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Selling on eBay Steps > Step 3 > Items To Sell >
Dropship
Dropshipping and Dropshippers
What is dropshipping?
Dropshipping is selling other people's real products, without buying them yourself, in fact you never have to even touch the products. You take the order, and receive payment. Your order is sent automatically to the supplier of the goods, who ships it to your client. You are in effect, a middleman. Your profit is in the difference between the retail price your customer pays you, and the wholesale price the supplier charges you.
Advantages of using dropshippers :
- No need to put up any capital initially, as the dropshipper holds all stock
- You only purchase what you have pre-sold
- You get the payment from the customer first, and pay the supplier after.
- You won’t be left with any hard-to-shift items
- No need to post or package any items - the dropshipper does all that.
- Most dropshippers can arrange to have the parcel look like it comes from you directly
- Many dropshippers can supply photos and information about the product already done and ready for listing
Disadvantages of using dropshippers :
- You have no control over the sale and its subsequent processing
- If anything goes wrong, it’s your reputation (and feedback rating) that is adversely affected.
- No quality control on your part
- Items may be out of stock, causing delays getting them to your customer.
The solution to overcoming the disadvantages is to :
- Use reliable suppliers that use quality control and can be trusted to look after your customer
- Use a dropshipping service that can offer alternative supply of the same items if one supplier is out of stock
Some dropshipping services offer other facilities as well, making your life as an eBay seller even easier.
Below are our recommendations. If you have decided to use dropshipping as your preferred method of supply, then have a good look through to see which one suits your needs best. All are reliable.
Features to look for in a dropshipping service :
- Some supply to certain countries only
- Ability to transfer information directly to eBay (eBay compatible)
- Number of products offered
- How often lists are updated
- Method of support
- Stock levels given
- Item and supplier management
- Quality of item description, information and photos
- Is research offered?
- Cost prices of items must be lower than the retail on eBay, to make a profit.
- Do they package the item to look like it came from you?
- Do they offer name brands?
- Do you have to open separate accounts for each supplier, or can it be done all inside 1 account?
- Look at their damaged goods policy and other policies
- Any training given?
- Free trial, to investigate further, or a money back guarantee
Reliable Dropshipping Services
How To Dropship and Sell on eBay Videos
Compare Dropshippers
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