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Tips On Choosing A Drop Shipper

Choosing a drop shipper is one of the most important things you will need to do before you start your online drop shipping business.

There are a lot to pick from! So, how do you know which one is best for you?

Here are some handy tips to help you make a wise decision about which drop shipper to select from the wide array of drop shippers available:

• Shop Around: Don’t just click on the first company that comes up in a Google search and go with it. There are many drop shippers, so shop around. Compare prices! Like any other business, there can be a drastic difference in prices for identical products between one drop shipper and the next. Your goal in starting an ecommerce business is to make as much profit as you possibly can on the merchandise you sell. By making sure that you’re paying bottom dollar and getting the lowest wholesale price out there on the products you will be selling, you’re increasing your bottom line---net profit.
  
• Shipping: Because the drop shipper will be handling the shipping of the items you sell, it’s important to ascertain what shipping methods a company uses. If, for example, they are using a fleet of geriatric camels imported from Egypt to trundle the length and breadth of the country delivering your orders, or sending international orders lashed to a raft made of coconut shells and baling twine, you don’t want to choose them as your drop shipper. Remember, your customer won’t be looking to the drop shipper for an explanation as to why he hasn’t received his order---he’ll be emailing or calling YOU and the last thing you need is a horde of angry, frustrated customers who purchased their widgets for Christmas gifts and still haven’t gotten them by Easter. So, check on the shipping method and make sure it’s a major, reputable service and not “Cheap Charlie’s Discount Shipping and Stump Removal Company.”
  
• Payment: Different drop shippers can offer different methods of payment. Some charge your credit or debit card as each item is shipped while others will allow you to pay for all your items once a month.
  
• Customer Service: Not theirs…..yours. Unfortunately, sometimes customers want to return something they’ve bought from you because it doesn’t fit or just isn’t what they wanted after all. Sometimes they want a refund because the item doesn’t function properly, was damaged in shipping, or works for a week and then stops working. If this happens (and happen it will) you need to know beforehand what a drop shipper’s policies are on refunds and returns. If they don’t have one, and you’re stuck footing the bill for these things, it can get pricey.
  
• Reputation: One of the basic things to check about a drop shipper is their reputation. Do some research before you decide which drop shipper to use. There are many reputable drop shippers with easily accessed testimonials. Be sure to make sure you choose one of them and not a fly-by-night newcomer with little or no credibility established. You might pay cheaper prices for merchandise from some of these risky companies, but the cost to you in the long run if they took the money for products and didn’t ship them could be horrendous. You don’t want this! So, do a little homework on each drop shipper who makes your short list and be certain it is a well established, legitimate company!
  

Drop shipping offers amazing potential for the ecommerce entrepreneur! Proceed with caution when you’re starting out, choose a drop shipper wisely and you may find yourself on the road to success faster than you can imagine!