Hey folks — I’m trying to understand if I’m the only one struggling with this. Every time I need a new supplier (apparel right now, but I’ve seen similar pain in auto parts), the info is scattered, response quality is all over the place, and it’s hard to judge who’s legit until you’ve wasted days. I end up bouncing between Alibaba/1688, Google, random trade show lists, spreadsheets, and a ton of DMs/emails. I’m curious about your real workflow: Where do you actually find new factories/suppliers today? From “I start searching” to “I have 5–10 suppliers worth talking to,” how long does that usually take you? Could anyone pls recommend any tools that make the first shortlist faster?
Oh man, I totally get it—supplier hunting used to stress me out too. The final straw was getting scammed by 3 suppliers in a row and lost a total of $30k. After that mess, I was done. Finally said screw it jumped into e-commerce with platforms like Shopify + Sellvia and my nerves thanked me big time. No more factory drama, just automated dropshipping smooth life now only. What do you sell? Maybe you have any chance to turn it into digital?
for real bro. i had similar situation a few times ago but after quitting I started to spend more time with my family and really appreciate that. running ecomzy was absolutely right decision what i love most is how simple everything is like managing marketing and tracking sales feels super intuitive even when i’m doing it all solo. becoming a solopreneur not as scary as i thought ahah