Some manufactures will only open accounts with large volume distributors or have minimum purchase requirements. This means just because Best Buy and Target have a digital camera from Sony does not mean Sony will just allow you to create an account with them and buy it at the same wholesale price. The manufacture, especially some of the largest brands, will only open accounts with these large volume chains or large volume wholesale distribution companies. When selling small volumes of products online the wholesale distributor is the type of company you will want to work with to sell these products online. The distributor is the bridge in the supply chain between the manufacturer and the smaller reseller. Some wholesale distributors might also have a minimum order size or purchase volume requirement to allow you to create an account with them. The minimum order would of course depend on the size of the manufacture and product type, but the distributor option will have much lower volume requirements. You can also use a drop ship wholesale distributor which is easier to create an account with and they will ship often with no minimums direct to your customers. This is the option needed by most home based businesses and smaller online companies. The wholesale dropship distributor will allow you to place orders for small volume bulk sales as well as ship single products. They will be happy to send these products to you or directly to your customers with your logo and branding on the packages.