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FAIRLY TRADING WHOLESALE GIFTS SINCE 1995

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Fri Jun 17 2022 16:22:00 GMT+0800 (Malaysia Time)

Greetings from Istanbul

Yes, I'm back in Istanbul after only a few weeks. I'll tell you why below.
Last week I was reporting from Spain, where I introduced you to our slightly crazy but brilliant designer Graciela, and we said goodbye to our customer service girl (of almost 15 years) Kerry.
If you missed it you can read about it here.

By the time you read this I will be coming in to land at Kuala Lumpur airport, I'm there for a few days meeting our India agent; Mr Chatterjee & son. He is busy collecting samples from all over India, so hopefully we will find some grat selling India products for you. Meanwhile Tomas and I have been running around Istanbul uncovering lots of potential suppliers and many more ideas. 

This time we stayed in central Istanbul in a small hotel just off the main shopping street. Opposite the hotel we found a legendary back-packer bar & restaurant with a roof terrace overlooking the Bosphorus Strait on one side and the back of the Russian Embassy on the other. You know the sort of place, flags from all the world, friendly, full of interesting people, amazing food and so so cheap. We nicknamed it base camp and used it for breakfast, working and even had a meeting there with a potential agent for Turkey. It's called the Varuna Gezgin (or Varuna Traveler), and if you are ever in these parts I can highly recommend you come here and rub shoulders with world-travelers, digital nomads, local hipsters, Russian spies and possibly even the odd gift trader.


Today we have meetings with Gemstone traders, cotton towel manufacturers, sock manufacturers.. yes socks. Socks as gifts, we think we have a new slant on gift socks.. There is a whole world of gift opportunities here. We are working on it.

At the end of the day, even when the times are tough the thing that gets us all though is a cracking product. We have always focused on the product and let the products sell themselves, as you know we don't have sales people on the road. So working hard to always find you the next best selling gift lines.. and it seems to work.  The only magic-bullet you need is the right products, and of course footfall, and if your customers don't come through the door then focus online.  We are working hard to bring you pampering products (always good when people need to destress), gemstone products, travel bags.. these things are selling well now.. and you will notice we have shifted focus away from Chinese products to UK made, Indian and Indonesian imports. Don't worry we will still bring you the best selling China products from family businesses.. and we are working hard to reduce plastic and trade fairly. 

Lots of new stock is arriving right now and we are busy! If your order is a bit slow in coming, I apologise... the guys in the warehouse are working hard to catch up.
Check out the deals we have for you and the back insock and new lines below.. 

More news next week.. from Kuala Lumpur. I'm on a flight late tonight, Tomas will stay here a few more days to finish some more deals on what we hope will be your best selling products in a month or so.

Take care, enjoy the heat-wave and think positive. Remember to be kind to someone and all will be well.
As always, thank you for your support.

David
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