HIGHLIGHTS:

• Brand (or Brand Name) - The name/label given to a product or product line, which is used to identify and market the products. (Typically, but not always, the brand name is the same as the name of the company that manufactures the products.)


• Distributor (or Wholesaler) - A company that buys huge quantities of products from manufacturers, warehouses the products, and then resells them to smaller retail stores (who actually sell the products to the end consumer).


• Dropshipper - Any supplier (they may be a manufacturer or a wholesaler/distributor) that is willing to ship products directly to your customers.


• Manufacturer - The company that actually creates, builds, or manufactures products. (If the manufacturer is willing to ship products directly to your customers, they could also be called a dropshipper.)


• Supplier (or Source) - The company you buy products from; your source for products. (The company could be the manufacturer/dropshipper, or it could be a wholesaler/distributor).