To drop ship or not to drop ship… THAT is the question

Posted by For Inventors at 24 April, 2007, 12:21 pm

April 24, 2007

Still nothing new on the manufacturing front, but I got a call from a potential online customer.? This call made me delve into the issue of “drop shipping”.? Here is my situation… he wanted me to drop ship for him, but from what I understand, that would be offering a customer (online retailer) a wholesale price but I would do the work of fulfilling the individual orders.? Someday I might have a huge facility where a ton of people pick and pack my orders for me, but for right now… it’s me, myself and I.? I most certainly do not want to alienate an entire market because I won’t drop ship, but my time is going to be spread so thin that fulfilling orders for a wholesale price just doesn’t make sense to me when I should be out pounding the pavement.? I plan on fulfilling orders for my online customers that order from my website, but of course the profit margin makes it worth my while to do.? What is one to do????? There is the option of a drop ship fee, but how much should that be, what is customary and acceptable for my time picking and packing?? My business plan is based more on the William Sonoma type retail store target market not online sales, BUT I do want online support from a handful of great online stores.? How do I keep?EVERYONE happy and wanting to buy?? I would LOVE to be represented by some fantastic online retail sites, but what if they require drop shipping?? When I find the answer, I’ll let you know!

Leslie Haywood, Founder and President of Charmed Life Products, Inventor of Grill Charmsâ„¢? www.grillcharms.com

Category : The Journey of Grill Charms!