Better Than Sliced Bread? Drop Shipping, The New Home Business Craze

Many of you will probably remember the days when the only way to start a successful home business was to join some sort of multi-level marketing program or sell makeup at parties. In those days, people would have to buy a membership in the 'program' along with an inventory of sample products that they would then sell to friends and coworkers at 'parties.' Most people were not very successful at this and made very little money and usually alienated their friends and family. In the 1990's however, all of that changed for the better with the advent of the Internet and a retail delivery method called wholesale drop shipping.

Wholesale drop shipping is when a wholesale distributor or manufacturer agrees to send out single unit products to customers for a retailer. Many will also even include the retailers name on the invoice so that the customer is never even aware that they got it from anyone else but the retailer. This, along with the Internet has changed the whole dynamics of home businesses in America, making it easier and more cost effective to start your own business.

Home business owners are now able to launch a business without purchasing any inventory up front and are able to open a 'store' without ever having to find a place to setup shop. Millions of Americans have setup ecommerce sites on the internet selling everything from Personal Computers to lawn care equipment all using wholesale drop shipping. As a matter of fact, according to eBay over forty thousand people make their full time living on their auction site alone; many of these are using drop shipping as their main method of product fulfillment.

The only problem for today's small business owner is how to find wholesalers to drop ship. In general wholesale distributors don't make it a habit of getting out there and advertising; obviously the whole reason they are in wholesale and not retail is to get away from doing all of that work. So it makes it very difficult for someone who has little or no business experience to make contacts with distributors when they aren't even sure where to start looking.

To help out those small business owners I'd like to offer some advice for finding wholesale distributors:

• Look for trade organizations and magazines to help you make contacts. Many trade organizations out their produce some sort of listings of their members, many of whom may drop ship.

• Contact manufacturers. People don't realize that if you call the manufacturer they will provide you with a list of their distributors; so if you are looking for a particular product, ask the manufacturer. The down side of this route is that they may have hundreds of distributors that you may have to contact before you find one that is willing to drop ship.

• Find wholesale chat rooms and message boards. There are many message boards on the Internet today that are devoted to a wide range of discussions. You may find boards on wholesale, distribution, supply chain, etc. All of these may lead you in the direction of a wholesale distributor.

However, if you want to get up and running fast, or just don't have the time to go on a search for wholesale distributors much less ones that drop ship, then the way to go is drop ship directories. These are usually pay services that search out drop shippers for you then give you access to their contacts; there are many of these on the Internet today, and many are very good. As with anything on the Internet you must be very careful of the scams out there. Many drop ship directories will end up giving you an outdated list of wholesalers, or when you contact them you will find that they are a true wholesale distributor but they do not drop ship.

Here are some pieces of advice when looking for a quality drop ship directory:

• Stay away from the cheap ones! Obviously with everything else in this world you will get what you pay for. If you find one out their for three dollars, you probably are not going to get a good product. In general the one's that offer the best information are charging $60 or more for a six month membership.

• Look for one's that will do specialty searches! If you get into a drop ship directory and find that they do not have any products that you would like to sell, or think you can sell, then make sure they will go out and find it for you. If they do not do specialty searches then you will end up being stuck with whatever listings they have no matter what.

• Find one with a Satisfaction Guarantee! There are several drop ship directories out there that offer a guarantee that all of their listings are true drop shippers, but in my opinion this is not enough. If you get into their directory and find that they have five hundred listings for widget suppliers and they are all real wholesalers you are out your money and only have access to one product. Make sure they guarantee your satisfaction with their product no matter what, especially if you are going to shell out seventy dollars of your hard earned money.

• Look for ones that are going to help you out as well, not just give you a list. Do they offer articles and help material on starting your business or are all they just going to give you listings and nothing else.

However you choose to find wholesale drop shipping, keep in mind that as with anything else in this world knowledge is power. Try and find out as much as you can before you jump in to get your feet wet. It will make your startup smoother and help you get the profitability stage much faster.

About The Author

Tony Keeler is the founder and publisher of The Drop Ship Connection ? www.dropshipconnection.com - The web's only drop ship directory with a step by step guide for the home business owner. He is also the owner of MAR Services which publishes these great sites:

2DollarSoftware ? www.2dollarsoftware.com - marketing, advertising, and internet software.

DingleHopper.com ? www.dinglehopper.com - Funny Name, Cool Products.

tony.keeler@dropshipconnection.com

---

8 Collectible Dolls That Sell Well on eBay

From the beginning, eBay's primary growth came from the collectibles... Read More

What Ebay Can Teach Us About Success

I flew back to New York from Atlanta a few... Read More

Is it Antique and is it Worth Anything?

Is it an antique and is it worth anything? Would... Read More

The Top Ten Antique Categories On eBay!

Knowledge is Power! And this statement could not be more... Read More

Everything You Need To Know About Ebay Money Making Opportunities

Ebay money making opportunities are simply the best thing to... Read More

eBay After Sales - as Important as the Listing Itself

Your eBay listing has finished and you have made a... Read More

The Top Ten Tips For Auction Success!

If you were to look through eBay, or any other... Read More

Professional eBay Auctions Reap the Profits for Sellers

eBay offer an unbelievable amount of traffic for ANYONE wanting... Read More

When You Need Extra Cash Ebay Fits the Bill

We all have items in our closets and stuffed in... Read More

Multiple Income Streams on eBay within 30 Minutes!

POWERSELL Status, the secrets revealed.If like thousands of people you... Read More

eBay - The Basics

I began selling on eBay in 1999 and have found... Read More

Save on EBay Fees with Free Image Hosting

Experienced sellers at online auction sites such as EBay will... Read More

Bananas - Your Source of eBay Packing Materials!

This is the most boring stage of the process and... Read More

3 Unusual Formats For Auctions on EBay

eBay users are accustomed to only two "standard" formats for... Read More

Earn Money Now from Selling Childrens Items on Ebay

Kids Items You Can SellClothes, toys and videos are good... Read More

What to Sell on eBay - 7 REAL Tips for Finding Successful Products

This question has become one for the ages. There are... Read More

The Webs Best Online Auction Sites

The best online auction links for buyers and sellers are... Read More

The Benefits of Buying and Selling Locally

Shop at a flea market in Oaxaca, Mexico. Trade with... Read More

What YOU Must Know About The Advantages And Pitfalls Of Dropshipping

The following may be the most important information about dropshipping... Read More

Do You Pay Taxes On eBay Income?

Q: I read your last column about paying income tax... Read More

Killer Tips To Succeed With eBay Auction

For just a moment, try to comprehend the power of... Read More

7 Great Reasons Why You Should Start an EBay Business Today

EBay is a great part or full time business. An... Read More

Snipe Your Way to Auction Success

Bidding for a bargain is all part of the exciting... Read More

Buying Used Dell Laptops, PCs and Servers on eBay - How to be successful

Two years ago I needed a way to refresh more... Read More

Start Your Own Business: Sell Things on eBay

The popularity of online auction site eBay has been legendary.... Read More

Profit through Other Peoples eBay Errors

There are many issues that influence how an eBay auction... Read More

Is Your Trash Cash? 5 Easy Places to Sell Your Stuff

The old adage that says "one person's trash is another... Read More

Fed Up With eBay?

For many people, their first experience of working online involves... Read More

So, Can You Really Sell EBooks On EBay And Make Cold Hard Cash?

Selling eBooks on eBay, and making any worthwhile profit from... Read More

eBay: What Should I Sell?

There is an art to picking profitable products. It's not... Read More

Use Auction Templates For eBay Success!

Auction templates are simply a must for successful online auction... Read More

eBay - Profiting With Books By Janette Oke

Janette Oke is a Christian writer whose books about life,... Read More

Taxing Your eBay Profits

As a small business person-slash-advice columnist I dread the first... Read More