Drop Shipping

© Illa Maden   November 2006

Beware of drop shippers in wolves clothing

Drop shipping can be the real answer for folks who want to sell tangible/physical products through a work from home business online. This can be a way for the "little guy" to get started in an ecommerce business without massive capital investment and the problems of warehousing or shipping products.

But do be aware that finding a bona fide drop shipping service can take time and effort. There are a lot of people online selling drop shipping lists that are worthless. I know, I've bought a few. These supposed drop shipper lists have often been around for a while, and have a lot of dead links. Many of them were worthless even when they were first created.

Some of the better ones lead to suppliers who provide shoddy, off brand merchandise and questionable service.

If a drop shipper will sell to you without a tax ID, then it is a pretty good sign that it is not reputable. Also you should not have to pay a monthly or recurring fee to buy their products.

Often these supposed drop shippers are not true wholesalers and you will find yourself paying too much for the products.

I am not saying this to discourage you. A true bona fide drop shipper can provide you with good products that you can sell and make a reasonable profit on, but you need to check them out carefully.

A few things you will want to know before selecting a drop shipping service:

1. Availability of product-You do not want to sell a product the drop shipper cannot supply. Your credibility is at stake. Building credibility is important to sustaining a business.

2. Pricing is important when dealing with a drop shipping source. You don't have to have the cheapest price, but you do have to be in the ballpark with your competition.

3. Does the drop shipper provide sales copy and images for the products? Sales copy should not be copied verbatim, but you do need information to work with.

4. How soon can they ship the order? You will need this information so you can include it in your sales copy. Your customers will get antsy if they do not know what to expect.

5. How will the drop shipper package your orders? These are your customers, and you don't want to lose them if the drop shipper packages under their label. The labeling should not lead back to them.

6. How does the drop shipper handle returns and refunds?

7 Does the drop shipping service ship internationally?

These are just a few of the question you need answered before you select a drop shipping source.

Get a free book about drop shipping and how to get started on the internet that will tell you a lot about what to look for in a drop shipping service.                          

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