Where do street hawkers source their products?

Question

This is obviously rather a vague question - I'm interested from examples from more or less anywhere in the world and almost any products other than food. So, things like CDs and sunglasses (as you see a lot in cities like Rome) but also more traditional products like clothes and beads and trinkets.

Whether it's some kind of wholesalers or "off the back of a lorry" what would someone who woke up one day and decided to be a street hawker have to do?

Answer 1

It depends at what level you want to enter the business.

If you want to enter it as an hawker you have to  check with some small wholesalers or import export companies (often through... ethnic links) in your area.

I don't know from where you are so I cannot be precise with local addresses.

If you want to do it  on a little bit bigger  scale you may buy small quantities during or after  exhibitions (products used for show are often sold at nominal price or abandoned, due to transportation costs and taxes), auctions for shop  or small companies bankrupcy (often announced in local newspapers classifieds), flea markets (there are stalls selling only for wholesale, mainly  to a close group of customers).

The real source is often in other countries i.e. China :

For frames and sunglasses you may check the area of Wenzhou, in Zhejiang Province , or Shenzhen in Guangdong Province, directly or via websites like Alibaba or similar. Prices are cheap, quality often very good and they sell small quantities too (a couple of hundred pieces)

CDs is a more dangerous field: you need to consider intellectual property and I suggest you to don't enter this field, which is linked to true criminal organizations.

Between Shanghai and Ningbo there is a city which is a permanent open air wholesale market of ethnic (industrial) stuff, fashion accessories and many other low cost products.

Many importers from Africa, Asia and East Europe go there to make their purchase and resell to US or western EU importer and distributors.

There  is a yearly general exhibition for this kind of products in Guangzhou/Canton (China)

In Seoul, Korea, there is an area specialized (wholesale only) in non precious metal jewelry  and accessories (chains, bolts, necklaces,bracelets,rings, earrings, belts, buttons, hair extensions, hair pins)

I couldcontinue with a list of countries and best buy (leather in Morocco, silver in Mexico and Tunisia...), but may be you don't need it. If you need , please be more specific and I will be glad to tell you