Differences between US and EU wholesale channels

Hi guys, Your help is needed! We have a wholesale business in the EU bringing 100+ containers per year from China. The business’s next move is to expand to the United States and from the initial research it seems that there are many market differences between the EU and the US, raising a few questions: - How do companies usually import product data from the wholesaler? Are there any product feed standards in the US? In Europe, we usually find a wholesaler, who has an XML file or any other online product feed, and we import it to our system and have all the data. Daily stock and price updates, as well as descriptions with photographs, are all possible with this standard. We have been in talks with a few partners in the US but they have only an online catalog and that does not allow us to move fast, are there any tips here? - Do companies use a wholesale marketplace to source and purchase products directly? I have found many platforms, such as InventorySource, and even more directories but no proper place to purchase products directly and locally from one place. I could be bad at googling, but is this the case, or do firms buy from Alibaba/Salehoo and then wait a long time? faire.com seems like a good marketplace but does not have products that my company usually deals with. We feel that a local marketplace, comparable to Alibaba, should exist. - How do e-commerce businesses with revenues of $1 to $5 million buy stock? Do they dropship locally or work with Chinese manufacturers? In the EU, we have found that they usually purchase stock from companies like ours, who bring containers from China. We might have a solution coming your way :) If you have any questions about the European wholesale market or purchasing from manufacturers directly in China, just shoot them directly or here. I am happy to help :)