Logistics solution needed - The opposite of dropshipping

by sehej
3 replies
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I have a brick and mortar store in India. My products are handicrafts and home decor items.
I wish to open an ecommerce store targeting the USA customers since most of my consumers here are tourists visiting from abroad.

I cannot use fulfilment since I cannot ship my entirw inventory to a warehouse in the US. Shipping each item individually is taking a huge chunk of my margins. Plus it forces me to sell products that are priced at least $150 or more. It takes $40 minimum just to ship an item weighing 3 pounds.

Can there be a solution that enables me to ship all my items sold in two weeks/month collectively and a logistics company based out of USA handles the domestic shipping thereafter? Something like fulfilment, only I will not store my products there but send them every two/three weeks.

The only flipside I see here is the total delivery time which will probably take a month. But it will be much more cost effective.

Can someone please let me know if there are companies that do this?
#dropship #dropshipping #logistics #needed #opposite #solution
  • Profile picture of the author wmrwl
    So are you saying you don't want to use a fulfillment center, but you would want someone to act as a receiving and shipping facility?

    Do these orders require sorting and re-boxing? If so then unfortunately you may need to use a fulfillment center or try to partner with someone from the US who has an address and is willing to perform this for a fee.

    If you simply need to put a new label on an existing package and ship it to a different address then I would recommend calling a few UPS Stores. They used to be called "mailboxes etc". The way it works is that you rent a mail box and they accept packages on your behalf.

    Normally, they require you to pick up the packages yourself, but each store is an independently owned franchise. If I were you, I would call a few dozen of these UPS Stores and find an owner who would be willing to work out such an arrangement. They make money off your monthly mailbox fee and also on shipping packages so I would imagine that you might be able to find an owner or two who would be willing to do this.

    I've never done anything like this myself, but it's just an idea I thought of for your situation.
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    • Profile picture of the author Linnworks
      Originally Posted by wmrwl View Post

      So are you saying you don't want to use a fulfillment center, but you would want someone to act as a receiving and shipping facility?

      Do these orders require sorting and re-boxing? If so then unfortunately you may need to use a fulfillment center or try to partner with someone from the US who has an address and is willing to perform this for a fee.

      If you simply need to put a new label on an existing package and ship it to a different address then I would recommend calling a few UPS Stores. They used to be called "mailboxes etc". The way it works is that you rent a mail box and they accept packages on your behalf.

      Normally, they require you to pick up the packages yourself, but each store is an independently owned franchise. If I were you, I would call a few dozen of these UPS Stores and find an owner who would be willing to work out such an arrangement. They make money off your monthly mailbox fee and also on shipping packages so I would imagine that you might be able to find an owner or two who would be willing to do this.

      I've never done anything like this myself, but it's just an idea I thought of for your situation.
      Really great work around!

      Personally I think fulfillment would be the best solution in the long run but perhaps it is worth looking for an agent who can ship the items from their own address, possibly a site like freelancer may have such an agent on it.

      But I think "wmrwl" has got the best work around for you.

      All the best,

      Charlie McBroom
      Ecommerce Specialist
      Linnworks
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  • Profile picture of the author jumbo1
    Originally Posted by sehej View Post

    I have a brick and mortar store in India. My products are handicrafts and home decor items.
    I wish to open an ecommerce store targeting the USA customers since most of my consumers here are tourists visiting from abroad.

    I cannot use fulfilment since I cannot ship my entirw inventory to a warehouse in the US. Shipping each item individually is taking a huge chunk of my margins. Plus it forces me to sell products that are priced at least $150 or more. It takes $40 minimum just to ship an item weighing 3 pounds.

    Can there be a solution that enables me to ship all my items sold in two weeks/month collectively and a logistics company based out of USA handles the domestic shipping thereafter? Something like fulfilment, only I will not store my products there but send them every two/three weeks.

    The only flipside I see here is the total delivery time which will probably take a month. But it will be much more cost effective.

    Can someone please let me know if there are companies that do this?
    You'll have to see with a local logistics company if they can provide you with such a service.

    If you're really getting lots of orders from the US, my advice is ship some inventory to a US fulfillment center. That will save money compared to individual shipping, but you will have to pay custom fees.
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