auctions ending at more than double the original manufacturer suggested retail price. Other rare titles with a high demand mainly include special editions of games, or titles only released in Japan. The availability of computer emulators has undercut the value of many older games, but jewels like first versions of popular PlayStation RPGs are still out there. Almost every major video game franchise has a rare and highly sought title or accessory, creating multiple “Holy Grail” type products.

3. Wholesale video game product lines are simple to stock, and easy to educate staff about.

Most wholesale video game displays are self-explanatory. Customers are looking for a good price and in most cases a particular title or accessory. However, whether the desired game or accessory is available or not, the customer is likely to purchase other video game products available below retail price points. The need for a new game can likely be filled by multiple titles in any given video game genre.

Staff do not need to be extremely knowledgeable about game play since the product packaging will give information and screen shots. Numerous gamer magazines are on the market now, and stocking a few back issues for employee perusal is helpful. An accurate inventory for quick retrieval of requested wholesale video games and accessories is the best tool for a sales staff. Wholesale video games are small items, and thus take up little shelf room on either the sales floor in a back room storage. Unorganized storage systems can easily become needle-in-the-haystack puzzles if retailers are not careful.

4. Wholesale Merchandise and overstock accessories or game consoles work well together in packages.