Before the Internet - you might have had a shot. Without the brand-name recognition of Snap-on - (and being a snappy distributor is no walk in the park) everything else is for sale with pricing and shipping available at the click of a mouse.
Many moons ago and a few "careers" ago (1980's - before the internet) , I was in the wholesale tool business working for both warehouse distributors of traditional brands (like Proto, Wright, Channelock, Milwaukee, Makita, Binks, etc.) and business was difficult then. Many distributors came and went. Our markets were auto parts stores, indy hardware stores and "wagon jobbers" (which ran the gamut from snappy and Mac drivers looking for a unique item they could make money on to the guys that would buy 50 coils of air hose, load up their car trunk and drive from gas station to gas station peddling the hoses at a steep price). On the bricks and mortar side, customers demanded credit (and long terms) and the credit risk was high. We did make some margin on private label air tools we imported, but that was at the point where Japanese made quality was too expensive - and it gave Taiwan an entry into the market that reduced the street value of the fine quality Japanese tools that we brought in - and reduced it almost overnight. Well, today you have China and there is no putting that genii back in the bottle.
Maybe you have the same motivations I had back then - good tools are awesome. It's a pleasure to be surrounded by them and to share your knowledge and enthusiasm. It is just not a great path to making money.
If you can craft an angle - like buying out inventory truckloads at a time for pennies on a dollar (or buying by the ton) from the manufacturer, you might be able to flip some of it while you die with the rest.
I'd say if you want a career in tools - first land a job working for a tool manufacturer. It probably won't pay much but will provide a steady income.
Both of the wholesalers I worked for went out of business eventually - the middle distribution market disappeared when most manufacturers went direct to their retailers. The game changed. The game will always change. After that diversion, I went to work for myself - making money by USING my tools. Then I was hired by a man who was inspired by the quality of my work and he hired me to work for his companies by - wait for it - using my tools.
