Drop shippers are a useful bunch. There are a lot of 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 multi vendor shopping carts names already develop integration with at least one drop shipper. ecommerce web hosting carts integration is unique, though. One essential thing to be aware of though, is that the shopping cart costs is usually single out from the fees for the drop shipping service.
A couple of things you should think about before selecting a drop shipper. These concerns should be addressed early in order to prevent problems later…
If you are going to utilize the services of drop shippers, you have to realize 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 multi vendor shopping carts provider. Therefore, the drop shipper you select 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 think about:
Inventory
A product needs to be in stock in order for you to make a sale. Needless to say, good and stable inventory levels are important. As such, stock information needs to be up-to-date (real-time) and specific.
As such, product information presented by drop shippers (to be displayed on the product page) should be sufficient and exact. The reason being you do not have access to the physical products and so will not be privy to any information save that which is provided 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. Bear in mind, you need to take into account competitors’ pricing before you can make a decision on your own. You should also factor in possible future discounts into your pricing calculations.
Just like inventory levels, product prices should be steady.
Variety
It sounds cliched but variety is the spice of life. A great drop shipper should have a large 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 different colors as well. Psychologically speaking, it also supports a buyer make up their mind 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 better look at your drop shippers’ return policies and make sure they are reliable before you decide to adopt them. If you consent to their policies, make sure you ultimately 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 certain 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 essential that the situation be amended in as short a time as possible. A quick response time is vital. The faster you hear back from your drop shipper, the relatively fast you can interact the latest situation to your customer in turn.
