Dropship Your Way to Success

Many people know they would like to start an Internet business, but they don't have a product to sell. The solution is often drop shipping.

Drop shipping is a business arrangement in which a company (often the manufacturer of a product) sells a product at wholesale prices to a reseller and ships the product directly to the reseller's customers. The retailer makes the company's products available to customers, often through a web site, collects payment, and then orders the product from the manufacturer. This arrangement works well for both the manufacturer and the seller. The manufacturer is able to make the product available to a large number of retailers. The retailers are able to sell products they would not otherwise have access to. Drop shipping allows almost anyone to start a retail company without needing to order large amounts of inventory. This eliminates the need to store the product and cuts overhead dramatically. The reseller only orders products after he has sold it, and in most cases only after being paid. For small businesses concerned about cash flow, this is very attractive.

There are two different philosophies concerning what items to sell via a drop shipper. You may choose whichever appeals to you. The first group believes that you should research the market to determine what items to sell. They say you need to find a high demand item, then locate a drop shipper that sells that item. The second group believes that you should sell what you are interested in. If you like knives, find a company willing to drop ship knives. If you like power tools, find a drop shipper for those. They believe that if you sell something you enjoy, you will do a better job selling. Whichever method you choose, an outstanding way to find a drop shipper is the web site, World Wide Brands (http://databuilders.net/wwb). The people at WWB work full time finding companies willing to drop ship their products for you, Their database is updated constantly to insure only the best companies are made available.

If you decide to go it alone and find a drop shipper yourself, look for a company that either drop ships exclusively, or requires you to register as a member before getting the wholesale prices. If anyone can log into the site and pay the same low price, why should customers buy from you? Many companies require you to provide a business license number before allowing you to register. This is to insure you are a legitimate retailer. If you do not have a license, you should get one. Ideally, the company will deal exclusively in the product you want to sell.

I also do not support companies charging for drop shipping. You may see some offers similar to "Sell hundreds of products for only $29.95 a month." They go on to tell you that you can make thousands of dollars selling their products on E-Bay, so the $29.95 they charge shouldn't matter. There are enough companies that don't charge anything. Avoid paying for the right to sell someone's product for them.

Perhaps the most difficult part in starting a drop ship business, is building the web site. If you have never built a web site before, it can be an overwhelming task. You must consider each detail, from deciding what software to use, to finding a host, and accepting payments. I recommend using osCommerce to build your online store. It is free software that can be modified to look like you want it to. There is an online knowledge base that can answer many of your questions about setting it up and configuring it, or you can let someone else set it up for you.

Thousands of people are making money using the osCommerce, drop shipping combination. It is a powerful, inexpensive way to get your business started.

About The Author

Jason Conley is the owner of Databuilders, a web hosting company for small and home office businesses. He has built a number of drop ship web sites using osCommerce, and contributes regularly to the osCommerce support forum. You can contact Jason at jkconley@databuilders.net, or visit Databuilders at http://databuilders.net.

---

Internet Auction Sites : Find Good Deals on Almost Anything

You can find good deals on almost everything you need... Read More

12 Tips To Make Your eBay Business More Profitable

Sometimes it's the simple things that can make your eBay... Read More

The Effects of eBay on American Merchandising

With one brilliantly simple idea, eBay was born just a... Read More

Why Its a BAD Idea To Promote Hot Selling Products on eBay

Do a quick search on Google, Yahoo, or your favorite... Read More

The Top Ten Antique Categories On eBay!

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

How To Sell On Ebay: The Money Is In The Back-End

Many people who sell on Ebay completely neglect the follow-up... Read More

Online Auction Sellers - Seize Control Of Your Business!

As the online auction model of business continues to evolve... Read More

Everything You Need To Know About Ebay Money Making Opportunities

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

Where To Find Items To Sell On eBay

One question that always seems to pop up is, "Where... Read More

eBay - Profiting With Books By Janette Oke

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

From Ebay Zero To Power-Selling Hero: What It Takes

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be "the... Read More

Free Auction Templates: How to Set Your Border Color With FOAM

If you have not heard of Foamtemplates.com yet, home of... Read More

8 Top Tips For Successful Art Auction Listings

Why is it that some artists seem to make easy... Read More

eBay Bargain Hunting - Spell Your Way To Success!

Have you ever wondered how identical items can fetch such... Read More

Ebay Auction Selling Secrets - Using Ebay to Launch Your Very Own Highly Successful Website

Launching your very own successful website is the dream of... Read More

Instructions on How to Put Picture on Ebay

Like many folks, you have heard of online auctions. Heck,... Read More

5 Sure-Fire Ways to Make More Money on EBay

Have you ever dealt with a salesperson or a waiter... Read More

Making Money On EBay Can Be So Simple, Just Let Somebody Else Do All The Hard Work For You

OK, so you've been bitten by the eBay bug!You've ransacked... Read More

eBay Consignments: The Giant Opportunity Hiding on eBay (Part I)

More and more, people are becoming aware that they have... Read More

Buying At Auction: 6 Hints to Make You a Successful Bidder

Buying at auction, be it for stamps or coins, antiques... Read More

How To Compete With Amazon.com

If you are selling online,here is the down side of... Read More

When You Need Extra Cash Ebay Fits the Bill

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

12 Items You CANT Sell On EBay

Millions of would-be entrepreneurs want to sell things on ebay.... Read More

A Picture Paints a Thousand Words and Creates Auction Euphoria on eBay

Ever since I sold my first item on ebay I... Read More

Shipping Supplies For Your eBay Auction Business

Auction supplies are clearly an expense and major consideration for... Read More

Five Tested Ways To Find The Perfect Drop Shipper

You've heard about it many times in recent months. Being... Read More

eBay Gold

Internet auctions are relatively new having been around since the... Read More

Ten Sure Fire Ways To Lose Bidders

The way some auction sellers approach their auctions, it's clear... Read More

Authentic or Fake?

1. Admit It: Old business models are no longer working.... Read More

Online Auctions: The New Way of Shopping for Mauritians

Since their introduction several years ago, online auctions, such as... Read More

Auction and Its Benefits

An auction is basically a public sale wherein any object... Read More

Garage Sales, Flea Markets, and Special Events... Oh My!

The activity chart is an ingenious way to find, in... Read More

Why 95% of All eBay Sellers Fail

eBay is now the 8th most visited site on the... Read More