Buying dried seafood wholesale in Thailand: 7 questions before a bulk order

Dried seafood sells all year — in souvenir shops, market dry-goods stalls and online stores. But a wholesale price per kilo that looks cheaper can cost more once you count the edible weight you actually get. Before ordering dried squid, dried shrimp or salted fish in bulk, ask the seller these seven things. 1. Producer or middleman — a producer who dries and processes their own catch can usually tell you which pier the raw material came from, how many days it was sun-dried and when this lot was made. A seller who cannot answer may be buying it in from someone else. That is not necessarily bad, but price and consistency will differ. 2. Grade and size — dried squid and salted fish are usually graded by size (pieces per kilo); dried shrimp by size and how whole the pieces are. Compare prices across shops only within the same grade, and ask for photos of the actual lot you will receive, not advertising shots. 3. Dryness, saltiness and weight — product that is still moist weighs more, so you get less per kilo and it keeps for less time. Ask whether it is fully dried or one-day sun-dried, because the latter must be chilled or frozen. Ask about the salt level your customers expect, and whether the per-kilo price includes the bag. 4. Colour should be natural — dried shrimp that is an even, unnaturally bright orange-red deserves questions about how it was made. Choose sellers who can explain their process, and for retail-packed bags check the Thai FDA food registration number on the label, which you can verify on the FDA website yourself. 5. Shelf life and storage — ask how long it keeps at room temperature and in the fridge, and whether it is vacuum-packed or in an ordinary bag. If your shop sells slowly, order smaller lots more often rather than holding stock until it loses flavour or grows mould. 6. Pack sizes for resale — some producers can split into 100–500 g bags with labels; others sell by the kilo only. If you sell in a souvenir shop or online, ask whether they pack small bags or put your shop’s brand on them, and what packing costs. 7. Delivery and claims — dried goods can go by ordinary parcel, but they need protection from moisture and breakage. Ask the shipping cost per kilo, the delivery time, and what the seller does if the goods arrive damp, mouldy or short in weight. Keep every chat and quotation. On Trust Gate, the seafood and processed-seafood category lists genuine dried-seafood producers — for example a producer from Pak Nam Pran, Prachuap Khiri Khan, making dried and one-day sun-dried seafood for almost 30 years. See each shop’s wholesale prices and verification badge, and ask questions or request a quote from the seller directly. The agreement and payment are between you and the seller.