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ABOUT THE DROPSHIPPING CONCEPT

• Dropshipping History
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  Own A Business Without Buying Stock?

  It is possible to own a business without buying stock or renting a retail outlet. Many people are operating their own businesses from home without having to buy stock in advance. They have been using a system called dropshipping.

  This system of business is not an American invention and nor is it a new concept. The practice or dropshipping has been around for longer than most would expect. The ancient traders conducted business using a dropshipping system. They would travel long distances to sell the products of warehouses and manufacturers. They would take samples to the retailers and when they had an order they would send a runner back to the suppliers' warehouse and the supplier would deliver the order.

  With the technology available today there is no longer a need for us to get a camel or a horse and travel long distances to sell the wares of others. We are able to use the Internet to operate an online business through your own website or auction and sales sites .

  Join the Dropship Australia Community and keep up to date with new suppliers and other helpful online business ideas and advice. Membership is free.

• What Is Dropshipping
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  Dropshipping, in simple terms, is order fulfilment. It is not something new, has been used for many centuries and is being used by some of the biggest online operators, Amazon is one of the many. Using a dropship supplier allows you to offer products to your customers without having to purchase goods in advance. We do recommend however that resellers purchase a sample item from their supplier to check product quality and delivery times. This not only tests the supplier but also builds the confidence of the reseller.

   Below we have provided a description of how dropshipping works:

  • A reseller (retailer) connects with a wholesale supplier or manufacturer who is willing to send orders directly to the resellers customers. This supplier is called a dropshipper or dropship supplier. 
  • The reseller promotes and markets goods or services of that supplier through their own retail outlet. This could be their own online shop , an auction listing or retail outlet (yes, even bricks and mortar businesses use dropshipping).
  • The reseller takes an order from their customer with a retail payment and provides a sales invoice. 
  • The reseller then passes the order to the dropship supplier with the wholesale payment. 
  • The dropship supplier then delivers the goods ordered to the resellers customer, with a delivery docket provided by the reseller. 
  • The dropship supplier provides an invoice with the wholesale cost to the reseller.
  • The reseller profits from the difference between the amount paid to the dropship supplier and the amount they received from their customer. Example: Item purchased by reseller's customer = $120. Amount paid by reseller to supplier = $80. Profit = $60.00.

  Dropshipping can be this simple with a legitimate dropship supplier. When choosing a dropship supplier, resellers should gather as much information about the supplier as possible before proceeeding to do business.

  If you have any question please contact us and we will try to help. To see sites that you could sell your items please visit the Auction and Sales Sites List .

DROPSHIP INFORMATION FOR RESELLERS

• Do I deal directly with Drop ship Australia when ordering products?
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  Dropship Australia does not stock or supply products. We supply the details of dropship suppliers and wholesalers.
• Do I open the account with Dropship Australia or the supplier?
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  Registering with Dropship Australia allows you to access certain parts of the site that are not available to unregistered visitors (see site features here ),
  
  When you are dealing with a supplier in most cases you will be required to open an account with them so they have your contact details on record. This is often the case with many ecommerce or online ordering systems.
• Doing Good Business With Suppliers
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  Important Aspects Of Dropshipping

  When using the dropship method of selling it is important to have a good understanding of your suppliers' needs as well as your own. Some suppliers require more time to deliver products to your customer. Others need you to be very specific about your needs so they can give good service. Some dropship suppliers will charge a fee to set up an account and most of them will be want to be paid before shipping the order.

  How Do You Insure Yourself Against Fraud and Underhanded Dropship Suppliers?

  A majority or suppliers will be honest with you but there are the occasional ones who will try to defraud you of money by not delivering goods and claiming that they have. Be sure to check the details of the supplier and get as much information about their business as you can. Make sure you have a contact name and telephone number. if you are provided with Terms & Conditions by the supplier, make sure you read and understand them. If you have any questions about terms and conditions be sure to ask your supplier. if your supplier has not given you terms and conditions ask them if they can provide them.

  Be careful of businesses that are located outside of your own country. If it comes to having problems with a supplier it is sometimes difficult to take any sort of legal action against foreign companies or individuals.

  We are always happy to help our members understand the what Dropshipping is all about. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

  We look forward to working for, and with you, to make your online business a success by providing you with Dropship Suppliers and online Selling Solutions.

• Pictures for my website or listings - how do I download them?
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  Many suppliers will allow you to use their images for your web site or auction listings. They will either provide these from their web site images or they will provide you with a media package to download. It will all depend on the product supplier.
  
  To copy an image from a web site you can find an option by clicking your right mouse button over the image. Depending on your browser you will find an option which says 'Save Image As'. Select this and then choose a location on your computer that you can find later.
• What If You Have Problems With A Supplier?
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  If you have problems with a dropship supplier the first action to take is to contact the supplier and try to rectify the situation. Sometimes small problems turn into large ones without the correct communication between parties.

  Be sure before you start using the services of a dropship supplier that they have provided you with terms and conditions for you to follow and make sure you read them. Take notes when trying to rectify a problem with a supplier for later reference.

  If you do not get satisfaction from your dropship supplier there are other avenues to take including government agencies who deal with these type of problems including the Department Of Fair Trading in your State. Be aware that if you are dealing with a supplier from outside Australia the Australian authorities may not be able to assist you.

  If you have a problem with a dropship supplier listed on Dropship Australia www.dropshipaustralia.com.au) please let us know(after you have tried to rectify it with the supplier). We will do our best to help you but we do not take any responsibility for transaction between resellers and suppliers (see terms and conditions).

• What percentage on a sale does Dropship Australia take on sales?
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  We charge a fee to suppliers for having extra features added to their free basic listing within the suppliers directory or for advertising on the Dropship Australia site.
  We do not take any percentage or your sales or charge membership fees for resellers.

INFORMATION FOR PRODUCT SUPPLIERS

• How to Add your Business to the Dropship Directory
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  To add your business to the suppliers directory you will need to do the following:

  1. Register as a member of the Dropship Australia Community and confirm your email address by clicking on the link that we will email to you.
  2. Once you have confirmed your email address you will be able to login. Once you login go to the DROPSHIP DIRECTORY link on the member's menu and click 'Add Entry'. This will take you to the Directory registration page where you will provide the information about your business.
  3. Complete the registration details and submit them. We will confirm your business details and contact you if we have any questions. If you choose to add your logo, images or select a featured listing there is a small charge. We accept PayPal payments online and you can use your credit cards securely using this method. We will also send you direct deposit details (only Australian businesses can direct deposit). A basic listing is FREE.
  4. Once your submission has been made it will be checked by our administrators and approved if all details are verifiable. We will also introduce you to our members through our subscription newsletter and add you to our Twitter so our followers know you have been added,

   

  If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

  You can register for community membership here

   

   

   

• How to be a Dropship Supplier
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  A drop-ship supplier is a wholesaler or manufacturer who is willing and able to deliver goods directly to resellers' (retailers') customers. A drop-ship supplier is not a middleman working for a wholesaler or manufacturer.

  To take advantage of this fast growing sales and marketing system you will need:

  • To be a genuine wholesaler or manufacturer (no-middlemen).
    
    Do not attempt to act as an agent for other wholesalers. You must have the stock in your control. Trying to act as an agent for other companies invariably leads to problems for the agent and the reseller and can result in legal action. A Genuine Wholesaler or Manufacturer is a business that stocks or manufactures products in bulk. A drop-ship wholesaler is a wholesaler who is willing and able to send products in retail AND/OR wholesale quantities directly to a resellers customer with a delivery docket. Drop-shipping is not about promoting your wholesale business to the customers of resellers and where possible the goods should arrive at the customer's location with a delivery docket only with NO PRICES SHOWN. A sales invoice should be provided to the reseller for the wholesale price charged.

  • To deliver products directly to the customers for resellers.
    
    Delivering directly to customers is the core to drop-shipping. If you do not have the infrastructure to deliver products directly to the resellers' customers you will not be able to drop-ship. Most resellers sell products in retail quantities and are looking for wholesalers who are willing to deliver products in small quantities. With this in mind it would be fair to say that a wholesaler could charge a little more than their 'bulk quantity' prices due to the fact that they will need to break cartons. Most resellers understand this.

  • To provide a price list and shipping costs.
    
    The easier you make it for a reseller the more they will sell for you. Do not leave it up to a reseller to calculate shipping costs.

  • To provide images and product information to resellers.
    
    For resellers to be successful promoting your products you should provide them with the same sales and marketing materials that you would provide for an employed sales person.

  • To be able to notify resellers of price changes and/or product shortages.
    
    Just like employed salespeople, your resellers are depending on you to keep them informed of possible supply problems or end of stock issues. Drop-ship suppliers who are having great success from this system are looking out for the interests of resellers as well as their own.

  • To provide support and advice to resellers for your products.
    
    You should always support your products. Give clear instructions to your resellers on what to do if they have warranty enquiries or product quality issues with their customers. Make sure you notify resellers if you ever have a product recall for any reason. This will build your reputation as a genuine drop-ship business and attract more resellers to increase your sales.

  • To provide written terms and conditions to resellers.
    
    Provide clear, concise terms and conditions to your resellers. Do not leave issues to chance. If you do not want your products sold on a particular web site or you have a set price for products that resellers must use, let them know in your terms and conditions. This will avoid potential problems and misunderstandings in the future.

  
  

  If you would like to add your business to the drop-ship suppliers directory you must first become a member . You will than have access to the Drop-ship Suppliers Directory and you can add your details. Every submission to the directory is checked for authenticity and must be approved by the administrators. In most cases this can be done within 24 hours if you provide the information asked for on the application form.

   

  Please contact us is you have any questions.

   

   

  
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QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS SITE

You will find information about Dropship Australia in this section.

• About the Dropship Australia Community
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  The Dropship Australia Community has been created to bring together resellers and suppliers.

  Members of the Dropship Australia Community have access to dropship suppliers, the Dropship Australia Spam-Free Newsletter, a dropship forum, internal communications and more.

  We encourage all our members to participate in the community and to give us their thoughts on what we can do better for them.

  The process of joining the community requires applicants to confirm their email address so it is imporrtant that anyone interested in joining makes sure that our email address - webmaster(a)dropshipaustralia.com.au (substitute the (a) for @) so the confirmation email does not get sent to your junk mail. This will also allow our newsletters to reach you. These newsletters will be sent to you to advise you of new suppliers added and other useful dropship & business information. You can also follow us on Twitter to get quick updates.

  If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

• Dropship Australia Newsletter subscriptions
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  As a member of Dropship Australia you are subscribed to the newsletter. The newsletter is sent out at varying intervals to notify members of new suppliers and information that may help you grow your business success.
  
  We hate spam as much as you do and we comply with current anti-spam legislation. We do not share your details with any other party without your prior consent and you can manage your subscription by following the links provided in the newsletters or by going to your profile edit page.
  
  It is a good idea to whitelist (put us on your good senders list) with your Internet Service Provider. The best way to do this is add any emails from the domain dropshipaustralia.com.au to your acceptable list.
• Your Profile - Making Changes
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  If you want to make changes to your profile simply go there by following the link on the 'Members Menu', select Edit and Update Your Profile.

  You can change your password, your Google Adsense publishers number (see rewards for members) and most other details about yourself.

  Please note that only a mimimal amount of information about yourself is displayed to the public in your profile. This information does not include your telephone numbers or personal address. If you add your interests, web address or other information this will be displayed publicly.

  For site security reasons we do not give access to delete an account. If you wish to have your mmbership terminated please contact us with your username and email address you used when registering and we will remove your details.