Tips To Be Successful With Drop Shipping
Using a drop shipper means that you should expect to buy a product when a customer orders it and you should also expect that those customers will receive their products in a timely fashion. However, expecting certain results and actually receiving them from a drop shipper can be two different things. There are great drop shippers available such as Shopster, but you are very likely to come across more than a few fraudulent websites and companies before you find one that is reputable.
Shipping and Tracking – Before you decide to go with one company, you should email and call their customer service desks to ask all the questions that you can. A great question to ask should deal with their shipping policies. Find out if you can expect a tracking number so that you can pass that number on to your customer. Not having a tracking number does not mean that you are dealing with a bad drop shipper but you should know everything you can be you put your trust into one company.
On Time Delivery – Ask potential companies what their average drop shipping time will be. Once you have their answer and estimates, always order a couple of their products so that you can see for yourself just how long it will take your customers to receive their items. You should also pay attention to the quality of the products as well as how well they have been packed.
The biggest problem with drop shippers is that many sellers have been burned when it comes to the shipping details. A customer will order a product, and you will quickly go to the drop shipper to pay the discount prices and have the product shipped out.
A few weeks later, you will receive an email or phone call from a very angry customer. Many drop shippers will promise fast shipping but in return it can take four to six weeks and even a few months before the customer actually gets what they ordered. If you are unlucky enough, they may never ship the products.
Trying to explain that your drop shipper is at fault will not appease your customers because they are dealing with you directly. They will not want to hear excuses so you should always purchase ahead and make sure that the company follows up on their promises before you send them your customer’s money.
No Fees – If you will only order product items from a drop shipper, you should not pay any fees beyond what it costs to buy the actual inventory. While at Shopster, you can expect a website when you sign up for their monthly fee, most drop shippers are only selling you products for a low price. Asking you to pay any extra fees is simply a way to make more money from you that is unnecessary.
Check With BBB – Another way to check out a company is to visit the Better Business Bureau’s (BBB) website. Once there you will simply type in a company name to see if they have received any complaints from previous sellers and customers. You can also check the search engines to see what others have to say about this drop shipper. With the availability of the internet, many frustrated users have created websites to warn others about fraudulent companies and scams that they may have fallen victim to.
