Florida Trading Bucks the Trends

Wholesaling can be a “monkey see, monkey do” industry, but Bay Headwear, doing business as Florida Trading, refuses to blindly follow the crowd. Hong Ung, Florida Trading’s manager, was previously a store manager for a major chain, and knows that what sells well in chains doesn’t necessarily sell in the independent stores. Since Florida Trading began importing and wholesaling in 2005, being different has been a major focus. “We refuse to be a sheep in the market,” Ung says. “There are a lot of wholesalers out there that just try to figure out what sells from other wholesalers, and copies them. We’re willing to experiment with new items and think outside the box. There are millions of items out there to bring into the market, so why would we want to do the same thing that other people are doing?”

A Varied Line of Merchandise

Ung notes that as the online business has expanded, Florida Trading’s product mix has evolved from dollar store items into more headwear, embroidered hunting and fishing themed merchandise, Florida souvenirs, eyewear and glasses cases, with about 50 to 60 percent of the business coming from the assorted headwear. Recently, Florida Trading has begun selling beach bags, laser magnets with holographic designs, and Aussie jungle hats, with embroidery up front and mesh on the back to keep the wearer cool during the summer.

Most of the items are sold on an experimental basis before being officially added to the line, which is what sets Florida Trading apart. “We see other wholesalers with their sales dropping, but we succeed because we’re patient and take a lot of risks,” Ung adds. “Many of the items that we sell, they don’t go away. We don’t go after the fad stuff that is here today and gone tomorrow. We really invest our time and effort into developing and working with something that we plan on doing for the next 20 years, and not jumping on the bandwagon.”

The fact that the items are often one of a kind is what makes them ideal for the flea market audience, and Ung notes that Florida’s merchandise usually has at least a 100% markup. “A lot of our products are not items that sell out of a box,” he says. “The patterns are made to stand out and not just be another item on the shelf. That’s why they are good in the flea markets, because people aren’t used to seeing unique items there, and if they do, they are overpriced. Because we’re a direct importer, we’re still able to get a lot of these unique items custom-made for us.” The wholesaler will officially split into two distinct businesses later this year, with Bay Headwear set aside for the headgear and FloridaTrading.Biz reserved for Florida souvenirs. The minimum order size is $100.

For more information:
FloridaTrading.Biz/Bay Headwear
5131 Willow Leaf Drive
Sarasota, FL 34241
Tel: 941-284-6877
Email: Sales@floridatrading.biz
Website: www.floridatrading.biz

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