Finding Reputable Wholesalers and NOT Getting Scammed Online….Can It be Done?
Of course it CAN…..
But not without some good ole’ effort and time. As with any business, a healthy and profitable online drop-shipping sales site does not start without a solid business plan, a firm and steady product and a good wholesaler. For any drop shipper, the wholesaler is the FOUNDATION of your company. With the wholesaler taking care of both inventory, insurance and storage for the item as well as the packaging, processing, labeling and shipping of the product, they can be either a huge asset or a humonguos liability for your online business.
Once the customer places the order with you on eBay, it is up to you to place the order with the wholesale company. But from that point on, as the drop shipper, you lose a lot of control. You HAVE to rely on that wholesaler company to have the inventory promised, price promised, address placed correctly and ship timing promised and get that product out to your customer. All you can do is sit back and wait and hope that you have chosen the right distributor to get the product to your customers.
At this point in any smart entrepreneurs mind when considering drop shipping, although it can save a ton of money on overhead, it is only a solid business plan if the right, reputable and dependable wholesaler can be found and used. How can that be done is the popular question on everyones lips every time I attend an eBay LIVE! Conference or am at an eBay education seminar. Drop shipping sounds like such an easy idea, and with all the infomercials out there telling us how much money can be made on eBay using wholesalers….it sounds like a piece of cake, right. Lets all jsut open up eBay Stores and start making thousands of dollars in profits in only months!!!!
BACK TO REALITY PEOPLE…..
Just like most infomercials and products featured in this kind of marketing that you see on TV, just like it says in fine print at the bottom of the screen “Results not typical, each story in unique” Truth be told, like I said there is money to be made using eBay and dropshipping product to your customers. In fact, when in the Powerseller area for eBay LIVE in 2006, most of the platinum powersellers that I met, that were there with MORE THAN 2 employees EACH, were earning a living for themselves and their employees full time working on eBay with various drop shippers and had never inventoried an item in their entire eBay Career.
These people were at eBay LIVE! as Titanium and Platinum level powersellers and the majority were drop shippers simply there to enjoy themselves while the hard work to build their eBay Store was done and other than order placement, the stores could practically run themselves. More proof that it can be done, but proof that as the small print says at the bottom of the screen on these TV infomercials can be translated into:
“Results not typical, each story is unique” = Your results won’t be profitable, without some Hard Work”
As with any business and any search for something that is of value, finding it should be hard work and take effort, making the receipt of said object all the more meaningful in the end. Following are some tips on what to look for and what NOT to look for in a reputable wholesaler. But not to fret, this is a very important subject and we will be back soon to cover wholesalers and how to find the right one SOON.
Author Bio:
Amy Pedersen has worked in the Ergonomics and Office Furniture industry for over 10 years and is owner of Sit On This Ergonomics, an eBay Gold Level Powerseller Store, operating a number of ergonomic websites dedicated to Office Chairs and the practice of good Workplace Ergonomics.
Selling on eBay for the past 7 years and in the industry for more than 10 years, Amy is considered an expert in all things eBay and offers her services to people looking to sell on eBay on an ongoing basis. Accepting jobs, she specializes in eBay Store Website Design and eBay Logo Design for eBay Store Owners as well as classes, lectures, blogs and private tutoring sessions with clients on all aspects of selling and owning an eBay business. Please contact her for more information if interested:
acp@sitonthisergo.com
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