Wholesale Tools
Buying tools to use in a construction or retail tool supply business gets expensive. That's when you need to go to a wholesale tools supplier instead of the local home improvement store. Professional contractors and trade workers can also take advantage of wholesale tools discounts in many cases.
Buying wholesale tools in lots of multiple tools saves money for several reasons. The supplier saves labor costs by not having to break down cases of tools; you may have to buy a "case lot" of half a dozen or more tools all bundled up in shrink-wrap on a pallet or in a very large box. If the supplier sells in larger volumes like these, he can buy in even larger volumes and pass some of his savings on to customers.
If possible, find a wholesale tools supplier who imports tools directly from manufacturers, who are usually based in Asia. A wholesale tools supplier who gets his tools from a distributor is paying the distributor's markup and passing that extra cost along to you.
Some online wholesale tool suppliers include Wiha Tool Store, DHgate.com, SellingRequest.com, and WarehouseOne.net.
Liquidators are another type of wholesale tool supplier. Liquidators take manufacturers' overstock and discontinued tools, and sell them in large quantities at steeply discounted prices. A few wholesale tool liquidators of this type are SalvageCloseouts.com, PalletLiquidation.com, and CloseoutCentral.com.
If you need dozens of tools at a time, you may even be able to cut out the wholesale tools supplier and buy directly from tool manufacturers. Asian tool manufacturers are often willing to sell pallets full of tools to anyone who has the money. Search for such manufacturers on sites such as Google.
Wholesale power tools are generally sold by the pallet. Wholesale hand tools may be sold by the dozen or the gross, in large boxes.
Shipping costs are a significant factor in buying wholesale tools. So are the terms of shipping. Does the seller transfer all risk of loss to the buyer when the seller delivers the shipment to a carrier, or is the seller responsible for actually delivering the tools to the buyer? These terms make a huge difference in the risk of buying from a foreign supplier.
Most wholesale tools suppliers will extend credit to first-time buyers who have acceptable credit references. If you can't get credit, then you will probably have to pay the full cost of your shipment up front. Wire transfers are a common form of payment.