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Selling physical products via web (dropshipping)

by Tess D
6 replies
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I have been in IM, online and offline, for over 10 years now. Sometimes I have been very successful, others I have not.

The most successful I have been in creating a "steady reliable income without having to constantly adapt to new rules" was selling physical products - I created 1 product (design templates for screen printers), the other was a dropship situation (screen printing supplies and equipment).

I am curious if there are any IMs here in this forum who are selling physical products online now, what you sell, and how you are doing in this recession?
#dropshipping #physical #products #selling #web
  • Profile picture of the author Big Al
    Check out Mark Wallace. He's a dropshipper and coaches it too. I think he has a WSO with basic details on what he does (and the types of niches he is in).
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  • Profile picture of the author theory expert
    Banned
    There is no recession for those who understand market trends.

    They (marketers)just sell and promote products based on what is currently relevant. i.e. doomsday post apocalyptic equipment.

    You can make money in any economy if you can figure out what people want and figure out a way to give it to them .
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve Faber
    I got started in IM by building a good sized Yahoo store and drop shipping. I could have really been successful if I used what I know now. This was back in 2004-5, though.

    1) Have a good customer service team in place when your sales ramp up, or you'll be spending plenty of time on the phone, instead of marketing your site. If you can outsource this effectively and efficiently, do it.

    2) Sell items wth minimal defective rates sand no required set up, or your returns will eat your profits, and leave you with a warehouse full of crap you don;t want and can't sell. Sure, you can return these to the vendor, but that costs you time and money.

    3) Be very clear abou what they are buying, or see #2 above. I had very detailed descriptions with modfel numbers, yet still I would have returns because people were claiming they ordered a different product. That all erodes your profits.
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    • Profile picture of the author bkat52
      Despite the so called down economy I really haven't noticed a change in sales. All of my the physical products are dropshipped. I've found a few of the biggest factors are making sure what you sell is not easily breakable so you don't have many returns to deal with, having high margins, and selecting products that aren't readily available at brick and mortar stores.

      EBay has been a good medium for me.
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  • Profile picture of the author funkynassau
    We sell automotive touchup paint kits online, been doing it for nearly 3 yrs. It gets better each year and we are trying to think of different ways to market our product and expand on a good idea.

    Hubby's day job is servicing car dealers who want their vehicles touched up in order to sell them for more money. He's been doing this since 1995 and it's been very successful. He's not part of a franchise, it's our own biz. The online biz is an extension of it.
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    ChipFixx custom mixed auto touchup paint kits.
    http://www.chipfixx.ca

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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    If you look into the "offline marketing" section of this forum and ask this question, you will get alot of good answers too.

    Depending on the dropshipper, their fees can get hefty when it comes to shipping it out. The last 2 dropshippers i've dealt with are MegaGoods, and Doba. None allowed me to really make alot of money - because the product of their goods was priced HIGHER than Walmart prices! And add on the shipping fees, and it's a futile business.
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