Five
Great Tips for Becoming a Successful Drop-Ship Seller on eBay
by Douglas Hanna
If you don't want to buy products, warehouse and
then pack and ship them, there's a good alternative. It's called drop-ship
selling. It doesn't require you to purchase anything, warehouse any products
or spend hours packing and shipping goods.
Here's how it works: You find a wholesaler (or wholesalers)
who will drop ship their products. You select some products, and put them
on eBay. When they sell, you place an order for the items with the appropriate
wholesaler, pay for them with a credit card, and the wholesaler packs
and ships them for you. Your profit is the difference between what the
items sell for and what you have to pay the wholesaler.
Here are five tips that can help you succeed as
a drop-ship seller:
1. Get a sales tax license from your state. You
will need this to prove to legitimate wholesalers that you are a real
business and not just somebody trying to buy products cheap for your own
use. In most states, you get the license from your state's department
of revenue.
2. Find legitimate wholesalers. There are a lot
of companies on the Web who claim they sell at wholesale prices and will
drop ship their products. Unfortunately, many of these “wholesale
prices” are just a bit below the normal retail price – which
makes it hard for you to sell them and make any money. The company I trust
most is Worldwide Brands (www.world-wide-brands.com).
This company sells access to a great directory of drop shippers. I think
the cost is about $65 which is very reasonable given the quality of its
information
3. Find a market niche with RWA (Ready, Willing
and Able) buyers. Many people start their business by trying to sell consumer
electronics, household appliances or computer-related products. In one
word, fogetdaboutit. This category is just too crowded and too competitive.
Instead, look for a narrower market niche of people who are anxious to
buy products designed specifically for them. For example, knitting is
big right now which means the niche may be pretty competitive. But there
might be a niche within this niche – for example, a unique kind
of knitting material that appeals to a special kind of serious knitter.
4. Find a wholesaler or wholesalers whose products
fit your niche. Then, make sure their prices are truly wholesale so you
can “mark them up” and make a profit. Unfortunately, in some
cases, the narrower the niche, the more difficult it may be to find a
legitimate wholesaler. Before you buy any directory of drop shippers,
try to "sample it" so you will know it includes wholesalers
with your kinds of products.
5. Find your best wholesaler and stick with it.
The more of its products you sell, the more it will value you as a marketing
channel which in some cases, translates into lower prices for you.
Follow these five tips and you will definitely increase
your chances for success as a drop-ship seller on eBay.
Here's another great tip. Plan to vacation in Denver
this year. A Denver vacation offers the best of both worlds. It has all
the the fun things to see and do you find only in a big, bustling city
and it's only minutes away from the spectacular scenary and vistas offered
by our nearby Rocky Mountains. For more information on a great Denver
vacation, just go to http://www.best-denver-vacation.com
Douglas Hanna has lived in the
Denver metro area for more than 30 years and is an expert on both Denver
and Colorado. He is also the author of more than 100 ezine articles on
a variety of subjects.
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