Drop shippers are a useful bunch. There are quite a few 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 carry out packing and shipping arrangements. Some more established ecommerce web hosting shopping cart names already provide integration with at least one drop shipper. multi vendor shopping cart integration is unusual, though. One crucial thing to be aware of though, is that the shopping cart cost is usually single out from the fees for the drop shipping service.

There are a couple of things you should think about before selecting a drop shipper. These problems should be addressed early in order to steer clear of problems later…

If you are going to use 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 ecommerce web hosting shopping cart provider. Therefore, the drop shipper you engage should not only be reliable but relatively competitive and trustworthy as well.  Along with these 3 characteristics, here are some aspects that you would do well to consider:

Inventory

A product needs to be in stock in order for you to make a sale. Needless to say, good and regular inventory levels are important. Thus,, stock information needs to be up-to-date (real-time) and accurate.

Speaking of information, product information given by drop shippers (to be displayed on the product page) should be sufficient and concrete. This is because you do not have access to the physical products and so will not be privy to any information save that which is presented by the drop shipper. Commonly requested information: availability of alternative colors, dimensions and weight, material used.

Price

A competitive drop ship price (very close to wholesale, preferably) is the key to selling at higher margins. Keep in mind, you need to take into account competitors’ pricing before you can decide on your own. You should also factor in possible future discounts into your pricing calculations.

Just like inventory levels, product prices should be stable.

Variety

It sounds cliched but variety is the spice of life. A brilliant drop shipper should have a huge 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 several colors as well. Frankly speaking, it also aids a buyer make the decision 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 professional before you decide to adopt them. If you agree 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

A perfect drop shippers get back to you within 1 business day, 2 at the most. In some 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 vital that the situation be amended in the shortest period of time. A speedy 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.