Ecommerce has helped the holiday product niche skyrocket over the years, offering more unique, high quality products at increasingly better prices. Some of the items make great gifts, while others are products that consumers need in order to get their holiday cheer in gear.

Fortunately, great holiday merchandise can be found at WholesaleCentral.com, where sellers like A Snowglobe Christmas, Glimmers Inc., Gift Bliss Sales, Sunrise Wholesale Merchandise and Q Headwear offer all kinds of wonderful décor items, knickknacks and clothing accessories. And that is just the start.

"A lot of times the consumer is looking for a gift item for a recipient who 'already has everything,'" said Ron Ranson, Director of Creations, A Snowglobe Christmas, Leucadia, CA. "For instance, 'What do I get the hostess for the Christmas party?' These are dilemmas that can be solved with the right item."

Snowglobe DVDs
Ranson's company has a brand-new product that combines classic European snowglobes and holiday tunes on a DVD. End-users can use the product to create a relaxed holiday ambience on their television or LCD monitor.

The DVD features 30 Austrian snowglobes that represent the different aspects of Christmas. They are set to 25 different types of Yuletide music.

"It is a very nice, mood setting item that helps soothe the often frantic days leading up to Christmas," Ranson said. "When the party gets started, it brings in a holiday ambience for the home. It is jolly and theatrical. There is Christmas and secular music involved."

Ranson got the idea 18 months ago and is now bringing it to market for the first time. While the DVD runs around 50 minutes long, Ranson's firm offers a one minute sample at www.snowglobechristmas.com. "The video sample is definitely helping our sales," Ranson explained. "Thousands of people are clicking on the video. The product is very arty. I have been asked to enter it into exhibits." While the wholesale price starts at $9.98 per dozen, larger quantities get bigger discounts. Ranson and his wife visited the snowglobe manufacturers in Austria to self-produce part of the video, entitled, "Behind the Scenes." The segment explains how the snowglobes were created and includes unique stories about them.

"We went to several gift shows from January through March," Ranson said. "There was a ton of interest from year-round Christmas stores, Hallmark stores, hospital gift shops and manufacturers of holiday season gift baskets."

Glimmers' Glistening Items
Another company offering stellar products for holiday gift baskets is Glimmers Inc., which wholesales a line called Twinkling Stars. These shiny items are comprised of either gold or silver metal stars that are adorned with subtle, unique emblems. The Twinkling Stars are nine inches high and come with two eight-inch support stems, allowing thme to be incorporated into indoor arrangements such as gift baskets, as well as utilizing them outdoors. The blinking stars come with two AA batteries already installed that last 22 hours. The stars are three-dimensional and designed to look great from all sides. They wholesale from $9 to $12.50 each, depending on the volume ordered, at www.glimmersinc.com.

Jill Flynn, President of the 18-year-old firm, recently sold 5,628 units at a consumer-attended products show, within four days. She says that they normally attract an upscale audience, "but young and old people, who like to have fun, simply love them." "The products are classic-looking. They aren't tacky. A lot of different types of resellers will find an audience with them." There is also a clip-on edition of the product that allows end users to wear them on their blouses, jackets and shirts for holiday parties. The product utilizes an alligator clip and comes with a battery installed that lasts up to 100 hours. The items run anywhere from $1.50 to $2.25, depending on volume ordered.

"We've learned that it is so nice for the consumer to be able to unwrap something and turn it on without having to go get batteries," Flynn explained. "But we don't just offer products. Customer service is what it's all about. We make sure that our customers are happy. That's why we've been in business for 18 years. Many of our customers are our friends. We just reworked our website this year. The new site helps people understand our sophisticated and lovely products in a better fashion."

Gift Bliss For White Christmas
Of course, the child in everyone wishes to see a white Christmas whenever the calendar begins seriously bearing down on Dec. 25. Gift Bliss Enterprises has a product that can help end-users achieve that wish, from San Diego to Boston and Atlanta to Seattle. The wholesaler's top-selling holiday item is called Insta-Snow. When you add water to it, the product looks and feels like real snow. The wholesale price ranges according to the units ordered, via www.giftblisssales.com. The most popular version is the 40 gram packet, which makes around a gallon of snow and wholesales for $3 per unit. The 100 gram packet, which makes over two gallons of snow, wholesales for $6. Retailers of all kinds are ordering for the holidays, from general gift stores to novelty stores to stationary specialty retailers to resorts in the Mountain West. Check out the video clip on the homepage at www.giftblissales.com, and be impressed by how believable the artificial snow appears.

"End-users buy for everything from the novelty of creating snow to using the snow for centerpieces for their holiday tables to folks that want to create miniature Christmas villages," said Michael Penna, President, Gifts Bliss Enterprises. "Our end-user audience is often made up of females who want the snow for decorating. Though I will tell you, males of all ages absolutely love the novelty of the product. You add water to the powder and it explodes before your very eyes, becoming something that looks and feels like real snow."

Sunrise Wholesale Has Santa
Another concept that gets consumers in the holiday spirit is an image of Santa Claus. Sunrise Wholesale Merchandise, Los Angeles, CA, offers a tea set that includes a sugar shaker, creamer and a teapot, each beautifully utilizing the image of Santa. The teapot comes in the following dimensions: 7" x 4" x 6". The creamer and sugar shaker are smaller. The suggested retail price for the set is $19.96. However, wholesale Gold Members at www.sunrisewholesalemerchandise.com can get the items for as low as $4.19 per unit, when they regularly wholesale for $5.58. And there is no minimum order. "In a nutshell, they are cute," said Coby Pfaff, President, Sunrise Wholesale Merchandise. "A lot of the things we carry are designed to be attractive to a large variety of buyers. Generally, we serve mom-and-pop shops, gift stores and eBayers. We offer free drop shipping, too." Pfaff added that they also offer a array of Christmas ornaments and stockings starting in July. Even better, Sunrise Wholesale Merchandise wants nothing more than to work one on one with buyers to help maximize their profits. "How strong is our customer service? We answer our email inquiries within two hours," Pfaff explained. "We have a toll-free number that we are responsive to Monday through Friday. And our replacement policy is really simple: if something is broken or defective, we will ship a replacement free of charge. We make it as easy as possible for our customers to do business with us."

Fashionable Gifts From Q Headwear
Finding the right gift product from a consumer standpoint can be tricky. More specifically, everyone has an uncle, aunt, father-in-law or stepmother who will only be truly tickled by their gift if it fits their style, or more precisely, their fashion essence. That is where Q Headwear comes in.

"Our dress hats and straw hats are very popular for the holidays," said Larry Liu, Manager, Q Headwear, Ontario, CA. "They are fashionable, colorful and make an impression that is extremely favorable to the wearer." The hats wholesale from $3 to $12 per unit and come in small, medium, large and extra large sizes. They include woven straw hats with a great leisure look, formal hats like fedoras and cotton twills, women's fashion hats and other hats like cowboy, western, safari and gambler style. "These hats are attractive for young and older people, men and women," Liu explained. "People from all walks of life find them fashionable." Lastly, the hats come in an incredible number of variations, which can be seen at www.qheadwear.com. The 20-year-old company also offers beanies, corduroy hats and baseball-style caps.

"Minimum orders are only one dozen units," Liu said. "We are very accessible. Our customer service is excellent. We do everything we can to ship out the same day, and we are always updating our fashion lines."

For more information, contact:

A Snowglobe Christmas
174 Andrew Avenue
Leucadia, CA 92024
Toll Free: 888-753-5238
Tel.: 760-753-7971
Fax: 760-632-6859
Website: www.snowglobechristmas.com

Glimmers Inc.
3130 La Selva St., Suite 304
San Mateo, CA 94403
Toll Free: 800-578-8276
Tel.: 650-578-8276
Fax: 650-578-8674
Website: www.glimmersinc.com

Gift Bliss Enterprises
Toll Free: 866-363-3807
Fax: 831-663-4445
Website: www.giftblisssales.com

Sunrise Wholesale Merchandise, LLC
PO Box 691300
Los Angeles, CA 90069
Toll Free: 877-250-5045
Toll Free Fax: 800-858-4986
Website: www.sunrisewholesalemerchandise.com

Q Headwear Inc.
1260 E Locust Street Suite #303
Ontario, CA 91761-4547
Tel.: 909-930-0888
Fax: 909-930-0878
Website: www.qheadwear.com