For the last three years I've done a bit of affiliate marketing and made a bit of extra pin money in my spare time. Now I think one or both of us is about to lose our jobs and earning an income is becoming crucial or we won't have any money coming in. I've been researching wholesalers with a view to stocking products myself and selling them online. I've also thought about drop shipping and even making some products. My problem is that it's hard to find suppliers who can sell me the products cheaply enough to make a profit. Once the postage is added on the products wouldn't be competitive with someone selling on ebay for instance. Has anyone had experience of drop shipping? I'm looking at pet supplies in the UK but I want good quality products, not cheap imports from China. Is this a better route to go down than stocking the products yourself and selling them? I currently sell about £2000 to £3000 worth of goods per month as an affiliate but mainly through ebay so it doesn't make a lot of income. Any help or advice would be welcome.
Personally, I have chosen to sell off my stock. But you need to way the risks vs benefits. Buying stock for resale has the benefit of a higher margin (profit), but is a higher risk if you can't sell fast enough. Drop shipping (mfr or distributor shipping it to customer) means a much smaller margin, but also no risk for you. Other benefit is that you have a better chance to go on vacation once in a while. If you truly think you could sell the product, then maintaining your own inventory is probably worth it. If not....ugh! Progress carefully when buying inventory. Amazon is and was notorious for seeing products in my niche that were selling well and then pushing me out. This has happened to many others, and not just from Amazon. I'm leaning toward affiliate marketing more. Learning what sells via Squidoo and Hubpages. Then expand out. I did it backwards. <edit> Geez, I would never sell retail products on Ebay. I don't like the up front costs. What I did to find my suppliers is 2 things: Looked at competitors products and contacted mfrs. Searched for potential mfrs via internet and magazines. Plus you're dealing with product expiration. Tough business. I'd stop selling food and focus on non-perishables. Try to jump in early on innovative products, like the Ferminator.
Thank you for your reply. I think I might go for drop shipping as I sell a lot of things like crates and cages through my website as an affiliate. They're not the sort of thing that local pet shops will stock. I may buy some products that I couldn't buy locally such as dog training aids like dumbells, haltis and harnesses and see how they go. I get the most interest in agility equipment but generally the manufacturers sell this sort of thing directly to their customers. If we do find ourselves out of work I'll probably stock up properly and have a stall at local dog shows.
one things is that you will have to may sure you could set competitive prices and that you can still earn. Be sure to know the need of an in demand product. you will find that you stock will have to change as the trends come in
the pet world is a perfect place to build and use a list of clients to market to. People love their pets and once they find someone they can trust they will stick with them. Having good information available on a wide range of subjects for your guests and buyers will keep them coming back if they feel you are an authority. Little things like letting people display pics of their pets, pet of the month, and other pet community type things can gain you a good following. The use of a blog to give hints, tips, news, etc. would also work well with pet owners. You can mix it up a bit and have stock, drop ship, and sell affiliate products in order to offer your visitors a wide range of services. The best of luck to you!
When go for dropship,becareful when deal with seller. Coz many of them is rotten apples. I would advise you to source your item from China coz its more cheaper.
they are cheaper but at the same time be wary of the quality , so times its so cheaply made you cant even sell it
Honestly, you are in a fragile situation where the next moves you make could make or break you. Putting your family and money matters into a worse situation. That said, you seriously need to look at a SOLID ROI like a CLIP STORE for your business model. Not only are you going to be able to recoup your initial investment IF you put in the time and effort. But you can easily expand that business model to pay sites and other revenue streams over time. It is the best return for your money, and it also does not take a lot of time. Many of the other 'fables' told on the boards are best case scenerios for seeing ANY of your money back on the whole, much less in a short time frame. Where a clip store will start generating you revenue right from the start, and you will be making money by the next month. Here is a guide to help you. Newbies: Guaranteed Return on Investment (Tutorial) Adult Business 301: Clip Stores a Guide to Success [Tutorial] Clips4Sale (clips stores) and Starting Out in the Biz