# Buying Wholesale Props and such..



## meltdown211 (Aug 2, 2007)

We have a really cool store that opened up called Halloween Baazar. I walked around the store (which was a former "Media play" that closed) and thought how does a store like this stay open? I asked myself due to the sheer size of the store as it was bigger than a "Best Buy" and has 1000's of sq ft, packed wall to wall with some pretty cool stuff.

This store opens every season with some great items they even have that "high end" electrocutioner prop that thrashes right in the center of the building, its cool. Pneumatic props, $2000, $3000 up to $10000 per prop right there in the store.

They stay open every year due to incredible profit margins, for 6 weeks. I can't think of ANY other way to operate a facility of that size without GALACTIC margins.

Soooo, I started to look for wholesalers of Halloween props and such with little to no luck. 

Here is my thought, Stores have to increase their margin 300%+ to make up for the short time period they are in business and cover their tremendous expenses for the season. This also makes other "regular" stores feel they can charge 300%+ for THEIR merchandice and it becomes a vicious circle of higher and higher prices for crappier and crappier merchandice.

I want to buy "wholesale" only better quality props and equipment and pass the savings on to the folks here and possibly set up a virtual store front. I believe that without the store, employees, utilities, insurance, advertising, and so on, prices will be much more reasonable and as a haunter myself, I can keep a check on quality control. I tried to read the boxes of the props that were in the stores but had no luck finding them online.

My question to anyone is where do you find overseas exporters? I know this stuff comes from China, tiwan, korea, Hong Kong, etc, but want the better stuff not cheap plastic masks. HB has a huge 30ft Devil that retails for $349 but it is just a giant "head", wire "arms" and 30 ft of fabric, this product should not be more than $100, maybe less with reasonable profit but it was really cool and big. They have many things that are animated and higher end products which is what I like best.

If anyone has any ideas on who to contact, please let me know. I will be going back to HB to take some photos of the store and boxes for names and so on.

I really want to get this going so any help is appreciated. I cant stand this high price crap any longer...

Melty


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## Darkside (Aug 6, 2007)

I'm with you Melty. This is something I thought about last year. I did a little research at the time and did find one or 2 places of interest, but have lost the addresses since. I will see if I can find them again. 
I can't stand unnecessary markups.


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## Great White (Jan 18, 2006)

Hey Meltdown. Our Media Play is also a Halloween Bazaar. Perhaps we're even thinking of the same one by Lakeside Mall. Regardless, Halloween Bazaar in my opinion has always been the place to view the props, and then buy somewhere else. Their prices are rediculously high. 100% markup in a lot of the items I've seen. BUT, they have everything. 
You definately have to be a smart consumer. Most people will walk in there and never know their paying double the mark-up. Makes me wonder how much we overpay in everyday/normal items if we're not careful.


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## Evil Bob (Sep 1, 2005)

After going to Transworld, it was a real eye opener to see what the wholesale prices were on halloween items. but that's true about any product.


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## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

The biggest savings in in buying in bulk. The more you buy the more your savings to your consumer if you want to do less retail cost.

Many Halloween venders can do thousands of dollars towards several cases of a single prop and get the best cost. There's a reason that I am so focused on one type of offering I am doing. I don't have those thousands of dollars to gamble. It well could cost between $10,000- 30,000 just to get started with a nice variety of props to have people coming back to your site. Then you have to draw them to your site somehow.

If you have the money to gamble, then go for it. If you don't, then perhaps you could start a site with links to the best prices on a particular prop. Kinda like hauntproject, only for prices. Maybe site users could send in tips on prices seen for props?


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## DarkShadows (Feb 6, 2006)

Go Transworld Halloween Expo this next year. I've been gogi nfor the past 3 years. It's all wholesalers. Mordbid industries, Scare factory, unit 70, Every halloween vendor you can think of. Tho, There are minimum quantity's and some of the prices are HIGH! Even at wholesale.

Next Year, Transworld is goign to be in Las Vagas.


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## darklord (Sep 5, 2007)

Hey there meltdown

You just see the glamour side of the business. There many things to factor on start up costs. Etc.

1. Money to buy props, shipping supplies, Computer, Cell Phone, DSL, Graphic Artist, Website Hosting, Business cards etc. 
2. Research the completion check out there prices can you meet or beat there prices?
3. Business License, LLC other costs
4. Long hours of researching
5. Vendors that you don’t know and steal your money, or don’t ship on time.
6. clients that use stolen credit cards and buy your merchandise, and your out of money And your merchandise. 
7. Buying merchandise at the time it was a good buy, but you can’t sell it. Dead merchandise.
8. Shipping costs 
9. minimum amount to buy from vendors, start from $200.00-$40,000 
10. some vendors make products exclusively for big companies only


As for profits some of those items you only make 25 cents and others a good mark up. If you’re not married to your business 24/7 you’re not going to make it. 

I’ve seen many small businesses come and go, most of my family own businesses. My parents Started selling general merchandise over 30 years ago. Learned from family members and owning A few business of my own and still do. One of them is selling Halloween merchandise.

Just some words of wisdom, start off small and take your time on building your inventory. 

Great White
If you would know how much you really overpay in everyday/normal items, you will be ill. We over pay for almost everything you just don’t know it. Sometimes things that are on sale You still over pay.

I do feel your pain on overpaying for inferior products.


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## Dreadnight (Jul 9, 2006)

Meltdown... all talk of mark-ups aside, we have one out here that is even more of a puzzle to me. There is a huge warehouse retail store in Norwalk (just a ways North of Disneyland) and they are open YEAR ROUND. Sure, they also rent costumes all year for costume parties, santa suits, etc. but still, I have always wondered how in H they stay in business year round. So, while I'm wondering how, what do they do? They open up another HUGE Halloween warehouse store about 15 miles north in City of Industry! Even if they were the sole contract supplier for Knotts Scary Farm, and Universal Horror Nights, I still don't know how they could do it. (But I LOVE to drop in and shop there once in a while)


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## meltdown211 (Aug 2, 2007)

*YAY, Im not alone!!*

Well I am glad to hear that others have the same damn frustrations that I do. Great White, thats exactly the store I am thinking of, right there by lakeside mall! They have some great stuff in there, just WAAAAY over priced.

I have a background in running my own business as I statred a Network integration business back in the early 90's and sold it so I know about LLC, shipping, taxes, insurance, advertising, etc. I feel that I am a reasonably intelligent person and $350 for basically a plastic head, some vinyl hands, wire and 30' of creepy cloth....you got some serious mark up there. Hense my point, get rid of the overhead, to keep prices low, I think most vendors jump on the band wagon of "skyrocketing" their prices because they know they can get away with it. I think the same thing can be done with volume, they may sell 1 to make what they need where I may need to sell 8, but, customers are happy, and it stimulates the market to get more haunters involved and they look for lower cost, higher quality items. repeat business is key. I definately need more information before I make any kind of commitment. From what I have seen so far, there are definately minimums to take into consideration but if the quality is there I would definately make the plunge to do this as I have a passion for it.

Lastly, when you go to HauntCon, and other events, those folks are middlemen also. They are purchasing direct from the manufacturer, marking it up further and reselling to the public. OR, they are manufacturers themselves and sell their own stuff on their website. They dont want the competition and generally wont sell wholesale. I want to cut them out, go from manufacturer to public. I want the same stuff you find at Spirit and Halloween USA, only 150% cheaper, at least. I need to find the company in Hong Kong that manufactures this stuff, get some samples, get some hard numbers and try to make something happen..it may be a pipe dream but I am going to try to work this out.

PS...Dont anyone hold their breath as this probably wont happen this year, but next year may be a different story.

I wanted to follow up on Dark Lords statement also "profits are sometimes .25 and sometimes much higher" I do agree but if you are "profitable" and run your business correctly, you CAN make it, This is also the reason I said that it needs to be run as a virtual store, as leasing a building, employees, computers and the things you mentioned all add to the markup of the products. I want high quality props that are not "cheap" just affordable for people who really enjoy this season.


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## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

"...I want high quality props that are not "cheap" just affordable for people who really enjoy this season."

Well said!  This is the reason I can't offer sales on my products. I mark them so low, that I'd get almost nothing if marked down any more. Some people say that's nickle and diming yourself to death. Some say that it is good business sense. I guess time will tell.


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## darklord (Sep 5, 2007)

I'm with you meltdown, I'm also looking for better built props at low prices, most of the props are not well made, detailed enough, or prices are sky high. that's good to see that you also have a business background. 

virtual store is the way to go to keep overhead down, and prices low hey meltdown and anyone else good luck on your venture. hope to hear success stories.


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## darklord (Sep 5, 2007)

dreadnight
I know of 6 different stores in cailfornia, that operate year around. there huge warehouses.


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## gadget-evilusions (Jan 26, 2007)

Best place to find the whole sale dealers on the props your talking about is Transworld's Halloween, costume and party show http://www.hcpshow.com/ . Most of these companies are having these products manufactured for them. No middlemen. This is where party city, halloween express and so forth get all their products.

If you want Big, better, items you look at the other part of the show which is Transworld's Haunt and Attractions show. http://www.hauntshow.com This show, hauntcon, midwest haunters, there really are no dealers or middlemen liek your talking about. These are the manufacturers. Companies like Scarefactory, Distortions, Unit 70, Minions web, monster tronics, evilusions (had to throw that in there) these are the manufacturerers and some will do whole sale pricing.


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## meltdown211 (Aug 2, 2007)

*You are all incredible!*

Thanks for all the information, suggestions and advice! I really appreciate this. I want to assure you that IF I can make something like this happen, you WILL see high quality items at the lowest prices possible. My goal is to bring Spirit and Halloween USA back to reality and make them realize that we dont want crap props any longer at 400% mark ups...

If anyone has any other information or suggestions please feel free to post, the stuff here is great!

Melty


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## Dreadnight (Jul 9, 2006)

darklord said:


> dreadnight
> I know of 6 different stores in cailfornia, that operate year around. there huge warehouses.


Holy C**p! Guess Halloween/haunting are really alive and well in this state..


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## darklord (Sep 5, 2007)

Yes it is Dread, in the Halloween season do you go to Knotts Scary Farm, Shipwreak, Disneyland, Six Flags magic Mountain?


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## jwink24 (Sep 29, 2007)

Dreadnight said:


> Meltdown... all talk of mark-ups aside, we have one out here that is even more of a puzzle to me. There is a huge warehouse retail store in Norwalk (just a ways North of Disneyland) and they are open YEAR ROUND. Sure, they also rent costumes all year for costume parties, santa suits, etc. but still, I have always wondered how in H they stay in business year round. So, while I'm wondering how, what do they do? They open up another HUGE Halloween warehouse store about 15 miles north in City of Industry! Even if they were the sole contract supplier for Knotts Scary Farm, and Universal Horror Nights, I still don't know how they could do it. (But I LOVE to drop in and shop there once in a while)


Where exactly is the one that is 15min from industry, i live right there and would like to find a better place then having to drive down to santa ana. Thanks


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## pyro (Oct 7, 2006)

good luck- iwas goin to do the same but its big bucks to start. min to buy and some of these company,s wont look at you unless you spend 1000's and thats the cheap stuff


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