Before John Dohm founded DPJ Wholesale, he spent a lot of time visiting the far-flung corners of the world. From those experiences, a wholesaler was born. "Through my many worldwide travels I noticed the amount of different merchandise being moved around the globe," Dohm recalls. "I found that many people were curious about the variety of products offered in the United States. It got me thinking about the import and export business." Thought led to action, and in 2006, John Dohm created Dohm Worldwide LLC. "I was quickly successful," he says. "The company started importing products and wholesaling them on Dpjwholesale.com, a division of Dohm Worldwide."

He was online and selling by 2007, but there were challenges that any newborn company faces. "The obvious hurdle was the competition," Dohm says. "It became much easier as we followed through with our customers and built strong relationships. When you do what is right, your company can grow through word of mouth, which is always the best." Now Dohm has a broad customer base. "We sell to brick and mortar stores and ecommerce sites, and to customers looking for great wholesale prices and a pleasant buying experience." The company, however, has not looked to expand services to the public. "We are entirely wholesale. We do not retail to consumers," notes Dohm. "We believe that it would be unfair competition to our customers, which in our view is not a good business practice."

In tune with a worldwide outlook, DPJ offers very broad product lines. "We offer general merchandise," says Dohm. "We keep the same staple products that sell well for our customers in stock at all times, but are constantly searching for new and useful products that will work for customers." Some of the categories offered include clothing, electronics, jewelry, health and beauty, and housewares.

Dohm makes note of a company specialty: customized products. "Many blank types of items are offered on our new product lines," says Dohm. "Many of our customers have businesses in which they create their own products, and we supply the materials such as blank compact mirrors, business card holders, key chains, and so on, all in a variety of shapes and sizes." The company extends this ability to customize in other ways, explains Dohm, "We offer custom ordering, including sourcing, custom packaging, shipping, and direct delivery to worldwide destinations." Another hot selling category is fashion. Dohm explains, "Fashion accessories tend to be some of our best selling products. Customers are always looking for the latest fashions and trends."

While wide product offerings may attract buyers, other factors bring them back for more. To start with, a low minimum lets retailers get their feet wet, but painlessly. "Our minimum order size is $50, allowing new customers to start a relationship with us and test us out, without taking on any risk. When our customers are happy, they end up as repeat buyers, which is beneficial to both of us," says Dohm. Another factor is price. "In general, we run a very low overhead business, allowing us to keep our products extremely competitive," Dohm notes. Moreover, lower volume prices also help. "We offer a five percent discount when a customer buys the entire case," Dohm adds. The company also makes purchasing easier on retailers by offering competitive shipping terms. "If the shipping rate is too high, it cuts into our customers' profits," says Dohm. "If we can save them $10 here or $20 there, it is meaningful. On our website, the two options to choose from are Priority Mail or Parcel Post." The company is glad to ship to any desired destination, per the DPJ Wholesale website. DPJ calculates shipping costs for international shipments based on the rates received from USPS and UPS. Rates are calculated based on actual gross weight and dimensional weight. In addition, the company has partnered with Bongo International, serving overseas customers by giving retailers their very own U.S. address.

Dohm Worldwide uses the Internet for the widest reach, keeping costs low. "Our customer outreach is all Internet based, which allows us to keep our pricing down," says Dohm. "We focus a lot on online marketing. We use Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, email, and have a blog as well." Approximately 90 percent of DPJ's business is generated online, and a user-friendly website is a necessity. Such a priority guided several key design decisions. Dohm says, "We do not clutter the site with additional non-useful information. I have heard over and over from customers that they appreciate this aspect of our website." According to Dohm, "It started simple and remains simple today."

For more information:
DPJ Wholesale
Belamose Business Park
60 Belamose Ave.
Rocky Hill, CT 06067
Tel.: 860-830-8181
Toll Free: 800-375-3520
Worldwide: 860-920-7315
Email: sales@dpjwholesale.com
Website: dpjwholesale.com