Supply chain management is the process that oversees and manages the journey of products and services as they make their way from conception, through manufacturing and distribution, and on to the end user. A skillfully developed supply chain will guarantee unbroken continuity of supply, and quality of product and/or service; it can reduce stock holding to a minimum, (or even eliminate it altogether); it can reduce lead times to a minimum, and it can improve profitability by lowering the costs within the supply chain process.

For many wannabe online entrepreneurs, one of the most difficult problems is managing inventory. Holding an inventory of products can be bulky and can take up a lot of space, and if space is at a premium, (especially for those of you using your homes as a base for your business), this can pose serious difficulties.

One solution is to hire external storage space, but the problem with that is that it is an extra expense, and one which has to be covered by being built in to your costs. This will of course mean that your selling price will inevitably increase, and this can cause problems for your product sales, especially if you are operating in a competitive marketplace.

Bigger wholesale companies put a lot of time and effort into developing their supply chain management policies so they can deal effectively with the problems that acquiring and distributing inventory pose. Smaller retail and sole proprietor businesses may find that drop shipping is the best solution for them.

Drop shipping is a service that may be offered directly from a manufacturer or it might be offered from a wholesale distributor. They deliver orders directly to your customers rather than shipping everything to you to redistribute. There is usually a fee required for the drop shipping service but it will still be less expensive than renting a warehouse and will save you a lot of trouble too.

When a wholesale provider agrees to drop shipping, they will deliver your customer orders directly to each customer. You can arrange to have this done in generic packaging or sometimes they will create packaging with your logo and information on it. Either way, your customers do not know you are drop shipping orders. As far as they are concerned their products come straight from your own warehouse.

Drop shipping allows you to run a business from your own home without having to handle a single piece of inventory. There is no worry about finding storage space or hiring staff to receive, inspect, and redistribute the products.

Another advantage that drop shipping can give you is product freshness. If your product is susceptible to degradation, either through the passage of time, or the conditions of storage, direct drop shipping is the perfect solution as it goes direct from source to end user. Providing the product is properly packaged, it will arrive safe and sound, and in perfect condition.

By utilizing the right elements of good supply chain management, you can maximize the efficiency of your business. In order to find out more about best practice and the options that are open to you, log on to a quality supply chain service provider and study the different service packages that they can provide. You will be certain to find the right solution for your business needs.

Jake Sabey is a Marketing Specialist for DropShip-Review.com, a site that offers dropshipping reviews to help you find the best dropshipper for your needs.

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Becky who wanted to make some money. She asked her mother for the capital to start a lemonade stand, but her mother said that sitting on the street corner was too dangerous. So Becky gave up her dream of running her own business and grew up instead.

When Becky was a bit older, she stumbled into a gold mine called drop ship. With drop shipping, she realized she could start her own business without asking her mother for help and without sitting on the street corner talking to strangers! Becky modified her original idea of lemonade and began her own store selling lemon-themed products and accessories, thus fulfilling her life-long dream.

If you too would like to do something more efficient than running a lemonade stand, then you need look no further for the resources you need. With wholesale drop shippers, you can create the perfect online retail store, whether that be selling lemons or lamps, oranges or outdoor gear.

To begin, here is a quick definition of drop ship.

The concept behind a retail store is simple. The owner buys bulk merchandise from a wholesaler, stocks their store, and sells to the public. However, the concept behind drop shipping is even simpler. The business owner forwards orders from customers to the wholesale provider, who then ships the product directly to the purchaser.

There are clearly many advantages to drop ship. If you have felt stifled in your ability to increase the number and variety of products that you sell, drop shipping is the answer to your concern. Perhaps you’ve had the experience where the cost of ordering an item in bulk for which there was little or infrequent demand kept you from meeting that demand. Drop shipping gives you access to those products without having to store them yourself! Suddenly, the options of what to market are endless!

Another significant advantage of drop shipping is the positive cash flow associated with it. While Becky’s lemonade stand would have needed funding from her mother, her online store didn’t. As customer’s place orders online and pay for products, that same money can be used to offset the costs of the very products they are buying. As in all retail businesses, you make your money in the difference between what the customer pays for the product and what you pay the wholesale retailer.

So, if you have an idea for a business and want to make some money on the side, you have all you need to start! Let drop-shipping do the work for you while you sit back and watch your dream business take shape!

Jake Sabey is an Education Specialist at Doba. Doba’s proprietary software works with hundreds of wholesale suppliers to provide universal access to over 1.4 million wholesale drop ship products to online retailers.

You don’t have to have thousands of dollars. You don’t have to sell your first-born child. You don’t even have to go to the bank. You can fulfill your dreams of working at home and owning your own online retail business by using wholesale drop shipping.

What is it? Wholesale drop shipping is a way to provide products to your potential customers without having to buy them first. Yes, that’s right. You don’t have to invest in hordes of purchased products, clean out your garage or rent a place to store them, and wonder how you’re going to pay for all the packaging, shipping, and handling fees up front.

When you sign on with a wholesale drop shipper, you can instantly access thousands or millions of products that they already have access to. Your customers place an order through your Web store and you pass it on to your drop ship company.

They process the order by sending it to the manufacturer or wholesaler that supplies the product for them. Then that manufacturer or wholesaler packages and ships the product to your customer.

It sounds like a lot of steps, doesn’t it? The reality is that your drop shipper has the process down. It all goes smoothly — and quickly. The best part for you is that your customer already pays for the product and shipping. You won’t have to fork out the money for it all to get done.

What will come out of your pocket is the cost of putting up a Web site with a domain name and a server (where your site is stored). With places like GoDaddy, Microsoft Office Live, and Yahoo! Domains, this can be easily done for less than $20 a year!

You’ll also likely need to pay for membership rights with the wholesale drop shipper that best suits your product needs. This could cost anywhere from $20 a month to several hundred depending on the drop ship company you use. But, some of these companies offer Web site set up along with their access.

Any way you look at it, using a wholesale drop shipper will cost thousands less than funding the whole shebang yourself. And you’ll enjoy the profits because all you’ll have to worry about is marketing your store!

Jake Sabey is an Education and Marketing Specialist at Doba where they strive to simplify access to hundreds of dropshippers offering millions of wholesale products ready to be drop shipped direct to the end customer.

Have you heard about the mysterious masked drop shipper? Okay, maybe he isn’t quite as mysterious as that, but he did cause you to stop and scratch your head last Christmas. You see, you had found the ideal Christmas present for your spouse online from a small company based on the east coast. Unfortunately, you live on the west coast and time was running out for getting gifts in time for Christmas. You ordered it anyway, hoping against hope that it might show up in time. To your surprise, the package came within a week and was shipped from a site on the west coast rather than the east!

The successful Christmas venture got you to thinking a little more about online retail businesses. You wondered if this could be the answer to the cash flow problem in your household. So, you started to look into it. You soon discovered that the drop shipper wasn’t as mysterious as he first seemed and in fact, if he were working for you, making money would be a piece of cake!

The first thing you found out about drop shippers is that they increase efficiency and make business a smooth, streamlined process. Your job as the business developer would be to advertise your merchandise and take in customer orders. The drop shipper’s job would be to fill the orders and ship off the products to their new home with eagerly anticipating customers.

What a deal! You couldn’t imagine why more people weren’t using drop shipping to their advantage. From what you found out, the pros to drop shipping far outweighed the cons.

The first pro to drop shipping in your eyes was fact that you would store absolutely zero percent of your inventory! This was a huge plus since the garage was already bursting at the seams. Since the drop shipper filled each order directly from the wholesale distribution center, you didn’t have to keep a thing at home. All you had to do was browse online drop ship product catalogs and start advertising the merchandise you wanted to sell.

The second huge plus to drop shipping had to do with the nitty-gritty of the financial side. Typically, a retail business requires you to have enough capital to buy your initial merchandise and begin marketing. With drop shipping, the initial start-up costs are minimal. You begin by advertising, a customer orders and pays for a product, you forward the order to the drop shipper along with the payment for the product and shipping. This leaves you with cash in your pocket, or in other words, positive cash flow!

The more you looked into drop shipping, the more you learned about the pros and cons. You discovered that sometimes products can back order if you don’t keep an eye on the wholesaler’s supplies. At the same time, you realized that drop shipping saves you time and money and that the product will be shipped from the location closest to the customer to cut shipping time. Additionally, drop shipping gives you an endless variety of products from which to expand your business in any direction you want!

In time, the drop shipper really did become your loyal sidekick because despite his few weaknesses, he was there to make your business adventure possible.

Jake Sabey is an Education Specialist for ProductSourcing.com, a free dropshipper offering access to over 30,000 products and powered by Doba’s hundreds of wholesale suppliers.

Drop shipping is a technique used by retailers by which they transfer customer orders to either wholesalers or the manufacturer of the item. The retailer may have only show items in their store or they may be strictly a catalog store.

When using drop shipping a business is able to stock a modest amount of items in the store and customers are still able to look at what you have to sell. Something many people prefer to simply picking something out of a catalog or off of a web page. With this method, however, you aren’t having to pay the fees to rent a warehouse, hire a shipping company or pay for the extra staff. For internet sellers and home-based businesses, drop shipping can be a very useful and effective tool.

Some retailers don’t want to let it be known that they are using a drop shipper. Instead, they use a method called blind shipping in which the manufacturer or wholesale suppliers ship the product to the customer, but use the return address of the retailer. Inside, the packing slip will also have the retailer’s name and information rather than their own.

Many smaller businesses choose to use drop shipping often, while others may use it for special circumstances, such as when they have a large order they cannot easily fill. To give the customer their order they use drop shipping, sending the order to the manufacturer.

Businesses make their profit from the difference in price between the initial price of an item and the cost involved in delivery. This amount can vary from product to product, and shop to shop.

Online auction sites are also known to use drop shipping. When you purchase your item, the auction site sends the request to the manufacturer or wholesale suppliers who then ship it directly to you. This saves both time and money for everyone involved.

Drop shipping can cut the storage costs for the smaller retailer. In the case of large items it will have a tremendous economic benefit to have the product shipped from the manufacturer. When you consider the cost of hiring warehouse workers, packers, shipping services, etc. you can quickly count the tremendous savings you will have by drop shipping. It turns a multi-step transaction into a one or two part transaction.

Thanks to drop shipping, many new businesses are able to get started without having to worry about the need for inventory, storage space and a delivery company. Drop shipping is not only economically sound for businesses, but for customers, as well. The money retailers save on shipping can be passed down to the consumer with lower prices and a greater variety of products.

Jake Sabey is an Education Specialist for Doba. Part of the drop shipping supply chain industry, Doba offers universal access to millions of wholesale products from hundreds of wholesale suppliers for easy access and product source management.

Have you considered making some money on the side with an online business, but then wondered how could possibly get started? Perhaps initial start-up costs and the prospect of up-front inventory caused you to doubt if you could achieve that business. Luckily, using drop ship companies can make your dream possible.

Basically, drop shipping allows you to create a business marketing a variety of merchandise without actually having to store an inventory of your products. Instead, in response to customer orders, merchandise is shipped from a wholesale supplier.

Clearly, this method of retail business comes with considerable advantages. Can you imagine the amount of stress that drop shipping eliminates? Additionally, with less stress comes an endless selection of merchandise from which to choose, and an immediate flow of cash right into your business.

With an immediate cash flow, you can start your business smoothly and build it up just as quickly. You may be asking, Just how do I start making money right off the bat? The answer is simple. As customers pay you for the products they order, you use that some money to place and deliver their order through the drop ship company.

Of course, as in any retail business, your profit comes from the difference between the retail cost and the wholesale cost.

Growth requires that inexhaustible supply of merchandise that was mentioned earlier. In planning what you will sell with your new business, it is important to consult the catalogs the wholesale drop ship companies create. There you will find just what a variety of things there are for you to choose from! If you’re looking to create the ultimate Frisbee store or a one-stop shop for new parents, all you have to do is pick what you want to advertise on your Web site!

If what you’re looking for is flexibility, then drop shipping is your answer. In fact, many drop ship companies provide images of their merchandise that you can then use to advertise the products to your customers.

Hopefully, that dream of having your own business has become sharper and more focused. You don’t have to give up that lifelong goal. You can just use drop ship companies to make it a reality!

Jake Sabey is Doba’s Education Specialist, helping to being wholesale dropshippers and retailers together by providing universal access to over 300 wholesale suppliers offering more than 1.4 million products ready for drop shipping direct to the end customer.

If you’ve considered getting into the online market with your very own online retail outlet, then you’ve probably seen references to using drop ship as a tool for your Web store. There are all kinds of articles out there about drop shipping, but what is it exactly?

Essentially, you advertise the products you choose, and the drop shipper fills your orders for you. There is no advance purchase, no storage requirements, or shipping hassles involved for you. Your relay your orders to your drop shipper and they fulfill it.

Your drop shipper may have the products on hand, or more likely, they will send the order to the manufacturer themselves. Because the drop ship company has a standing agreement with the manufacturer for wholesale prices, you get to take advantage of those prices, too.

Obvious advantages are in play with this formula. Not having to front thousands of dollars into product investment, warehouse rentals or weird issues from your garage, or domestic and perhaps international shipping fees are actually incredible assets.

You can think of yourself kind of as a middleman between the customer and the manufacturer. Your Web store provides the place where customers can locate and purchase the products they want. Your drop ship company provides the product to your customer.

Your goal is to find a drop ship wholesale company that supplies the products you want to sell without diminishing your profit margin. This will be based on how much the wholesale price is, the drop shipper’s cost for shipping and handling, and the percentage you want from the purchase. Yes, you’ll have to pay something, including a possible membership fee, but you’ll still make a profit.

A good drop shipper will also have tools like articles, blogs, marketing strategies, and marketable images and descriptions for you to use so that your Web store can become successful.

It will still take time and attention to create a profitable store, but by using drop ship for your products, you’ve cut your load in half. You can focus your efforts into marketing your products online and let your drop shipper take care of the rest.

Jake Sabey is an Education and Marketing Specialist at Doba where they strive to simplify access to hundreds of drop shipping companies offering millions of wholesale products ready to be drop shipped direct to the end customer.

You may have run across wholesale drop shipping to start your online retail business and opted out, but you may want to look again at the possibilities it offers for expanding your product line.

If you are like most people, then you probably started your Web store business because one product or one line of products interested you. Once you saw something that inspired you to start selling products online, you probably focused on a niche or a certain theme to your products.

Now, that your business is underway, you are starting to think that you\’d like your Web store to stretch into other products. These products may be related to what you\’re currently selling, or you may want to break into a whole new area.

Using wholesale drop shipping companies allows you to add new products to sell without incurring the cost of buying new products yourself.

The advantages of using wholesale drop shipping options far outweigh any costs you\’ll pay for using a drop shipper. You will have shipping, handling, and possibly other fees to pay. Nothing is absolutely free.

These wholesale drop shipping costs will still be less than what you\’d pay to buy a bulk of products, store them, and managing all the shipping and handling yourself. Plus, you aren\’t going to end up with products accumulating dust and not getting any return on your investment.

By using wholesale drop shipping, you give yourself distinct low-risk advantages when trying new products. If something isn\’t selling, then you can drop it and try something else. You can keep turning over your product lines until you\’ve latched onto things that will sell well for your Web store site.

Wholesale drop shipping is an excellent way to expand your existing online retail business to break into newer, broader, and relevant markets that fit your Web store ambitions.

Jake Sabey is Doba\’s Education Specialist, helping to being wholesale dropshippers and retailers together and providing universal access to over 300 wholesale suppliers offering more than 1.4 million products ready for dropshipping direct to the end customer.

You\’ve decided to open your own Web store. Now, you have to decide how you are going to handle your products. You can have your own warehouse and buy all your chosen products beforehand. You could use drop ship companies and use the products they have available. Or you can do a combination of both.

Working with a drop ship company can save you a lot of time because you\’ll have many products and brands to choose from. But, not all drop shippers are built the same.

Each drop ship company you consider will have different terms and conditions. You will expect to pay a certain amount of money to become a member, but you don\’t want to lose that money based on the performance of your Web store.

How many resources or tools are available to you as an online retailer? Some drop ship companies only have products and that\’s it. But, some provide excellent resources to help your business succeed, e.g., retail solutions and tactics, reports and product watches, quality images and full descriptions, a variety of suppliers to choose from, and cost projection tips so you understand what the bottom line will be.

A good drop ship company is going to want your Web store to succeed. Compare the educational resources each company offers. Will they give you tools and tips to create and build a successful online retail store? Do they have product reports that give you the low-down on each product?

How well do their images render? Is there a sufficient amount of content available or will you have to do a lot of writing? Do they have the products you want and a whole lot more? Are there many suppliers available or will you be limited?

And for the big consideration, what is membership going to cost you and what\’s the fine print on the terms and conditions? How much is it going to cost for shipping, handling, and how long will your customers have to wait for delivery?

As you answer these questions, you can make a decision based on which drop ship company is going to do the most for you. Choosing the right fit for your Web store means a successful and prosperous business.

Stuart Lisonbee is a search marketing expert at Doba. Doba\’a goal to simplify the dropshipping product sourcing chain have resulted in universal access to hundreds of wholesale suppliers and a myriad of tools to help small online retailers succeed.

Using drop ship companies has probably come up in your research to start your online Web store. If you\’re pondering whether to use drop shipping, here are some things to consider.

First, a simple explanation of drop shipping. Using drop ship companies means you can shop through their inventory and select products that you want to sell on your site. When a customer buys an item from your store, you relay that sale to your drop shipper. They fulfill your order and ship the product to your customer on your behalf.

Now, you\’re asking yourself what the catch is. Essentially, there isn\’t one. You just have to decide whether it will be more profitable for you to stock and ship your own stuff, or let a drop shipper do that for you.

You\’ll lose some control over inventory availability. So, if your customer bought a tiepin, but your drop ship company ran out of them, you\’ll have to wait for them to get it in and send it to your customer. And you will be paying for their services.

Your drop shipper will usually require some kind of handling fee for the products they ship for you. They will also determine the shipping and delivery methods; however, many drop shippers offer delivery options to choose from.

There are some positive aspects of time and money that may outweigh these fees and lack of inventory control. You can use their images and descriptions to put on your pages. You don\’t have to have a warehouse to keep your own inventory. You don\’t have to buy your products before your customers do. And you don\’t have to pay to keep a stock of packaging materials, labels, or handle deliveries yourself.

All these things will save you time and money. You won\’t have to hire people to write descriptions, take pictures, package products, or manage your inventory (unless you want to). Nor will have to pay for storage and office space, buy products that may sit in your warehouse for years, or packaging materials like boxes, tape, Styrofoam peanuts, labels, and so on.

All you have to do is calculate the total costs of handling it all yourself, along with employees to help you. Then add up the costs of using a drop shipping company. Once you\’ve made your decision, your online Web store can become a reality.

Stuart Lisonbee is a marketing manager at Doba. Doba\’a goal to simplify the drop shipping product sourcing chain have resulted in universal access to hundreds of wholesale suppliers and a myriad of tools to help small online retailers succeed.

categories: drop shipping,retail,wholesale,ecommerce