Hunter
Useful way to source and develop products for small businesses.
Supply Leader is a useful way to source and develop products for small businesses. I've been able to source several items for my business at very good prices (much lower than buying them locally or finding them on amazon). Everything I've ordered has come in the time frame they listed and has been of good quality. I've recently used the service to develop a custom branded version of a new product, and I am planning to do more projects like this in the future. However, there is a learning curve to using the service, and you'll have a better time if you keep that in mind. Sometimes there is a bit of a language barrier when looking at or searching though the product listings. It can sometimes be difficult to match things like color names on the photos to color names in the cart, or to tell which of several versions of a product you're ordering. (This is completely understandable and absolutely to be expected when dealing with any sort of overseas manufacturing! It just takes a little practice to get used to, and sites like translate.yandex.com that translate text in photos can be super useful). It's also worth nothing that larger orders (anything over $300US) need to be paid with a wire transfer. Again, totally understandable (credit card fees are substantial, and doing it this way helps keep prices down)! But it is different than you might be used to for most purchases, and occasionally means a trip to the bank to finalize an order. I recommend ordering a few pieces as samples to get a good sense of the item before you order a large quantity. I love that they have both air shipping and ocean shipping options, because this lets me order samples via air (so they come quickly) then the rest of the pieces with slower but less expensive shipping. I've learned to build time for this into my process, and there's a significant cost savings to doing it this way. Overall it's a very useful service, and one that I have come to rely on more and more, especially as I've figured out how to work within the constraints of the system. I do absolutely recommend it, just be aware that you'll have a better time using it if you keep in mind that it's not quite like ordering from most other online vendors and plan accordingly.