Distributor or direct manufacturer for adult toy store?
 

I'm opening an adult novelty store ( toys, clothing, DVDs ). I have been approached by a number of distributors that seem to make it very easy for you to sell out of a huge inventory of items.

However, I was wondering if it's worth it in comparission if I was to contact the manufacturers directly.

Some of the distributor stuff that I liked was (1) drop shipping, (2) digital plug-n-play catalog, (3) one stop shop!

Any advice? Thank you so much!

Everybody is contacting me via IM/ICQ so I just wanted to bump my thread :-)

OK, one more bump. C'mon, some of you should know something about this. Or has this board turned into purely a jerkoff hang out?

Most people here on this board know little to nothing about the offline adult business. Do you know how many different manufacturers of toys, dildos, outfits, novelties, clothing, condoms etc there are? Calling around to dozens of vendors to try and get them to sell you one or two of individual items for a single new retail store is insane, and will take all of your time even if they will do business with you. Just call a video & novelty distributor like IVD/ECN and they will have everything for you to outfit your store and perhaps even some good advice for somone trying to set up a retail shop in 2009.

If you need an online affiliate solution, look here:

http://SexToySponsors.com

:)

Nice advice, Jim Gunn.

So, is that what it is - the "one stop shop" that's the advantage? How much does one pay more to a distributor than a manufacturer then?

Most manufacturers without their own distribution company aren't even going to waste their time to sell and ship a store owner two penis shaped lollipops or any small orders like that anyway. So a wholesale distributor is the only realistic option to get the broad range of products in one-sies or two-sies that you will likely need to fill up the store, plus they have all ancillary items you need to set up the store like racks, some signage, etc. Depending on the items and where you purchase from, the prices they quote you might even be cheaper than the prices the manufacturers charge to some of their customers. If you get an experienced salesperson to help you, they usually have good suggestions on how to stock the store to make the most of your inventory budget. I assume you have a well thought out business plan and an inventory budget already in mind, right?

You sound like you are going into a tough- not to mention dying- business without any idea about it really. Have you ever worked in or managed an adult retail store before? If not, why are you attempting this? If you think ordering inventory for a retail adult store is complicated, wait until you deal with zoning, legal fees and local politics.

Talk to Dave at sextoy.com

What should I tell him? Who is he?