TIME – You control your time. There are so many reasons why one that does work from home knows that it is the only way to go, and I could create a list with the top 100 reasons why working at home is the only way to go, but (for me) it really comes down to – TIME.  You are the one that plans your day, (not a boss) and you can get up when you want, eat when you want and take a shower when you want.  You can spend all morning with your kids playing games and reading books with them, go swimming, or finger painting or whatever is important to you.  I can’t tell you how many amazing mornings I have had since working at home full time.  How many fun memories have been created with my kids that I will never forget.  If I had a normal 9-5 then I would not have been able to make 90% of the memories I have with my kids, because those memories have taken place between those hours.

I use to hate Monday mornings because I had meeting after meeting (after meeting) to go to.  They were a waste of time.  There were not planned, boring and a flat out joke.  It was pointless, and most of the time no real information was ever provided, no real training or the things that meetings a suppose to accomplish.  I now love Monday mornings!  My Monday mornings now consist of meeting with my kids for breakfast and having real conversations about life and the day with my wife.

I am not saying that meetings are not important, and that I never have meetings.  I do, I actually still have quite a few meetings, but I plan them when I want, and they are not a waste of time.  The meetings that I plan are because they are going to make ME money, and not an employer.  Do you see the difference?  You are in control, and that is a very powerful position to be in.  You will love it and never want to go back to what you leave behind.

There is not doubt that people who start an Internet business or drop ship products are one kind of people.  They have a desire for something more in life then just a 9 -5 working for corporate America.  They have a desire for time, and setting their own schedule.  It really does take a lot of heart, time and dedication to start a home based business, especially one that you must set up from scratch, like finding and setting up relationships with dropshippers.

If you manage to get past the hardest “first phase” of -

• Keyword research and analysis
• Business set up – Incorporate
• Setting up drop ship relationships
• Website design and set up (adding products, writing content etc)
• Search Engine Marketing and “launching the business”

.. then it will be worth it!

Making money with a work at home business is not a traditional way of making money, and many people have to get past the traditional ways of thinking.  If you can, you will be rewarded with the great gift of time.  If you are making 4 times the amount of money you are making right now, then paying for your own health care is not a big deal.  Most people do not realize this, but there are health care plans out there that compare to ones offered by big employers and sometimes they are actually cheaper and cover more.  So wheres the real benefit?

If you are ready to learn more about setting up a home business and dropshipping products, The Shipper is offering a free 7 day trial of our product sourcing membership.  Become a member today, and take control of your time!

dropshippers, home based business, make money online, selling products online drop ship products, dropshipping, internet, making money, product sourcing, search engine marketing, wholesale

Drop Ship question specific to The Shipper as a company -

Should I be looking for new suppliers after I find the ones I need? Why would I need a lifetime membership to the shipper?

This is a great question for so many reasons, so let me get into them.  Here are 9 reasons why a lifetime membership to The Shipper product sourcing membership would be beneficial to your business online:

1. What happens if your current supplier goes out of business?  You will need a back up plan to get access to products as soon as possible so your customers are not left waiting for their products.
2. You will eventually want to find a better supplier to negotiate better prices.  When you are first finding suppliers you are willing to work with whoever will work with you, and you (from what I have seen) take the first pricing options they give you.
3. You can sell more products online then just the products you are selling on your website.  People tend to think that their business online is limited to what they are selling on their website.  That could not be further from the truth.  Think about this – What happens during certain seasons, or when a toy becomes “hot”?  The people that have access to these products make all the money.  That is what happens.  If you had access to The Shipper’s dropshipping list, you have access to any products (at any time) that you could use to sell on eBay, Craigslist or any other buying solution shopping site.
4. Find wholesale products to sell on any of those buying solution sites I just talked about.
5. You may think of something that you want manufactured for you.  If you have access to our product sourcing lifetime membership then you have access to all of the manufacturers on our list.
6. We are always adding to the list.  Lets say you are selling DVD players online, and wanted to sell a specific brand, but a year ago we did not have a supplier for that specific brand on our list.  That brand may be added now, and you can go back and increase your product line, and be selling the brand that you have been wanting to sell.
7. You get 24/7 access to our learning center, and we will continue to educate you in every aspect of doing business online.  The Shipper provides information about other things besides setting up dropshipping relationships, we will help educate you with things like online marketing, taxes, growing your business and other important business topics.
8. Free articles, webinars and LIVE support as often as you need.
9. SAVE MONEY – Getting a lifetime membership is cheaper in the long run for you!

There you have it, I just gave you 9 reasons why a lifetime membership to The Shipper would be beneficial to your business.  I also hope this gets you thinking a little more about everything that The Shipper really does provides for your drop ship business.  If you are looking for more information about The Shipper, you can get access to try our full membership for FREE by signing up for our 7 day free trial today.

dropshippers, eBay, finding suppliers, product research, selling products online dropshipping, eBay, online marketing, product sourcing, wholesale, wholesale products

Drop Ship Question – Should I Work With A Supplier That Requires A Deposit?

This is a great question that some people (from what I have seen) are pretty passionate about.  I have some clients that refuse to work with certain (100% legit drop ship) suppliers because they charge an application fee, or deposit (for first orders) fees.  The do not want to work with these specific suppliers because they feel that they have already paid to get access to the drop shippier (via The Shipper).

I want to help make something clear right now.  This list has been complied for convenience to dropship business owners, or those looking to get into an Internet based dropshipping business.  Each individual drop shipper has their own rules, guidelines and fees.  I would never suggest snubbing a dropshipper because they are simply charging an “application fee” or deposit.  Also, one thing to remember with the deposit, is it is a deposit, which means a credit to you for your first order (and so on).

There are some suppliers that use this as a “weeding out” tool, to separate those that are serious about doing business online, (and working with them) and those that are not.  They just want to make sure that you are legit in your intentions because they work with so many people on a daily basis that are not serious, and after a while they start to get annoyed at the time wasted with people who are really not serious about their business.

So making my really long answer to this question shorter; Yes, you should always consider working with any supplier found on The Shipper that may require a deposit.

In conclusion, any suppliers that are included inside The Shipper, I have personally screened and recommend, and know they are not out to “take your money”.  These suppliers are business owners too, and they just want to make sure that they are spending their time wisely too.

dropshippers, finding suppliers, product research dropshipping, internet, wholesale

This is a great question, and one that I am asked all of the time.  For people that have never done business online, or worked with a dropshipper for that matter, thinking about the whole process can be a little scary (or confusing).  I want to shed some light on this subject and go a little deeper into the question to help you really understand how the whole process works.

From the beginning -

1. Order is placed on website.  (Credit card has been processed)
2. Money is transfered into your account.  Lets say the product cost on the website was $1000 and your cost on the product from the supplier is $500.
3. You already have the account set up with your dropshipper (at least you should at this point).  They have you on a NET- 45/30/15 (pay your bill every 45/30/15 days) or you have a credit card on file with them, that they charge every time an order is placed.
4. You can place the order several different ways with your supplier, and you need to talk to them, and find out which method they use (or prefer) a.) call the order in. b.) fax the order in (they will provide the forms). c.) email the order to them (they will give you the email address to use). d.) use an online system.  Some more “technically” advanced companies have systems where you can log right into their database and make the orders.  Everything is on file – your info, credit card info, and you just tell them what has been ordered and where to ship it.
5. Your card is charged (or account is charged)  So, going back to the $1000 – if you are charged $500 from your supplier that leaves you with $500 profit (minus any transaction fees).
6. Supplier ships out your clients goods.
7. You handle any customer service issues.
8. Supplier handles any product damage issues (or warranty issues).
9. Grow your business bank account, and make more sales!

I know this was way more info then just “how to submit an order”, but I think you understand why I wanted to go into so much detail.  I want you to have a clear understanding so you can know what to talk to the supplier about when its time to talk “order submission”.  Giving you as much info as possible before you talk with the supplier, so you can sound like you actually know what you are talking about will make the supplier have that much more respect for you as a business owner.  There are a lot of companies that “come and go” when it comes to dropshipping, and you doing everything you can to set yourself apart from those “kinds”, will do you a world of good!

If you are interested in learning more about drop shipping, The Shipper is offering a FREE 7 day trial of our product sourcing membership.  You get full access to everything we offer – learning center, wholesalers, manufacturers, product sourcing experts and live support.  Join today, and start growing your business!

dropshippers, dropshipping, online business dropshipping, product sourcing, wholesale

I was talking with a person I met while looking at a playground system for my kids the other day, and he asked me a great question that I wanted to talk about in a blog post, because not one person has ever brought this up with me.  My first thoughts, is that this question would have come up a lot more then it does.

How often are new dropship companies added to The Shipper database?

What I answered this guy with surprised him (I think).  He has a very unique playground system that I don’t think I have seen anywhere else in the country.  I told him that if he decided he wanted to put his playgrounds on my list (as an example) that I would add it to the database right then and there (with an Internet connection of course).  I told him that is how we work at The Shipper, and that we are adding new suppliers as often as they come in.  Some times that turns into several times a day, and some times that is only several times a week.  I don’t think that the guy who was talking to me about the playground systems was expecting that kind of answer.  It means we are always on the hunt and doing everything we can to provide you with the most up to date supplier/dropshipper database list on the net.

The point here is that we are always adding to the directory list (or wholesale list and manufacturer list).  We encourage our clients with emails all the time reminding them to go back and check for updated suppliers.  One of the selling points (I think) is how often we do update the list.  We have a staff member that is full time in charge of just updating the database.

If you have a membership already at The Shipper and have not logged in for a while, you might be suprised with just how many new suppliers are in our databsae.  If you are wanting to find out more (if you a new) then remember we are offering a free 7 day trial of our premium product sourcing membership.  Start today!

dropshippers, finding suppliers, product research internet, product sourcing, wholesale

Anytime you are setting business relationships up, you try to do everything you can to keep everyone happy, right?  What happens when you find yourself in a situation that does not seem like anyone will ever be pleased?  Something interesting happened to one of my Internet businesses in the last week that involved a couple of my drop shippers, so I wanted to talk about it, and hopefully provide some good information for anyone who could find them self in the same situation.

Most of the time, I would say probably 90% of the time when you are working with a supplier you will not have to worry about conflicts of working with multiple suppliers.  Most of them really do not care as long as you continue to sell their products.  I had a situation with one of my suppliers that telling me I had to drop my other supplier, and work with them exclusively.

Let me give you a little more background to better understand the situation.  On this specific site (I am talking about) I currently work with 4 suppliers, and two of them are pretty much non-existence (Long story, I won’t bore you with those details).  However, I do have two main suppliers that I use quite often for all of the sales that come through on the site.  Both of them are amazing, and I do not want to lose either one.  Here is the deal – The one supplier telling me I have to drop everyone else is going to be doing some pretty amazing things for me if I drop everyone for them (I mean, the stuff really is pretty impressive what they will be doing for us) so I do not want to make them mad and risk losing them, or having them think I am not serious.  Are you starting to see my very difficult situation yet?

The solution -

Find a way to keep both, and please them both.  No really, DO EVERYTHING you possibly can to keep both, as it will help your business grow in the long run.  Plus, you never have to worry about having product if one company goes under one day.  In the situation I gave you above, here is what I figured out that I will do – I will keep one supplier as my “eBay” (or shopping/buying solution sites) supplier, and the other one will be my main (and only) supplier on the website.  I do big business on both fronts (website and buying solution sites), so the one supplier that is no longer a part of my website (as a drop shipper) will never even realize.  The main (and now only) supplier on the website will be happy because that is the only area they care about.  The other supplier that I will use for just eBay, (or the other buying solutions sites) does not care where I sell their products, just as long as I am selling their products and making them money!

It is always a good idea to have a back up plan.  I would never expect one of my suppliers to go belly up one day, but I have been in business long enough to know that kind of stuff happens (and I have seen it happen too).  When you have multiple suppliers, you know you have a back up plan and that your business will keep making money.  That is why I recommend never tossing to the side, a supplier that you have a really good relationship with.  I came across a really great article yesterday that gives more tips about keeping good relationships with your dropshippers.

If you are looking to find more information about The Shipper and our FREE 7 day trial of our product sourcing membership, please visit the link.

dropshippers, finding suppliers, selling products online eBay, internet, making money, product sourcing, wholesale

This is a great question.  Probably one of the best that I have received all week.  One thing I want to make clear is that I am not a lawyer and I am not giving any kind of legal advice, so don’t take this as such.  When you are setting up a business and deciding what kind of business entity you are going to be, that is more of a legal business choice that you have to make on your own.

I can give you some examples, and personal experience that may help you better understand my answer to this question. Again, this is one of those questions that is not “cut and dry”, and does require some explaining.  I think it will benefit everyone if I am as clear as possible though.

In order for a real dropshipper to work with you, you do need a Tax ID first.  There is no way around that. There are some suppliers that are ok with you using your social security number as well, but keep in mind that some may not (and you will have to wait for the corporation to be set up).  If they are a legitimate dropshipping business, then they will require you to have the number (Tax ID) because they are trying to keep in compliance with the laws as well.  They want to be protected, just like you should want it.  If you ever come across a “so called” dropshipping company that tries to tell you that they are making it “easy” on you by not requiring a Tax ID, then be warned right now.  You are not working with a true dropshipper, just a middle man, and your prices will not be as good.  I have even talked personally with some of these kind of “so called” dropshipping business “sales executives”, and have got them to admit that you can only profit on like 15% of their goods.  What is that? In most cases working with a company like that will not even give you as good of prices on products as you could get if going down to the local Wal Mart and just buying them.

My thoughts about using your social security number is that it is risky business, but could be ok at first.  You are not really even in business yet, and you do not have to worry about getting sued with a brand new site that you are not even selling products yet.  However; You want to be able to protect yourself down the road (by incorporating), and using your social security number as a Tax ID means that you have set up the kind of business that is not protected (from being sued and losing your house, as an example).

If you are wondering if there are services online (or off) that can help you, there are.  There are some companies that can help you incorporate using free
corporation set up software (yes, its legit), as well as companies out there like The
Tax Club that will take care of everything from forming the corporation
to doing your taxes (even quarterly).  So, you have a lot of resources available to you, and here are more from the tax club.

The only reason I ever recommend to people to use a social security number to get access to products, is when they know forming a corporation is going to take months (like in California or New York) and they want to start building the site right away, and adding products sooner then later.  Just using your social security number will give you access to the products much faster and you will be able to start building your shopping cart up so much faster then waiting on the corporation to be set up.  I do (highly) recommend that you work on forming the corporation as soon as possible, so you set yourself (and business) up for better tax breaks and protection.

I hope this has helped you (even if just a little) better understand the confusing topics of Tax ID’s, business entities and Social Security Numbers when starting to work with dropshippers.  Having a tax ID will help you too, if you plan on writing off all of those unexpected battery expenses that will come up with all the electronics us small business owners deal with.

If you are interested in working with a legitimate product sourcing expert, The Shipper is offering a full 7 day FREE trial to our premium product sourcing membership.  Start today, and make money tomarrow!

dropshippers, home based business, online business, website design / help dropshipping, electronics, new site, product sourcing, shopping cart, wholesale

Believe it or not, this is a more common question that I am asked from people who are brand new to Internet business.  I have tested both ways, talked to a lot of people and have come to a few conclusions with this question, so it will not be an easy “yes or no” answer.

However, most of the time I will answer this question – No, it is usually not a good idea to combine affiliate products on a drop ship site.  Mainly because the profit on affiliate products are so low compared to the money you can make actually selling the product from a supplier.

Reasons Why Not To:

• Profit Potential – You can make more money selling the product from a supplier.
• Shopping Cart Confusion – What happens when someone gets done adding some of your product (that you do dropship) that is built into the shopping cart, and they want to add the product that is an affiliate?  It could cause some major shopping cart headaches for users, and confuse them, and they will probably just end up leaving for another site.
• De-Value Your Site - There are a lot of smart shoppers these days who know what ads and affiliates are.  If they feel you are trying to do anything other then sell the your “main” products they may wonder about the validity of your site.  You do not want to scare people away.
• Navigates People Away From Your Site – Lets say you have an Amazon affiliate product on your site that you are making 3-5% on, and the item that was clicked on (which takes them off your site) was only a 5 dollar item.  Is it worth losing the customer over a few cents commission?

Reasons Why You Might:

• Can’t Find A Product Supplier – If you have searched high and low, and even had us help you (here at The Shipper) and can’t find a supplier, but the affiliate product goes perfect with other things you are selling, then it might be a good idea to have it on your site.
• Amazon Product Review Pages – People are always looking for reviews of products, and lots done by other users of the sites they are familiar with.  You can create pages inside Amazon showing reviews of the affiliate products you are selling, and link to them.  This provides great information, but can also lead people back to the places that end up making you money – your affiliate pages!
• Ease and Simplicity – I have seen enough people try to create websites and use shopping carts to know that not everyone is on the same playing field.  Sometimes using a system that Amazon has in place to sell affiliate products is easier then creating a shopping cart website from scratch that can sell both regular products and affiliate products.

The reasons “why you might” (for me) are not always as convincing, and I usually don’t end up selling affiliate products on the same site that I sell regular products that are dropshipped.  Again, for me it has usually ended up unfavorable and I try to stay away from it, but I do understand certain situations where it could be beneficial.  You just have to evaluate the situation and ask yourself if it ads value to your customer, or is it going to lose you money, and navigate people away from your site (before making you any real money).

If you are interested in learning more about dropshipping and selling products online The Shipper is offering a free 7 day trial of our complete product sourcing database.  Find out more today!

affiliate programs, dropshipping, online business, website design / help dropshipping, internet, product sourcing, shopping cart, wholesale

Here is another great dropshipping question that I am asked more often then you would think.  I am very glad that people are asking this questions because it shows me they are wanting to create some value for their customers on their website.

Why do companies like consumer reports do so well?  They give us all a very real review of the product we are about to buy.  Anytime that I am about to spend money on something (regardless if I buy it online or not) I am going to the Internet to find reviews.  Testimonials are a great place for you to get the (good) word out about your products, and what other people are saying.  So, if you are even thinking about putting testimonials on your site, then you are going in the right direction already.

Answering the question – Yes, some suppliers will give you testimonials, and NO, some dropshippers will not. Every single dropshipper/supplier I have used has different policies as how you can (or if you can) use their personal testimonials.  Some that I have talked to have never even tried (or thought of) getting testimonials until I brought it up, and they thought it was a good idea (then they let me use them).  However; I would always recommend doing everything you can to start getting your own product/website testimonials, even if it means giving away a product to a friend so they can review it for you.  Make sure they know what your intent is, and that you want to use what they are saying online.  Some people have a problem with that kind of stuff, and you do not want to create a bigger issue for yourself then its worth.

After you have several months of doing business behind you, and (hopefully) several (thousands of) orders, you can start going back and contacting the people that have bought from you, and asking them for product testimonials.  I have never had someone refuse me, or say they did not want to write a testimonial for me, or my products.  Typically, these people are flattered that you are coming back to them.  They like to know they are valued, and that you were not just trying to make a buck on them (even if you are).

This also brings up something else to consider.  Are your products worthy of a testimonial, or review?  If you are selling crap (so to speak), then don’t expect to get much positive user feedback.  I usually see this when people are selling affiliate or (ebook) stuff (and not actual product) that is the same re-hashed garbage online with another catchy name.  Just remember you are putting your name to this business and want to make sure that you are doing everything you can to provide the best products that will warrant good reviews (and testimonials).

In conclusion, don’t hesitate to ask the supplier for testimonials because most of the time they are more then willing to provide them.  Usually, they want to help you do everything possible to make more sales, which makes them more money.  That is the bottom line for them!

If you are wanting to learn more about drop shipping, enjoy The Shippers 7 day FREE trial membership that gives you full access to our dropshipping and wholesale product sourcing database.

dropshippers, internet marketing, online business dropshipping, internet, product sourcing, wholesale

Here is another great dropshipping question asking about finding suppliers and products.  There is a lot to look into with this one.

In short, Yes, The Shipper will help anyone that is member of our product sourcing membership find a product (unique or not) to sell online.  This question does go much deeper though, and that is what I want to dive into for a bit.

The simple fact that someone is looking for a “unique” product to sell online speaks loads about the person wanting to start a dropshipping business.  So many times I see people wanting to sell what everyone else is selling, or want to sell camping goods because its the start of the camping season (or other people are doing it).   When you take the time to seek after a product that is not so main stream you are already taking a bigger step then most businesses you will be going up against online.  Lately I can’t shut up about branding and the importance of it, and this goes along with that perfectly as well.  If you can find a unique product that you can dropship, and it sets you apart from the competition, and brand it right, you will succeed 9 times out of 10 (from what I have seen).

The bottom line is The Shipper is going to help you find any kind of product you are looking for.  If we do not have the “unique” product you want to sell online inside our database, just let us know and we will do everything we can to find the product for you.  Our goal is to have the most extensive dropshipping directory on the web, that is full of legitimate suppliers that are ready to help our clients succeed.  The only thing you have to do is become a member and support our efforts!

If you are interested in learning more about our premium product sourcing membership, and are ready to sell products online, learn more about The Shipper through our FREE (full access) 7 day trial membership.

dropshippers, finding suppliers, product research dropshipping, product sourcing, wholesale