posted on December 17, 2002 08:27:30 AM new
Got a new drop ship distributor for products I sell on ebay and in my web store and sent her my first order last week. So is it unreasonable of me to expect her to confirm the order within 48 hours or less? In the order, I requested that she send tracking number and notify of any delays. So far, no communication from her at all, despite three emails from me beginning last Saturday that she confirm the order.
I know some of you use drop shippers. What has been your experience with them? I'm trying to determine if I want to continue this route or if I should just bite the bullet and stock inventory myself.
posted on December 17, 2002 09:03:21 AM new
Hi
I think what your expecting is extremely fair. It's a responsibility on your part to keep on top of your order, but she should also make sure she keeps you informed every step of the transaction.
What your doing is probably good but it does carry a big responsibility because you are not in control of the situation.
I have always wanted to work with a distributor but I was worried about having problems.......like item being out of Stock.......Delayed shipping..........Item arriving damaged....these are things that can cause a big problem on Ebay. But I'm sure it also works out well, but yes you should be informed from beginning to end.
posted on December 17, 2002 09:40:54 AM new
I've had these problems too. First I check to make sure the distributor has plenty of the item I want to list in stock, then I list it and a couple days later I sell it. I then place my drop ship order with the distributor and they are out of stock. It is extremely frustrating. My wholesaler also does not communicate very well.
Drop ship is a good thought but it is kind of like JIT-can be kind of risky. I think the distributors are trying to keep their inventory at a minimum level also and so this causes a problem.
I am beginning to think I need to just keep my own inventory on hand and sell what I own although I don't like to keep money tied up in inventory. Also if a particular item doesn't sell well, I am stuck with it.
Good thread, fleecies. Thanks for starting it. Any of you other drop shippers have thoughts on this?
posted on December 17, 2002 09:47:34 AM new
Tried it, won't ever do it again.
While drop shipping sounds slick in concept, unfortunately there are too many humans in the loop. As fleecies has discovered, once you hand over your supply chain to a third party, you are at their mercy.
I've read recently that some manufacturers have concluded that just-in-time doesn't work in these days of dockworker strikes and weather outages. They're going back to stocking the parts they need.
Tying up money in inventory isn't a problem if you turn the inventory frequently. I read somewhere else recently that Costco (big chain of giant warehouse membership stores) turns inventory 26 times a year. Yeow!
posted on December 17, 2002 10:19:49 AM new
I use drop shippers for certain items I sell at wholesale or bulk. It hasn't been a problem. Customer sometimes wants the tracking number which I can not provide until the drop shipper forwards it to me. I just communicate the situation every step of the way with the customer. And they appreciate that.
posted on December 17, 2002 12:42:14 PM new
Well, I finally got her on the phone. She'd been hit with a major snowstorm over the weekend and lost all power and phone service. She just got a generator installed today and had one phone working. So it seems like this time, it's just a weather problem. But I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be able to work with her in the future. This particular item has a number of variations, and if you carry one, you have to carry them all. So I think I'll keep her as a drop shipper for now while I build my business so I can offer the most complete line, but after the first of the year, I'll start building my own inventory of the most popular items as well.
I appreciate everyone's input! Some interesting thoughts so far.
posted on December 17, 2002 06:25:48 PM new
When I first started on ebay I had a dropshipper I sold a few things though him but he never confirmed orders nor gave you tracking numbers I kept in contact with the customer and explained that the item was coming from another warehouse it took 18 days from date of order to get to her house( it was not the holiday season)
posted on December 18, 2002 09:47:43 AM new
Here's a buying experience for ya.
Saw a pair of expensive Bose headphones in the latest Sharper Image catalog. Called SI. "Oh, those are drop-shipped," the operator said. "It'll be two to three weeks before they're shipped."
Hell-O?
So I called Bose's 800 number last night. Not only are the headphones shipping out today, but I'm getting a free companion airfare certificate with them. Oh, and free shipping, too.
Sharper Image lost a sale by not stocking these headphones.
