Traders list in India: dealers and wholesalers by city

Who counts as a trader, where traders are listed, and how to sell to dealers and wholesalers.

Updated 13 October 2026 · 5 min read

Who counts as a trader

A traders list holds businesses that buy goods and sell them on without making them. In Indian trade the word covers several roles, and one firm often plays two of them at once:

Wholesalers buy in bulk from makers, importers or distributors and sell to shops and smaller traders, usually from a market lane with a godown nearby.
Stockists hold a brand's goods for a town or district and supply it on demand.
Dealers sell a brand's products from a showroom or counter, often to contractors and businesses as well as the public, and may handle service and warranty.
Commission agents bring buyers and sellers together for a fee. In farm produce markets they are the arhatiyas who hold a market licence.
Importer-traders bring in goods such as electronics, hardware or chemicals and sell them to the local trade.

Many shops are retailer and wholesaler at once: the counter serves walk-in customers while the godown supplies smaller shops in nearby towns. When you buy a list, the category column tells you more than the label "trader".

Where traders sit: the wholesale markets

Every big city has lanes where one trade gathers, and shopkeepers from smaller towns come there to buy. A few well-known examples:

Delhi: Sadar Bazar for household goods and general merchandise, Khari Baoli for spices and dry fruits, Bhagirath Palace for electrical goods and medicines, and Azadpur Mandi for fruit and vegetables.
Mumbai: Masjid Bunder for dry fruits, spices and household goods, Lohar Chawl for electricals and lighting, and the APMC markets at Vashi in Navi Mumbai for farm produce.
Kolkata: Burrabazar, a maze of wholesale lanes for cloth, spices, hardware and much else.
Bengaluru: Chickpet for textiles and sarees, SP Road for electronics and computer parts.
Hyderabad: Begum Bazaar for groceries, kitchenware and household goods.

Smaller cities have their own versions, usually around the old town or the railway goods shed. A day spent walking one market teaches you who matters in that trade.

Registers and associations that list traders

GST. Traders above the turnover threshold must register, and many smaller ones register anyway. The GST portal's taxpayer search shows a firm's legal name, trade name, address and status, and whether it is a regular taxpayer or on the composition scheme, which small traders often choose. One GSTIN or PAN at a time, and no phone number.
APMC licences. Traders and commission agents in regulated farm produce markets hold licences from the market committee under their state's APMC law.
Traders' associations. National bodies such as the Confederation of All India Traders, and a market association or vyapar mandal in almost every bazaar. They know everyone, but member lists are for members.

Use these to check a trader before you supply on credit; our guide to free company look-ups shows the GST search step by step.

A traders list by city and product

Our traders database, the Dealers & Traders list, has 99,463 trading firms in 591 cities. 79% have a mobile number and 43% a contact person's name; 32% have an email address, so plan on calls and visits first. 88% of rows say what the firm deals in. With a PIN code on 86% of rows, you can sort traders into beats for a field team. Each list page shows 60 real rows first.

Traders by city

Dealers of one product

Suppliers and distributors as well

Firms that call themselves suppliers or distributors are in a separate list. For a wholesalers list that reaches further up the chain, use both:

Who sells to dealers and wholesalers

Brands and manufacturers looking for stockists and dealers in new towns.
Billing, accounting and stock software, barcode printers and POS systems.
Banks and NBFCs: overdrafts, working capital loans and current accounts, most in demand before the festive season, when traders stock up.
Transporters, parcel services and packaging suppliers.
Godown owners and warehousing firms near the market.
CA firms offering GST returns and books, and insurers offering stock and fire cover.

Selling to a trader: what works

Lead with margin and credit. A trader's first thought is what he or she earns per piece and how long the money is tied up. For example: "Namaste, I'm Sunil from Jyoti Cables, Rajkot. We make ISI-marked house wire, give dealers a fixed margin on MRP with 30 days' credit, and deliver anywhere in Saurashtra in two days. Do you stock wires?"
Ask when to call back. Counter rush hours differ by trade. If the trader is busy, ask what time suits and call exactly then. Avoid the market's weekly closing day.
Expect these questions: margin, credit days, schemes and targets, who pays freight, minimum order, return of slow-moving stock, whether customers already ask for your brand, and whether you will appoint a rival in the same market.
Visit with a printed rate list. Traders keep paper rate lists on the counter and compare them.
Start small. Take the first order on advance or short credit, then extend it as payments come in on time.

For promotional calls, follow the DND rules in our DND guide.

Questions about traders data

How is a traders list different from a distributors database?

Distributors supply retailers in a fixed area for particular brands; traders buy and sell from markets, often with no territory. The two overlap, and our distributors database guide covers the distribution side.

Are retailers included?

Some shops in a traders list also sell retail, but if your buyers are the shops that sell to the public, our retailers list guide is the better place to start.