Dropshipping Business Model. What Do You Think?

13 years ago

I've been very successful with dropshipping. The biggest challenge is finding reliable partners who won't make you look bad after all your hard work. Just get in and keep trying until you find the right people to work with and life will be a dream.

Thanks
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Mr.S 13 years ago

Would you be willing to share which niche would work the best and what did you mean by success, on avarage monthly per site.
Thank you for your input
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WillR

13 years ago

This is one of the most popular drop shipping websites where you can find a whole range of products to drop ship to your customers:

Doba - Wholesale Drop Shipping for Retailers

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jiantastic

13 years ago

Originally Posted by WillR

This is one of the most popular drop shipping websites where you can find a whole range of products to drop ship to your customers:

Doba - Wholesale Drop Shipping for Retailers

Worldwide brands is good but they have crappy dropshippers, meaning the dropshippers/wholesalers I dealt with for years aren't even on there so it gives me the impression that they go to these crappy dropship companies and sign them up for free exposure, which also means that these dropship companies have such poor service performance that they need to advertise widely to get business.

bigger and more reliable dropship companies hardly advertise (unless in trade shows - I know because I've been dealing with physical products since 2006.)

let me give you warning on Doba. Use their service to locate the dropshipper's names and contact them directly only. Doba tries to hide their info and hides it well, but if you find them direct you're on the silver lining. Doba marks up all its products and has been a terrible experience for me. Used them for 2 months and lost over $9,000. they lost a few items during shipment, yet still charged my card stating they did their part in shipping. No customer service control at all, but then again they don't care if you make money or not. Much like most people on WF who release WSOs and not give you the customer support you need afterwards.

hope this helps

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reapr 13 years ago

You only can wonder how good a dropshipper is if all they offer is COD or essentially CC when one has good business credit or established trade references. I am always asking what terms are offered for new accounts if I can provide good trade references. If they don't even offer them upon trade reference checks it is likely a red flag to look elseswhere because you may be dealing with more of a middleman instead of a true wholesaler/dropshipper. Don't get me wron one may have to use a CC before establishing terms but is one i doing any amount of decent volume for a company and after a few months can not get terms at 500-1000 minimum it may be time to look elsewhere.
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- reapr 13 years ago
  
  Some great dropshippers/wholesalers that offer dropship programs can be found on thomasnet but you will spend some serious time to dig them up.
  
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Paul Fernandez

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Mr.S

Hello to all of you

I would like input of all of you but the most from warriors that have had experience with this type of business model (dropshipping)
1. I would like to know if anyone of you had some experience with dropshiping business model and how far did you go, results?
2. Is it worth and what markets would recommend to stay away from and why?
3.What are the biggest challenges you have faced?
4. Would you recommend starting that type of business ?
5. Any words of wisdom would be appreciated.

Thank you all for your input

Hey Mr. S

Your question is pretty broad and way too much to cover in a single post but I'll try and give you as much info as possible.

I'm going to assume you're talking about a small one or two man operation.

1) I've been involved in ecommerce and dropshipping for over ten years and I've experienced a lot of ups and downs......but mostly ups.

2) It can be worth it but you have to pick a niche you're interested in and willing to put in the work on. Again, I'm assuming this is a small operation. When starting out keep the number of products for a single site/niche to about 5 or less....preferably 1-2. And don't offer a product with a profit margin of less than $25 dollars at the lowest! $25 is bottom line after all fees.

3) Biggest challenge is dealing with dropshippers that DON'T SHIP. I know, sounds crazy but you have to talk with multiple suppliers and check their backgrounds. The worst thing is taking and forwarding orders to a company that "forgot" to tell you they were out of stock or back-ordered!!

4) Yes if you start small with 1 or 2 products that have a good profit margin from a reputable company. DO NOT DO A GOOGLE SEARCH FOR "DROPSHIPPER" AND PICK ONE OF THOSE COMPANIES!!!"

5) Buy the "Niche Blueprint" course by Tim Godfrey and Steve Clayton, if it's still available. I bought it in 2008, even though I had a lot of experience, but it offered a lot of great information! I think they've come out with new versions every year but this course will give you a great jump start.

Hope this helps.

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theultimate1

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Paul Fernandez

4) Yes if you start small with 1 or 2 products that have a good profit margin from a reputable company. DO NOT DO A GOOGLE SEARCH FOR "DROPSHIPPER" AND PICK ONE OF THOSE COMPANIES!!!"

Hi Paul, where do you suggest we find good dropshippers then? Thanks

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amanita 13 years ago

Hi Guys,

I have read Sam England latest course in dropshipping "E-Commerce Goldmine" I think, and found a lot of resources in it.

Also, I found subscribing to Salehoo useful as they do test all of their wholesaler/dropshipper listed in their directory.

Also they offer a forum and people can leave their testimonial about dropshipping and wholesale companies.

I have learned a lot from those resources and am getting a better definition of my business to be.

As with any venture, research (prior to launching anything) is crucial, but it can be achieved quite easily in my opinion.

I look forward to the interesting replies and advices in this thread.
Have a great day,
M.
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Paul Fernandez

13 years ago

Originally Posted by theultimate1

Hi Paul, where do you suggest we find good dropshippers then? Thanks

I recommend going direct. If you stick to 1-5 products per niche/site, then search for manufacturers of those specific products. Often times the manufacturers will only sell direct to distributors, and in that case you simply ask for a list of their top distributors.

If you're trying to be successful as a small operation it's so much easier if you are extremely niche, or even sub-niche specific.

The best advice I can give is to research and find niche specific keywords that you can get ranked for first. For instance, if you were thinking of selling "Cat Kung Fu Gloves", make sure that there are a good number of searches, at the very least 100-300, for that keyword everyday. Then make sure the competition is low enough that you can get on the first page of Google with some moderate SEO work.

After that, then you want to find your manufacturers/distributors.

Salehoo was mentioned in a post above, this is a good resource also.

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theultimate1

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Paul Fernandez

I recommend going direct. If you stick to 1-5 products per niche/site, then search for manufacturers of those specific products. Often times the manufacturers will only sell direct to distributors, and in that case you simply ask for a list of their top distributors.

If you're trying to be successful as a small operation it's so much easier if you are extremely niche, or even sub-niche specific.

The best advice I can give is to research and find niche specific keywords that you can get ranked for first. For instance, if you were thinking of selling "Cat Kung Fu Gloves", make sure that there are a good number of searches, at the very least 100-300, for that keyword everyday. Then make sure the competition is low enough that you can get on the first page of Google with some moderate SEO work.

After that, then you want to find your manufacturers/distributors.

Salehoo was mentioned in a post above, this is a good resource also.

Thanks a BIG BIG ton, Paul. Much appreciated

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misterkailo

13 years ago

I gave up on dropshipping after dealing with one company that sent defective units and LATE most of the time. I had no control over that!

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amanita 13 years ago

Originally Posted by misterkailo

I gave up on dropshipping after dealing with one company that sent defective units and LATE most of the time. I had no control over that!

Hi
Can you tell who they are ? This could save us time...
Thanks for sharing your experience.
If you prefer, you can pm me.
Have a great day,
M.
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- Gust 13 years ago
  
  I'd also like to hear the good and bad dropshippers. I found a couple that were advertised pretty heavily a year or so ago but got terrible reviews when I dug further. Never committed on this revenue stream.
  
  Thanks
  
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iTechSolutions

13 years ago

I'll recommend http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...n-you-see.html

I am also a member of Worldwide Brands - Drop Ship Directory, Wholesale Drop Shipping for Retailers, Drop Ship Products and its worth $299. You may google for some discount code

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seokohli

13 years ago

A trustworthy business!

Thanks
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Richard Van 13 years ago

I believe Sam England (A Warrior) does a pretty exeptional course on drop shipping.

Probably well worth a search and I think the price is very reasonable too.
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William King

13 years ago

If you have the marketing skills than you should must give it a try the only risks involved is associated with manufacturer or wholesaler who will supply the goods to your customer. BTW... I am working for a wholesale portal in which you can find dropshippers list. Click on my signature link to visit the portal. Let me know if you face any difficulties or having some problem.

Thanks

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Rob Marr

13 years ago

5. All you need is a reliable, trustworthy dropshipper and that doesn't run out of stock.
You can also check out dropshippernetwork.com as they can pretty much start you straight away. They provide you the website with preloaded content etc etc. But the only thing you have to consider is you have to see your solicitor or lawyer to create a solid terms and conditions and you also need to check any other requirements when selling electronic goods. Because some countries you need to have most electronic goods compliant and it's authorized to be sold within that country.

I forgot to tell you....Make sure create a blog site that is targeted to a specific keyword.

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blueseagullmarketing

13 years ago

Dropshipping has been very good to me. What I have found is that you must put in the customer service into the business. If customers are burned by distributors that messed up on a order, it makes your overall business look bad. Therefore, FIND GOOD SUPPLIERS. I can't emphasize that enough. Suppliers could either grow your business or bankrupt your business.

Also, I think that some people don't realize that uniqueness is what really sets a dropshipping business apart from the competition. It is true...there is a ton of competition in the market and if you don't have the advantage that sets you apart, it is pretty much survival of the fittest. Before you even go into dropshipping, brainstorm what you can do to make what you are selling better or different ways you can market the product (Maybe offer a bonus that your competition can't offer...just a hint (; .

Another tip: Don't use droppshipping for your entire business. Mix it up and have some direct suppliers. You want to eventually be the business where you don't have to go through a middle man and you can achieve more profits.

Hope that helps!

Thanks
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Importexport

11 years ago

Originally Posted by blueseagullmarketing

Dropshipping has been very good to me. What I have found is that you must put in the customer service into the business. If customers are burned by distributors that messed up on a order, it makes your overall business look bad. Therefore, FIND GOOD SUPPLIERS. I can't emphasize that enough. Suppliers could either grow your business or bankrupt your business.

Also, I think that some people don't realize that uniqueness is what really sets a dropshipping business apart from the competition. It is true...there is a ton of competition in the market and if you don't have the advantage that sets you apart, it is pretty much survival of the fittest. Before you even go into dropshipping, brainstorm what you can do to make what you are selling better or different ways you can market the product (Maybe offer a bonus that your competition can't offer...just a hint (; .

Another tip: Don't use droppshipping for your entire business. Mix it up and have some direct suppliers. You want to eventually be the business where you don't have to go through a middle man and you can achieve more profits.

Hope that helps!

Hi Mr.S,

As blueseagullmarketing wrote: "Suppliers could either grow your business or bankrupt your business.", so why not take control right from the start?

He also wrote: "You want to eventually be the business where you don't have to go through a middle man and you can achieve more profits." There is no need to wait until "eventually" happens. You can do it right from the start and "more" profits is a great understatement. Until you get quotes from genuine manufacturers you cannot imagine how low you can buy.

People take up the dropshipping model for many reasons, but probably the most common reason is the idea that you need a lot of cash to start selling physical products. jiantastic wrote ( see post #21) that he lost $9,000 in 2 months dropshipping. For a small part of that you could be making very good money.

I know from dealings with many former dropship resellers that the most common misunderstanding is the myth that to buy direct from the manufacturer you must buy large quantities.

It just ain't so. I suppose you could call me an online myth buster. I have proven it for 22 years while running my importing business that I franchised in 4 countries, and now in my retirement I have taught hundreds of people how to safely source products from real manufacturers and negotiate very small orders regardless of the big Minimum Order Quantities (MOQs) they quote.

Those big MOQs are there to deter small operators just starting up, but I teach how to get around that.

Sure you have to carry a small inventory, but the profit margins will blow you away.

Another big myth is that importing is incredibly complicated. Baloney! I also teach that it can be dead easy if you know how, and you can do it without learning all the complicated rules and regulations.

If you decide to investigate direct importing, you need to know that very few of the "manufacturers" listed on the popular B2B sourcing platforms really are manufacturers. Most are wholesalers or resellers and there goes a lot of your profit straight away.

Forget about wholesale, that's for people who are happy to work for low profit margins. You must buy direct from the manufacturer to get maximum profits.

.

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UberAlec 11 years ago

ImportExport so you're saying it's good right away to start buying products and holding stock? Interested in how you did that, PM if possible. Thanks
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- Importexport 11 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by UberAlec
  
  ImportExport so you're saying it's good right away to start buying products and holding stock? Interested in how you did that, PM if possible. Thanks
  
  Hi UberAlec,
  
  I have sent you a PM, but because your question may interest others, here is some detail to suit those with a more general interest:
  
  It makes little difference how you intend selling whether eBay, Amazon, your own eCommerce site, a bricks and mortar store, flea markets, B2B, shopping mall stalls etc. Your first concern should be that you must be able to sell the product and it must be profitable.
  
  I suggest you look at posts by Auctiondebteliminator on that subject first.
  
  Once you have chosen a product your next priority is to be sure that you can buy it at a price that will guarantee you a very high profit margin. This is not a matter of greed, it is a business essential that so many people forget.
  
  Things will go wrong. Some products will become out of fashion or obsolete before you have sold them all. Your marketing costs may rise unexpectedly. Postage charges may go up earlier than you expected. A competitor may choose to buy their way into your market by ridiculous discounting.
  
  If you are only working on the pathetically low margins accepted by people who mistakenly think dropshipping is the only business model they can afford, you won't have any wriggle room.
  
  If you have bought direct from the manufacturer, your margins will allow you to cope with such problems, even if you have to liquidate stock at a huge discount. Perhaps the buying and selling experience posted recently on the forum by a warrior will illustrate the point:
  
  He/she bought a product in China for $1, and after spending another $1 on packaging sold that product for $25 each. Plenty of room to move there!
  
  Most have been indoctrinated by countless posts containing myths about direct importing, and they believe that you must buy huge quantities if you want to buy direct from the overseas manufacturer, and that importing is complicated.
  
  BALONEY! While running my importing business (22 years) I franchised the business in 4 countries and none of my franchisees had to learn all the importing rules and regulations. Orders placed ranged from $100 to $50,000 and most were around $500.
  
  So in direct answer to your question: Provided you have done all your market research, know that you can sell the product and for how much, as well as knowing all your selling costs, yes, why not start in the most profitable way? Why should you start off by dropshipping at low profit margins that can eat up your capital, and your time, as well as your energy and enthusiasm?
  
  Stock levels do not have to be massive, and if storage is a problem, try a fulfillment service, not necessarily Amazon. If you are in control of your stock and you run low, you can take the product off the market until fresh stock arrives. Or you could use my "Just in time" ordering system which is designed to keep up a steady supply of stock. Costs more in freight, but minimizes risks and the high margins allow you to handle that extra freight cost.
  .
  
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Mr.S

13 years ago

I appreciate everyones input. If anyone else has an experience please post here as I have few more questions that only experienced dropshipper will know the answer.
Thank you

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reapr

13 years ago

My experience with true drop-shippers. They are often hard to find online or even in the top drop ship directories.
They often require a TIN and in many cases a state resale certificate. The best are often found by networking with other entrepreneurs.
A drop shipper with a great credit limit and that gives you the best rates and best terms like net 20 or net 30 will want some good trade references.
A good dropshipper will allow one to still buy for about 10-15% under big box str0res and still have some wiggle room for profit.

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Steve Faber

13 years ago

Find dropshippers that are also used as distributors by larger, off-line businesses as well. They wouldn't be used by them if they didn't perform. That's what I did when I had my online sporting goods store. The distributors I used were very reputable businesses, and had been in the distribution business since long before the Internet popped up.

If you're going into get into this sort of business, make sure that you choose product categories that don't change rapidly and don't have a high failure rate. An example of a business not to get into would be consumer electronics. You can do well as an affiliate in this, but it takes a lot of infrastructure to pull it off when you're fulfilling (or having a fulfillment center do it for you) your orders.

Why?

One evil word; returns. In the digital world, you simply chalk up a return as a lost sale, but don't really have to do much else. In consumer electronics, people return products for a myriad of reasons.

For example: It was defective, they thought it was defective, the couldn't figure out how to use it, they got a better price on it somewhere else, it wouldn't work with the rest of their system.

You then have to issue them a R/A number and get the product back, check it for damages, and return it to your vendor. I was a sales rep for a large electronics distributor. The return nightmare was what caused me to avoid this niche when I went on-line.

I choose sporting goods because the products are typically not doa, they don't need firmware updates, and they are typically fairly easy to use.

That being said, no matter how careful you are, there will still be some return and customer service issues. I now have a very nice rifle scope, because the customer swore I sent him the wrong one, even though his order form had the scope he received clearly marked. You just have to eat stuff like this sometimes in the name of good customer service, plus I kind of wanted that scope anyway.

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Mr.S

13 years ago

Thank you all for some great information. I will stay away from electronics thanks for the warning.

Thanks

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NicolaTewhare

13 years ago

www.salehoo.com offer a paid membership where you can get about 8,000 verified dropshippers and wholesalers. They provide reviews from people who use them so you always know if you can trust them or not and if they find a dropshipper unworthy of the directory because of poor customer service they drop them. One off payment though.

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ayma

13 years ago

Most wholesale companies would allow you to collect items. I am not sure where you are from, but in UK you can get the Courier to collect items on behalf of yourself from any location - so if for instance, you had a wholeseller that allows collection and you could just send the courier in, collect the good(s) and off they go to the customer.

But bear in mind, in that case, you will not see what's been given to the Courier and will have less control on it.

If you sell a lot, then you can always get your supplier to drop the goods to you free of charge (one of my businesses sell furniture and we have a minimum order of £1000 for delivery).

As someone pointed out, it obviously depends on the items that you are going to offer and there are risks involved when you do not have any control over the whole process.

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Yogini 13 years ago

I did well with a dropshipper a few years ago but now there is a lot of competition in both adwords, ebay as well as organic traffic. I think it's useful to research that if you are planning on using search engines or auctions for your traffic. Also, find out about how the company deals with returns and when customer says item was never received. There are some features that make it similar to affiliate marketing.

Debbie
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tyang

13 years ago

There is still money to be made in dropshipping, I'm looking to get into this area one day as well.

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remodeler

13 years ago

Has anyone had any experience with Worldwide Brands that they can share?

Thanks
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Importexport 11 years ago

Originally Posted by remodeler

Has anyone had any experience with Worldwide Brands that they can share?

See

Is WorldWide Brands worth the $299 membership fee?

for the answer.
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Michael Truong

13 years ago

The dropshipping business model is still very lucrative.

It all comes down to niches and how you market your services. I run a few dropshipping sites and have found some very reliable suppliers.

My biggest tip for everyone interested in going this route is to put big emphasis on building and developing a good brand. It's one of the best ways to gather repeat business as well and also helps with word-of-mouth advertising.

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dropshipurns

11 years ago

For more information on Dropship business visit us. We are providing the services of Dropship For Cremation Urns.

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jbthemummy

11 years ago

1. I would like to know if anyone of you had some experience with dropshiping business model and how far did you go, results?

Ended up grossing $1000+ on eBay (Became a Powerseller selling a wine making kit)
Made just over $500 in launching a site selling health powders.
Worked for a top 200 internet retailer that dropshipped 100% of their inventory.

2. Is it worth and what markets would recommend to stay away from and why?
Not sure about the markets but don't just try to sell on eBay. People want everything for cheap there and too much competitions.

3.What are the biggest challenges you have faced?
Just annoying competitors on eBay but running your own eCom site is pretty sweet. Just the initial legwork.

4. Would you recommend starting that type of business ?
YES!

5. Any words of wisdom would be appreciated.
Take action. Just do it. Enjoy the journey.

Thanks

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visimedia

11 years ago

dropshipping is a very good business system, the main reason still is to market the products. Just make sure you and your suppliers have good commitment not to leak the information of your suppliers, so the customers will still know you are the only party they will contact to when they need another products.

Overall, the problem is still in the marketing part.. if you can do the marketing part, you will have more bargaining power and maybe you can negotiate for more commission or something

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gknugurlu

11 years ago

This type of business is a very good way to build up your online business. I had this idea before 2 years to start a dropshipping online business. But I still couldn't. Because the fee charged was to high for me as a new online entrepreneur. I would start with gogo dropship and now discovered here doba which is another very good opportunity but I couldn't see the prices. But now I'm experienced online marketer in these 2 years.

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alksense

11 years ago

Originally Posted by gknugurlu

This type of business is a very good way to build up your online business. I had this idea before 2 years to start a dropshipping online business. But I still couldn't. Because the fee charged was to high for me as a new online entrepreneur. I would start with gogo dropship and now discovered here doba which is another very good opportunity but I couldn't see the prices. But now I'm experienced online marketer in these 2 years.

The problem with those "middle man" membership sites like GoGo and Doba is that by the time you get your "wholesale price" there is almost no room left for profit.

IMO the only way drop shipping works is if you go straight to the source and sell for brands that enforce MAP polices.

Good Luck!
Anton

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amcg

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Mr.S

Hello to all of you

I would like input of all of you but the most from warriors that have had experience with this type of business model (dropshipping)
1. I would like to know if anyone of you had some experience with dropshiping business model and how far did you go, results?
2. Is it worth and what markets would recommend to stay away from and why?
3.What are the biggest challenges you have faced?
4. Would you recommend starting that type of business ?
5. Any words of wisdom would be appreciated.

Thank you all for your input

I started a mobile phone retail business using the dropship model before closing after 6 months. It's very difficult managing a supply chain - whatever the type. Dropship however is even more difficult than your usual supply method - you have to manage it very carefully. My products were shipped from China direct to the consumer and on the whole it worked well. However, you need think hard about lots of warehouse related functions like returns even though you're not operating a warehouse!

I think most (or nearly all) retailers today operate some sort of dropshipping business - however it will only be a small portion of the business. I don't think I could recommend running a 100% dropshipping company - though some do exist.

One piece of advice as mentioned above already - choose your supplier carefully. Ideally, have more than one also.

Thanks

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jbthemummy

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Mr.S

Hello to all of you

I would like input of all of you but the most from warriors that have had experience with this type of business model (dropshipping)
1. I would like to know if anyone of you had some experience with dropshiping business model and how far did you go, results?
2. Is it worth and what markets would recommend to stay away from and why?
3.What are the biggest challenges you have faced?
4. Would you recommend starting that type of business ?
5. Any words of wisdom would be appreciated.

Thank you all for your input

1. Yes. My first product that I sold EVER was a drop shipped As Seen On TV Drill Set. I made a decent profit as well and was super excited. I then became an eBay Powerseller drop shipping a wine making kit. Most recently I made over $500 bucks selling a health powder in just 41 days of launching a site from scratch.

2. Yes it's worth it. Get into markets with less competition, better profit margins and sell something on that a customer needs on a regular basis.

4. HELL YES!

5. Get a tax id or business license to access real dropshippers and must come up with a backend strategy (What can you sell to your customer after their initial purchase).

AND GO FOR IT!

Thanks

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m5smiley

11 years ago

I think dropshipping is still pretty solid. Years ago it was easy to make money this way on ebay. Personally, I found over time that all of us on ebay were selling the same products and it became saturated there. Now I think it works better if you create your own online store. This takes more work as far as marketing but I think it's worth it.

Thanks
1 reply

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Importexport

11 years ago

Originally Posted by m5smiley

I think dropshipping is still pretty solid. Years ago it was easy to make money this way on ebay. Personally, I found over time that all of us on ebay were selling the same products and it became saturated there. Now I think it works better if you create your own online store. This takes more work as far as marketing but I think it's worth it.

This problem is not going to go away. It is a simple matter to locate unique products by going direct to the manufacturers in China, and buying a small inventory.

That not only gives you control that you lose when you dropship, but also you can sell something that doesn't have hundreds of listings on eBay where everyone is price cutting.

The other big advantage is the massive profit margins you can get by buying direct.

Thanks
1 reply

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Use emotions and perceptions to build a great brand. Ask me about my book LabelsThatExploit. For safe sourcing and easy importing from 41 countries globally, see https://provenglobalsourcing.com

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Rayster32688

11 years ago

Originally Posted by misterkailo

I gave up on dropshipping after dealing with one company that sent defective units and LATE most of the time. I had no control over that!

Originally Posted by iTechSolutions

I'll recommend http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...n-you-see.html

I am also a member of Worldwide Brands - Drop Ship Directory, Wholesale Drop Shipping for Retailers, Drop Ship Products and its worth $299. You may google for some discount code

Originally Posted by Richard Van

I believe Sam England (A Warrior) does a pretty exeptional course on drop shipping.

Probably well worth a search and I think the price is very reasonable too.

Originally Posted by William King

If you have the marketing skills than you should must give it a try the only risks involved is associated with manufacturer or wholesaler who will supply the goods to your customer. BTW... I am working for a wholesale portal in which you can find dropshippers list. Click on my signature link to visit the portal. Let me know if you face any difficulties or having some problem.

Dropshipping can be a strong way to run a business if you know what i mean.

Thanks

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irma zuhro

11 years ago

I was just trying to sell women's products, such as jewelry, beads, some electronic goods and other needs of women. I have a place to stay that is close to the pearl farmer and it was my opportunity to market it.
obstacles that I face --- not yet have a stable market / find a supplier that still so I have often market themselves (online / offline)

Thanks

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Vahalla

11 years ago

Dropshipping can definitely be a lucrative way to make money but you need to keep a few of these tips in mind.

1.Always buy and test the products before offering to customers.
2.If it is to good to be true (iPhone $200) then it is and is either
a fake or a flat out scam.
3.Get your shipping times down to a science since they means a lot.

With some market research and testing you can turn this into profit.

Thanks
1 reply

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Importexport 11 years ago

This subject was dealt with in a thread that has only 16 posts. I suggest it is worth reading through it.

Here is the link: Pros and Cons of Dropship Retail E-commerce Business

.
- Thanks
- 1 reply
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Use emotions and perceptions to build a great brand. Ask me about my book LabelsThatExploit. For safe sourcing and easy importing from 41 countries globally, see https://provenglobalsourcing.com
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- business5631 11 years ago
  
  Hi Guys,
  
  I'll keep this short, but was hoping for some insight and possible partners.
  
  We are testing eCommerce platform in which we can generate an eCom site (replete with cart, backend dashboard, etc...), integrate an entire inventory of products, and create a unique page for each product (paramount for search engine ranking).
  
  We've had great success with one individual drop shipping car tire rims.
  
  We can thrive with companies/individuals selling very unique/niche products in which consumers search brand/type/name more so than generically.
  
  Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, and if you'd like to talk in more detail about possible collaborating in some manner, we're game
  
  Hope to hear from ya!
  
  - Justin
  
  Thanks
  
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stevebent

11 years ago

I've gotten really good prices from china, but shipping is the bigger issue. I'm thinking maybe its better to start drop shipping with doba and then go the china route later.

Thanks
2 replies

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Because it's not always what you say, as to how you're saying it

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Importexport

11 years ago

Originally Posted by stevebent

I've gotten really good prices from china, but shipping is the bigger issue. I'm thinking maybe its better to start drop shipping with doba and then go the china route later.

It's of no direct interest to me because I don't dropship, but I try to help warriors avoid making big mistakes.

Before using any supplier particularly wholesale or dropshipping supplier sites, at least do a simple check. If the business is in the US, do a check on BBB. It costs nothing and may give you peace of mind or it may send you running away from that supplier.

One excellent place to find out if the site you are thinking of sourcing through is good, bad, or ugly is Ripoff Report | Scams, reviews, complaints, lawsuits and frauds. File a report, post your review. Consumers educating consumers. You will find that Doba scores a huge number of reports there.

Thanks

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Use emotions and perceptions to build a great brand. Ask me about my book LabelsThatExploit. For safe sourcing and easy importing from 41 countries globally, see https://provenglobalsourcing.com

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alksense

11 years ago

Originally Posted by stevebent

I've gotten really good prices from china, but shipping is the bigger issue. I'm thinking maybe its better to start drop shipping with doba and then go the china route later.

I know A LOT of people who make great money via drop shipping and NONE of them use DOBA.

My advice would be go straight to the manufacturers (brands) and establish drop ship accounts directly with them.

This removes the middleman from the equation and leaves you with profit.

Hope that helps!
Anton

Thanks

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DropShipLifestyle.com -> drop shipping course & online community
w/ $70k in 3 month eCommerce Case Study!

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ghosttent

11 years ago

Will you consider some Made in China products? If yes I can reccomend some sources from China.

Thanks

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surepost

11 years ago

Content is the biggest challenge IMO. Particularly if you have a large catalog.

If they supply content, it isn't unique. And on top of that, I've found that almost always it will be poorly written and contain a lot of stuff you wouldn't want to have on your product pages.

If they don't supply content, you better be ready to write (or have someone write for you, which is a challenge itself). I'd say having a quality ecomm site with a large catalog depends almost entirely on your plan for product content.

Thanks

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