Wholesale Distributor Blog

Wholesale Binoculars - Featured Deal - OpSwiss 25-125x80 High Resolution Zoom Binoculars

www.simpledistributors.com — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 17:30:00 GMT

Wholesale Binoculars - Featured Deal

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Why do Businesses use Wholesale Distributors?

www.simpledistributors.com — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 02:01:00 GMT

Why do Businesses use Wholesale Distributors?

Any business that sells goods needs to actually get those goods from somewhere, unless they make those goods onsite. As less and less businesses actually do this they use the services of wholesale distributors to make the process much easier and cheaper. Whole distributors can sell practically anything to businesses and the vast majority of goods or merchandise that is in stores world wide will have been bought from wholesale distributors.

Sometimes wholesale distributors have their own factories which make the goods that they sell; this makes sound financial sense for them as it will keep their costs low. This then means that the goods they go on to sell can be bought by the stores at a much lower price than if the wholesale distributors were just another link in the chain. If they do not have their own private factories wholesale distributors tend to have contracts with manufacturers who will supply them with certain goods.

Businesses use wholesale distributors for a number of reasons which include-

Cost - using a wholesale distributor is much cheaper than setting up a factory to make and ship goods to stores, so many businesses use them to cut down on their costs and improve their bottom line.

Geographical reasons - today businesses do not just operate in one country, region or continent and business is world wide. Due to this many businesses choose to work with wholesale distributors in different countries who will supply their stores all over the world. This way a business can branch out into a much larger market place than they previously could.

Time constraints - many businesses simply do not have the time to start shipping their goods about, particularly if they are a smaller operation with fewer employees. Using wholesale distributors means that time is saved on delivery time for many smaller stores and businesses.

Choice of goods - as wholesale distributors tend to trade in different types of goods and merchandise they have a large range of goods available, this means that businesses can get many of their products from one or two main wholesale distributors.

Keep employee numbers down – if a business uses the services of wholesale distributors it means that fewer people are needed to run that business. This means that one employee could, in theory deal with each of the wholesale distributors that a company uses, or more depending on the size of the business and number of goods bought from the wholesalers.

Ease of use – wholesale distributors are also very easy to do business with and this can make all the difference to many people.

As you can see there are a number of reasons that a business would use wholesale distributors to help them with their goods and merchandise. Not only does it make good financial sense to use them, but it also makes senses in terms of time and the goods that are available to buy from wholesale distributors. So if you have a business large or small are you using wholesale distributors?

Wholesale Distributors - A Vital Link in the Supply and Demand Chain

www.simpledistributors.com — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 01:57:00 GMT

Supply and demand is the term that is used to describe the activities that go on when goods are created, bought and sold on to customers in any given market. There is a demand for a product or goods, a supplier will then either make the products or goods or contract someone to do this for them, get the goods into their stores and then sell the finished product to the customer. Usually for most stores it is wholesale distributors that are responsible for supplying them with the goods that they then sell on to their customers.

Without wholesale distributors many companies would go out of business as they would not be able to both produce and then sell their goods. This is the reason that wholesale distributors are such a vital link in the supply and demand chain. One advantage of using wholesale distributors is that they can supply huge amounts of a particular product for a reasonable cost to the seller. This means that the seller can then add their percentage onto the selling price of a product, known as mark up, and make their profit this way.

It may seem on the surface, that it would make more financial sense for wholesale distributors to sell directly to the public and although some do, it is not as profitable as selling to stores and other such businesses. One of the reasons that wholesale distributors do not sell to the public is that they primarily deal with large numbers of each particular product and this is why they can sell them on so cheaply. Selling products in single numbers would not make them such a large profit as they would have more overheads, such as having to pay for stores to sell these goods in.

As wholesale distributors tend to operate from warehouses there is no need for fancy shop floors and advertising campaigns. Instead they merely have the goods shipped to them from the factories and store them in their warehouse until a business makes an order. By doing this wholesale distributors keep their costs low in comparison to their overheads. Many wholesale distributors also deal with many different types of goods and merchandise which means they have the potential to have contracts with many different types of sellers. For example some wholesale distributors might offer children’s toys, kitchenware and clothing as part of their ranges and this gives them more scope to sell more goods to more stores.

Occasionally wholesale distributors need to have a clearout of their stock and this is a time when many stores can stand to benefit as they can buy goods at even less than they normally would. However the wholesale distributor will still make their profit as they wouldn’t sell anything that wouldn’t actually make them a profit. So as you can see wholesale distributors are a vital link in the supply and demand chain and without them many stores would not have any stock to sell on to their customers.

Where to Buy Wholesale Handbags

www.simpledistributors.com — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 01:53:00 GMT

Anyone who is considering going into business and selling anything to do with women’s fashion items must stock handbags. Handbags are one of the staple items in any woman’s wardrobe and most women have several of them to go with different outfits. Before you can go ahead and sell handbags however you need to know where to buy wholesale handbags from. Wholesale handbags are a cheap and simple way to get your hands on some great handbags but at a fraction of the price. Here are a few of the ways that you can find out where to get great wholesale handbags from –

Previous contacts – often if you already have contacts in the retail trade you can ask them if they themselves sell wholesale handbags or if they can point you in the direction of a wholesaler that does. Getting your wholesale handbags this way is a good idea as you can be assured of their quality and of their origin.

Recommendations from others in the same trade – believe it or not many traders will share their wholesaler information with you if you already have a good working relationship with them. So why not ask people in the trade if they can recommend a good wholesale handbags seller to you. Recommendations are always a good idea as the person who makes the recommendation has already had previous dealings with the company they tell you about.

Search yourself – you could opt to search for a wholesale handbags seller yourself, so try search engines and advertisements. This way you can get an idea of the various places that will sell wholesale handbags to you and you can make your choice from the places that you find after speaking to them. It might also be wise to see if you can request to see samples of the wholesale handbags that different wholesalers have to offer you. Once again you can check this out when you speak to them.

Online auction sites – this is another place where more and more people are turning to find some great deals on wholesale handbags. Often the savings that can make are huge and the main cost involved comes from the shipping of the goods. Although if you plan on buying more than just wholesale handbags from a seller you could strike up a deal that involves paying less for the shipping as you will be making a bulk order. You might also find some other lines offered by the wholesale handbags seller as a great deal of the people who sell wholesale on auction sites run online wholesale shops that you can view online.

So if you are looking for ways to buy wholesale handbags online there are plenty of options available to you. There are so many places to buy wholesale handbags that you are bound to find a wholesale seller that suits your needs exactly, it just takes a little time and patience and you will find what you are looking for.

Set up Your Own Business Selling Wholesale Handbags

www.simpledistributors.com — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 02:30:00 GMT

Ask a woman what she likes buying and I’m guessing that many will say handbags and shoes. These are top of many women’s wish list for their birthdays, Christmas and sometimes just for the heck of it. With this in mind it is no wonder that many people are setting up their own businesses to sell things such as handbags online. Add to this the fact that wholesale handbags are so easy to buy to sell on and the right person could have a business worth putting the effort into.

So how do you go about finding wholesale handbags to sell to people? One way that you could do this would be to simply type “wholesale handbags” into your chosen search engine and see what it brings up. From there it would be quite easy to find a number of distributors who are offering wholesale handbags at low prices. One advantage of doing this kind of search for wholesale handbags is that you can easily compare prices and see who offers the very best deal. You don’t even have to leave the comfort of your own home to do this either.

If this way of finding wholesale handbags doesn’t appeal to you why not go to one of the well known auction sites and use the same term “wholesale handbags” as your search? Once again this will bring up a number of sellers who offer wholesale handbags at reasonable prices. Many of these kind of sellers are from the far East and can offer some amazing prices for the handbags that they are selling, so you could find yourself a really good deal.

Once you have found someone to sell wholesale handbags to you the next step is to get your stock and start selling. You might want to do this online or set up your very own store. For many people the choice that they make will be reliant on their previous commitments, some people for instance might want to have a business selling their wholesale handbags as a side project in conjunction to another form of employment. Sometimes it is wise to start a business as well as having another job so that you have a stream of income to support you until the business takes off. Other people might already have the financial backing to sell wholesale handbags full time and put all their efforts into that. Only you know your various financial commitments so you can make up your own mind about how you go about setting up your business.

One thing is for certain, if you want to make yourself good profits each week wholesale handbags could be the way to go for you as handbags are always in demand and as the seasons change there are always new handbags in the shops. So the next time that you are online check out some of the wholesale handbags stores and see if there is anything that takes your eye and see how much they are selling for.

See the Benefits When You Buy Wholesale

www.simpledistributors.com — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 01:57:00 GMT

Large stores all get their goods and merchandise from wholesale distributors as they tend to have contracts with them which have been negotiated with their sales team. Due to this they get very good deals when they buy wholesale as they will buy goods in bulk and then sell them on to their customers. It is not only large stores that can benefit when they buy wholesale, smaller, non-chain stores can also benefit from using wholesalers to buy their stock from. If you have every wondered how this can be so here are a few of the main benefits to be had when you buy wholesale –

Lower costs – profit margins are one of the most important aspects for smaller stores and by obtaining stock through a wholesaler the owner will be paying less for that stock. It is a common misconception that in order to buy wholesale you have to be from a chain-store. In fact the only rules many wholesalers follow is that stock has to be bought in certain amounts, they will not sell single items or low numbers of an item.

Ease of use – when you buy wholesale you are in effect buying from a one stop shop. You do not have to source your goods or merchandise from several different places as the majority of large wholesalers offer multiple product lines from different manufacturers. This is then saves the owner of the store time as they only have to buy wholesale from one place.

Better choice of goods or merchandise – as previously mentioned, when you buy wholesale you have a wide choice of goods. You are not restricted to one or two choices for a certain type of product; you are even able to buy several types of the same product with different prices to provide a larger range.

Possibility of negotiating lower costs – often when you intend to buy wholesale regularly the owner of the wholesalers will be open to negotiating lower prices for your continued custom. This makes sense to both parties as the wholesaler is getting a steady stream of orders from the owner of a store and the store owner is able to buy wholesale and save money at the same time.

Delivery – many wholesalers will offer a delivery service if you buy wholesale, there is a charge for this but usually works out to be less than the cost associated for a store to collect their own goods themselves, such as buying a delivery van and paying someone to drive it.

As shown there are many benefits to be had even for smaller stores if they choose to buy wholesale. Costs will be lower, there is a large range of goods and merchandise to choose from and deals can be made with the wholesaler in question. So if you are the owner of a small store you should see which of the goods that you sell could be bought wholesale if you don’t do that already.

Buy wholesale and Make Money

www.simpledistributors.com — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:17:00 GMT

If you are looking for a way to make yourself some money you could buy wholesale goods and sell them on. Many people are now doing this as a way to earn some extra income without having to do too much work. With the huge popularity of auction websites there is even more scope to buy wholesale and then sell these items on to other people. You can even use such sites to buy wholesale goods or job lots as they are referred to and then sell them at garage sales and so on.

Before you do decide to buy wholesale and start off your own mini business from home you need to make sure that it is legal for you to do so. So register yourself with the appropriate governmental departments and go ahead and buy wholesale products to use as your stock. You might already have a good idea of which area you would like to go into after you buy wholesale products and merchandise or maybe you are a novice with no ideas just yet. If this is the case, don’t panic. You can easily go online and see what kind of products are popular and then look into the various places that you can buy wholesale. Once you have done this you then have a better clue as to which area you would like to move into.

Luckily wholesalers offer huge ranges of stock and products so you have massive scope for your potential future business venture. As soon as you know what you want to buy wholesale and sell you need to start looking for a wholesaler who you will be able to buy wholesale from. You could do this by looking online or even checking out your local telephone directory and start making your enquiries. Then when you have found a few contact them and see what they offer and what kind of prices you could expect to pay for their goods or merchandise when you buy wholesale.

Once you have made your wholesale contacts you can start to buy one or two lines from them in small numbers to start with and get selling. If you choose to sell on an auction website it is very straightforward and you will have to do little more than list your items and wait for people to bid on them. Once people do bid and win your items you collect payment and ship them out. It is always a good idea to buy wholesale goods that are cheap and that you can make a good profit on, and don’t buy anything that is too heavy as this can put off potential buyers as they won’t want to pay too much in package and posting. If after six months or so you can see that you have something and people are buying a lot from you, it is time to buy wholesale again and maybe add to your stock list. Then sit back and watch your business grow and grow.

Using Wholesale Dropship To Build A Successful Business

www.simpledistributors.com — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:14:00 GMT

When your business is built on wholesale dropship you will spend much of your time on marketing your products and building your customer base. That is a good thing. Since you do not have to dedicate valuable labor to the process of pulling orders, packaging, and shipping you can put your efforts to bear on getting the word out about your store. Once you have the customers, you can the time you are saving on order processing on keeping the relationship.

Wholesale dropshipping is invisible to your customers. All they know is that they place the order with you, they pay you, and the product arrives on their doorstep. If that product comes as they expected and they are satisfied with the purchase they will come back for more or they will refer you to their friends. You will need to remind them from time to time to come back and check out the merchandise and you will need to continue to market your site.

Aside from establishing your net work of wholesale dropship supppliers, the most critical task in running a dropship retailer is building your high quality e-store front and maintaining your relationships with customers. As you work with your customers you can stay in tune with what the hottest and most popular products are and keep your store fresh with these items. You want to keep people coming back for more! That means you need to constantly re-evaluate your network of wholesale dropship suppliers. It doesn’t do much good to stay stuck in a rut with one or two wholesale dropship companies if you aren’t selling any products. True, you have no cost to carry merchandise but you will have some cost of doing business. You need to keep your product line fresh and stay on top of the latest trends.

The best way to keep on top of trends in the wholesale dropship market is to be an active participant in the many forums and discussion groups that are available. You can also subscribe to one of the many wholesale dropship newsletters or newsgroups. If you can afford to take advantage of the various tradeshows that take place around the country then by all means do so. Not only will you see new products but you will be able to put a face to the names of the companies you are working with.

If you are an auction seller, keep in touch with the hottest auction item sales through the trend tracking tools available on the bigger sites. Continually evaluate whether or not you need to diversify your product line or consolidate it. If you have a particular hobby or interest and you are not currently offering items related to this activity, consider investigating wholesale dropship suppliers that carry merchandise in this industry. This will help you to keep a fresh outlook and make the business a little more interesting for you.

While the temptation is to get your business going then set it on autopilot, this is a sure recipe for disaster. Consumer tastes change and the industry is wide open to new competitors. Continually touch base with your customers and keep an eye on your product line to make sure it is keeping pace with the market. You will find this effort is well worth it as it is the only way to ensure you have longevity in the market.

You Can Become A Wholesale Distributor

www.simpledistributors.com — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 20:40:00 GMT

In simple terms, acting as a wholesale distributor is the activity of matching manufacturers with retailers so that consumers will have products to purchase. You buy the products from the manufacturer in bulk at a discounted price and in turn resell them to retailers. This is a large and vibrant segment of our economy and can be quite lucrative if you select the right products to sell. Sound simple enough doesn’t it? Being a wholesale distributor can be profitable, but it can also be very complex. You need to get a clear picture of the ins and outs before you make your financial commitment. But if you do your homework and understand what you are getting into you, it is possible to make a good living and enjoy the freedom of working on your own.

Your key to success as a wholesale distributor is matching products to customers. This sounds simple enough but there is no magic formula for deciding what type of merchandise will sell best. A good way to start is with products you are familiar with and are interested in. If you enjoy electronics and know about the market for these types of products, perhaps this is the industry for you. If you a pet lover and are familiar with the different products that are popular for people who have animals, this might be your niche. The important thing is that the products you select should be something that you have an interest in and are familiar with. If you are good at spotting consumer trends, all the better! Many wholesale distributors start with products and industries they know and then branch out into other areas as they grow.

Now, where will you get your products? Because wholesale distribution is truly a global business, you will likely be dealing with sellers in a country other than your own. This will add additional challenges but people overcome these challenges everyday. You just need to be sure you understand what you are buying and what your obligations are. If you need to consult an attorney, by all means do this. You want to protect your investments.

There are many ways you can find out about potential manufacturers from which to buy your products. Your local public library will likely carry directories with all sorts of listings of sellers and the Internet is a treasure trove of information on who sells what. There are hundreds of sites that provide nothing but listings of manufacturers that are located around the world. Once you find reliable sellers your job as a wholesale distributor will become much easier. As you place your orders your primary job will be to maintain your relationships and to monitor your costs and continually work to get the best prices you can.

So will you be storing your products or will they be shipped directly to your buyers. This practice, called drop shipping, is becoming more and more popular and it’s easy to understand why. By drop shipping you avoid the cost of storing your products. But this is not fool proof and you need to make sure that your suppliers are reliable and you have a way to track your products as your orders are processed. Your customers are buying from you, not your supplier and your track record and good name are riding on them. If decide to store any of your products, where will you store them? Will your home garage be big enough or do you need to rent additional space?

So you are ready to go. You’ve lined up your suppliers and you are ready to start taking orders. Now what? You need to let buyers know you are out there. At minimum you will need a website. Other marketing tools you can use are direct mail, fliers, newsletters, and advertising. Really knowing your market will come in handy here. Where do buyers get their information? It is mostly through site search or do they read trade publications. Do you need to attend trade shows or should you purchase a mailing list? If you expect your buyers to be primarily Internet sellers then certainly Search Engine Optimization should be a term that you need to become familiar with. Your buyers need to be able to find you!

Being a wholesale distributor by building a business from the ground up is presents a variety of challenges. But it can be a very rewarding and lucrative career. While you will need some startup capital, you can get started with a reliable Internet connection and a willingness to work hard. If you have selected products you enjoy, then that’s half the battle. You are on your way to building something of your own. Whether you make it or not will depend on your talent, willingness to work hard, and your business skill. Good luck!

A Growing Giant: Wholesale Distributors

www.simpledistributors.com — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 20:18:00 GMT

In official terms, a wholesale distributor is a business that sells products to retailers, merchants, contractors, or industrial, institutional and commercials users. In other words, a wholesale distributor is the “middle man” between the manufacturer and the retailer.

Wholesale distributors buy in large quantities directly from the manufacturer at the lowest possible cost. The prices are generally established through negotiation, a process that can take many months if the amounts to be traded are extremely large. Because wholesalers buy such large quantities, they receive much more favorable pricing than the buyers down the line. The wholesaler will mark up the cost of the product in order to make a profit and then sells the product to the retailers or other businesses who, in turn, marks up the product again before selling it to consumers either through a storefront or other business or online.

In the case of wholesale distributors who are selling to retail channels, a distribution network is established so that products can travel to the retailer efficiently under certain negotiated arrangements. This helps retailers save money since they do not have to bear the expense of storing huge quantities of the product. They can order what they need and have it delivered where and when they need it. The system also allows retailers to carry a wide variety of products since they can get their products from a wide variety of wholesale distributors. In fact, it is this wholesale distribution chain that allows retailers to exist at all. Imagine if your local grocery store had to negotiate purchase arrangements from every single manufacturer of the hundreds, maybe thousands, of products they carry.

To make the system work, wholesale distributors do not typically sell directly to customers. That is the job of the retailer. From time to time you may find a distributor who allows certain end users to buy direct but these cases are unusual.

In 2008 the wholesale distribution industry represented approximately $4.6 trillion or 7% of U.S. GDP. So it is easy to see why this massive industry is considered to be a key spoke in the supply chain logistics wheel. In fact, this segment of the economy essentially controls the entire supply of goods from manufacturer to distributor to the end user or consumer. If whole distributors cannot buy their product or they cannot store or transport it, then there are no items for the retailers to sell to consumers.

Every segment of the economy, from consumer electronics to construction equipment, has wholesale distributors who supply the goods they need. Along with this, each industry segment has its own supply chain network and all the members of the chain work together so that suppliers up and down the line can get their products and make a profit. When times are tough and distributors have trouble making the money they need to operate, the industry will begin to consolidate and distributors will either sell their operations to another company or close their doors. This is not surprising when you consider all the elements that go into making a successful wholesale distribution operation work. Items must be purchased then they must be stored and shipped. Along the way they must be tracked and accounted for. While it sounds simple enough, it can be complex and involved. Despite this, the whole distribution system does its job well and it keeps the economy running, store shelves stocked, internet stores supplied. It enables manufacturers to get their products to market and consumers to have access to the goods they want and need.

Not all wholesale distributors are big companies with warehouses and transportation lines all over the country. Especially in recent times we have seen the growth of small wholesalers who take advantage of drop shipping to create small wholesale networks. These wholesalers often sell over the Internet and their storage facilities may be the family garage or a rental storage unit. Many individuals have found this business to be quite lucrative and may even generate enough income to work in the business full time. This industry is here to stay. As technology improves and the world continues to become more global, more and more everyday people will find ways to capitalize on the business.

Take Caution Before Purchasing Dropshipping Services

www.simpledistributors.com — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 19:47:00 GMT

The dropshipping industry is a relatively new phenomena. This is due largely to the fact that in the past, the technology just wasn’t available to allow individuals to process their orders electronically. While it is possible to work with dropshippers in person or over the phone, the chances are you are going to be processing your orders over the Internet. That technology simply wasn’t there 20 years ago. Another factor that is thought to have given rise to dropshipping was the development of Just In Time (JIT) inventory control. This process, developed to an art by the Japanese auto industry, lead to rewriting of the logistics rules. Sophisticated computer technology allowed real time inventory accounting and forecasting to change the way product logistics were handled. Today, JIT is common place. In effect, dropshipping is just another application of JIT!

So now just about anyone can take advantage of real time inventory control techniques to get products to customers only when they need them. That’s where dropshippers come in. You set up your online storefront, a customer makes a purchase, and you transmit the order to the dropshipper who pulls the merchandise, packages it, and ships it to your customer. Presto, you’ve made a sale and you never even had to lay eyes on the product.

There are many advantages for sellers, the biggest of which is the fact that you don’t have to carry inventory. The dropshippers will do that for you. They get their products directly from the manufacturer and because they are buying in such large quantities, you can enjoy a significant price savings.

Dropshipping is not without its hazards. You much rely on the dropshippers to get your items to the buyers on a timely basis. You also rely on them to make sure that the quality of the products is what you expect. As you are looking for good dropshippers, be cautions of companies that attempt to insert themselves into the process. These companies are known as “middlemen” and they attempt to get a mark up on the products before they go to your customers. It can be difficult to spot these middlemen as their who goal is to appear to be a legitimate wholesaler. Key tip-offs are set-up fees and monthly fees to use their services. Legitimate wholesalers will not charge you these fees.

As most of us know, anytime an industry is thriving, particularly anything relating to the Internet, it becomes the target of scammers and other unscrupulous people. As a consequence there are a few other things you need to be on the alert for when you begin to think about tackling the dropshipping market. The first of these are lists and directories that are available. These lists may be sold under the guise of clubs or monthly services. Many of these services also sell your contact information so that you become the target of numerous other companies hawking their wares. Be sure to check out any service before you sign up. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is!

While it is a shame that we have to continually be on the alert for people trying to get the best of us and our money, all we need to do is be cautious and make sure we know what we are buying and from whom we are buying it. Yes, it is possible to make money using dropshipping. But it is also possible to be taken advantage of. Buyer beware.

Dropshipping Wholesalers: Looking for the Perfect Match

www.simpledistributors.com — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 02:14:00 GMT

The concept behind using dropshipping wholesalers is a simple one. You take an order for a product through your website. You route the order to a dropshipping wholesaler and they send the item directly to the customer. These wholesalers get their products directly from the manufacturer. Because they buy in bulk, they get much better prices than you, as an individual seller can. They pass the savings on to you and you in turn, mark up your product and sell it on the open market.

The benefits for you as the seller are clear. You have no cost to carry the merchandise, you do not have to coordinate with the shipping agent, and if you have no sales you lose no money. At the same time, you set the price you want to sell the product for and you only pay for the product once you have made the sale. There is some risk to working with dropshipping wholesalers since you are completely reliant on a third party to make good on the sale. For many sellers, the benefits far outweigh the risks as they have been able to build stable lucrative businesses using this method.

According to some sources, dropshipping orders increased nearly 20% in 2008. This is particularly interesting since all online shopping is estimated to have increased only 6% over the same period. This growth is due in part to the popularity of using drop shipping to sell on auction sites. In the bustling commercial world of auctions, small sellers can compete with large heavily financed retailers with deep pockets. By using dropshipping wholesalers to supply their products, little guys can offer the same depth of products as the big guys because they avoid the cost of carrying the inventory. Theoretically, everyone gets a better price because competition is increased and dropshipping wholesalers can offer better prices due to volume sales.

So how do you find reliable dropshipping wholesalers to work with? Even the most rudimentary Internet search will return hundreds of hits. You see list after list advertised. Should you buy one of these? Should you subscribe to a directory of dropshipping wholesalers? The truth is, many of these lists and programs are simply scams that prey on those of us who don’t know enough to weed through all the clutter we find. You may be only spending a few dollars on a list but multiply that by the many thousands of others just like you who are out there looking for wholesale drop shippers and you see that there is some serious money at stake. Visit forums, join discussion groups and look for background on the companies you are considering. If you can afford it, trade shows are excellent ways to actually get to meet the people you will be buying from before you enter into a contractual arrangement. Learn about their background, their history, and their track record. IF you can talk with others who have worked with them before, do it! You have a lot at stake here. Anything you can do to increase your odds of success are worth the money and effort.

Minimizing the Risk of Working with Dropshippers

www.simpledistributors.com — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 22:38:00 GMT

When you decide to launch an Internet business that is based on using dropshippers to supply your products you are placing your faith in an unknown quantity. Your very success or failure will depend on how effectively you select your dropshippers and how reliable they are in filling your orders. This can be pretty scary stuff. It doesn’t really have to be that scary though since there are some things you can do to increase your odds of success.

First and foremost you need to do your homework and your first stop will likely be the Internet. There are hundreds and hundreds of dropshippers listed on the web. How do you weed through this haystack of information. Well, you can narrow your search using a couple of criteria. Think about how will you be selling your product and what product will you be selling. Some dropshippers are unwilling to work with online sellers because they believe that their products become over exposed and they end up losing profit in the long run. This is relatively unusual these days but it does happen. Next, what are you going to be selling? You can easily whittle down your list of available dropshippers once you determine the types of products you will be selling.

OK, you’ve found a list of dropshippers that look good, now what? Start researching the individual companies. You need to locate information relating to their track record, their payment terms, their shipping methods and the like. You will likely be albe to eliminate a few candidates right off the bat since not all companies will offer the terms you have in mind. Next, visit online forums and dropshipping discussion groups to see if you can find complaints or praise for the dropship companies you are researching. This will help you narrow the list down a little further. So now you are left with perhaps 5 good viable candidates. OK, dig a little deeper then make contact directly with the company. How you are treated when you contact them will give you a pretty good feel for what their customer service is like. Did you stay on hold for a long time? Are they courteous and can you speak their language? Remember, if you have a problem with your orders these are the people you will have to deal with.

Your dropshipper is your face when it comes to dealing with your customer—they represent you. The packages that your customers have been anxiously waiting for will be coming directly from a stranger. Do you trust this person to represent you in a fashion that you will be proud of? Will the dropshipper have ample supply so that your customers do not receive backorder slips? Does the dropshipper provide products that are of a quality that you can be proud of them? Remember if a customer is not satisfied with your service or product he or she is much more likely to discuss it than if he or she is happy. You do not want negative feedback or flaming messages posted about your business in forums. Buyers do talk and all retail markets are extremely competitive in this day and age. All things being equal, buyers will select the more favorably reviewed provider.

In short, it is up to you to make sure that the dropshippers that you select are the right fit for you and your customers. Only by taking the time to fully research them can you reduce the odds of failure. With a little background research and lots of hard work, you can build a successful and profitable business.