There are a few things to understand right at the start.  There is no single, super list of wholesale dropship sources.  There is no magic bullet.  There is no alchemist's stone, no El Dorado, no fountain from which low cost wholesale goods spring eternal.

There are, however, real wholesalers, and real wholesale dropship sources.  There is no mystery to this.  There are manufacturers who make things and people who distribute and sell things.  Distributors buy stuff cheaply from the manufacturer and sell it a little more dearly to the retailer, who in turn sell yet more dearly to the general public.  Still, the misunderstanding and confusion surrounding wholesale product sourcing and distribution, dropshipping and dropship suppliers has made fertile the ground from which a cottage "industry" feeding that confusion mystery has arisen.

So, you desire a list or directory of wholesale product sources.  Keep in mind that real wholesale prices come from businesses legally authorized by the manufacturer to distribute their goods.  As such, a real wholesaler must require proof that you have a sales tax permit.  I'm sorry if you've heard this all before, but this point is so often misunderstood.  A sales tax permit is a permit granted by your state of residence allowing you to purchase goods without paying sales tax because the assumption is, you being a business, that you will sell the goods and charge sales tax to your customers.   You, in turn, will pay the sales tax to the state at tax time.  Render unto Caeser and that sort of thing.

The cottage confusion industry and other purveyors of misinformation misuse the word "wholesale" to mean low cost goods.  In fact, "wholesale," really means the price offered by a legitimate wholesaler to their clients, which may start around 32% below MSRP (manufacturers suggested retail price) depending on the wholesaler's contract with the manufacturer.  In the paragraph above, we noted that you desire a directory of wholesale sources.  Can you answer these questions:

• What industry or area of manufacture  do want to sell products in?
• What would be typical products that you would expect to sell?

If you can answer those questions, then you may already be very close to finding the source of your products.  You may very well be interested in online wholesale and dropship product sources, but bear with me.  Your best  leads may come from offline sources:

• Have you looked in the phonebook?
• Have you researched trade shows?
• Have you researched regional and national associations for your product area?
• Have you consulted trade magazines?
• Have you tried your local library references of manufacturers and distributors?
• Have you asked your local retailers what they do with their liquidation closeout stock?

This offline research can yield wholesale and factory direct sources with whom to establish a personal relationship that may work well for your business.  This is the true gold.  Your personal network of contacts is your wholesale dropship supplier philosopher's stone!

To help you on your way, here is what I think is an important resource.  And, it is an online resource. We are, after all, also about online wholesale dropship product sources, but first and foremost, we are about viability.  Here is the lead I mentioned:

• The National Association of Wholesaler Distributors.  You can find them at www.naw.org.

This resource will provide you with many direct leads to true wholesale and manufacturer sources.  This may require a little work, but this is the real due diligence you have to do to know what you are doing. 

I know you are interested in online retail wholesale suppliers.  I'm not sure that the Internet is the best place to do this kind of research, but there are a few good online wholesale directory and forum resources that can be helpful.  Personally, I think the forum is the true asset of such a directory if it is active.

Rather than me suggest a particular directory at this  point, I'd like to give some guidelines to help you make the best decision.  There is a lot of controversy surrounding some of the wholesale directory product sourcing sits, much of which may be caused by misunderstanding what they are.  A good directory provides an active forum that provides an ongoing conversation regarding product sources for many different kinds of goods.  It also provides, in brief, a vast list of wholesale, dropship, and factory outlet sources.  It is a place where you can get opinion and feedback to your product sourcing questions. And, it is inexpensive.  Keeping in mind that you must always draw you own conclusions, I personally feel that a good online resource should offer the following benefits:

Drop Ship Suppliers:  Suppliers who send the product directly to your buyer from their warehouse, so that you as the retailer do not store inventory.

Wholesale Suppliers: Access to many true wholesalers.  You will stock inventory yourself but benefit from low bulk prices if you choose to purchase in bulk quantities.

Liquidation and Closeout Specialists: Brand Name suppliers for bulk purchasing from some of the major retail outlets.  These suppliers have products available for well below wholesale prices.  Normally this means you must purchase substantial bulk lots, but this is where you get the low, rock bottom prices.  This is one of the secrets of top eBay sellers.

Factory Manufacturers: Able to offer members the lowest prices available from the factory.   However, it is important to keep in mind that because selling to retailers is not their primary business, you may need to buy in bulk quantities of 1000 or more.  And again, this is a secret of top eBay sellers.

Suppliers From Asia: Get access to the closest source to the factories direct from countries such as China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.  We warn you that buying from China can be a terrifying experience.

Brand Name Products: Access to the best branded, high demand products.

Daily Updates: The directory data base should be updated on a regular basis.

All suppliers should be rated by not only the directory itself but also by the membership. 

Fully Searchable Database

Private Members Forum

Educational material to help you understand product sourcing and how to use eBay.

Fulltime Customer Support

This is one of several well reputed online directory resources.  It is important to understand that it is only a directory of resources.  It provides the means of contact with the supplier and a means of networking with suppliers and other buyers. Salehoo in itself cannot make you rich or somehow enable you to click yourself rich overnight.  It is a tool, and like all good tools requires understanding of its use and also a plan for its use.

The fact that the directories are online wholesale resources may endow them with greater importance or authority than they should have.  I think they can be a valuable resource, but really, your best resources will come from your personal contacts.  Again, my opinion here is that you have a better chance of developing a more secure network of sources if you do it as much in person as possible via trade shows and exhibitions.  You can do it online, but if you have the means, pursue direct contact as well.  But enough said.