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Net Auctions and Auction Information |
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Drop-ship or U-ship: That is the Question
For small Internet retailers, drop-shipping is one of the best innovations since sliced bread. How else can a start-up offer a wide variety of products and convince customers that they have a fully-stocked warehouse-while investing virtually nothing in inventory or warehousing? Before you jump right onto the drop-shipping bandwagon, however, there are some pitfalls to avoid. While a quality drop-shipper is truly a dream come true for the Internet retailer, there are plenty of painful pitfalls to avoid. Things can get embarrassing and costly in a hurry when a drop-shipper: ? sends products out late A Matter of Credibility In addition to the above drawbacks, many customers are not very impressed when they find out you retail drop-shipped products. This is especially the case with the rustic log furniture I sell on the web. Many phone customers ask if we make the products ourselves, or are "merely" drop-shipping. They are relieved and impressed when they find that we manufacturer, finish or pack most of the log furniture we sell at our warehouse. We sell to a lot of people with expensive vacation homes, and quality is of utmost importance. It's always easier to testify to the quality of furniture when you have seen it yourself, and we are able to offer a more unique line by going to Amish suppliers whose products aren't sold elsewhere on the Internet. Advantages of Drop-Shipping With this said, there are still some sizeable advantages to drop-shipping. As the volume of our orders grows, it becomes more and more difficult to package all of that furniture. Fortunately for us, our largest supplier is only two miles away and we have a pretty good deal going: we finish all the log furniture they want finished, and they drop-ship the unfinished furniture. So they make it, we finish it. That means if somebody orders unfinished furniture, it can go directly from the factory. This might have made me nervous about quality control at one point, but I have developed a high degree of confidence in our log furniture manufacturer. In the five years I have been associated with them, they have never let me down. They fill orders with a high degree of quality and accuracy, which makes our job easy. Choosing a Drop-Ship Partner Unfortunately, not all drop-shipping companies are as reliable as the one I have found. This is why it pays to do your homework before choosing a drop-shipping company. If you align yourself with fly-by-night operations, your business will most likely suffer as a result. If you are wildly successful, which you no doubt hope to be, a small start-up may not be able to manufacturer or ship product fast enough to meet your needs. A drop-shipper that is unstable as a business may be happy to take your cash but fail to fill orders on a timely basis. Any business who drop-ships your orders will affect your reputation as a company one way or another. As a result, it's important to make sure any drop-shipping companies you partner with meet the high level of customer service and quality control standards you set for your business. Copyright 2005 Log Cabin Rustics Cari Haus is webmaster for http://www.logcabinrustics.com, an online retailer of quality log furniture.
MORE RESOURCES: Sotheby’s Establishes a Foothold in Saudi Arabia After Hosting the Kingdom’s First Major Auction ARTnews Texas A&M TE Martellus Bennett Lists 'Most Desirable' Super Bowl Ring for Auction Sports Illustrated Historic Bricker Chest of drawers will remain in Canada, fetches $30,000 at auction The Globe and Mail Cable and Wireless Lobbyists Go to War Over Spectrum Auctions BroadbandBreakfast.com Auction Preview: Numismatic Auctions LLC Auction Sale #69 Numismatic News Bonds Retreat to Recent Range Ahead of Auctions, Powell, CPI Mortgage News Daily Roger Maris’ 61-Homer Season Jersey Up For Seven-Figure Bid Pinstripes Nation CBI auctions +$292 million on Tuesday Shafaq News Stradivarius Violin Auction Raises $11 Million for Scholarships at Boston Music School Good News Network Christie’s plans its first AI art auction GZERO Media MD Horse Foundation Stallion Season Auction Underway BloodHorse.com Western Flyer relics go to auction this week Gig Harbor Now Hidalgo County Public Auction, March 1st Texas Border Business The Legendary 1989 RUF CTR Yellowbird Coupe Heads to Auction stupidDOPE.com The 25 Most Expensive Cars Ever Sold at Auction Robb Report Graded Kenner The Real Ghostbusters Fire Station Headquarters Playset Hits the Auction Block Ghostbusters News Helping Hand Radio Auction Now At $28,568 Radio NWTN ‘All original’ Ford Bronco from 1976 up for auction and there’s a surprise on the dashboard... The US Sun CLOUD & LEAF BOOKSTORE AUCTION FUNDRAISER FEB. 15th Tillamook County Pioneer 3,700 artists sign letter opposing Christie’s AI art auction Straight Arrow News Classic car sales aplenty at Rétromobile 2025 auctions, but pre-sale estimates largely way off Magneto magazine Push Rods Charity Auction This Sunday KXRO Newsradio Apex Realty hosts benefit auction for My Father’s House Main Street Media of Tennessee Fleet of classic cars is up for auction in S.F. — including a $1.5 million Mercedes-Benz San Francisco Chronicle An El Greco Is Pulled From an Auction as Romania Objects The New York Times Historic bank building heads back to auction The Business Journals 'Catastrophic for this section' of city: CarMax 'reassessing' plans for Route 20 car auction Worcester Telegram Historic Holyoke Bank headed back to auction MassLive.com UK to auction £1.75 billion of 4% Treasury Gilt 2063 Investing.com St. Paul's former Pazzaluna space to be sold at auction Bring Me The News Victor Hugo Drawings, Barry Humphries's Wilde Collection, Presidential Letters: Auction Preview Fine Books & Collections Magazine Lewis & Clark Foundation prepares for annual online auction KRTV NEWS Great Falls Russia plans next crab quota auctions, including another discount effort Undercurrent News Christie’s plan for AI art auction sparks backlash from artists Financial Times Christie’s staging auction made up entirely of AI art Art Newspaper Minnesota Pink Game Jersey Auction to Open February 9-17 GopherSports.com Athletic Department announces online hockey jersey auction to benefit breast cancer research RIT Athletics Top Five Auction Picks For Whisky Lovers & Investors This February The Whiskey Wash Paxton’s Donates to St. Mary’s Ball and Auction stormlakeradio.com Travis Kelce’s game-worn 2018 jersey up for auction cleveland.com 1957 Chevrolet Corvette SS Project XP-64 heads to auction Motor Authority Cod prices reach new heights at Scottish auctions Undercurrent News |
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