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For those who arent familiar, dropshipping is a business term used for a situation where a seller sets a retail price for an item, collects the payment, sends the wholesale cost to a dropshipper and the item ships directly from their warehouse. In most cases, the seller never even handles the merchandise because every aspect of shipping is handled by the dropshipper. As successful as the industry has become, there are concerns that arise from this method of selling. In order to familiarize you with those concerns and other helpful information, a list of 10 tips has been compiled. Anyone in the dropshipping industry, or who is considering it, should take their time and gather as much information as possible.

Tip 1: Check out the dropshippers reputation with the Better Business Bureau in their area. How long have they been in business? Has anyone ever filed a consumer complaint against the company? If so, has the complaint been resolved? This information can be found at http://www.BBB.org.

Tip 2: Ask the dropshipper how quickly they will be able to fulfill and ship the order. Be sure to inquire about whether or not a tracking number will be available. The tracking number will be very important because, if an item doesnt arrive, you will need to have some means to track the purchase and to make sure that it was shipped. If a customer doesnt receive a product, they will look to you for answers.

Tip 3: If you are dropshipping, this means that the item you are selling is not in your possession. Its very important to let your customers know this. Sellers should indicate that the item will ship directly from your supplier.

Tip 4: An important factor to consider is the delivery time. Its pertinent to let buyers know that, because the item is shipping directly from your supplier, they may need to allow extra time for delivery. Make sure to ask your dropshipper how long delivery takes so that you may pass this information on to your buyers.

Tip 5: If a problem should arise during the course of shipment, or if a shipment is delayed, promptly address the issue with your buyer. Its important to have good communication and to let your customers know that you are always there to answer their questions.

Tip 6: Be cautious of a dropshipper who requires that you pay a fee to access their product line. A legitimate dropshipper should not charge to set up an account.

Tip 7: When ordering from a dropshipping company, there should not be a minimum order. Its normal to get discounts on larger quantities, but the dropshipper should be able to accommodate any order size from 1 to 100.

Tip 8: Consider doing business with more than one dropshipping company. Its always a good idea to shop around for a larger variety of better deals. Dont put all of your eggs in one basket, so to speak.

Tip 9: When you begin doing business with a new dropshipping company, order a few test products for yourself. Afterall, you are the one who will be selling the products and you will want to make sure the company offers quality products, reliability and accuracy in filling orders.

Tip 10: The whole idea behind dropshipping is wholesale. You are buying a product at such a low price that you should be able to sell it for a profit. The dropshipper is the wholesaler and you become the retailer. Its easy to forget that some things really are too good to be true. Just like everything else, there are scams out there so be careful. The bottom line is that regardless of how wonderful the deals may seem, start slow and build up to larger orders as you become more comfortable with the process.

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About the Article Author

Kevin Nobleman has researched and uncovered numerous scams in the corrupt online drop ship industry. He has written special articles to help people avoid drop ship scams. An industry insider, Kevin has discovered over two dozen legitimate drop ship companies, wholesalers, independent suppliers and buyer/seller communities he would encourage you to do business with.