Affiliate program Vs. Dropship

[niceandspicy999]

We have a site selling handmade items that we make ourselves, and we were recently approached by another site asking us if we did dropshipping. So far, we haven't - and I am still unsure if this is something we want to do and I am trying to consider every angle.
Although the extra revenue would be great, I am struggling to find any onfo out there on dropshipping from the manufacturers point of view, Everything I read seems to be aimed at sellers.
If we did do dropshipping, it would only be for certain product lines because many of our items are made to order or customized.

On the other hand, I am also considering an affiliate program. I feel this way we could keep our identity as being the seller and continue to brand our products.

I am interested to hear opinions from other suppliers or manufacturers that have either a dropshipping or affiliate program - how it works for them, what kind of things do I need to consider, what sort of terms and conditions I need to think about...

Any suggestions welcome. Thanks!

[Kenneth]

There's no time like right now, and if someone can bring in more revenue to your pockets, from an affiliate or drop-shipping extension of your business, I would recommend doing it. I wouldn't look at it as your brand being lost: I would look at it as an opportunity to be your competitor. You still win at either bottom line, while holding on to the majority control.

[niceandspicy999]

I wouldn't look at it as your brand being lost: I would look at it as an opportunity to be your competitor.

Thank you, I wasn't looking at it like that. Now I need to figure out some terms & conditions and all that

[Crochet]

I recently opened a small business online where I sell handmade crochet apparel and accessories. Right now, everything is custom-made. Two days ago I received an order from a person allegedly from Nigeria wishing to purchase over $1000 in product. They said they will email me their credit card information rather than purchasing through paypal on my website. I asked them about their store in Nigeria, but they did not answer my question.

My questions are: 1) What is the likelihood that this is a fraudulent order by a stolen credit card? 2) Has anyone had experience with fraudulent orders from Nigeria? 3) Do you recommend that I ignore the order? If yes, will that hurt my business?

[niceandspicy999]

Ignore it! The Nigerian scam is a famous one - just type it into Google and there are 680,000 refernces to it. Sometimes it's a variant - Singapore etc but it generally works like this. They will offer to send you a substantial amount more money than the value of the items, usually by money order, on condition that their courier picks up the items from you. You are to withdraw the excess money from your bank account and pay the courier yourself.
A few weeks later, the money order is deemed fake and your bank claws back the thousands of dollars. If credit card/ paypal, they claw it back as fraudelent funds

The scams have been running for a few years, often with a story about political problems and money stuck in accounts and can you help

I get these emails about once a week via our ebay store, and now frequently through the website too. Delete them!

[5starAffiliates]

I don't know as much about drop shipping, but would certainly recommend an affiliate program as a great extension of your brand and to expand your revenue stream.

[Crochet]

Thanks for the invaluable advice. I've decided to ignore the offer. It did seem too good to be true. When I started my online store I didn't anticipate fraud! This website is a great resource. Thanks again.

[JPnyc]

Glad you like and find it useful. That was our hope in creating it.

[dcomiskey]

Thanks for the invaluable advice. I've decided to ignore the offer. It did seem too good to be true. When I started my online store I didn't anticipate fraud! This website is a great resource. Thanks again.

Crochet,
Sadly, fraud is becoming more and more prevalent today. You have to look at each transaction carefully, ESPECIALLY when they come from overseas. Topping off a purchase or inquiry with soemthing that seems almost too good to be true, usually is. Nigeria has been a hotbed of internet fraud for years. I know the country is working on cleaning up the riff raff, but it will take years before that happens and even longer before transactions from that area of the world can/will be taken seriously. (The WSJ had an article aboutthis last week)
I know of one store owner who won't even accept transactions from anywhere other than the US and Canada. She didn't even want to take the chance. Many store owners are following that same trend.
-Devin