If you want to add gloves to your retail business, then your type of business will determine the specific types of gloves you choose to sell. For instance, if you own a pharmacy, you would be more interested in selling latex gloves than baseball gloves. The opposite would be true if you owned a sporting goods store.

Regardless of the types of gloves you plan to sell, you first need to buy the gloves. Of course you want to make a profit from these sales, so your goal should be to buy large quantities of gloves at the lowest possible cost. The best way to do that is purchasing directly from glove manufacturers and glove wholesalers.

As you explore the websites of different glove distributors listed below, keep the following things in mind:

1. Compare prices and get the most glove for your money. Don't just check the unit price; check shipping costs as well.
2. Buy a large amount of products that will appeal to a large number of people, but buy small amounts of specialty gloves that might only appeal to a few individuals.
3. Buy gloves that you will be able to market at your store; avoid items that differ from your target market substantially.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

When it comes to baseball gloves offer your customers a large selection to choose from

You may think that there is not much variety in baseball gloves but there are actually quite a few different items to consider. Whether you are looking to sell baseball gloves, catcher's mitts, and/or batting gloves, you need to have a variety of products that will appeal to everyone.

I recommend: JustBallGloves.com has every type of baseball glove you could need, from catcher's mitts, to batting gloves, to sized fielding gloves, this is a one stop shop. I also suggest checking out Baseball Warehouse, Ball Glove Warehouse, and Baseball Express.

Buy work gloves in bulk, including latex gloves and nitrile gloves

If you plan to sell work gloves, then you need to buy your product in bulk. The best way to do this is through a glove wholesaler.

I recommend: UniSafe Inc. offers wholesale latex gloves in bulk. You purchase your product by the case (usually 1,000 gloves), and cases typically include 10 packages of 100 gloves each for easy resale. Uline offers nitrile gloves in smaller packages. The more packages you buy, the less you pay. Other glove wholesalers worth checking out are PalmFlex and Sara Glove Co.

Consider a variety of leather gloves, including leather gloves for work and leather flying gloves

Leather gloves can be a fashion statement or required for your job. Consider all the possible uses for leather gloves when researching your selection.

I recommend: Superior Glove Works Ltd. offers a variety of leather work gloves. Gloves-Online offers a variety of fashion gloves, from wedding gloves to winter gloves. This website offers a wholesale section, but it requires you to create a customer account to access it. FlightJacket.com offers flying gear, including leather flying gloves. US Wings offers military leather flying gloves.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When buying cases of gloves, make sure to buy a variety of sizes. If glove wholesalers require a certain number of boxes to be sold for a discount, check to see if you can order different sizes.
• •  Make sure the glove distributors offer refunds or exchanges if products are damaged.
• •  Consider buying directly from the source and go right to the glove makers to find out about products and pricing.