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How to start a drop shipping business?
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If you are thinking about starting an e-commerce business, you are going to face two problems right off, the huge upfront cost and storage.
Is Drop shipping the answer?
Just what is drop shipping?
In short, drop shipping is a service where a product is ordered from a vendor but is sent to the customer by a third party, or the manufacturer.
The customer’s order is placed with the drop shipping supplier by the seller after they receive payment for the buyer.
The merchandise will be received by the buyer, with the return label of the seller.
The order is processed from start to finish with out the vendor ever having to handle it.
The merchant doesn’t have to spend time packaging and shipping.
Are you ready to start an online business?
There are a couple of things you need to do.
The 1st thing you need to do is find a supplier that will drop ship the products you wish to promote. The best place to do this is on the Internet. You could start by simply doing a search with product name + drop shipper. You could also do a search for wholesale directories. You wont have problems developing a list to choose from. Here are some things to look for in your new supplier.
The drop shipping service wont be free, but if there are monthly fees make sure that they are minimal. There is no set standard procedure for going about paying for your products from the vendor, some may ask you to fund your account in advance, most will let you pay when you place your order.
Beware of phony drop shipping companies, that are nothing more than spam traps, or just plain overseas frauds It pays to choose a drop shipper through one of the legitimate directories such as saleHoo, or check a distributor out yourself through the BBB.
Now that you have access to so many products, take full advantage and list them all on your site. Incorporating attractive images and lengthy descriptions (reworded) from the drop shipper’s catalog further enhance the chances of being listed in the search engines.
With a small amount of capital, and a little effort you can set up your first web store.
When you make a sale, the last part of the process is to simply place your customer’s order with the drop shipper.
More often than not the vendor will have a store similar to yours, so ordering is a snap.
Some closing tips:
1) The real money in this business come from repeat sales to the list you develop, so keep the prices as low as you can and get those names!
2) The drop shipper you choose may offer you a pre-made e-store, resist this temptation because the content will be duplicated across the web giving you no advantage with the search engines.
3) Seriously consider putting an 800 phone number on your site. Even if it goes to a voice mail, people will feel better about buying from you if they know they have a number to call if they have problems.
4) I highly recommend trust seals, add a few and it will dramatically increase conversions.
5) The thing that makes e commerce so profitable is your list of customers, don’t be afraid to contact them again and again.
Related articles
- Learn More about Drop Shipping (plusstuff.com)
- Want to Learn about Wholesale Sources? Read This. (plusstuff.com)
- Business Consultant – Business Potential with Drop-shipping and eBay (dohertyassoc.com)
- Dropship Companies-Your On-line Guide To Enterprise (bayviewhunterspoint.com)
- Find Out More about eBay Auction Merchandise Sources (plusstuff.com)
- Drop Shipping Information (bayviewhunterspoint.com)
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