Selecting and Storing Products

Lots of money. That's what I spent on products when I starting making gift baskets. Ten years ago there were no business models to duplicate or buying charts to master, so I learned by trial and error, lots of error. The bright side is that you will learn from my early experience and become more successful at buying and storing products.

Product Selection

The world is your oyster when it comes to choosing products for your gift baskets. These products become your "inventory," the goods you select to create a gift. Baskets aren't the only container on the market. Consider using anything with an open center such as flower pots, watering cans, tea cups and saucers, baby bathtubs, waste paper cans, vases, silver-plated trays and backpacks. Popular foods include pretzels, dried fruit, cookies, hard candy, popcorn, nuts, crackers, chocolates and cheeses that need no refrigeration. Looking for gifts? Use stationery, writing instruments, kitchen accessories, baby products, games, puzzle books and other items that match the theme.

Other product ideas are found in gift and gourmet catalogs that arrive in your mailbox, local card and gift shops, gourmet stores and at office suppliers such as Office Max and Staples (they sell gift baskets, too, especially around the holidays). There are other products in each group to consider, but this selection gives you a good foundation on options for making your baskets.

Places to Buy

Are you making gift baskets for fun or profit? Fun means it's a hobby, a craft you enjoy because making baskets is a creative activity. Profit means that you intend to make money by selling your creations.

If gift baskets are your hobby, an endless supply of products can be found locally at supermarkets, dollar stores and warehouse outlets. Don't overlook the possibilities. My daughter brought home discounted vinegars, mustards and soups purchased at a well-known linen store.

Gift basket makers who run a business occasionally browse in the same venues, but many more use manufacturers and distributors as their product mainstay. Distributors are companies that resell products that were obtained from a variety of manufacturers. They usually set low or no buying minimums. That means a person who makes gift baskets for profit can purchase one or two products at a time from distributors rather than buy a case of one type of product from a manufacturer. This low-cost option allows a gift basket maker to stretch their dollars.

The other major buying method is shopping at trade shows held at

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic