subject: Drop Shipping: 10 Ways To Decide What To Drop Ship [print this page] Drop shipping is an excellent way to get into business without having to spend a fortune on inventory you may be unable to sell. The downside to this reduction in risk is lack of control, but for most people starting up in business, this is more than out-weighed by the advantages.
The process, however, is a little chicken and egg. Should you find a drop shipper first or a product niche? There are several different approaches to finding what you should sell online.
1. Look at lists of drop shippers to see what they offer and what sort of thing you find interesting. Most people will tell you that you do not have to have any knowledge of or interest in the item/items you intend to sell.
This is true, but unless you can afford to outsource every part of your operation (and even if you can it's not a good idea) you will need to work on the product and to promote you e-commerce store. Both are easier if you have some knowledge. Both are tedious if you have no interest. If you have both, it can be fun as well as business.
2. Look at google keywords and see what sort of things people are searching for. This is one of the better ways to decide what to sell, you use the google keywords tools to find out what people are looking for. The downside of this approach is that people sometimes search for information, not for something to buy. You could choose an area with lots of searches but no sales. You must use a commercial intent tool to check this.
3. Look at eBay auctions and find out what has been selling and how much for. The decision on what to sell is based not only on what sells, but also on how much it will sell for. Prices on eBay are typically lower than elsewhere on the web, so this is not always the best way to decide is a product is feasible.
4. If you are already in business, survey your existing customers. This works well if, for example you have an existing business but it is not on the Internet. You can survey your customers and find out what it is they would like to buy from you via the web.
5. List your hobbies and open a store to sell supplies for at least one. Hobbies are a great source of ideas, people spend on their hobbies even when money is tight, and they return to spend again and again as long as they get good service.
6. Find a reputable company who sells a list of drop shippers and ask them. There are some companies who publish tools etc to help you decide what to sell. Make sure you know what the figures they use are based on and try out a couple of the other methods mentioned here as well.
7. Think of something you use yourself and would feel good about selling and contact the supplier. It's always good to be able to recommend a product from personal experience, but before you jump at this opportunity, check out the idea with google's keyword tool.
If there are no searches then it may be only a few people who are interested in the product. Your idea may still be viable, but generally the less popular the item is, the more it should sell for.
8. Check out popular magazines and take a look at their classified advert section. This is just the print version of the google keyword search but will give you more ideas as you go through the magazines. To be on the safe side, once you find something promising, check it out in google anyway.
9. Look at a successful business you know and develop a sub-niche. If you know someone whose business is doing well, you may be able to develop a sub-niche by selling a single product in several variations. Buy one, find the manufacturers name and call to ask if he knows if there are any drop shippers.
10. A combination of the above. None of these methods work well alone, and none work without then going on to check the type and number of drop ship suppliers. If there are none, you'll be back to square one. Be prepared; this is not a quick process, but done well, it can be a very successful one.
by: Kirsty Hale
welcome to Insurances.net (https://www.insurances.net)
