drop shipping biz - good or bad?

tnhighc

My husband has health problems and we really need some extra income in a business that could eventually become full time.  I know so many of the drop ship business plans advertised are a rip off.  But, is there a plan that is for real and that works?If not, how do I find a source for products that I could sell myself that I can afford to use?Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
tnhighc2007-4-27 11:32:28

cutts

Hi,
It sounds to me like you are looking to become a manufacturers rep in some form - is this correct? There are sites like replocate.com which advertise businesses looking for agents or distributors. However, like any business you need to do your due diligence and become satisfied that it is for real and that you can actually distribute the product.
JEKM also offers product distribution opportunities. JEKM imports a range of quality Australian merchandise which may be of interest to you plus advertises Australian companies looking for local reps. Check out www.jekmagents.com/agent.htm</A>.
Good luck with your search
SC

smurph05

Try Doba.com  I have never tried them myself but I have read about them in magazines and I know that they are endorsed by Ebay.

turkish

I would say find a product or products that you are intersted in selling and go from there. There is nothing like actually doing the leg work yourself, it`s cheap ($0 cost), time consuming, and yet it can save time as well... What are you thinking or wanting to sell online?

tnhighc

I have heard good and bad about Doba.  Anyone out there have personal experience?

tnhighc

anybody besides a Doba employee? 

LizardWisdom

We are eBay PowerSellers and we had an account with Doba. We never actually used them because their prices were way too high. There was no way you could use them as a drop shipper and make any money!
If you want an excellent source for drop shippers, check out WorldWide Brands. They are an eBay Certified Solutions Provider, and they pre-qualify thousands of vendors who will work with you, the home-based business.

utropicmedia

globalsourcedirect.com is a good wholesaler, but they are not a drop shipper.. you would have to make the upfront commitment to buy a quantity of product and then sell each item.  Best to see if any items interest you.  If you find some, go on ebay and check completed listings / current listings to see if you can actually make a profit.. 
Don`t forget to inlcude listing fees / shipping supplies / shipping fees into your research!  There`s more to it than just the prices shown.

consueent

I agree that world wide brands is the way to go.  They have a directory of prescreened, real wholesalers who will drop ship for you.  It costs a couple hundred dollars to sign up with them, but the best money I ever spent!

patron

Worldwide brands is a good source for drop shipping, but I found that the best way to find drop shippers is to do the research yourself. The problem with sites like World Wide brands is that everyone has accesses to the same products. Also you are going to find a lot of junk. So lets say you want to sell blinds, search google for blinds. Find the manufacture of a type of blinds, and find contact information. Call them up, try to sound as professional as you can, and let them know you interested in selling their product. Then ask if they are willing to drop ship. Call everyone, and maybe you might get lucky. 

LizardWisdom

Yes, we agree that finding wholesalers on your own is a good practice. However, what we have found is that many, many companies will not deal with you if you are an online only operation. There seems to be a certain stigma about selling online only.
The nice thing about WorldWide Brands is that 99% of the companies in their directory agree to sell to the online/eBay only seller. So you have a bunch of pre-screened companies there you can deal with without being rejected.
Yes, everyone who has a WorldWide Brands subscription has the same access to these companies, but this  is a much smaller number of people than those that have access to Google.
And there are many, many, many companies listed in WorldWide Brands directory that you won`t have a problem finding a niche that you can do well in.

DefMall

We gladly drop ship for our web vendors.  (ww.NPSG.com)
The problem with most wholesale operations is that you have an additional mark up in there. If XYZ wholesaling finds a manufacturer of a product, they have to sell it to you, and you have to sell it to the market. Often, you are now either not priced competitively or you are selling what everyone else is selling.
What you want to do is find `proprietary` product. Get it right from teh manufacturer or from a company that offers exclusivity in this country or region.
While it`s true that many firms are not crazy about dealing with web-only accounts, you have to go to them with more than just a whim to sell their products. Show them HOW you will market their products. Why your marketing is effective...or different! What advantage will they have by selling thru you?
If you can show a manufacturer that you can be a viable, effective partner then they would be fools not to sell thru you.

nyentrepreneur

i have used doba. they are okay but everyone on ebay uses them so its really hard to find a product with few competition and good margins.what kind of product do you want to dropship? i have a list of dropshipper maybe i can help you out

WebJunky

very very tough.....key is to be physically close to your source and to ensure your source provides the product at the very lowest cost possible....more end up losing than winning in the drop shipping game

tatin56

Hi, from puerto rico what is a drop shipping business. how start?

Vladimir

I am direct perfume wholesaler.
The Brands I have
1. Lord of Winsdor
2. Taylor of London
3. Little Prince
If interested Please contact me  [email protected]
 
thanks