how do you find reliable drop shippers

[gilsky10]

I have listed and sold on Ebay for several years off and on - my recent plan is to get more involved in a full-time way with eBay but am looking for reliable Dropshippers that I can use and that have a proven history in selling to eBay Sellers - can anyone advise me on how to find a legitimate drop shipper?

Thank you 

Gilsky10

eBay

[pocomocomputing]

No one is going to give away their suppliers, be it drop shippers or other sources to find product to sell on eBay. No one wants competition since it is already hard to be successful selling on eBay or the Internet.

[mr.elmwood]

No such thing.

This question comes up all the time on the boards down south. Margins are razor thin. A couple of OOPS and the whole thing falls apart.

[pierrelebel]

"am looking for reliable Dropshippers"

It is a total waste of time and effort for a Canadian to search for a dropshipper with the intention of making money on eBay.

If you are looking for a hobby, something to do in your spare time but without the intention of making money. it may be a fun hobby.  However, if you want to make money, forget about it.  The only guys making money are the suppliers who take no risks at all and have no advertising (eBay) and little payment processing (PayPal) costs as those are absorbed by the suckers using their services.

The secret of selling on eBay (or anywhere else for that matter):

Sell what you know... know what you sell.

... and sell what you have on hand.

[anguscoinshop]

i hope you have a good paying job if you want to sell here. you will be subsidizing your sales and you will likely be giving part of your paycheck to ebay.

Good luck.

[femmefan1946]

What you want is a supplier.

Look in the (paper) Yellow Pages for your city or the nearest large centre.

Sell what you know, know what you sell.

Now say you are a hairdresser. Look under Beauty Products: Wholesale.

Look for manufacturers, importers, jobbers and liquidators.

Make an appointment. Visit. Tell them you will take small lots and returns from retailers.

Have a sales tax number. The real wholesalers get a tax rebate for selling to resellers who will remit more tax on retail-priced goods.

If the supplier doesn't ask for your sales tax number, you are paying full retail. Good luck with that.

Expect to pay up front for the goods. Expect to be able to inspect the goods before paying. Be ready to wheel, deal, cajole and bargain.

Eventually the supplier may give you 30, 60, 90 days to pay. But not right away.

It's a good life if you don't weaken.

BTW, some cable channels show a program called The Liquidator, a reality show out of Vancouver. Fun and educational.

[zee-chan]

Off topic: Poco, congrats on your 777 feedback! Sounds like a lucky number. ;D

On topic: Yeah, no one is gonna give away their supplier. I remember one time I was at a hand crafts sales booth selling my hand crafts (which is actually invented by my friend but I got her permission to adjust and reproduce them my style), someone dared to ask me if they could stand there and watch me make them...... I deliberately went really, really, reeeeeeeeeeeeeeally slow at making it, eventually they left (probably thinking it's too time consuming to make what I'm selling and not worth the effort lol).

[cumos55]

There was once a person who wrote to me, through eBay, and asked assistance in starting to sell on eBay.

My advice was to find a local class ( they used to offer such classes) that shows people what to do, and then come back to see me after this person has 150 feedback.

Never heard from this person again.

------------------------------------------------------

It is tough enough to sell on eBay without the experience of a dropshipper...

---------------------------------------------------------------

Newbies get taught a hard lesson quickly.

(1) Young gentleman  at a local auction sale pays $50 for a set of Tyco trains...I used to sell these on eBay...  Buyer paid eBay prices....  I did not dare tell this person this reality...Train sets at a local auction sale are not cheap..  Never saw him again.

(2) Heard about a fellow at a local auction .  He followed the bidding of a specific person in the audience  and kept buying..... This fellow learned a lesson the next time.....  That specific person forced this fellow to pay "high" prices.... overpay for what he bought... Poor fellow never showed up again.... Lesson learned , hopefully.

Final question....What is 10 years of selling on eBay worth... and you want me to help you.....  You cannot afford my advice....  you can sell for 10 years and still not have paid me back....

and that person who wanted to learn from me...  I know what I know....  a newby would be 1000 % confused in no time flat....  Mainly because  I do it without fuss and their learning curve could not follow me and what I know....

and I am still learning... what NOT to do... how not to rock the boat.... and that has helped.... 

What not to do... helps with not getting defects....eBay's new reality

[cumos55]

It has been already said that dropshippers do not have a good reputation....

 In today's world on eBay... Using a dropshipper can lead one very quickly to a defective business reputation

[patken123]

Final question....What is 10 years of selling on eBay worth... and you want me to help you.....  You cannot afford my advice....  you can sell for 10 years and still not have paid me back....

and that person who wanted to learn from me...  I know what I know....  a newby would be 1000 % confused in no time flat....  Mainly because  I do it without fuss and their learning curve could not follow me and what I know....

Wow,a true legend. . 

[patken123]

Gilsky10,I'm sure you are mature enough to understand selling on ebay is a risky endeavour therefore not an easy task but one thing I learned many years ago that I'm willing to share with you,never ever let anyone tell you what you are not able to do,only you can decide what your limitations are,whatever you decide to do ,decide wisely.

[mr.elmwood]

Cumos has forgotten more than you will ever know. Most of us have.

eBay is not risky, not in the least. One of the safest things to do. However, if you have no experience, no inventory, no supply chains, have never run a business, etc? Well you will never get off the ground.

Sell stuff ya have (free), utilize promo listings (free), scrounge packing supplies (free), use your knowledge (free), where is the risk in free?

[cumos55]

My biggest problem is that I have a bad memory..

[cumos55]

I remember too much

[mr.elmwood]

I categorize things into:

- someone else can remember this for me

- dangit, I better remember this

I do not need to remember a lot of procedural stuff, I know who knows that. Details? I need to hang onto those.