2008 Automobiles

Drop shippers are a useful bunch. There are quite a few positives that come along with engaging reliable drop shippers. This is especially true for new merchants who lack the space (and money) to store products and the manpower to deal with packing and shipping arrangements. Some more established ecommerce web hosting shopping cart names already develop integration with at least one drop shipper. multi vendor shopping cart integration is unique, though. One major thing to be aware of though, is that the shopping cart cost is usually separate from the fees for the drop shipping service.

There are a couple of things you should decide on before deciding a drop shipper. These matters should be addressed early in order to avoid problems later…

If you are going to use the services of drop shippers, you have to comprehends that they are the supply chain to your business. You can either source your own drop shipper(s) or opt for one that is integrated with your ecommerce web hosting shopping cart provider. Either way, the drop shipper you engage should not only be reliable but competitive and trustworthy as well. Along with these 3 characteristics, here are some elements that you would do well to decide on:

Inventory

A product needs to be in stock in order for you to make a sale. Therefore, good and stable inventory levels are vital. Therefore, stock information needs to be up-to-date (real-time) and actual.

As such, product information provided by drop shippers (to be displayed on the product page) should be sufficient and accurate. It is because you do not have access to the physical products and so will not be privy to any information save that which is given by the drop shipper. Commonly requested information: availability of alternative colors, material used, dimensions and weight.

Price

A competitive drop ship price (very close to wholesale, preferably) is the key to selling at higher margins. Remember, you need to take into account competitors’ pricing before you can make up your mind on your own. You should also factor in possible future discounts into your pricing calculations.

Just like inventory levels, product prices should be regular.

Variety

It sounds cliched but variety is the spice of life. A perfect drop shipper should have a potential database of drop ship products. A person may only buy one T-shirt if a variety of sizes are available, but he/she may buy more if the T-shirt comes in multiple colors as well. Frankly speaking, it also helps a buyer make the decision by doing a quick comparison.

Return Policy

You have to understand that your drop shipper’s return policy automatically becomes your return policy. Have a very closer look at your drop shippers’ return policies and make sure they are professional before you decide to adopt them. If you acknowledge to their policies, make sure you fully express these return policies to your customers on your Terms & Conditions, Shipping or Return Policy or FAQ pages.

Customer Support

An excellent drop shippers get back to you within 1 business day, 2 at the most. In some cases things do go wrong, even with the best drop shippers, such as an item being delivered in the wrong quantity, or perhaps in the wrong color. When something like this happens, it is important that the situation be fixed as fast as possible. A quick response time is vital. The faster you hear back from your drop shipper, the quicker you can communicate the latest situation to your customer in turn.