Top 40 Questions to Ask a Hair Vendor Not to Get Bad Hair

Top 40 Questions to Ask a Hair Vendor Not to Get Bad Hair

Home 9 Tag: stock
Ask the right questions to avoid getting sold bad hair!

40 Questions to Cross Exam Your Hair Vendor

Buying hair wholesale is always stressful. Especially when the hair vendor is located far away. What if it’s a scam? What if you receive poor quality or no hair after transferring money?

Are you familiar with this feeling? You have been searching to find the best hair for your clients and you try to contact the hair vendor. That is not easy because they are living in a different time zone, and you have your job or kids to take care of (or both). You are not always in the position to call. You manage to contact your vendor short before picking up the kids from school. His English isn’t very good, and you need to go. You think of questions to ask and get some answers. You order hair samples, but as you hang up and get in your car, doubts arise. Did you ask the right questions? And did you understand enough of what he said to place the order? You thought buying hair would be more fun! This does not feel right.

What questions should you ask the hair vendor abroad, to be sure you will get the best hair? How to avoid all this stress?

To get the best price and quality for the hair you need and not to forget anything, I composed a list with 40 + questions you can ask your hair vendor. Bookmark this post to have the list at hand when you call your vendor.

Prepare yourself before you call the vendor

You need to know the questions to ask hair a vendor before you contact them. The first impression is always the best. The same goes with your hair vendor or supplier. But what should you ask? I’ve compiled a list of questions to ask a hair vendor that will help you decide whether to buy their hair and how to negotiate better terms. You can use these questions to ask the companies on your hair vendor list.

Help of hair vendor

With the help from Lydia, who runs a Chinese hair business, I composed the top 40 Questions to ask a hair vendor before buying hair extensions. This will aid your search in finding a reputable hair vendor. A hair vendor can make or break your business. This list will help you to find the best vendor and start selling in time so you will not miss a business opportunity.

Top 40 Questions to Ask a Hair Vendor Not to Get Bad Hair

The list of Questions to Ask a Hair Vendor

1. What kind of hair does your company sell and what is it specialized in?
2. How long has the company been in business?

The year of incorporation is a good indicator how successful a hair business is. See the years of incorporation of 20+ hair stores.

3. What sets you apart from other companies?
4. Are you also selling on a marketplace like Amazon or AliExpress?

Read what stores also sell on Amazon, Alibaba, or AliExpress. For the products sold on a marketplace they need to follow the guidelines of the marketplace.

5. Can I have a video or Skype tour to see your facility or products?
6. What is the density of your frontals and closures?
7. Do the bundles and closures match in color?
8. Are there Synthetic Fibers In your hair?
9. Is the hair processed and if so, how?
10. Is the hair cuticle aligned?
11. Virgin or raw hair?
12. How are wefts constructed?
13. Have you had any issues with lice?
14. What is the true origin of the hair?

Your hair vendor might source the hair in multiple countries. Not the country of the factory but the origin of the hair is an important factor. See where most vendors source their hair.

15. How do you go about removing nits?
16. How is the length of the hair measured (true in length or not?)
17. Can the hair be colored, bleached or dyed?
18. Is the hair heat resistant?
19. How long will the hair last with proper maintenance & care?
20. What are the maintenance guidelines for this type of hair extension?
21. Is there a silicone coat applied?
22. What is the process to ensure high quality and how do you maintain high quality?
23. What is your return policy?

Errors happen, your client can regret her order, or you receive the wrong hair. The return policy of the hair vendor is a good indication how they will support the growth of your hair business. See the different return policies of 20 wholesale suppliers.

24. Is there a restocking fee if there was a manufacturing issue?
25. How do you handle complaints?
26. What are the shipping conditions, in time to deliver, holiday seasons and expenses?
27. What is the minimum order quantity?
28. Is the weight of the hair excluding packaging?
29. Do you allow sample orders?
30. Do you accept PayPal?
31. Do you have any promotions on holidays, such as Black Friday or Christmas?
32. Do you change your pricelist often?
33. What about export and import duties, who is paying?
34. Is the shipment insured and who pays the insurance fee?
35. Do you offer discounts to regular customers?
36. Is the wholesale price negotiable?
37. Do you manufacture tags, bundle bags, or shipping boxes?
38. Can they arrange private labelling for you, so you can sell using your own brand name?
39. Can I get images of the products for promotional purposes?

When you start selling you might have not enough images to show to your ideal clients. See what wholesalers allow you to place hair pictures on your online store.

40. What is the business advice you have for me selling hair?

Mastering the Art of Inquiring: Questions to Ask a Hair Vendor

In the realm of hair selling, knowledge is power. The more informed you are about your suppliers, the better decisions you can make for your business. However, striking a balance between a thorough inquiry and building a good relationship with your hair vendor is key. After all, you don’t want your supplier to feel like they’re under a cross-examination. Therefor in this blog post, we’ll delve into the realm of effective questions to ask a hair vendor, helping you navigate through the hair market with confidence and ease.

Selecting Your Queries: Quality over Quantity

While it’s tempting to bombard your hair vendor with a plethora of questions, remember that quality trumps quantity. The most relevant inquiries often yield comprehensive answers that address multiple concerns. Instead of overwhelming your supplier, focus on the most pertinent questions. Sometimes, all it takes is a few well-formulated queries to paint a clear picture.

Covering All Bases in the First Conversation

When initiating a dialogue with a potential supplier, addressing certain crucial aspects upfront can save you time and energy. Start by delving into inquiries about hair type, origin, and quality. Understanding these foundational elements will help you determine whether the supplier aligns with your business goals. If they remain promising on your shortlist, delve deeper into questions related to shipping and pricing.

Exploring Alibaba Hair Vendors: Wholesale Opportunities

During your vendor search, you’ll likely encounter a diverse pool of suppliers, including Alibaba hair vendors. These independent sellers utilize the Alibaba platform to offer hair products such as wigs and extensions. Alibaba primarily caters to wholesale hair, meaning these vendors are equipped to meet the demands of resellers. While Alibaba hair vendors may offer more attractive prices, it’s important to note that they often have a higher minimum order quantity (MOQ).

Navigating ALIEXPRESS: Tailoring to Individuals

.
The alternative Chinese marketplace, AliExpress, caters more to private individuals seeking hair products for personal use. While it’s not a guarantee that you’ll find the best hair vendors on Alibaba, the quality of hair products on both platforms can be comparable. However, the nature of transactions differs between the two platforms, warranting a strategic approach to vendor selection.

Precision in Formulating Questions

Whether you’re engaging with suppliers on AliExpress or Alibaba, clear communication is paramount. Ensure you understand the expectations of the hair vendor before posing your questions. When interacting with an Alibaba hair vendor, providing a concise explanation of your intention (buying hair for resale) is essential to receiving relevant responses. This clarity will prevent misalignment in vendor recommendations.

Unveiling Insights on AliExpress: A User-Friendly Approach

Asking questions on AliExpress is a straightforward process. Clicking the “Contact” button on any page allows you to initiate a conversation with the hair vendor. Be mindful of potential delays due to time zone differences and public holidays. If responses are delayed, consider exploring other vendors or utilizing the platform’s dispute resolution system.

Embarking on Dropshipping: A New Avenue

For those venturing into dropshipping, exploring Shopify’s Oberlo can connect you with dropshipping hair companies and AliExpress hair vendors. As dropshipping gains popularity, align your queries with the provided list of questions. Additionally, inquire about the vendor’s dropshipping experience, shipping procedures, confidentiality measures, and branding possibilities. Ensuring your customers receive their orders seamlessly is crucial for your business’s reputation.

Balancing the Quest for Free Samples

.
While the idea of receiving free hair extensions samples with free shipping may sound enticing, it’s important to approach this notion thoughtfully. Prioritize building strong relationships with your vendors over seeking freebies. Establishing rapport can lead to opportunities for sample orders and valuable business insights.

Local Hair Vendors: A Viable Solution

.
In the wake of the pandemic, sourcing local hair vendors has gained significance. Seeking hair vendors in your proximity—be it Houston or Atlanta—can offer advantages during inventory shortages. Having a nearby vendor enables you to swiftly fulfill client orders, ensuring customer satisfaction even at slightly reduced profit margins.

Support and Assistance

Conversations with vendors abroad, especially when English isn’t their native language, can pose challenges. Learning and adapting with each interaction is essential. If you find yourself in need of guidance, don’t hesitate to seek support. I’m here to assist you, whether it’s coaching, advice, or support. Together, we’ll identify the best hair solutions for your ideal clientele.

Concluding Thoughts: A Harmonious Approach

.
As you embark on your hair selling journey, remember that trust and rapport are vital components of supplier relationships. While it’s important to gather relevant information through your questions, striking a balance between thorough inquiry and fostering a positive connection is key. So, do not cross-examine your supplier; instead, engage in open and informed conversations to cultivate successful business partnerships. If you ever need assistance or guidance, know that I’m here to help you navigate this dynamic landscape and achieve your business goals.

I have to thank Lydia for the ideas and help with finding the right questions!
Lydia

Founder, MyChineseHairExtensions

How to create a profitable pricing strategy for hair extensions

Find the best profit margin if you are selling hair extensions The only thing online visitors can compare is price. New visitors of your webstore can only compare your price...

How to make the highest profit selling hair extensions

How to make the highest profit selling hair extensions Last week I was talking to a girl in France who had great news. She did not have a client...

People do not read blogs anymore, therefor you need a blog!

Because a picture is worth a thousand words, doesn’t mean you can grow online without words Blog? What kind of people still read a blog in 2021? A...
How to have enough hair at hand but at limited hair inventory

How to have enough hair at hand but at limited hair inventory

Home 9 Tag: stock

Limit your hair inventory

A shop full of hair extensions, different textures, different lengths and everything available that’s what most of your clients are looking for. But how much money can you afford to keep that such a huge level of hair inventory in the house? And what if it takes a long time before your 24″ and taller lengths are sold. You can´t spend money that is invested in your hair inventory.

So what would be the right balance between a hair inventory at hand that you can use to satisfy the needs of your clients at the moment they want to buy and a limited amount invested in your stock.

hair inventoryFirst of all start to make sure you keep record of your hair inventory. This will learn you over time the required level of stock. You will see over time at what occasions or seasons a specific time of hair is in demand. Knowing this you can anticipate on this when purchasing hair.

Also if you do not want to sell “no” to your clients or to ask them to wait a few days, you can buy smart lengths. This is buying lengths that will allow you offer two lengths; all you have to do is to talk the client into the right length or texture.

Make sure you always have some 14 inch, 18 inch and 22 inch of length as your hair inventory. If your client is looking for 12 inch for example, she can buy the 14 inch and trim it to the right length. You can decide to offer her a small discount if she buys the taller length, but do not be surprised your client is so much in buying hair she will except the beautiful 14 inch just like that. The same goes for the 18 inch for clients looking for 16 inch.

If your client is in the mood to buy new hair, she does not want to wait; this helps to let her decide to buy a longer length. But sometimes it helps to offer her a small compensation, a discount or free hair product.

Based upon your experience you can also keep taller lengths at hand, but this depends on the needs of your clients.

For the texture, it´s mostly wavy or natural curly that is in demand, but keep an eye on the celebs. They will tell you what will become hot, so you can anticipate deep curls if famous celebs suddenly change her style into deep curls.

Check for hair extensions suppliers who are able to keep an adequate level of hair inventory themselves. This will reduce your own stock.

Would You Like to Make $ 30.000/month for Only $ 29/month?

Your hair store is the next victim of a cybercriminal

Have you ever thought your hair store can be the next example of a cybercrime? No? What would you do if one day, after a long day selling hair and...

Start Your Hair Business in Ethiopia

If you live in Ethiopia and you love hair, you can consider yourself as very lucky. You have a great opportunity to start a hair business in Ethiopia. Not only is Ethiopia one of the most stable expanding economies in Africa. 8.5 % growth in 2019 against 7.5% growth...

Sell bulk hair extensions as distributor or as your own boss?

You can start to sell bulk hair extensions using distributor firms like Pure Remy, Mayvenn and similar hair extensions marketing concepts for distributors. Or you can start your own hair business and keep 100% of the revenue. It’s all about what makes most profit for you. You decide!

This is what your client needs

This is what your client needs

Thanks to the search engines on the internet, we are able to see what people Google when they are looking for example for …. hair extensions. With this information you can:
– at least predict a little bit better the future trends in hair extensions.
– anticipate what extensions you should have in stock to be sure you will not have to say no to a client and
-not the least important you can write about these trends on your website so the chance your website will be found, because more people are looking for it will increase also.
To share an example, we did some analyses for the United States of America and we see the hair extensions most searched for are: ” feather extensions ” and ” clip in extensions” .
But more important to know is which extensions people are searching for more often, so the ones that are searched for more now than before. Why? Because this gives an idea about what people will look for tomorrow! A true crystal ball.
Here we see more people Google for ¨feather extensions¨ followed by ¨clip in extensions¨ but there is also a growing interest for ¨cheap extensions¨.
In the map below you can even see in what states the “feather extensions” are the most popular.A good idea to add to your product offering feather extensions, for example from Fine Featherheads.
Who is looking for feather extensions?
But what about other trends? People are looking much more for “human hair extensions ” and much less for “synthetic hair extensions “, although the last year this has changed a little bit and more people look for synthetic. And both “best hair extensions” and “cheap hair extensions” are in demand on Google. So there is always demand for good quality hair extensions for an acceptable price now and in the future!
Of course you should never forget to talk and chat with your clients, use social media and real life conversations to find out what they are looking for, but these trends can help you to predict the future and to help your clients better.
And if you have specific questions for your area or products, just let us know by email or share a comment and we will help you out. Just for free!
What to consider when buying from an online hair supplier

Start Now Selling Hair Extensions

How to keep your stock of hair

How to keep your stock of hair

How to Stock Your Hair Supply?

Selling hair also involves managing the stock of hair and beauty supplies. A good management of your stock, saves money, time and brings you happy clients.

What to do to keep the hair in stock?

When you manage your stock, you will know the various products you have in store. You can see the hair your clients like and when in the year they have demand for certain hair. This is the management of the assortment.

Organize the hair with clear labels. This will reduce the time to prepare the order and to be sure you can ship the right hair without thinking too much. You do not want your client to receive the wrong hair?

If your business is growing, you need to have a good system to help your staff to pick the right hair. This also avoids you will run out of stock.

Stock the hair to protect your assets

All your savings have gone into that nice stock of hair supplies and beauty products. You must make sure your hair will stay in the best health after you received the hair from the supplier. Keep the hair safe till the day you ship the hair to your client.

Find a dry and clean place to store your stock and if possible, don´t store the hair extensions in the full sunlight. Keep all products in a cupboard, that will keep away daylight. This is the best way to avoid the packaging or products will fade thanks to the sunlight. People might think your products are outdated and you will not be able to sell the hair anymore.

Manage your inventory

Label the hair extensions so later you will be able to distinguish the various types, lengths and colours without any hesitation. This will also help you to keep a good inventory of the hair. A list on paper or in your phone with all the products you sell, the specifications and the price.

Avoid having to measure the right length in front of your client, natural hair extensions do not come in one exact size only. Label your hair stock, and you will be able to see right away which hair extensions are running out of stock. Now you can order in time from the wholesaler.

If you sell hair with Shopify or WooCommerce, I recommend using the back end of the platform to manage your stock.

Bookkeeping

You are in this business to earn some money. A good overview of the stock of hair, you can calculate the profit of the previous month or quarter. You will know exactly how much you sold and at what price.

This list will also help to see what hair is selling slow. Now you can create a smart campaign to sell the right hair at the right price.

How do you stock your hair?

Would you like help to manage the hair you keep? Leave a comment and I will help you.

Sell Hair on Your WooCommerce store

Benefit from the strongest combination of WordPress, WooCommerce and Bluehost

How much Stock do you need to keep

What is the level of inventory I should keep

A returning question on our email consult is what is the level of inventory I should keep? Of course you do not want to put all your money in your stock. No problem if you have a high turnover rate (for example what you purchased yesterday is sold today) but it can kill your business and passion, if your money is piled up in beautiful hair extensions, but nobody is buying. You do not want to feel like Scrooge McDuck in a warehouse full of hair, do you?

How to calculate your minimum level of stock

To calculate how much inventory you need, you have to analyze a couple of things. First of all how are the delivery conditions of your supplier? In case they offer next day delivery, you can afford to keep a low inventory. But do they always have all the required textures or inches available? If this is not the case you could decide to find a second supplier or to keep extra inventory for these specific extensions.

If your supplier needs more days or even weeks before they deliver, you need to have some stock in the house in case your clients want to purchase the hair. But how much? For this you need to develop a crystal ball over time, you need to predict future orders! Easier said than done? Not easy but it can be done!

How to predict future orders

There are three things you need to develop to have the right insight to predict the level of inventory needed.

First of all, make sure you stay in contact with your clients, in your shop but also through social media. Activate discussions and analyze how they respond on the postings with new pictures of hair. Organize events and make sure at the end of the event you know what they are looking for and might be interested to buy a next time.
Next to this keep good track of your sales, this will help you to discover the most popular items for your clients, okay it is looking backwards, so not really a crystal ball, but it will tell you which items in origin, texture or lengths are the most popular ones.
Finally use analytical tools like Google Analytics or Facebook to analyze the visits to your website, what items attracts the attention of your visitors, how much time do they spend on checking the different hair you are offering. And why don´t you start to write a blog or some postings about a specific type of extensions and see how the people will respond. Do they like it and comment a lot, it does not mean they will actually buy it, but it gives you insight in what item is more popular or could become more popular.

Keep your focus

And do you really need to sell everything that is available on the hair extensions market? If you focus on some specific extensions you can become the expert and distinguish yourself from the others even from big shops that do sell everything. This will also reduce the items you need to keep in stock. See also our post on the right number of extensions to keep at hand.