The best replacement for suppliers is vendors.

The best alternatives to suppliers are rated as following:
★★★★★  vendors
★  distributors
★  manufacturers
★  suppliers
★  wholesalers
★  few suppliers
  customers

Your alternative for suppliers is not listed? Suggest!
Speaking about suppliers, one probably shouldn't forget about drop shipping.

Other search terms related to suppliers and their ratings are:
★★★★★ drop shipping
★★★ buyers
You have in mind a companion for suppliers and it is not yet here? Propose!



Google Trends

Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of suppliers in all years. Click on graph for more.
suppliers
vendors
distributors