By Michele Scism
The Results Lady

Business owners are always looking to cut costs without sacrificing quality for their customers. One option for doing that is drop shipping. But, what is drop shipping really?

Drop Shipping

It sounds like something you don’t want the delivery man to do with your packages. But, drop shipping is actually a process that may be beneficial to you and your business. It is used by smaller retail stores and online businesses.

When you keep inventory, for your online business, it can get costly. First of all, you need a place to store your goods. Then you have to increase your prices so that you can account for whatever you spend on shipping. Even if you house your product in your home, you need extra supplies to be sure that everything is kept safe and intact during transport.

This is where drop shipping may be able to save you some money on the front end so that you can increase your profits. For example,  If you sell information products and your offer the option of shipping the physical product you can work out a deal with drop shippers to ship the products that your customers order from you, directly to your customers for you. Your profit is the difference between the wholesale price and the retail price of the items sold.  These drop shippers usually print or produce the products for you and do all fulfillment.

Benefits of Drop Shipping

Additionally for someone who wants to start a business and doesn't have their own products or wants to expand their product base, they can find many products available from drop shippers. Usually they publish a catalog of what they offer so you can see if it is compatible with your current product line. For the new online business owner without a product of their own, this could be a perfect match.

The drop shipping method helps with inventory control. The number of items available is kept track of by the drop shipper and you can contact them for those numbers. You don’t have to manually count what is in your stock.

As for shipping, because the drop shipper does so much shipping, the price for the service is greatly reduced from what you might pay on your own. You don’t have to keep bubble wrap and packing peanuts around your garage anymore either.

Know Your Business

Before choosing a drop shipper, shop around. What you are looking for is the best deal that you can get on quality items. Ask about potential complications like running out of items or shipping an item that breaks in transit. Know the return process and policy before you sign on.

Drop shipping is just one possible solution for your product needs. Using a third party can save you time and money allowing you the time to continue marketing and growing your business.