I have known people start dropshipping from china and after a while when they are doing well they start importing by the container load. But they have done there homework and have found a niche in the market.
There are many people who use china for selling through drop shipping. . Once again they don't hold any stock and only order when someone buys of them. Search the web and you will loads of sites. As I have mentioned in other posts make sure you do your checks on them.
One thing you need to be aware of is the holiday periods with china. Thats when all the factories shut down which can leave you in serious bother with your customers if they don't get there order. There is also the delivery times, these can vary depending on how its posted. There is nothing wrong with using drop shipping. from china and dropshippers in the U.K. You have the best of both worlds and you have a fall back position if a dropshipper has sold all his items and you need some now.
I will mention again "you cannot get branded items from china" If you do order some branded items they will only be fakes. If you list them on ebay/amazon or your own web site they will be removed and you will receive a warning possibly further action. So please be aware.
The list of drop shippers. from China is increasing day by day. I have just done a google check on my title and it came up with, 21,4000,000 that is a huge list to pick through. I checked on China drop shipping companies and the result was, 25,500,000. Have a try, type in dropshipping from china and the result is 19,600,000. From all these results you have to find a drop shipper. .
It means having no stock on you. You only order it when a customer buys something off you. If your looking to start a business and you haven't thousands of pounds to spend on stock. Drop shipping could be for you. Please note you are competing with thousands of other drop shippers out there.
17 July 2011
16 July 2011
Drop Shipping & Wholesale Sourcing
We have moved on from drop shipping. and looking to increase profits by buying in bulk. Places to go are wholesalers. If your lucky enough you will find one in your area. Failing that do a search on the web and see what you can find. Sometimes it is worth having a look around the industrial estates as some wholesalers don't advertise themselves and get business by word of mouth.
Moving on from wholesalers in the U.K. you are then looking at China etc. Please note you can not buy "branded items from china" Doesn't matter how attractive the website is don't be tempted it will save you losing money. I hear of stories all the time about people losing their hard earned cash because they thought they could get branded items at half price.
Anyway you are now looking abroad for a wholesaler for your goods. This is were you need to proceed with extreme caution. Make sure once again you do your homework and research. Ask for samples of a few wholesalers to see what the quality is like.
The web is full of information so use it to your advantage. if you find a wholesaler and need to double check put scam in after the site and see what comes up. Join a forum and have a look in the search option and see if any member has been scammed or left any feedback.
If your sourcing from abroad remember you will have to pay import duties, taxes etc. So have a look on the customs website also.
Moving on from wholesalers in the U.K. you are then looking at China etc. Please note you can not buy "branded items from china" Doesn't matter how attractive the website is don't be tempted it will save you losing money. I hear of stories all the time about people losing their hard earned cash because they thought they could get branded items at half price.
Anyway you are now looking abroad for a wholesaler for your goods. This is were you need to proceed with extreme caution. Make sure once again you do your homework and research. Ask for samples of a few wholesalers to see what the quality is like.
The web is full of information so use it to your advantage. if you find a wholesaler and need to double check put scam in after the site and see what comes up. Join a forum and have a look in the search option and see if any member has been scammed or left any feedback.
If your sourcing from abroad remember you will have to pay import duties, taxes etc. So have a look on the customs website also.
15 July 2011
Drop Shipping & Pictures
You don't need to buy a expensive camera, some of the modern mobiles have better camera's on them. It is all about preparation. get it right and you should see the results.
Ok, you have all your items to sell and now you need the picture. List a item with a bad picture and it will turn any potential buyers away. You need that picture because it is the first thing they will see. Either on ebay or your own website or gumtree, loot etc.
Right you have your picture sorted and now you need to word your item. Lets say for example your selling a xbox 360 on ebay. If your header is xbox 360 you will be amongst around 2,116 other ebays. If you list it as xbox 360 console you will be amongst 769 other ebayers. have a play with the words and make sure you spell it corectly otherwise nobody will be able to find your listing. Once you have got that done you will then write a piece about the item your selling. If it has scuff marks tell them. Dents, scratches etc write it on so people know.
Your first picture is free with ebay but after that it could cost 12p for every other one you list. There is a excellent site called photobucket, were you can upload pictures and then get the HTLM code so you put on ebay and it doesn't cost you anything.
Look after the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves.
Ok, you have all your items to sell and now you need the picture. List a item with a bad picture and it will turn any potential buyers away. You need that picture because it is the first thing they will see. Either on ebay or your own website or gumtree, loot etc.
Right you have your picture sorted and now you need to word your item. Lets say for example your selling a xbox 360 on ebay. If your header is xbox 360 you will be amongst around 2,116 other ebays. If you list it as xbox 360 console you will be amongst 769 other ebayers. have a play with the words and make sure you spell it corectly otherwise nobody will be able to find your listing. Once you have got that done you will then write a piece about the item your selling. If it has scuff marks tell them. Dents, scratches etc write it on so people know.
Your first picture is free with ebay but after that it could cost 12p for every other one you list. There is a excellent site called photobucket, were you can upload pictures and then get the HTLM code so you put on ebay and it doesn't cost you anything.
Look after the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves.
12 July 2011
Life After Dropshipping
I only sell items (anything) I can make at least 30% profit on after fees etc. I know people sell earphones, mobile cases/covers, screen protectors etc as it is a way of building your feedback up quickly. This is the reason why I don't sell them because its to much time consuming with packaging, and fuel to post office etc.
At present my wife is doing hand knitted items, baby things, shrowls etc. This is her hobby and (touch wood) she is selling them. I know some in some cases when a particle item is selling well it seems to get saturated and then you seem to have a price war where another seller decides to sell it alot cheaper. Good for the buyer but for other sellers they will stop and wait until that seller has sold out.
For me I like to have overall control on the items I sell. From listing on ebay or my website to packaging & posting. I know if it goes wrong somewhere I can hopefully sort it out rather then chasing the drop ship.
When your selling on ebay, or your own website presentation & how you word it is critical. First impressions are very important as you want your potential buyer to stay on your page and not go elsewhere. Also how quick will you post? I post 1st class recorded up to £41.00 as that is all recordeds cover you for. Anything after that, next day delivery. Its your business you run it how you feel fit.
At present my wife is doing hand knitted items, baby things, shrowls etc. This is her hobby and (touch wood) she is selling them. I know some in some cases when a particle item is selling well it seems to get saturated and then you seem to have a price war where another seller decides to sell it alot cheaper. Good for the buyer but for other sellers they will stop and wait until that seller has sold out.
For me I like to have overall control on the items I sell. From listing on ebay or my website to packaging & posting. I know if it goes wrong somewhere I can hopefully sort it out rather then chasing the drop ship.
When your selling on ebay, or your own website presentation & how you word it is critical. First impressions are very important as you want your potential buyer to stay on your page and not go elsewhere. Also how quick will you post? I post 1st class recorded up to £41.00 as that is all recordeds cover you for. Anything after that, next day delivery. Its your business you run it how you feel fit.
11 July 2011
Drop shipping Unbranded Items
I decided to start selling the unbranded mobile phones from which I found a few drop shipping sites. Some of them were overseas and one in the U.K. The dropshipper in the U.K. sent items same day if posted before 3pm. Brilliant for feedback and customer returns if faulty on arrival. profits from the U.K. dropshipper could be around the 30% mark.
Dropshippers from overseas could take 4-7 days or even longer depending on posting etc. if this was explained on your website or ebay it keeps the buyer informed and also decides if he wants to buy from you. Best to be honest otherwise you will be surprise how quickly your negitive feedback builds up & destroys your business.
If i ordered more than one item from these unbranded dropshippers i got better discount. The more i ordered in bulk the better the discount. One of the problems with overseas dropshipping was the returns. if you found yourself a good dropshipper and his return policy was excellent you should have no problems.
After doing computer parts (branded items) I decided to move into the unbranded market. Reason for this was because I could make between 30% & in some cases 100% profit. This all depended what i was selling and if I was selling on ebay or elsewhere.
Like everything else in business the market is getting saturated so you have to stand out from the rest. Why should someone buy from you? What could you offer that your rival couldn't? Some people will only buy branded items. Other people will buy unbranded items because its cheaper.
Dropshippers from overseas could take 4-7 days or even longer depending on posting etc. if this was explained on your website or ebay it keeps the buyer informed and also decides if he wants to buy from you. Best to be honest otherwise you will be surprise how quickly your negitive feedback builds up & destroys your business.
If i ordered more than one item from these unbranded dropshippers i got better discount. The more i ordered in bulk the better the discount. One of the problems with overseas dropshipping was the returns. if you found yourself a good dropshipper and his return policy was excellent you should have no problems.
After doing computer parts (branded items) I decided to move into the unbranded market. Reason for this was because I could make between 30% & in some cases 100% profit. This all depended what i was selling and if I was selling on ebay or elsewhere.
Like everything else in business the market is getting saturated so you have to stand out from the rest. Why should someone buy from you? What could you offer that your rival couldn't? Some people will only buy branded items. Other people will buy unbranded items because its cheaper.
Moving On From Drop shipping
I still do a bit of dropshipping as it does have its purpose. I know a few people who have started from nothing with dropshipping to owning their own website etc. Now they have the capital they can buy in bulk and get better discount on prices.
You all know the old saying never put all your eggs in one basket. Not only do they still use dropshipping when its needed. They also have their ebay shop, website online store and for extra's they do car boots to get rid of items they no longer need.
I mentioned about dropshippers who charge for you to use them. I used one shipper but after a while left because I wasn't making enough. That was my fault alone. There are dropshippers who don't charge. Whoever you use just do your research on them.
I still sell on ebay but have cut out the earphones cases etc as the market is saturated. You are competing with sellers from overseas and I've given up. I now look for anything where I can make a profit of at least 30% after fees. Make sure your upto date with ebay fees as they just changed them in May this year.
You all know the old saying never put all your eggs in one basket. Not only do they still use dropshipping when its needed. They also have their ebay shop, website online store and for extra's they do car boots to get rid of items they no longer need.
I mentioned about dropshippers who charge for you to use them. I used one shipper but after a while left because I wasn't making enough. That was my fault alone. There are dropshippers who don't charge. Whoever you use just do your research on them.
I still sell on ebay but have cut out the earphones cases etc as the market is saturated. You are competing with sellers from overseas and I've given up. I now look for anything where I can make a profit of at least 30% after fees. Make sure your upto date with ebay fees as they just changed them in May this year.
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