Drop-ship or U-ship: That is the Question

For small Internet retailers, drop-shipping is one of the best innovations since sliced bread. How else can a start-up offer a wide variety of products and convince customers that they have a fully-stocked warehouse-while investing virtually nothing in inventory or warehousing? Before you jump right onto the drop-shipping bandwagon, however, there are some pitfalls to avoid.

While a quality drop-shipper is truly a dream come true for the Internet retailer, there are plenty of painful pitfalls to avoid. Things can get embarrassing and costly in a hurry when a drop-shipper:

? sends products out late
? forgets to process your orders
? sends out poorly packaged products
? double-bills your credit card for orders on a regular basis
? provides cheaply made products and/or shoddy workmanship.

A Matter of Credibility

In addition to the above drawbacks, many customers are not very impressed when they find out you retail drop-shipped products. This is especially the case with the rustic log furniture I sell on the web. Many phone customers ask if we make the products ourselves, or are "merely" drop-shipping.

They are relieved and impressed when they find that we manufacturer, finish or pack most of the log furniture we sell at our warehouse. We sell to a lot of people with expensive vacation homes, and quality is of utmost importance. It's always easier to testify to the quality of furniture when you have seen it yourself, and we are able to offer a more unique line by going to Amish suppliers whose products aren't sold elsewhere on the Internet.

Advantages of Drop-Shipping

With this said, there are still some sizeable advantages to drop-shipping. As the volume of our orders grows, it becomes more and more difficult to package all of that furniture. Fortunately for us, our largest supplier is only two miles away and we have a pretty good deal going: we finish all the log furniture they want finished, and they drop-ship the unfinished furniture. So they make it, we finish it.

That means if somebody orders unfinished furniture, it can go directly from the factory. This might have made me nervous about quality control at one point, but I have developed a high degree of confidence in our log furniture manufacturer. In the five years I have been associated with them, they have never let me down. They fill orders with a high degree of quality and accuracy, which makes our job easy.

Choosing a Drop-Ship Partner

Unfortunately, not all drop-shipping companies are as reliable as the one I have found. This is why it pays to do your homework before choosing a drop-shipping company. If you align yourself with fly-by-night operations, your business will most likely suffer as a result. If you are wildly successful, which you no doubt hope to be, a small start-up may not be able to manufacturer or ship product fast enough to meet your needs. A drop-shipper that is unstable as a business may be happy to take your cash but fail to fill orders on a timely basis.

Any business who drop-ships your orders will affect your reputation as a company one way or another. As a result, it's important to make sure any drop-shipping companies you partner with meet the high level of customer service and quality control standards you set for your business.

Copyright 2005 Log Cabin Rustics

Cari Haus is webmaster for http://www.logcabinrustics.com, an online retailer of quality log furniture.

---

Auction and Its Benefits

An auction is basically a public sale wherein any object... Read More

How To Compete With Amazon.com

If you are selling online,here is the down side of... Read More

12 Tips To Make Your eBay Business More Profitable

Sometimes it's the simple things that can make your eBay... Read More

Effective Online Car Sales on Ebay Motors

Remember back when selling online was a new experience? Dealers... Read More

8 Top Tips For Successful Art Auction Listings

Why is it that some artists seem to make easy... Read More

Why 95% of All eBay Sellers Fail

eBay is now the 8th most visited site on the... Read More

How To Sell On Ebay & Keep Your Shirt

Have you ever been delighted after a huge sale on... Read More

Make BIG MONEY on eBay - Your Unlimited Cash Cow

Let me be brutally honest; until recently, I had never... Read More

Starting an eBay Home Business

Do I need to explain what eBay is?If 'Yes', where... Read More

How To Sell Internationally On eBay Without Risk

Many people just getting started on eBay have reservations when... Read More

Mistakes to Avoid in your eBay Auctions

Online auctions continue to grow in popularity as an easy... Read More

Free Auction Templates: How to Set Your Border Color With FOAM

If you have not heard of Foamtemplates.com yet, home of... Read More

2 Step Secret Reveals How You Can Find Wholesale Suppliers

Have you spent hours on the internet searching for a... Read More

Ten Sure Fire Ways To Lose Bidders

The way some auction sellers approach their auctions, it's clear... Read More

From Ebay Zero to Power-Selling Hero: Don?t Be That Random Ebay Guy

If I could convey only one concept to someone who... Read More

Professional eBay Auctions Reap the Profits for Sellers

eBay offer an unbelievable amount of traffic for ANYONE wanting... Read More

How To Sell On Ebay: The Money Is In The Back-End

Many people who sell on Ebay completely neglect the follow-up... Read More

Top Internet Businesses

The internet is packed with web businesses jockeying for the... Read More

Game Theory, Nobel Prize, & Auctions - Auction Primer Series ? Part 1

William Vickrey, highly regarded as the founder of auction theory,... Read More

How To Convert eBay Surfers into Bidders!

Do you know the phrase "A Call To Action"? Well,... Read More

Buying Used Dell Laptops, PCs and Servers on eBay - How to be successful

Two years ago I needed a way to refresh more... Read More

Start Selling On eBay - Getting Started On The Right Foot

You've started your own eBay business and, even though it's... Read More

Police Auctions & Government Auctions Professional Resource Information

Police Auctions Information:No, a police auction is not where you... Read More

Making Money on eBay is Really Easy

If I can do it you can.Let me tell you... Read More

How To Increase eBay Profits

Some sell on eBay to clean out their garage or... Read More

Learn How To Be A Successful eBay Seller

Anyone can sell anything on eBay. Open an account, list... Read More

Earn Money Now from Selling Childrens Items on Ebay

Kids Items You Can SellClothes, toys and videos are good... Read More

eBay Motors : Buy or Sell a Car on eBay

Are you having trouble finding a great deal on a... Read More

eBay is the Greatest Opportunity YOU Have to Create a Career Online

eBay's being spoken about everywhere these days. At work, school,... Read More

Join the Home-Based Business Revolution

Greetings, Friend. So you've decided to go into business. Great.... Read More

eBay The Mega Marketplace For Everyone

eBay is one of the world's largest market places with... Read More

5 Ways to Drive Traffic Away from Your EBay Auction

eBay is a one-stop solution to any one who wants... Read More

How To Find REAL Wholesale Dropshippers For Almost Any Product

With more and more people getting online, many of them... Read More