A Drop shipper is a wholesaler who will ship items directly to customers on for online sellers. Many eBay sellers use drop shipping because it allows them to spend less time receiving, storing, packing, and shipping products. Instead, they simply list and sell the item on eBay, then contact their drop shipper to have the item sent to their customer.
The drop shipper ships the item and charges the wholesale cost, plus shipping, to the eBay seller. The eBay seller collects the profit without having ever touched the product. eBay sellers who sell high-end products use drop shipping because it allows them to sell high priced products without the financial burden of having to actually stock the items.
Think of the financial advantage to high-end product sellers when using drop shippers. Most eBay sellers keep at least enough stock on hand for one month of sales. If you have a product that sells for $500, it might cost you about $250 wholesale. If you sold 12 of these products every month, that means you would have to invest $3000 in inventory. With drop shipping your inventory costs are $0.
Disadvantages of Drop Shipping
There are some cautions to drop shipping that you need to understand.
1. Because you don't ship the product yourself, you place your eBay feedback reputation in the drop shipper's hands. You must be sure the drop shipper will provide professional and timely order fulfillment for you.
2. You are not in control of your inventory. What if you sell an item on eBay and find that your drop shipper is out of stock? Before you list an item, login to your drop shipper's website to check their stock of the item you're going to list.
Even if you check your drop shipper's stock before you list an item, there is no guarantee the item will still be in stock when you sell it. The solution for this problem is that you're going to have to keep some inventory. If your drop shipper is out of stock, you simply ship your customer the product from your personal inventory. Then you don't list that product again until the drop shipper has restocked. Your inventory is not zero, but it's still a lot less than having to stock an entire month's worth of the product.
How to Find Reputable Drop Shippers
There are a lot of scammers on the Internet who claim to be drop shippers. The most important step is to find reputable drop shippers. Many eBay sellers use Worldwide Brands to find reputable drop shippers.
As a member of the Worldwide Brands website, you simply enter the brand name or type of product you want to list on eBay, and the site will find a drop shipper that has been preapproved by Worldwide Brands. Once you have selected your drop shipper, you need to contact them to request a dealer application.
After you're approved by the drop shipper and are assigned a salesperson, contact that person to learn about the ordering and fulfillment process. Ask the following questions:
o How soon do they ship after an order is placed?
o What shipping carrier do they use?
o Do they ship internationally?
o How do they notify you of shipments?
o Will the shipping label and invoice have your address or the drop shippers address?
o How do you pay for your products?
o How do they handle and notify you about back orders?
o How will they handle product returns from you or your customer?
How to List Drop Ship Products on eBay
You'll need to include a picture of the product when you create your listing. Many sellers use the manufacturer's stock photo of the product. However, you should take your own photo. Otherwise your listing will look like all the others. You need to display the product with photos that provide more information about the product and display it with the best possible lighting. When you're the one that's different, your listing will attract more attention.
Once your product sells, wait for the notification of payment from PayPal before you begin the fulfillment process. After you receive confirmation of the buyer's payment, contact your drop shipper salesperson or use the company's online ordering system to place your order.
Once you are notified by your drop shipper that the package was shipped it's good customer service to send an email to your customer thanking them for their purchase and notifying them that the item has shipped.
Using drop shipping to sell on eBay allows sellers to spend less time receiving, storing, packing, and shipping products. And it provides great financial advantages to high-end product sellers. Drop shipping is a great way to sell on eBay as long as you do it correctly.
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