7 signs say that 'wholesaler' na middleman
Before you send money for stock, check these seven things. Most fake plugs fail at least three.
Every week we hear the same story: a vendor gets a "wholesale contact" from somewhere, the number picks once, the prices are retail plus markup, and the goods never land. Here's how to catch it early.
1. They can't tell you their MOQ
A real wholesaler knows their minimum order without thinking. "Ten pieces per design" or "one bale". If they say "how many you want?" and the price changes with your answer, you're likely talking to a reseller.
2. No shop address, or an address they won't share
Wholesalers have a shop, a warehouse or at least a stall. Ask for the line and the shop number. A real trader in Balogun or Trade Fair will tell you without stress.
3. Everything is "pay first, I'll send pictures after"
Ask for a video of the stock, today, with today's newspaper or your name written on paper. Middlemen use pictures they collected from other people's pages.
4. Prices that are too sweet
If a 20,000mAh power bank is ₦3,000 "wholesale", ask yourself where they got it from. Fake-cheap is how people collect deposits.
5. They sell everything
Bags, wigs, phones, perfume, pots. Real wholesalers specialise. The more categories, the more likely they're forwarding orders to someone else.
6. No waybill history
Ask which park they use and for a recent waybill slip. Wholesalers who send nationwide do it every day.
7. The number is always "out of service area"
If you can only ever reach them on WhatsApp and never by call, be careful.
How Sure Plugger helps: our agent checks the shop, the stock and the number in person before any badge. Every badge shows the date we last checked, and if a wholesaler doesn't work out, we connect you with another.