Plastic products wholesale from home

Small manufacturers, restaurants, retailers, janitorial suppliers and other businesses that reorder the same items regularly.

You earn the margin between your supplier's trade price and your price to the customer. Repeat orders and contracts with steady buyers are where most of the income comes from.

• Negotiating with suppliers
• Selling to businesses
• Careful order and invoice tracking
• Knowing product specs

• Sales tax: check how your state handles resale certificates and which sales are taxable
• General liability and product liability insurance, which some buyers will ask for
• Food-contact plastics may need to meet FDA rules, so ask suppliers for compliance documents
• Thin margins and customers who pay late, so check payment terms before you ship
• Home occupation permit, HOA or lease rules if you run it from home

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around $1,000 to $6,000, depending on your product range, order minimums, software and any insurance you take out. Many orders ship direct from suppliers, so you may not need a warehouse.

Monthly revenue is typically around $1,500 to $8,000, depending on your customers, product mix and how often they reorder. Margins can be thin, so these are estimates, not guarantees.

Check how your state handles resale certificates and which sales are taxable. Also ask about general and product liability insurance, FDA rules for food-contact plastics (ask suppliers for compliance documents), and any home occupation permit, HOA or lease rules.