Searching for Dropshippers Online

Searching for Dropshippers Online

Conducting primary research to locate Dropshipping Wholesalers can be an arduous task.  A large majority of pages contained in major search engines are spam; you will find it very difficult to find manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors who offer legitimate dropshipping business opportunities on your own.

In an age of instant and global information, it is hard for many to understand why this is the case.  Wouldn’t it be great if it were easy to search, compare and contact dropshipping wholesalers?

Finding Dropshipping Wholesalers:  The Problem

The main reason that dropshipping wholesalers do not reach out (via organic search optimization) to dropshipping business owners is that they do not have the time and resources to field inquiries from the literally thousands of individuals who are interested in dropshipping their products.  Consider Apple.  If they opened themselves up to dropshipping inquiries online, they would literally be flooded with those wishing to dropship Ipods and other Apple products.

Not only would it be an impossible nightmare for Apple or other product manufacturers to deal with all of these would-be business partners, but they would need a method to determine which of these entrepreneurs represent legitimate business owners.

Wholesalers cannot risk supply chain disruptions or withstand the branding fallout of distribution problems within their networks.  In order to dropship the best products online, you’ll need to pre-qualify yourself somehow.

Dropshipping Directories

The best and most efficient method to find good Dropship Product Wholesalers is to join a membership program, such as Worldwide Brands, Salehoo, Doba or DropshipDesign.  Yes, such programs have ‘admission requirements’ and aren’t free, but they will save you a great deal of time and money – and introduce you to a good number of potential business opportunities.

In addition, consider the economies of scale that you leverage by joining one of these programs.  With most major dropship membership programs, you’ll benefit from over a decade of product research.  These companies are obligated to present you with viable dropshipping opportunities.

Why Does Everyone Want to Dropship Laptops?

Why Does Everyone Want to Dropship Laptops?

Have you ever wondered why so many people want to dropship laptops, computer components and other consumer electronics?  Perhaps you are one of these electronics eCommerce businesspeople.  With all of the interest in dropshipping laptops and other computer-related products online, we want to take a moment to ponder the potential profitability of such ventures.

It’s not that there is no opportunity in dropshipping laptops, if this were the case, Dropshipping Wholesalers wouldn’t waste their time recruiting dropship business owners to move these products.  It just feels like the intensity of the competition in this market has been dialed up a notch and there is little opportunity for new dropshippers to move computers and consumers electronics at a profit.

Have you ever wondered why all of the laptop product listings on eBay for a particular model look exactly the same?  This is because these dropshippers all belong to dropshipping directory programs which offer push-to-auction or push-to-cart solutions for these products.  These dropshippers are all working off the exact same palette of potential products.  Such programs have saturated the market with an abundance of dropshippers and reduced margins all the way around.  Sure, the sector as a whole has prospered, but laptop dropshippers have to move large volumes of product to realize a decent profit.

It’s not a total doom-and-gloom story, though; there is opportunity for those willing to invest in research and preparation.  If you are interested in dropshipping laptops and consumer products, we suggest you check out Doba, Simplx and DropshipDesign, which offer different catalogs of branded dropship products in the electronics industry.  Research historical auction data with Terapeak.  This will give you a leg-up in competing against the big guys.  You don’t need to offer the computer model that everyone else is offering.  See what customers are searching for, what they’ve been willing to pay and what’s available.  There is opportunity in this sector, you just have to be patient and do your research.

What Products Sell Best Online?

What Products Sell the Best Online?

Dear Dropship Advisor,

My husband and I planned to start an eCommerce business that dropships products for babies and toddlers, but we are wondering how do you know what products sell the best online?

Thanks!

-eCommerce Enthusiastic

Dear eCommerce Enthusiastic,

This is a very important question for you to be asking with regard to your dropship business.  Many eCommerce entrepreneurs fall in love with the ‘idea’ of eCommerce – for its flexible work schedule or its promise of ‘overnight Internet millions’ (a fable)..others simply have a passion for a particular product and decide to dropship it.  Not too many dropshippers consider the viability of the product(s) they want to dropship.

There are many, actually, of a particular industry or product choice that will affect a dropshipping business’ potential profitability:

• Is this a branded product, a commodity or a uniquely new idea?
• Is it being searched for online?
• Are customers willing to buy it online?
• Are companies successfully retailing/dropshipping the product online right now?
• How competitive is the market for your potential customers?
• What is the average profit margin for a dropshipper of this product?

You’ll want to spend some time finding the answers to these questions and more in order to determine the viability of your dropship business idea.

What Products Sell Well Online?

One of the great things about the Internet (for marketers, at least) is its ability to track and store data.  You’ll want to analyze search metrics and sales data in order to determine if a particular product you’re hoping to dropship is likely to work well for your business.

Here are some of the most helpful resources available to you on the Web:

• Search Metrics:  See what keywords/keyphrases searchers are using related to your chosen products and how often by visiting the Google External Search Tool.  See how web traffic for searches related to your products has changed over time with Google Trends.
• Sales Data:  It’ll require a small financial investment, but it is well worth it.  Terapeak, an eBay company, tracks sales data across eBay’s entire network of used and new products.  The data is considered to be a good cross-section of overall eCommerce activity by the foremost eCommerce experts.  It’s a must-have for eBay sellers.  The data is quite amazing and the search feature is robust.  You can view data such as sales price, % of listings sold, % auction/% buy-it-now, avg # bids and much, much more – by item or by category.

We hope this points you in the right direction – at least to start with..