dropshippers

[girliegirl]

Has anyone tried any of the drop shipping companies like worldwide brands? Just curious if its worth the money to join. Is there a way to preview what the products are that they offer?

[TravelDog]

Girliegirl,

I've been doing some research and haven't made any dropshipper resource purchases yet (as I'm still trying to come up with a muse concept that I can really believe will have a chance). I came across this little article (http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Avoid-Drop-Shipping-Scams&id=557212) the other day that listed what the author thought were reputable sources. They included World Wide Brands (http://www.worldwidebrands.com/), but also Aid and Trade (http://www.aidandtrade.com/) and Hienote (http://www.hienotedirectory.com/). Both the latter two allow you to browse or search for the products or brand names that are available through dropshippers they list before you join. Both of these are cheaper than World Wide Brands, too. From their sites, though, I do think that World Wide Brands portrays a better image.

I'd love to hear from anyone that has signed up for any of these three sources. I can't recall reading a single post from anyone that actually purchased the Tim-recommended World Wide Brand - although plenty have discussed the $300 cost. ;)

TravelDog

[mdmason2003]

I'd be interested, too, if anyone else has some experience with dropshippers. Or rather, with actually making money by selling product through dropshippers.

I've researched it a couple of times, and what I keep coming away with is this -- there are definitely a few very legitimate, upstanding dropshipping companies out there. They're perfectly legit. They'll do what they promise, but that's not the problem. Problem #1 -- they mostly stock common consumer goods; Problem #2 -- every other person trying to make money from dropshipping is selling from the same batch of consumer goods; Problem #3 -- all those people are on eBay just cutting one another's throats trying to make a penny; Problem #4 -- you'd also be competing against bricks-and-mortar discounters who are selling the same products.

Look for a dropshipper that will actually list in detail the products offered, then pick one you think you'd like to sell. It will list a suggested price and your prospective profit on the item. Then search for it on eBay, and be sure to also search for completed auctions, not just auctions that are currently active. You'll see what I mean.

[laniers]

I'm really starting to wonder how many people on this forum actually have read the book. Tim clearly says in the book that buying wholesale and selling retail, while easy is the least profitable business model he talks about and the most likely to end in failure. In the book he also says that the guy that sells the sound effects 1. Found a niche 2. tested the niche on eBay 3. contacted the sellers directly 4. then built a web site. Small dreams, small efforts = small returns. People go back and read the book again, find a muse, not a hobby and not another job. :confused:

[coollikeme]

is harder than you think. There are a lot of ways to go about it. Most dropshipping services will try to charge you around 100 to 300 dollars , and you might not find what you want. Also no one is going to tell you where the dropshippers are, because you become there competition. Even if you pay the fee for a dropshipping service, you will have a lot of other people doing the same thing so you need to do a lot of research. Here are a couple of hints that may help you out. A real dropshipper does not charge you an up front fee. If you get charge an upfront fee they are most likely a 3 party dropshipper. Most real dropshippers will ask you for a tax ID or a resellers license, if you don't have that, they won't even talk to you. So you need to get one a some point. Find a dropshipper in your state, if you find a great product it will be easier, to sell outside your state, and you may not have as many issues with people selling the same type of item. Hopefully this helps.