PDA

View Full Version : Drop shipping...



chromate
09-10-2004, 05:16 AM
Just read an interesting article, here: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/0,4621,306132,00.html

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on drop shipping? It would seem to be a logical idea for someone in the UK trying to make sales from search engine traffic.

As an aside...

I had this idea for something to sell. Power kites. They're light (obviously), compact down into a small space and they're high value £100 - £600. They're a bit specialist, so they're not readily available (good for web sales). Profit margins were looking great, with wholesale prices being around 40% to 50% of the normal retail price. Demand is good as it's a growing sport, with many kite flyers requiring several different types of kite for different flying conditions.

So, I send off a few emails and it turns out they wont supply ecommerce stores for customer safety reasons. :( Fair enough. That's as it should be really, but - Bugger! It seemed like the perfect product in many ways.

The search goes on... :)

Blue Cat Buxton
09-10-2004, 06:46 AM
Chromate

How does it work?

You put up a website, get the order, take the payment then order the product of the drop shipper who delivers?

chromate
09-10-2004, 06:48 AM
bascially, yeah.

Mike
09-10-2004, 08:19 AM
Safety reasons? What hazards are there?

chromate
09-10-2004, 08:22 AM
Power kiting can be extremely dangerous. Wrong kite / wrong conditions / no safety gear = broken back etc

Blue Cat Buxton
09-10-2004, 08:42 AM
Sorry, should have read the article before posting :o

freekrai
09-10-2004, 11:49 AM
Power kiting's actually getting to be pretty popular over here in Kelowna. A new store just opened up specializing only in power kiting.

Mike
09-10-2004, 12:49 PM
Power kiting can be extremely dangerous. Wrong kite / wrong conditions / no safety gear = broken back etc

Oh, I see :)

Chris
09-10-2004, 03:25 PM
Drop shipping is usually worse than it sounds. Profit margins are usually poor and you're responsible for the quality and speed of the shipping (even though it is out of your control).

freekrai
09-10-2004, 03:32 PM
I've done drop shipping once or twice and I'd recommend being careful getting a good drop shipper. I still do drop shipping for one site I own with a partner, and it does ok, but we were lucky and got a good drop shipper. Too many times it's too easy to get a bad drop shipper who doesn't care about your business.

ozgression
09-11-2004, 08:12 PM
Can anyone recommend some good drop shipping companies (doesnt matter which products they offer)?
________
buy vaporizers (http://www.vaporshop.com/)

chromate
09-12-2004, 05:55 AM
I think the best way to find them is by contacting a manufacturer directly and asking if they can recommend one. So, it's probably better to pick a product you're interested and then look for a drop shipper, rather than the other way around.