FAQ
Q: What kind of merchandise does Ocean Desert Sales sell?
A: We sell a large variety of general merchandise including; health and beauty aids, cleaners, hardware, paper products, STATIONARY supplies, housewares, tableware, kitchenware, gadgets, toys, giftware, party goods. We also sell grocery items such as canned food, candies and cookies, drinks and mixes, and condiments.
Q: What is Ocean Desert Sales. niche?
A: For the retailer we are a one stop-shopping source for all their product needs. If you have a 4,000 square foot store, every day that the store is not operating you will be paying between $300 to $400 for overhead. We have seen people take two to three months to find suppliers and manufacturers and even travel abroad to find merchandise for their store. Even then the wrong decisions can cost you thousands of dollars. Without experience it is difficult to know what to buy, how much to buy and how many of each item to buy. At Ocean Desert Sales with our reliable and experienced sales staff, in one day your can fill all your needs and be back behind your cash register the next day.
For the wholesaler or distributor, Ocean Desert Sales. can supply the most merchandise at the best price. Due to our enormous buying power, our considerable experience and our large warehousing capability importers, wholesalers and distributors can acquire merchandise at the right price and then resell to other retailers or distributors.
Q: How many items does Ocean Desert Sales have?
A: We have more than 5,000 sku
Q: How often does Ocean Desert Sales. add new items?
A: ON A DAILY BASIS
Q: Does Ocean Desert Sales carry the same items continually?
A: Yes, many of our popular items are carried at all times.
Q: Do you sell only one-dollar retail products?
A: Although we sell more than one-dollar items, the majority of our merchandise is for the one-dollar retail trade.
Q: Do you import any merchandise?
A: Ocean Desert Sales. is one of the largest importers of general merchandise in the industry; our merchandise is imported from all around the world.
Q: Do you have any close out products?
A: Yes we buy and sell close-outs.
Q: Does Ocean Desert Sales carry seasonal merchandise such as Christmas, Easter, Back to School, Halloween, etc.?
A: Yes, we do carry seasonal merchandise ALL THE ABOVE
Q: Do you sell only to wholesalers and distributors or others too?
A: We sell to a wide variety of customers: large chain stores, small chains, independent stores, department stores, dollar stores, variety stores, discount stores, grocery chains, independent grocery stores, supermarkets, liquor stores, distributors, wholesalers, importers, jobbers, gift stores, stationery stores, hardware stores and others.
Q: Do you sell to the public?
A: Not at this time
Q: Does a buyer with one store pay more than a multi-store buyer?
A: No. We believe that small buyers need the best prices so that they can succeed and become a regular and repeat customer.
Q: Can I buy your merchandise and sell to another store at wholesale?
A: Of course, since our prices are very competitive, many of our customers are jobbers, distributors and wholesalers.
Q: Do you have sales reps that will come to our store?
A: Yes, we do. Our experienced sales staff assist visitors as well as telephone callers.
Q: Do you have sales people on the phone and in the show room?
A: Yes, we do. Our experienced sales staff assist visitors as well as telephone callers.
Q: If I have a super market is it a good idea to have a $0.99 section?
A: Absolutely, we recommend it highly. Many super markets have dollar day sales.
Show Room
Q: Do you have a show room?
A: Yes, our show room is about 10,000 square feet and located in Philadelphia, PA
Q: Do buyers visit your show room from other states to do buying for their store?
A: Not only do people visit from other states but they come from all over the world to do their shopping with us.
Q: Why should I come to your show room?
A: If you are opening a store of 2,000 square feet or more you need to have about $35,000 dollars of merchandise to fill your store. In one trip you can satisfy all your needs, purchase merchandise, establish your account and set up the shipment of goods.
Q: How will I know what to buy?
A: Our salespeople are hand picked for their expertise and will be happy to assist you in purchasing the correct merchandise for your specific purposes.
Q: How long will it take to order from the show room?
A: We are always ready to take your order. It takes 5 to 10 minutes the first visit to setup your account. A small order can be filled immediately, a larger order of 4,000 to 5,000 items will take longer.
Q: If I am spending that much money do you guarantee sale of the merchandise?
A: Sorry, we wish we could do that. But there is no "guaranteed sale" policy.
Location and hours:
Q: Where are you located?
A: Ocean Desert Sales is located at 5400 Tulip Street, Philadelphia, PA 19124..
Click here for directions.
Q: What are your business hours?
A: 8 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Monday through Friday.
Q: Are you open on weekends?
A: No, but special arrangements can be made.
Payment, Cancellations, and Back Orders:
Q: What are the payment options?
A: All orders need to be paid in advance in cash, cashier checks,CREDIT CARD or wire transfer before the order gets pulled for shipment. We DO NOT accept personal or company check, UNLESS OTHER ARRANGMENTS WERE MADE.
Q: Can I cancel my order the same day?
A: If your order is not pulled it is possible. If the order has been pulled, there will be a 20% restocking fee.
Q: Can I cancel the order after you shipped the order?
A: OOP's, this is a no-no.
Q: If I place an order at the show room, should I expect to receive it 100 % complete?
A: Although we try our best to keep all out items in stock at all times, out merchandise moves quickly and sometimes sells out. Also some items are close-outs or discontinued lines and once sold out cannot be restocked. If the items are still available we will back order them for you. On an order with a variety of items you should expect a shortage of 10% to 15%.
Shipping:
Q: Can we order over the phone to be shipped UPS?
A: Phone orders require a minimum of $500 or more per order and can be shipped UPS as long as the order is prepaid.
Q: Can you help find a trucking company to deliver for me?
A: Yes, if you do not have your own trucker our traffic department will help you find one.
Q: What should I do if I receive the merchandise broken or damaged?
A: All shipments are inspected for damage or breakage before shipment. However accidents happen in shipping. Therefore at the time of receiving you should make a claim through the shipping company. Make sure the driver makes a note on the bill of lading before he leaves.
Q: Can we place an order and have it shipped?
A: Yes, we can prepare the order and give it to the trucker of your choice.
Q: How does the trucker charge for freight?
A: All the freight charges are based on the weight and volume of the order and different trucking companies have different rates by weight. But in general we can say the bigger the order the less it will be per pound for the freight charges.
Q: But I do not know any truckers?
A: We do know lots of trucking companies, We know which ones are more effective and competitive for the destination.
Q: Do you guarantee the trucking company?
A: No, we do not guarantee any trucking or shipping company. We assist as a courtesy to our customers.
Q: How long would it take to receive the order?
A: Of course it depend in where the order goes, normally it would take 7 days to prepare the order.
Opening a New Store:
Q: How much money do I need for opening a store?
A: You need about $20.00 worth of merchandise per square feet of your store. For example, if you have 1,000 square feet you need about $20,000 and if you have 5,000 square feet you need $100,000.
Q: What is a good neighborhood for opening a store: low income, average income or high income?
A: We have seen dollar stores or general merchandise stores in all kinds of neighborhoods.
Q: Targeting what ethnic group is better? (Korean, Spanish, American, Chinese, others)
A: We have seen success in all areas.
Q: What is the most important factor for the success of the store?
A: There are three factors Location, Location, Location.
Q: Should the store be located in a shopping center or residential area or where?
A: The store could be any place; there is no guarantee which is better than the other. We wish there was a better answer to this question.
Q: If my store is located next to a supermarket, is that a good location?
A: Yes. Supermarkets usually advertise weekly which draws many customers to the area. Their price for general merchandise is usually higher than what you can sell Ocean Desert Sales products.
Q: Should the store be next to a chain store like Wall Mart, K Mart, Target?
A: This is even better than supermarkets. Usually these chains take a high mark up and they draw a lot of customers to the center with their advertising.
Q: How big should the store be?
A: We have seen stores from 800 square feet up to 30,000 square feet. It depends how much you would like to invest in a store. Sometimes the effort to manage a 1,000 square feet store would be the same as 3,000 square feet if you have the availability of funds it may worth it to do the additional investment.
Q: How much money do I need for opening a store?
A: You need about $20.00 worth of merchandise per square feet of your store. For example, if you have 1,000 square feet you need about $20,000 and if you have 5,000 square feet you need $100,000.
Q: What about fixtures, how much should I pay for them?
A: Some people buy new fixtures and some buy used for a fraction of the cost, it is your personal preference and the prices vary greatly.
Q: Do I need to have any permits?
A: You have to check with your local city to see what the requirements are. Each city is different.
Q: How much in sales should I have after opening the store?
A: This is a hard question. It depends on so many factors like location, size of the store, line of merchandise, advertising, management, and purchasing. We have seen stores sell from $0.20 per square foot per day up to $1.00 per square foot per day.
Q: What should be the average gross mark up?
A: We could say average gross mark up could be from 35% to 70%.
Q: What percent is my net income?
A: This is another difficult question. It depends on so many variables like; rent, personnel, utilities, telephone, advertising, accounting, theft, hours and the days open.
Q: Should I mark everything same mark up?
A: No, some items could have 2% and some items 600%; it depends on what the item is and how much you paid for it. If you purchased low and you want to make money or you want to make it promotional to get the customer in the store!
Q: For a dollar store, should I buy all the items between $0.55 to $0.65?
A: No, buy items with different prices. Some you could buy at $0.20 and sell for $0.99 and some you could pay $0.90 and sell for $0.99. Also keep in mind that you should not sell everything for $0.99. You can sell one item for a dollar or sell two items for a dollar or even sell three items for a dollar.
Q: Do I need to have another warehouse for my store?
A: Usually you should have a back room in the store to inventory some of your merchandise; it is not necessary to have another warehouse.
Q: Is this business seasonal?
A: If you manage the store properly and have the right mix of merchandise you will sell more in Christmas, Back to School, Father's day, Mother's day, Halloween, etc. You should take advantage of these seasons for additional income.
Q: Should I open my store if it is not ready and I do not have enough merchandise?
A: This is a no-no. Your store should be ready and full before you open. The best month and most important month is your first month. In the first month usually you have the highest sales and customers check out your store to see how it is. Therefore, if you do not have enough merchandise you miss the sale and the customer gets a bad impression and will not come back. That's why most stores under construction cover their windows.
Q: Is it better to purchase daily, weekly or monthly?
A: Dollar stores are high volume you always have to be in a purchasing mode but most store owners purchase weekly.
Q: Can you supply 100 % of our needs for merchandise?
A: Yes, we can supply you 100 %, We have enough merchandise and we will do a good job, which is what we have been doing since 1981. Of course, you may find some deal or close out here or there, but you can count on us for one stop shopping everyday.
Q: Does one category of products sell faster than other categories in a dollar store?
A: Yes, some categories sell faster than other categories in dollar stores. The list by ranking is grocery and canned foods, health and beauty, cleaners and detergents, toys, stationery, housewares and plastics, kitchenware, hardware, gifts, ceramics, etc.
Trade Shows:
Q: Do you participate in any trade shows?
A: Yes we do participate in trade show in the USA. Contact us for the dates and locations.
Q: Where can we find more information about trade shows?
A: Click http://www.tsnn.com/ to get information for all the trade shows in all different industries in the USA.