Chris Barton, owner of CKB Products Wholesale, has been selling goods over the Internet for over a decade. His company was named Merchandiser Magazine Group’s Wholesaler of the Month for May 2010. He recently “sat down” with Flea Market Zone for an e-mail interview on his company and his take on industry issues.
Flea Market Zone: How big is your company? Annual sales? Number of employees?
Chris Barton: We are working from our warehouse in Dallas, Texas. We do just over $2 million annually in sales. We employ five full-time employees, one part-time, and occasional contract labor.
FMZ: How long have you been in business? How did you get started?
Barton: CKB started in 1997 and went on the Internet in 1998. We started out selling sports cards on eBay. We created our Web site, ckbproducts.com, in December 1999 and have slowly gained market share ever since.
FMZ: What are the reasons that you’ve done so well? To what do you attribute your success?
Barton: There is no single reason for our success, but some reasons include low prices, quality customer service, a wide selection, and strategic marketing. Unlike other wholesalers, we also offer no minimum order, and we have no membership fees. Not having to pay membership fees allows our customers to have peace of mind that they are not going to spend any money if they choose not to order from us. All account are 100 percent free!
FMZ: From your perspective as an Internet-only business with no showroom, what are the up-and-coming challenges and opportunities to watch?
Barton: When selling on the Internet it can be difficult to give the customer an accurate description of the product. The customer not being able to feel the merchandise decreases the likelihood of receiving an order, so it is imperative that we show high-quality pictures from multiple angles on our Web site. The main advantage of selling online is that there is little overhead, which allows us to sell at ultra-low prices. Another advantage is that we are able to get customers to our Web site from all over the world easily; if we had a retail store in Texas, it would be difficult to get customers from Florida into the store to shop.
FMZ: What kinds of companies make up your customer base? Are you selling primarily to chains? Mom and pops? Flea market and swap meet vendors? Individual consumers?
Barton: We do business with Fortune 100 and 500 companies, professional sports teams, travel agencies, flea markets, swap meet vendors, large and small retail chains, as well as individuals. No order is too big or too small, and every customer is treated like they are our best customer.
FMZ: How can you tell what kind of company places an order?
Barton: Order records indicate the companies that purchase from us. Recently we have sold product to Google, Lucas Films, Martha’s Vineyard, General Mills and The Ritz-Carlton.
FMZ: What product lines are most popular with flea market vendors? Which are the most profitable — that is, with which ones can vendors make the largest mark-up?
Barton: Our low cost knives and hip flasks do well at flea markets and swap meets. We direct-import our hip flasks, and CKB is the lowest-cost flask supplier in the United States, allowing vendors to triple their investment and still move large quantities. We have several flea market vendors that sell over 200 flasks in a weekend and make $2.00 to $3.00 per flask. Combine our flasks with sports knives and other low-cost products, and you can make big money selling only a few of our products. We will beat any price — check your current distributor. Many people believe they are already receiving the best prices, but check your current distributor pricing, and you will find CKB is the lowest. Our flasks and knives are highly marketable, appealing to a wide audience.
FMZ: Do you have any special pricing for volume sales?
Barton: Our Web site is set up to offer volume discounts for incremental purchases. At CKB, the more you order, the more you save.
FMZ: Do you ever offer discounts or specials?
Barton: If you join our mailing list you will receive coupons for up to 15 percent off our already low wholesale pricing. We also send out coupons for free shipping on occasion. These deals are only available to our mailing list members. In the wholesale industry, coupons and discounts are rare, unless you’re at www.ckbproducts.com.
FMZ: Any other tips or advice for our readers — especially in an economy that’s still pretty bad off, most places?
Barton: Sell low. It is better to produce 10 sales making $1.00 each than zero sales.
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