How do you find a dropshipper?

onthewayup

onthewayup

Banned
Aug 3, 2009
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It seems like wickedfire is the only place that I can come to, to get some legit answers.

I'm looking for a dropsale/wholesale supplier for MMA gear. I've searched the internet for days, but all of which have been the middle man. That's what I want to cut out.

If anybody has any ideas on finding dropshippers, it would greatly appreciated. I'm not asking for your full method, but a kick in the ass to the right direction would definitely help.
 


Dropshippers are middlemen. If you're talking about direct manufacturers/importers who also dropship, for most consumer-level items this is a fantasy that is sold by people selling manuals/club memberships/etc.

Your best bet is to start at the head of the food chain and work your way back -- go directly to the manufacturers of the brands you want to sell and ask them what their distribution model is. Their marketing people will tell you what you need to know about their distribution, and point you to where you need to go next. Even in the age of e-commerce relatively few companies sell direct to consumer from their warehouses -- most have agreements with Amazon and similar online venues, major retailers, distributors etc. Find out how these brands are getting out there, and work your way down until you find the nearest regional distributor (typically will be a company that reps for several different brands/product lines, sometimes even in completely unrelated businesses.) Once you get to the distributors, start talking about dropshipping -- even if they don't specifically do it, chances are they can in turn point you in the right direction for that service.


Frank
 
If you are extremely serious about your business, the best thing to do is take a flight to China or Hong Kong and visit factories in person. Not only would you cut out all middle man in the process (trust me, for every 1 middleman you see, there are 3 more), but you'll also get a chance to check out the quality they offer. Not to mention that in person you'll always be given a much better pricing schedule than via the internet.
 
It takes some homework

070707 said:
Some folks actually go to the manufacturer and set up deals...
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This is usually the most effective way to go depending on the type of product your trying to promote. Although depending on your volume a lot of times your better off finding a wholesaler as you may be able to get lower pricing and more flexibility with the actual drop shipping. Its important that your using a company that's not going to screw you over and steal your leads especially if your selling a repeat product. I have had a lot of success using Chinese importers from California for drop-shipping just about anything. For some reason they don't really fuck w/ your customers.

Your probably not going to have many specific answers as guys rarely will divulge their sources (at least the good ones)
 
mGrunin said:
If you are extremely serious about your business, the best thing to do is take a flight to China or Hong Kong and visit factories in person. Not only would you cut out all middle man in the process (trust me, for every 1 middleman you see, there are 3 more), but you'll also get a chance to check out the quality they offer. Not to mention that in person you'll always be given a much better pricing schedule than via the internet.
Click to expand...


I second this.. my friend who has e commerce site did exactly this and it working really fine. The only issue there is when you get hit with refunds.

M
 
Going to China

mGrunin said:
If you are extremely serious about your business, the best thing to do is take a flight to China or Hong Kong and visit factories in person. Not only would you cut out all middle man in the process (trust me, for every 1 middleman you see, there are 3 more), but you'll also get a chance to check out the quality they offer. Not to mention that in person you'll always be given a much better pricing schedule than via the internet.
Click to expand...


Just know if you go to these countries you are going to need to buy a Container ( about $200,000) of whatever your buying. You also need to get and agent ( he will work your deals and get you into the manufactures and interrupt for you, and possibly fuck you out of thousands)

This is the big boy game and you also risk not getting your container. Could get hijacked by pirates, customs could keep your shit if you doing counterfits, the damn boat can sink, maybe the dont send it and keep yoru money, and it takes at least 6 weeks to get your stuff.

I have brought in a lot of stuff from China and have made and lost a lot of money this way but just know you really need to do your homework if you get into this game
 
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