10 Top Tips To Successfull Dropshipping

Many entrepreneurs have found success in the dropshipping industry. For those who aren’t 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 dropshipper’s 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 doesn’t arrive, you will need to have some means to track the purchase and to make sure that it was shipped. If a customer doesn’t 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. It’s 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. It’s 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. It’s 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. It’s 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. It’s always a good idea to shop around for a larger variety of better deals. Don’t 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. It’s 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.

About the Author: Mark Kenny, runs http://Trading-Web-Solutions.com & creates eBay related turnkey websites including a turnkey website to promote an eBay Trading Assistant business. This article is taken from his eBay Maximum Resources Mini-Guide. To subscribe send a blank email to taebay@aweber.com
Source: www.isnare.com

Written by: Mark Kenny

Dropship Your Way to Success

Many people know they would like to start an Internet business, but they don't have a product to sell. The solution is often drop shipping.

Drop shipping is a business arrangement in which a company (often the manufacturer of a product) sells a product at wholesale prices to a reseller and ships the product directly to the reseller’s customers. The retailer makes the company's products available to customers, often through a web site, collects payment, and then orders the product from the manufacturer. This arrangement works well for both the manufacturer and the seller. The manufacturer is able to make the product available to a large number of retailers. The retailers are able to sell products they would not otherwise have access to. Drop shipping allows almost anyone to start a retail company without needing to order large amounts of inventory. This eliminates the need to store the product and cuts overhead dramatically. The reseller only orders products after he has sold it, and in most cases only after being paid. For small businesses concerned about cash flow, this is very attractive.

There are two different philosophies concerning what items to sell via a drop shipper. You may choose whichever appeals to you. The first group believes that you should research the market to determine what items to sell. They say you need to find a high demand item, then locate a drop shipper that sells that item. The second group believes that you should sell what you are interested in. If you like knives, find a company willing to drop ship knives. If you like power tools, find a drop shipper for those. They believe that if you sell something you enjoy, you will do a better job selling. Whichever method you choose, an outstanding way to find a drop shipper is the web site, World Wide Brands (http://databuilders.net/wwb). The people at WWB work full time finding companies willing to drop ship their products for you, Their database is updated constantly to insure only the best companies are made available.

If you decide to go it alone and find a drop shipper yourself, look for a company that either drop ships exclusively, or requires you to register as a member before getting the wholesale prices. If anyone can log into the site and pay the same low price, why should customers buy from you? Many companies require you to provide a business license number before allowing you to register. This is to insure you are a legitimate retailer. If you do not have a license, you should get one. Ideally, the company will deal exclusively in the product you want to sell.

I also do not support companies charging for drop shipping. You may see some offers similar to “Sell hundreds of products for only $29.95 a month.” They go on to tell you that you can make thousands of dollars selling their products on E-Bay, so the $29.95 they charge shouldn’t matter. There are enough companies that don’t charge anything. Avoid paying for the right to sell someone's product for them.

Perhaps the most difficult part in starting a drop ship business, is building the web site. If you have never built a web site before, it can be an overwhelming task. You must consider each detail, from deciding what software to use, to finding a host, and accepting payments. I recommend using osCommerce to build your online store. It is free software that can be modified to look like you want it to. There is an online knowledge base that can answer many of your questions about setting it up and configuring it, or you can let someone else set it up for you.

Thousands of people are making money using the osCommerce, drop shipping combination. It is a powerful, inexpensive way to get your business started.

Jason Conley is the owner of Databuilders, a web hosting company for small and home office businesses. He has built a number of drop ship web sites using osCommerce, and contributes regularly to the osCommerce support forum. You can contact Jason at jkconley@databuilders.net, or visit Databuilders at http://databuilders.net.

Written by: Jason Conley

Other People`s Products Can Make You Rich

Although there are advantages to selling your own proprietary products and services, there are also drawbacks. For example, the time and investment required to produce your own book, invention, or other product could mean a long delay in receiving profits and cashflow essential to your business survival.

For this reason, you may decide to sell other people`s products and services, either exclusively, or to complement your own product line.

You could stock an entire retail store with products, buy a franchise or other business, or obtain a distributorship or dealership. However, this could require a substantial financial investment.

Here, then, are just a few, low-cost ways to profit from selling other people`s products and services.

1. Commission Sales

Act as a sales representative or agent of a company and sell their products or services for a percentage commission of the sales price.

Many companies on the Internet offer associate or affiliate programs that you can join to earn commissions selling their products and services. Sometimes you can even make money from the efforts of other affiliates who sign up through your website.

Thus, without having a product of their own, some persons are earning their sole but substantial income from affiliate programs.

2. Consignment Sales

You can take other people`s products on a consignment basis, making your commission when you sell the item. Many second-hand shops, arts and crafts stores, and other retailers operate this way.

You can also sell products of others through Internet auction sites such as eBay or Yahoo! Auctions.

3. Drop Shipping

You could buy inventory wholesale and try to sell it retail, but what if it doesn`t sell? Even if you do sell, do you really want all that money tied up in stock? For these reasons, many businesses use drop shipping as a method of doing business.

Whether from your home, retail store, directly from your website or through an online auction, you can arrange to sell an item before you purchase it. That way you have nothing invested in inventory and won`t get stuck with stock that won`t sell.

For example, let`s assume that you have just sold a product to a customer for $100.00 plus shipping charges of $15.00. Having received the customer`s payment, you now need to e-mail or fax your order to your drop ship supplier. You will need to pay your supplier your cost of $50.00 plus $15.00 shipping, leaving you a $50.00 gross profit. Your supplier will now ship the product to your customer.

4. Finders` Fees

Did you know that you can earn fees simply by introducing buyers and sellers?

For example, a mining company may need to buy certain hard-to-obtain equipment for their operations. You could negotiate a percentage finder`s fee for finding this equipment for them.

Conversely, you could also obtain a finder`s fee from a company that is trying to sell off their excess machinery but is having difficulty finding a buyer.

5. Joint Ventures

Joint venture arrangements can be profitable. As an example, you could arrange to feature someone else`s product in your e-zine or newsletter in return for a commission, even if they don`t presently have an affiliate program.

The above list of low-cost ways to make a profit from other people`s products and services is by no means exhaustive. However, it certainly illustrates that, with some effort, other people`s products could make you rich.

About the Author: J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years. For profitable Work at Home Small Business Ideas, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/

Written by: Stephen Pope

EBay Basics

ABOUT EBAY: Founded in September 1995, EBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) is The World's Online Marketplace® for the sale of goods and services by a diverse community of individuals and small businesses. Today, the EBay community includes more than a hundred million registered members from around the world. People spend more time on EBay than any other online site, making it the most popular shopping destination on the Internet.

WHY SELL ON EBAY? Generally people sell on EBay to supplement their income, liquidate an estate, to rid of unwanted items from their collections, or use it in lieu of a yard sale to sell things that they no longer want or need. Becoming even more common are those sellers who purchase new products at wholesale prices and re-sell them on EBay for a profit. You don't have to sell full-time on EBay though. You can sell as many or as few items as you want. It's a great money making hobby. Keep your day job and sell on EBay in the evenings and on the weekends.

The more work that you put into selling on EBay, the more money you are typically going to make. This is very appealing to many sellers. However, selling on EBay, like any other business, can be hard work. A big motivation for those that end up selling on EBay is the desire to own a business; to be their own boss. EBay is perfect for starting a small sales business because of the low initial set-up costs - it's low risk.

REGISTERING ON EBAY: If you do not already have an account with EBay, you'll have register in order to buy or sell on the EBay auction site. For buyers, all that EBay requires is your name, address, e-mail and telephone number. For sellers, you'll also need to provide credit card information. EBay uses a secure system to receive your credit card number, so there is no risk that anyone can intercept your credit card number. If buying on EBay, there will be no charge. If you sell on EBay, your credit card will be automatically charged on a monthly basis for any listing fees and commissions.

EBAY/AUCTION PRICING: Most items sold on EBay are sold for between $5 and $50. Partly because there are just more items that happen to fall into that range of values, and partly because most buyers are comfortable spending that amount on an Internet auction. EBAY/AUCTION DESCRIPTIONS: Writing a thorough and accurate item description can be a big challenge for sellers, especially new ones, when creating an auction listing. Search other listings similar to yours and create and produce an informative, professional description of the item(s) you are selling. What is the secret to making money on EBay? Attract as many bids as possible and bring back repeat customers!

How do you attract bids and bring back repeat customers? Establish credibility, present your auctions professionally, offer a guarantee, include a photograph of your item, and maintain an exemplary feedback record. Always ensure your customers are happy, and they always will be if you provide an accurate description.

Remember, when an EBay buyer bids on one of your auctions they are not initiating a transaction with a well-established company with a proven track record like an Amazon.com, they are placing their trust in someone who could very easily no longer be in business tomorrow. The only thing that the buyer has available to them to assess the legitimacy of your auction is your EBay feedback record and the quality of your EBay auction listing. The goal of your EBay auction should be to differentiate your auction from the others by convincing bidders that what you're selling is legitimate, and that when paid, you'll quickly deliver the product in excellent condition.

Once you are comfortable with your EBay business, you can incorporate that business with a retail business by starting your own website and web presence.

About the Author

Shannon Davidson www.officesetting.com Shannon has been performing virtual assistance for over 13 years. She provides administrative and technical services such as transcription, data entry, logo design, web creation, and many other services to businesses and individuals. Shannon is also a freelance writer and provides articles and research information to businesses and individuals.

Written by: Shannon Davidson

10 Tips For Dropshipping

Many entrepreneurs have found success in the dropshipping industry. For those who aren't 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 dropshipper's 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 doesn't arrive, you will need to have some means to track the purchase and to make sure that it was shipped. If a customer doesn't 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. It's 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. It's 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. It's 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. It's 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. It's always a good idea to shop around for a larger variety of better deals. Don't 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. It's 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
About the Author

Mark Kenny creates profitable turnkey websites at http://trading-web-solutions.com. This article is taken from his eBay maximum profits mini-course showing you how to get the most out of eBay. To subscribe send a blank email to taebay@aweber.com

Written by: Mark Kenny

How to get accepted by major corporations to buy their excess liquidation product for 10% of wholesale

This is a proven technique to get past the "gatekeepers" at most large companies and secure a position on their highly profitable Bid List. Once you have been accepted by any major corporation following these simple steps, you are on your way to high volume, Brand Name, consistent product sourcing! When you go directly to the source ( manufacturer of the goods), instead of wholesale suppliers or distributors, you will not incur the markup and expenses that those middle man firms would pass on to you.

The first step is to contact the person in charge of asset disposal. There are many different names for this department; such as liquidation, closeout, salvage or scrap department, and one or two key people usually manage it.

You may have noticed that most large companies do not clearly list any phone information on their website. There is a simple reason for this; it costs money anytime a live person has to answer the phone. These companies would like you to go through their website; and the truth is that 99% of the information you need is on their website.

If the company has an 800 number, it is still like going through a maze to find someone who can help you. Since we are on the search for the person who handles the liquidation, salvage or closeout department, we need a different approach:

Go to the home page of the business you want to contact and search on the website for Media Contact. This may be listed plainly under Media Contact, or it may be hidden in a department such as "Contact Us". If you cannot find this information on the website, go to www.google.com and type in the company name plus media or media contact. This should pull up a list of relevant searches. Why look under the site for media? Companies want to talk to the media; this represents stories or articles about the company, which generates publicity, which in turn generates more sales. The companies want the media people readily available. This makes it easier for us!

When you call the media contact, you may get an operator or even the person in charge of Public Relations with the media themselves. It works best if the media person answers. They are much more knowledgeable about the departments of the company and will give you a phone number or extension of the person you need to contact.

If the operator answers, you will have a little more work to do. They usually have a list of names and extensions. State that you previously talked to someone in media, but can't remember their extension; and that although you do not need to talk to them at the moment, you would like to send them the information they requested. This will put the operator at ease, and then you can ask for the email address so that you can forward the information

The operators do screen calls and although they do not like to put calls through, they usually have no problem giving out email addresses. The email address usually shows the first initial and last name of the person you need to contact, for example jjames@abc.com. Wait a day or two, call back and say that you are sending correspondence to Mr. James in the Liquidation Department, and ask for the correct spelling of his first name so that you get it right. This usually works and you are on your way!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jason James is a 10 year Internet marketing veteran and an eBay Power Seller
of 4 years. His website "The Auction Resource Network" reveals his inside
secrets, tips, and sources that help him pocket over $10,000 per month on eBay.
Claim your FREE 14 Day "Learn How to Sell on eBay" e-Course Here:
http://www.auctionresourcenetwork.com

Written by: Jason James

Is an offline dropshipper better than an online drop ship company?

Charlotte Alice represents a UK Dropshipper company that offers free dropshipping information and resources. This includes a free newsletter, busy forum and regular articles written by industry experts.

An online dropshipper is a company that offers a dropshipping or wholesale service via an Internet web site, most reputable drop shippers will have some form of warehouse or public store. An off line drop ship company operates exactly the same way, only they are without a web site.

Most traders who are using a dropshipper to fulfil their online orders are using online drop shippers, this is because it is simple to integrate the two together. For example, as if you receive your orders via a web site or an auction page, it is much easier to stay online and place your fulfilment orders with your chosen drop ship company. Online Dropshippers, that's the way forward right? Yes and no, we would certainly suggest that if a wholesaler or other company wanted to maximise their dropshipping service then they should be online. However, this is mainly to their benefit as it could potentially improve their sales and customers. Being online means that it is easier to be found, since it is online traders who are out there looking for drop ship companies, then it is fair to say they have an audience. It's that same audience that is also your competition!

A common them throughout this website is differentiation, by being different you can raise yourself above the masses and standout. That's why we believe that an offline dropshipper could possible add more to your business than an online dropshipper.

Think about it, if all of your competition are doing the "Google Thing" searching for online drop shippers, then it is less likely they are searching offline. We've including some tips below about searching offline for a drop ship partner:

1. Look in local newspapers or telephone directories for listed wholesalers. Most will include their web site details if they have one. If they do not list one, phone them and find out more.

2. Don't just target wholesalers, consider craft shops or other speciality outlets that have unique products. These are often "start up" companies that have evolved from a labour of love, they will be delighted to speak with people who would like to sell their products.

3. Apply to trade magazines. Often these will showcase new products and ventures, by partnering with these companies you may have access to new products first. First to market is a huge advantage, again they will also be grateful for the additional marketing and sales channel.

Remember, when contacting these companies you're looking to market their products. This is a massive benefit to them for little or no cost. Make sure you agree how the order fulfilment process will work and if possible agree this in writing. Don't be frightened to negotiate, without you these additional sales would not happen, at the same time counter any concerns they may have about you by describing your experience.

This article can be reprinted online and offline as long as full respect is paid to the author and the links included.

About the author:

Charlotte Alice helps small to medium sized companies market themselves on the Internet. Charlotte Alice is an Internet consultant representing a company that offers Affordable web design to small companies.

Click here for more information about UK Dropshipper

Written by: Charlotte Alice

Buy Wholesale And Save BIG!

Are you ready to join? The Internet shopping bandwagon, that is. Shopping online has become increasingly popular over the last few years, with new and improved safety measures, specialty shops and giant retailers like Overstock.com; all designed to entice shoppers.

In fact, shoppers spent $30.1 billion online this season, up 30 percent from $23.2 billion last year, according to Goldman Sachs, Nielsen/NetRatings and Harris Interactive.

Additionally, e-commerce transactions are estimated to be close to 168 billion dollars for the year 2005. In fact, in the year 2010 it is projected online sales could top the 315 billion dollar mark (Forrester Research 2005). One may ask, why such an increase?

Many factors can explain such increases. Improved security measures, ease of use and convenience are just a few of these factors. Let's explore these factors.

Security Measures- Despite all the fears of identity theft, online transactions account for less than 4% of identity theft. There are numerous software programs available (some for free) that the user can download to protect themselves from viruses and spyware. Worried about spyware? Download a free spyware program at www.safer-networking.com (called SpyBot Search & Destroy).

Additionally, look for the locked padlock in the toolbar and make sure the http changes to https in your browser. The "s" indicates that the web site is a secure site and adheres to the industry standard for security values Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). Therefore, your personal information is encrypted and stays private during transmission over the Internet. If you use Internet Explorer as your browser you will generally see a lock in the bottom right of page which indicates that the site has at least 128 bit encryption (which is safer than shopping offline). Always delete sensitive information when exiting any website and do not give your credit card number to anyone requesting it in an email (phishing scams). Follow these simple steps a safe online shopping experience.

Ease of use- We have all seen the banner advertisements, just click on them and they take you to the web site advertised. Email advertising is growing in popularity as well and includes a link to click on to take the user to the site after they read the text ad. There are some unique and catchy names of web sites that are easy to remember. Have a favorite web site or shopping site? Just bookmark it and add it to your collection of favorites!

Convenience- Ever wait in long lines during the holiday season? What a time saver online shopping has become! No lines to wait in, no parking hassles, no traffic, no gas expense, no crowds and your merchandise can be shipped right to your door!

Or, if you prefer, you can have your purchases gift wrapped and delivered to another address. All you do is sit at your computer with your shopping list and get done in a few hours what may taken you several days and trips to the mall to accomplish!

In many cases, you will spend less for the product as well as the elimination of gas, time and parking at the local mall. There is absolutely no need to be paranoid about shopping online and the bargains and even wholesale products that are dropshipped to you are waiting to picked!

There are many more advantages to shopping online (we have just covered a few) as well as some disadvantages, but carefully weighed out; the smart shopper will discover a happy medium between the two and e-commerce will continue to grow and be a force in the economy for years to come.

Copyright 2006 Prepaid Solutions

About The Author

Dan Farrell is the owner of http://www.buyatwholesaleguide.com where you can get links and resources to wholesale, closeout and liquidation merchandise that is dropshipped to your door.

Written by: Dan Farrell

How to start an online auction business

Have you spent any time looking at online auctions? There are thousands of visitors to the big online auction sites every day, looking for something to purchase! This is an excellent place to find buyers of your products without having to do any significant marketing, and an inexpensive way to start making money without much upfront investment.

Heres how to get started:

First, decide what you will sell.
------------------

You can sell most anything via an online auction, but here are a few items Ive seen do very well in this venue:

* Collectibles of any sort
* Childrens items, especially clothing and toys
* Handmade items, including quilts, soap, and dollhouse items
* Craft supplies

Select your venue:
------------------

Decide which online auction you will use to sell your items. Ebay
(http://www.ebay.com) is the site with the most traffic, so it is an excellent choice, but Yahoo! Auctions (http://auctions.yahoo.com) and Amazon Auctions
(http://auctions.amazon.com) both get significant traffic.

Also keep in mind that there may be specialty auction sites for your particular item with customers looking only for what youre selling.

Once youve selected your auction site, sign up for a sellers account.

Find your products:
------------------

There are many ways to locate products to sell. Heres a list to give you some ideas:
* Visit garage sales and flea markets
* Peruse sale racks at local shops
* Go to discount or dollar stores
* Watch your newspaper for inventory closeout sales
* Locate wholesale sources; buy large lots and sell in small lots
* Start a consignment service, where you sell items for others for a fixed fee or
percentage of the auction price

List your item:
------------------

Develop an auction title with as much compelling information as possible, including a brand, size, color, and brief description. Write a description with a lot of detail, both to give potential buyers as much information as possible and to provide lots of keywords for searches. Include a good quality photograph of the item so prospective buyers know what theyre getting.

Set yourself up for repeat sales:
------------------

Ship promptly, and leave feedback for your buyer as soon as they pay you. Then, set
yourself up for repeat business by:

* Including a card in your package with a link to your web site, your ebay user name, or other information about you to help them reach you later and to understand at a glance what types of items you sell
* Contacting the buyer after they should have received your item to see if they are
satisfied, and ask if they would like to be contacted when you list new items. Send out updates to all who agree when you do new listings.

Heres where to learn more:
------------------

Make Your Net Auctions Sell! is an excellent guide to everything about online auction selling. You can read more about it by visiting their web site at
http://mynas.sitesell.com/ibb.html

You can receive a free 5-day email course called Net Auctions Masters by sending a
blank email to mailto:tnamsibb@sitesell.net

New to auctions? Visit ebay at http://www.ebay.com and see what we're talking
about! Do a search on anything you can think of, you will be amazed!

About the Author

Carol Woods is the editor of Work at Home Income, a weekly publication of Income
Building Blocks. IBB offers free ideas, information and inspiration for moms who work at home or want to! For lots of free ideas to help you find a work at home job or start a home based business, visit us at http://www.income-building-blocks.com and sign up for Work at Home Income!

Written by: Carol Woods

Drop Shipping Is Your Perfect Home Based Business Solution

Drop Shipping Is Your Perfect Home Based Business Solution

Drop shipping is one of the greatest businesses to operate from home. With drop shipping you sell another company's products, use their warehouse and shipping facilities, and they provide you with the sales tools you need like product descriptions and images and more - free of charge!

Drop shipping is great for small businesses because you can start with literally nothing & gradually increase to higher levels of success. Drop shipping allows you to leverage other, much larger company's resources!

Any business owner who needs the an inexpensive & efficient means to market items online should look into drop shipping. Drop shipping allows you to sell almost any type of product you want with no warehouse & no inventory.

No inventory = low risk! You only purchase an item from the dropshipper after you've already made the sale! You never get stuck with a garage full of products that won't sell.

Drop shippers packages all of the products for you, they place your name on the return address of the package & then they ship it to your customer. You'll look like you're a multi-million dollar outfit to the customer!

In order to do business with a real wholesaler, some of them (not all) may require proof that you're in business & not just some consumer looking for great prices. So, you may need to file for a Resale Tax ID for your State. It's easy to do I filed my application online in just 10 minutes & even received a temporary certificate that I immediately printed out. I was literally in business within 10 minutes!

If you're SERIOUS about running a business you MUST have one! No ifs, ands, or buts. And, it's so easy to get one, there's no excuse not to.

If a wholesaler doesn't request a Resale Tax ID from you, they're a very small company or they're not real wholesalers, just middle-men.

When you find wholesale companies that drop ship many different types of products, everything from toys to electronics, and they don't request your Resale Tax ID, be aware that probably aren't a real wholesale company. Most legitimate wholesalers focus on a specific product type, like electronics or toys alone.

These middle-men companies just forward your order to the real wholesale company. You won't be able to compete on a level playing field with your competition if you do business with these guys. Chances are your competitors have Resale Tax IDs.

So be aware that you're dealing with a middle-man wholesaler who will have the real dropshipper dropship your products for you. Do yourself a favor & avoid dealing with the middlemen and get a Resale Tax ID. You'll save yourself a lot of money by be able to compete with the big-guns.

After your account is set up with the real wholesaler, you'll get a printed catalog and possibly a CD-Rom with product descriptions and images that you can use.

Middle-men usually don't provide these "bonuses". You just upload the image & description to your web site, decide on the price & wait for the orders to come rolling in!

Drop shipping will allow any person to run a successful & competitive business from home regardless of a lack of start-up funds.

Mike Nalbone is the creator of "The Wholesale Detective" http://www.nalbone.org/detective/ which is a complete resource for people seeking to utilize drop shipping to start or expand their own business.

About the Author

Mike Nalbone is the creator of "The Wholesale Detective" http://www.nalbone.org/detective/ which is a complete resource for people seeking to utilize drop shipping to start or expand their own business.

Written by: Mike Nalbone

Credibility - 10 Ways to Build it on your Website

If you have your own business website and you are trying to sell something, then it is imperative that you are able to establish and maintain credibility. Why is this important? If you are going to ask someone to make a purchase from you, then you need to show them why they should purchase from you rather then your competitor on another site.
If you are able to achieve credibility then you will be miles ahead of your competition. So many websites are missing this vital element of doing business. A fancy website with bells and whistles is nothing if it cannot make a sale. I will show you 10 simple things that you can do on your site to establish credibility.

10 Credibility Tips:

1. Be consistent in everything you do and say on your website. If you change your policies all the time people will mistrust you. State your values and policies clearly on your website.

2. Put your customer first. This is done by writing specific text geared toward your customers about satisfaction guarantee, refund policies, frequently asked questions, and any other pertinent information. Tell them why they should buy from you and not someone else. What do you have to offer that the others do not.

3. Only offer high quality products and services. You do not want to sell substandard items as although you might make an immediate sale you will not gain repeat business. Repeat business is the key to profits. Offer guarantees and refunds.

4. When advertising state the truth. Do not embellish and make claims that are false. If your customer is not satisfied at the end of the sale because of overstated claims you will loose trust and future business.

5. Use testimonials. Contact past customers and ask for their opinion and post it on your site. Testimonials add validity to your products and make it easier to justify the purchase.

6. Establish yourself as an expert in your field. One way to do this is to add a discussion board on your site and be a regular contributor. Another is to post articles weekly on your site related to your topic.

7. Make your presence known. Create your own ezine and offer valuable tips, articles and insights into the topic your website specializes in. This gives people free valuable information, and will keep your business in their mind so when they need another product they will think of you.

8. Make sure you have prompt delivery of your products. People who make purchases do not want to wait long their items. If you are selling a digital product offer immediate download. If you are shipping an item get it in the mail within a day or two. You can even offer different shipping methods- its all about customer service.

9. Make sure your site has contact information. Include a valid email address, and/ or a contact form, business address, and phone number on your site so if your customer has questions or concerns they can contact you. Make sure you respond back in a timely manner.

10. Include an about me page. Tell them about yourself and how you got into the business. Include pictures. This humanizes you and makes the potential customer feel more at ease in purchasing from you.

Remember strong credibility takes a long time to be developed. It can take seconds to destroyed. Be honest, personable and put the customer first. By following these 10 ideas above you will beat out your competition and on your way to having a successful business.

About the Author

Laurie Winslow is the owner/ webmaster of http://www.internetmoose.com , a website business dedicated to helping other online internet businesses succeed by offering free webmaster tools, articles, wholesale directories, ebooks and software.

Written by: Laurie Winslow

USP on eBay

If you have dabbled at all in the world of Internet marketing, you may have heard the term "unique selling proposition" or USP. USP is a technique that Internet marketers use to set themselves apart from the competition. Internet marketing is highly competitive and highly saturated. In order to be successful, it is vital that the Internet marketer present himself as being unique and different from his competitors especially when many of them are selling the same products.

It is also just as vital to have a unique selling proposition on Ebay. I am amazed at the number of Ebay sellers that are either unaware or just don't care about the importance of having a unique selling proposition. A case in point: A while back, I was researching some products on Ebay from a wholesale company called B&F System. B&F System is a wholesale only company that carries a variety of brand name products. One of the brands they carry is called Maxam. I came across several Maxam leather jackets on Ebay while searching ended auctions. Now here's the kicker. About a dozen or so of these leather jacket auctions were exactly the same. They all used the same image of a guy modeling the jacket that was captured from the B&F website. They even used the exact ad copy used by B&F!

What was the result? Only one of the sellers was able sell any jackets. The top bid was only $26. And since he purchased the jackets from B&F for $20, he made about $5.00 profit after Ebay fees. That's a slim profit for an item that normally retails for $95.

Always keep in mind that the amount of effort you put fourth on you auctions will be in direct proportion to the amount of return you get from your auctions. The sellers who put up the jacket auctions put fourth little effort by using stock photos and ad copy from the B&F website, and therefore received little or no sales from their auctions. The sellers in this case might think that using stock photos makes their auctions look more professional. It's just the opposite. These auctions look very amateurish. Using a picture of someone modeling a garment will not entice people to bid on your auction. Using three or four high quality pictures of the actual item along with a detailed description will entice people to bid. Remember that buying apparel off the internet is not like buying music CD's or software. You don't need to worry if a CD will fit. You don't need to see multiple pictures of a box of software to know what you'll be getting. However, when selling apparel, good quality pictures and a detailed description are vital. You should use a good quality digital camera to take pictures of the item from different angles. If you're selling jackets or coats, include a picture of the lining as well. In your description, don't just say it's a large size. Give measurements of the garment including overall length, sleeve length and chest size. If you're going to specialize in apparel, it would be a good idea to purchase a form or clothing dummy to model your apparel. Doing these things will go a long way in setting you apart from the competition and establishing a "unique selling proposition."

What ever you're thinking about selling, always look at your competition and think about how to set yourself apart. Remember that unless you're selling antiques on Ebay, there's always someone else who's trying to sell the same thing you're selling. Establishing your USP will put you on the road to Ebay success.


Are You Tired of the scams and the get-rich-quick schemes? Greg Hayes is founding editor of http://www.mammothprofits.com/. Mammothprofits is the website devoted to helping others filter out the scams and become successful in a home based business.

Written by: Greg Hayes

Market Your Website Online AND Offline

Like it or not, if you own a website (and you want visitors),
you own a business. It may be a large corporation or a small
informative site, but it's a business nonetheless. You want
people to visit your site, and see what you have to offer. Of
course, if you're building a site for friends and family the
rest of this article may not apply to you... but even informative
sites may seek out advertising revenue.

Here are some tips to market your web site:

1. Promote Your URL: Place your url on:
-business cards
-letterhead
-brochures
-company folders
-notepads
-giveaways (like pens)
-invoices
-catalogs
-email signatures (that little tag at the bottom of all emails
should have your contact information and web site address)

Back when the Internet was in it's fledgling stages smart
companies began putting their web addresses in their commercials.
Many consumers AND advertising executives, who had no clue what
the Internet was thought these companies were wasting valuable
commercial time and resources on promoting some silly address
that noone in their right mind would go out of their way to see.

Boy, were they wrong. Anything that you distribute should most
definitely have your URL, as well as an email address for people
to contact you.

2. Offer a free service (can just be something small).

Just think, when a supermarket or other brick-and-mortar store
offers an item for free, people go well out of their way to pick
that item up, even if they have absolutely no use for it! Why?
People like free stuff, and on the Internet, it's even easier for
someone to pick it up! Easy to get, means more visitors to you.

Now, you don't have to go and give away a car, or some other
high value item. I've seen successful ad campaigns that will
give away a free e-book, or some other form of digital media.
The cost to you, for this, is next to nothing. (Wasn't this
article free?) So, free stuff is simply good.

3. Add an option to your web site where visitors can give you
their email address to be kept up to date. Create a periodic
newsletter that you send to those people with special deals.

Sending out a newsletter costs very little to its publisher
However, the publisher is able to promote and re-promote his/her
site every time a new newsletter is sent out. If you provide
valuable content, the recipient may then forward this newsletter
to a friend, and your promotion goes viral. Articles from
a good newsletter can be recirculated for years and years, at
no cost to you!

What's best, is that a popular newsletter can actually be an
income generator! If your newsletter has a strong base of
clientelle, you can charge other companies money for a small
advertisement within your letter. The cost to you remains the
same, and you might end up turning a small profit as well. It's
hard to beat that.

4. Request reciprocal links from other related web sites.

Let other websites promote your site, while at the same time
promoting theirs. Again, this costs you nothing, while spreading
your target audience to the other company's audience.

Now get to work, you have a website to promote!


About the Author

Robert Levine is the owner of a number of successful e-businesses
such as http://www.DropShipperMall.com and
http://www.YourOwnStore.com. DropShipperMall.com provides FREE
wholesale lists and articles to it's users. YourOwnStore.com
provides a cheap and easy e-commerce setup for anyone looking to
start their own business. You can email Robert at
Admin@dropshippermall.com

Written by: Robert Levine

Where To Find Items To Sell On eBay

One question that always seems to pop up is, "Where do I find products to sell on eBay?" Here are some ideas to get you started.

Start at Home

When you first get started, it can be a little unnerving. The best option is to start by looking around your own home. Think of items that you would sell in a garage sale. However, instead of pricing each item and lugging it outside hoping for a nice sunny day, you can advertise them on the Internet.

Collectibles

Hot sellers on eBay are collectibles such as coins, stamps, or dolls. You can check out the collectibles category to get a better idea of what people love to buy. Anything that will move up in value would fall in this category.

Consumables

This popular category would include anything that people use and then would need to buy again such as lotions, perfumes, camera film, candles, etc.

Information Products

In this category, you would sell anything that can be sent on a CD or floppy disc or downloaded from the Internet. This is another popular category.

Hobby into Profit

If you have a favorite hobby, such as creating custom wreaths or swags, making homemade soaps or lotions, sewing stuffed animals, whatever it might be, put it to work for you. Turn your hobby into a business using eBay. People do it all the time and make good money.

Small but Expensive

One of the best ways to make good money on eBay is to sell small but expensive items. This allows you to move more items without the bulk of heavy shipping and to move fewer items while making more money. This type of selling provides you with a much higher profit margin.

Specialize

While many sellers on eBay sell anything you can imagine, many of the power sellers specialize. Rather than offer 100 different items with no real connection, focus in on something that you can offer several varieties and then change those varieties out from time to time. Two great examples are purses and shoes, and paintings. You are staying in the same category but providing a multitude of options. Gotham Online is a perfect example. They have their website, shopgco.com, listed with eBay and offer a tremendous value on high quality men and women’s shoes. Once the buyer finds the value of this site, the next time they need shoes, they will go back to this site, either through eBay or directly to the URL. However, the buyer will not become bored since the styles and brands of shoes rotate on a consistent basis.

Wholesale Products

Some eBay sellers create a business relationship with suppliers. As you find reliable suppliers, you can be assured of the quality and bargain of the merchandise. If you are not sure where to find suppliers, you can visit stockmystore.com where there are thousands of wholesale products, with the majority coming from reliable suppliers.

Drop Ship

Another option many power eBay sellers use is to Drop Ship. This is where the seller acts as the agent between the buyer and the merchandiser. In fact, the merchandise sold does not belong to the seller and the seller does not even have to make the shipments. This is actually a strategy used by many small businesses. The Drop Ship option allows the manufacturer to sell more merchandise while the eBay seller makes money. On eBay, check out the Drop Ship Source Directory if you are serious about selling.

About the Author

Lewis Leake is the webmaster of GrowNetProfits.com - subscribe to his GrowNetProfits Newsletter and get Work From Home Tools, Articles, Tips and Resources delivered to you twice a month. http://www.grownetprofits.com -- Also get access to his new Subscriber's Membership Site.

Written by: Lewis Leake

eBay Drop Shipping is the Future

We all pretty much know that Ebay is this Internet phenomenon that is making billions of dollars by hosting online auctions. Basically, people post things they want to sell and buyers browse the site for the things they want to purchase. Eventually, buyers and sellers meet up and the bidding process begins. But, the Ebay business website is also a place where drop shippers come to unload their wares as well.

Drop Shipping Basics

The term has started to catch on in the mainstream but there are still a lot of people out there that don't know exactly what drop shipping actually is. Basically, drop shipping is sales. Let's say that company A sells product X. Now company A does not sell directly to the public but you can buy their products at stores around the country.

But stores, like the Ebay business machine, operate to make a profit. Therefore, they must charge more than they paid for the product in order to make their profit. So, they either buy the product X directly from the manufacturer or from a distributor at wholesale price and then turn around and sell the product at retail price. The difference between those two prices is their profit.

In drop shipping, you become the retailer. The interesting thing about drop shipping is you do not need a store or even an inventory to sell your products. With the help of the Ebay business machine, you actually don't even need a website either.

Drop Shipping Mechanics

So how exactly does drop shipping work? First of all, you find a wholesaler that is selling products you are interested in reselling to the public. After setting up an account with them, they send you product descriptions of all their products or at least those you are interested in selling. If you do not have a website, you can post these product descriptions on the Ebay business website.

When a customer decides to buy one of your great products, they place an order and send their payment (including shipping costs) to you via credit card. You pass this order along to the wholesaler along with your payment.

The great thing about being a drop shipper is that this is where your involvement ends! The wholesaler then processes the order and then ships the product directly to your customer-but with your company name on the packaging! The customer never knows that they are actually receiving the product from a wholesaler and you are pocketing the difference between the wholesale and retail price! Could it possibly be any simpler?

By using Ebay to advertise your products and benefiting from their incredible traffic flow, you are really reaping the whirlwind at almost no cost and with very little effort. And since retail price is roughly double that of wholesale, just imagine the profits you can make drop shipping! No store to maintain, no inventory to worry about, and no large investment of money-this, friends, is the miracle of drop shipping and why it is definitely the future! There are literally thousands of companies looking for people to sell their products so there are opportunities everywhere right now! By using Ebay, you could literally be selling products within a day and making huge profits so don't delay-start your drop shipping business today!

About the author:

Jason James is an eBay PowerSeller and his website "Auction Resource Network" reveals his inside secrets, tips, and sources that help him earn $10,000+ a month on eBay. Claim your FREE e-Course Here: http://www.auctionre sourcenetwork.com

Written by: Jason James

Tips on Making Money on eBay Without Selling

The eBay business phenomenon has seen millions of buyers and sellers join together in what amounts to the world's biggest virtual flea market. In this world's fast-paced online transactions, that amounts to billions of dollars a day, a person can actually make some money without selling anything he owns. In the world of free enterprise, all it takes is the ability to grasp opportunity and take an educated risk.

Here are some tips on how you can think out of the box with eBay:

1. Promote products as an affiliate. Promote other sites with products. An affiliate program is actually just another way for a company to give its products as much exposure as possible to potential buyers.

Most affiliate programs actually let you join them for free or with a small fee. All you have to do is to list the product, with the highest bidder getting what he wants through you. The company tracks these sales. Depending on the revenue generated, or even the agreement you ad with the company, every sale of a product you make, you get a commission. As an affiliate of a company, you are not an employee or a contractor, receiving no perks nor benefits, except for the commission.

2. Get out there and join the forums. If you are quite passionate about the products you advertise, you can create interest by providing highly relevant content to enthusiasts. Find others like you. You have to let people know you exist. Participate in chats, forums and user groups. Once these people get to know you and your level of expertise in the subject, it gives you a leg up on making "recommendations".

3. Drop shipping products. Another variation of the affiliate program, drop shipping involves just passing on to the manufacturer or wholesaler your customer's order letting them take care of the delivery, and you make a profit from the difference between the wholesaler's price and your selling price.

4. Advertise other products when you post. Most veteran eBay sellers know a large volume of customers can pass through their auctions without people actually buying something. So, in order to maximize their marketing space, they advertise other products in the same space through links. Savvy eBay sellers even edit their About Me links to get people interested in other wares.

5. Create a link to other sites. If you are a web programmer, one outfit suggests you make use of the About Me site in another way. When you create the About Me link, there is a way to take advantage of the HTML layout feature. This layout can be edited with HTML syntax to link users to another site, if you so choose.

As a further explanation, when you create your About Me link, choose any format layout. This may sound strange but you will have the opportunity to enter a code on your own. Next, go to the bottom and click on "Preview". There, you will go to the bottom of the page again, this time clicking on "Edit using HTML". Delete everything in the box and replace it with your own code. If you are not code-savvy, you better hire someone to create the link.

So there you have it, five (out of a lot of) tips to make money from eBay without resorting to selling.

About the author:

Jason James website 'The Auction Resource Network' reveals his inside secrets and sources that help him pocket over $10,000 a month on eBay.

Claim your FREE 'Top 10 eBay Selling Secrets' eBook: www.auctionresourcen etwork.com

Written by: Jason James

Drop Shippers Can Make a Fortune on Ebay

Drop shipping has become the latest craze in business and is helping to drive the latest surge of new websites being created today. Drop shippers are creating multiple websites selling numerous product lines and making a fortune in the process. Just type any product you can think of into a search engine and just look at how many pages of websites come up-and most of them are drop shipping companies selling their wares!

Drop Shipping Benefits

The reason why drop shipping has become so popular and exploded so suddenly is that it is simply the most efficient way to sell retail goods. People surfing the web find a site selling a product they want and then make a purchase. The website owner (drop shipper) then passes that order along to their wholesaler along with payment and shipping costs.

From there, the wholesaler processes the order, packages the product with the website owner's business name on the packaging, and ships it directly to the customer. The website owner bought the product at wholesale price and then sold it to the customer for whatever price they thought they could charge, and profited from the difference. It really is pure genius!

But, there is more to this than you think and the beauty of drop shipping gets even better! First of all, there is virtually no overhead because there is no store to operate (or employees to pay!) or any inventory to maintain. Stores like Wal-Mart may get better wholesale prices because they buy in such large quantities, but they still do not make as much profit on each item as a drop shipper due to the costs of operating their stores.

Drop Shipping with Ebay

Although websites are definitely cheaper to create and operate than a conventional retail store, they still can require a fairly sizeable investment of time and money. Between paying for servers and either creating or paying for content, websites can definitely eat up some time and money. But, this is where Ebay comes in.

For a small fee, you can post your wares on Ebay and benefit from the millions and millions of people who surf the site every year. This way, you never have to worry about maintaining any website and you can start selling products within a day or two.

Due to the incredible traffic on Ebay, it is definitely possible to make a fortune by drop shipping from the site. If you just think of the Ebay fee as a business expense, there really is no downside to the arrangement and it can definitely be more profitable than operating your own site and worrying about getting people to visit your site.

While some people may not like the idea of depending upon Ebay for their business, the fact remains that drop shippers can substantially benefit from the partnership. Due to the incredibly low operational costs of drop shipping, the Ebay fee is a very small price to pay for the convenience and high traffic offered by the site. If you are thinking about going into drop shipping but are not crazy about the idea of creating and operating your own website, consider posting from Ebay because the benefits far outweigh the small fee charged by the site.

About the author:

Jason James is an eBay PowerSeller and his website "Auction Resource Network" reveals his inside secrets, tips, and sources that help him earn $10,000+ a month on eBay. Claim your FREE e-Course Here: http://www.auctionre sourcenetwork.com

Written by: Jason James