This review indicates DOBA dropship is the best in the land...
http://www.dropship-review.com/review_doba.php
$149.00 a month sounds steep but they do require a tax id which means they are dealing with real wholesalers... ?
Printable View
This review indicates DOBA dropship is the best in the land...
http://www.dropship-review.com/review_doba.php
$149.00 a month sounds steep but they do require a tax id which means they are dealing with real wholesalers... ?
I have not used them for the exact reason you have listed - they require a monthly fee. Stay away from companies like that. And I think the "review" you saw was one they did themselves. I have not tried them but I have heard nothing but good things about World Wide Brands (I think that's their name). Am going to give them a try myself soon.
hey ya'll im new to the group and really trying to make sure i do my homework here..
we are getting ready to open up a store in our area and need a wholesaler to do so. ive done a lot of searching and came across this worldwidebrands. my only concern is that its legit, which everyone seems to say it is, and will they have the right wholesalers for our store? im worried because its a decent amount of money and then what if they dont have the type of products we are gearing towards.. being collectibles, nicnicks, figurines.. that sort of thing. im guessing its popular enough products that they'll have what i need, but they dont show any type of listing of products from their wholesalers.
any info would be greatly appreciated.. thank you so much!
heather
Heather - I had the same concerns as you. Though I have heard nothing but great things about them I am reluctant to put out the money (we are on a really tight budget) without seeing a sample of their vendors. There are other routes you can go - try salehoo.com or A-L-I-B-A-B-A. Do Google searches on the type of product you want to offer and add the words "wholesale", "drop ship", "tax ID required", that sort of thing.
thank you, great tips..
i googled collectible wholesalers and came up with a list of about 5 that looked somewhat decent.. now ill need to see where that takes me.
thank you for the response..
heather :)
As noted the "review" site is run by doba...so it is natural for them to list their program as a good one ;-) notice the text in the about us section on the review site:
"In the interest of full disclosure, DropShip Review is in business to make a profit. We are a seperate business owned and operated by Doba. While this may appear to create a conflict of interest we have done our best to be fair and unbiased in each of our reviews, and we stand by them. "
while doba does work with wholesalers....you as a member of the program will not. you will only work with doba so you get the prices they list and not the prices and fees listed by the supplier.
from what i have seen the dropship review sites are often run by the site that gets the highest rank or are just a list of programs that use affiliate links....so the best review is for YOU to review the products and prices on your own.
I use Doba and I like it. They do have those fees, but as long as you choose your products carefully, you can still come out on top. They do give you access to quite a few manufacturers, which is pretty nice.
I think being good at dropshipping come down to research and the ability to recognize and capitalize on product-popularity trends. BE CAREFUL! Doba is a great resource if you use it wisely.
First, let me say that the following are my own opinions, based on my own personal experiences. My status as a forum moderator has no bearing whatever on those opinions or this post. Except the "Welcome!" part. :)
Welcome!Quote:
Originally Posted by hmmknia
I've been using WWBs list for over four years. They are legit. Of course, each vendor is different and some charge fees while others do not, but WWB vouches for them all as "safe" and "honest" suppliers. In four years we've had no problems whatever with any of them we use (at last count, 14). We periodically compare WWB and the suppliers they list with others we come across. THe fact we are still with WWBs list, exclusively, speaks for itself.Quote:
Originally Posted by hmmknia
Yes, it is a decent amount of money. But you also get helpful/valuable tools with the membership ... keyword search and SEO tips, competition calculations, profitability estimates, etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by hmmknia
Try this link for a preview. Just click the "Preview Now" button.
"Yes, it is a decent amount of money. But you also get helpful/valuable tools with the membership ... keyword search and SEO tips, competition calculations, profitability estimates, etc."
I agree with T.O. Sarge about WWB. Also, now that Doba dramatically increased the monthly fees, in two months as a doba "pro" for the same amount you would have access to thousands of suppliers of different types....for life. Then you could research and find all kinds of sources for the products that you like to sell.
It is a bit of coin to part with at once...but when you consider it is for life...it is not a bad way to go. I wish they had an option where you could opt to use it for say 30 days.....and then if you wanted to pay for updates each month or year you could for a smaller amount....BUT....everyone wants everything cheaper ;-) ...and a one time fee of that level is not bad at all of what you get.
WorldWide Brands is a good service. Their product sourcing tool is the best available and to compare them with DOBA is not apples to apples.
DOBA deals mainly with drop shippers and WWB offers both drop shippers and wholesalers alike. While WWB's startup cost of $300 may seem high, they offer a tool (OneSource) that is worth the money. It will allow you to compare products from various sources and even check the profitability on eBay. Although difficult, it is possible to use WWB as your only "source" for products and make a living online.
DOBA on the other hand mainly offers a platform for buying products from various drop shippers. They're basically there to make your finding of drop ship sources easier and to make a single point of access for ordering from those drop shippers. But a quick google for DOBA will show you they have many complaints. However, keep in mind that many of these complaints will be because it is almost impossible to profit (on eBay) using drop shipping. So, people get frustrated and post a complaint.
In the end, it is up to you and how much work you want to put into your business. If you want to use drop shipping because you think it will be easy -- which is what lures many people into drop shipping -- then you need to think again. Drop shipping may be easy in terms of not having to manage inventory or to ship goods, but is is very difficult in terms of turning a profit. Wholesale is about quantity and with drop shipping you're buying just one of a product and this is reflected in the price you will pay for that product.
Good luck!
So are you advocating wholesale over drop ship? Maintaining inventroy over drop shipping?Quote:
Originally Posted by dropship
I would advocate anything over drop shipping when selling online (eBay). If you find a good niche, then ok. But by far most people looking to use drop shipping are hoping to buy hot items and resell them on eBay. In which case I would recommend... Importing, wholesale, etc all over drop shipping.
"but by far most people looking to use drop shipping are hoping to buy hot items and resell them on eBay. In which case I would recommend... Importing, wholesale, etc all over drop shipping."
If a seller wants to post "hot items" like ipod, XBOX, Wii....the margin does not improve much at all for bulk wholesale items...even for some of the major distributor programs. So, with these low margin MAP items...you can sometimes improve the margin by a VERY small amount. However, as the reseller of these bulk items you have a few thousand dollars in product inventory stocked in your living room. Your time will then be spent on the packing shipping and security of these items. You could use a 3rd party inventory service to do this, but you might cut into your margin on these products...which defeats the purpose of buying in bulk. You also then have the risk of needing to unload the full inventory.
There are good and bad things about drop ship….but the same is true for bulk wholesale and importing. The important thing to take note of is to learn how to take advantage of the good and avoid the problems of the bad regardless of if you use drop ship or bulk, etc. For example, just because everyone wants to sell an iPhone or sell an XBOX does not mean these should be your product focus for your business. If there is more supply online then demand for a product, even if the demand is high, the prices and profits will be low. Which products in your online catalog do you promote (important esp when you have to pay to list on eBay)? Do you focus on ”whats hot”? Do you sell accessories and support products for what is selling the most? Do you promote products which simply give you the biggest margin? Do you promote products which you can add more custom content to for your listings?
Knowing what to sell, how to price it, and where to sell it are questions that have to be addressed no matter where/how you source your products, even drop ship. However, if you are going to import or expend capital before sales come in…..these questions become even more important, not less, when you buy in bulk and hold inventory....IMHO
Very well said!Quote:
Originally Posted by opensourceforce
Another great post OSF...
Yes, it is important to have an education before you start selling with almost any method. And I totally agree that more money can potentially be lost if you don't know what you are doing with importing/wholesale than with drop shipping.
So, if you're in business not to lose money, then drop shipping can be good - but staying out of business is better (you're sure not to lose money).
If you're in business to make money, wholesale and importing allow for more profits.
Also, the profile of someone who is buying wholesale is different from that of the common online eBay Power Seller wannabee. Someone shelling out $2000 - $3000 for wholesale inventory is much more likely to do their research before handing over the money vs. someone who can just list on eBay freely (but not for FREE!) using drop shipping.
Most people looking for drop shipping do not have much money to invest which is why drop shipping sounds perfect to them. So, they may be risking less money but be at higher risk in general. I would rather be the guy who has $85,000 savings in the bank and blows $3000 on wholesale goods than the guy living paycheck-to-paycheck who blows $100 on eBay fees trying out drop shipping...
So, I think although it is possible to lose more money when buying in bulk, it is more likely to lose money with drop shipping albeit a smaller amount. And that drop shipping is more likely to hurt someone who cannot afford a loss, since they are not likely to try wholesale. Now, there are exceptions to every rule.
On the "hot items" issue...
If you are looking for hot selling items then you have almost no chance with drop shipping and while, yes, many hot items will be subject to MAP with wholesale/importing you can sell related merchandise and have a chance. You may not be able to import an ipod for less (or at all) but you can import an MP4 player. And, when you do, your cost will be much, much less than through drop shipping.
With drop shipping hot items can become even more of a problem as (A) both everyone and their brother will be selling them just as you are -- using your drop shipper and (B) you become at great risk of having an inventory problem -- the drop shipper runs out-of-stock while you have orders waiting to ship. So, if you drop ship you will want to use a inventory monitor like www.inventorysource.com and be very careful to stay away from anything with low stock.
So, if you are considering drop shipping because you want to get your feet wet and want to get a little education (and can afford a few hundred dollars lost for that education; which is cheap for an education) then go for it!
If you are considering drop shipping because you cannot afford anything else then ask yourself, can I afford the time and money lost if it does not work? If not, then stay away!
If you think it is going to be a quick and easy path to riches, anyone here can tell you that you are mistaken -- stay away!
Lastly, if you are considering drop shipping because you think it will be easier to manage than wholesale/importing although you do have enough money to buy bulk then you're only half right. It may be easier as far as inventory/shipping goes but you are going to have to sell much, much more and do much more research to generate the same profits that you could with importing/wholesale. And, if you start selling at that volume with drop shipping expect more work to head your way when you have to deal with customers who are not having their orders fulfilled due to inventory issues with the drop shipper.
So back to The Old Sarge's question -- yes. I would advocate importing/wholesale over drop shipping in most scenarios; the exception being if someone has financial security but wants to get their feet wet. Then, ok -- try some drop shipping until you know what you are doing.
But again I stress - PLEASE, PLEASE - do NOT spend money on drop shipping memberships, ebay listing fees, etc if you are choosing drop shipping because you cannot afford a financial loss. If you cannot afford a financial loss, do NOT invest in a business opportunity. Do not risk more than you can afford to lose. Of course if you do have some capitol to risk, then I strongly recommend you do your research first and then stick to the much more profitable import/wholesale.
Good luck and Happy Holidays!
FYI for everyone thinking about using DOBA. they are a joke and a scam. ALl of the vendors that are posted with fictitous names, can easily be located on the internet by some simple searches. I signed up with them when they first came out and noticed all of my current vendors were posted. they also claim that they do not over charge on the products price they simply pass the product price directly to you form the vendor. which is an ABSOLUTE LIE! this company should be shut down. they are filthy liars. period. as the same for ANY other company that claims to put you in touch with various dropshippers. Listen UP people! you can find all the same dropshippers that these companies offer you on your own AND the price those companies offer you on their products will be MUCH less than what these companies will charge you. they are all a scam and ripp you off. dont get suckered into them.
I repeat Don't Use Doba, Doba is not good. waste of money!!! Should Be banned! I bought into it, I was so green at the beginning...Uh....All the money I lost... If you are serious about making a success off your online business, than you cannot work with middle man. Doba is a middle man! Doba makes the money! You make nothing! The prices are so high, you won't be able to make any profit! Of course that is the case, by the time everyone else profits, you make nothing!
The idea behind the Drop shipping is great, but it works the best for the Drop shipper and Doba. The only drop shipper you should work with is the real wholesale who is willing to ship for you.
Don't drop ship and sell on eBay unless you are stacking your own inventory! What do I mean?
Lets say you are listing 10 auctions on eBay because you found a hot product. Great, you are going to make some money off of it, as long as the drop shipper (wholesaler or manufacturer) has that inventory in stock. The minute they run out, you get stuck with listing fees as well as the negative feedback.
To avoid this problem, you should stock some of the inventory at home. maybe 10-20 items, it will save you a lot of money.
I just signed up for doba's free two week trial,thinking i am going to make some money.Then i saw their supposed wholesale prices,i have not found an item that i could not buy cheaper at walmart.An example is altec lansing inmotion speakers.Which at walmart are originally 79.95.They had three on clearance for 20.00.Doba's wholesale price is 83.00,before their shipping and drop shipping fee.If you use doba and make money great,but i will be cancelling my membership before my two weeks is up.Unless the fifty products i have listed on ebay somehow sale and at least makes me a little money,but looks impossible to me.Just my opinion.
I'm currently using DOBA and it has been great so far.
You can find a couple dropshippers on this list,
http://www.moneyboosters.com/ebay-work-at-home.html
Some dropshippers charge you a membership, which is ok, without this everyone could be selling the same products as you. But don't sign up for any company that doesn't offers you a Free Trial or Money back guarantee.
Glad you have had success with DOBA. Many have not. Just so people know there is a site at www.ProductSourcing.com that is a "free" version of DOBA. It is scaled down, but free.
They WILL try to call you and sell you on the full DOBA though so be warned.
http://images.mydetaileddetail.com/i...15hosu/eek.gif 149 a month!!! Thats rediculous!
Hi,
On the "hot items" issue. If you are looking for hot selling items then you have almost no chance with drop shipping and while, yes, many hot items will be subject to MAP with wholesale/importing you can sell related merchandise and have a chance. You may not be able to import an ipod for less (or at all) but you can import an MP4 player. And, when you do, your cost will be much, much less than through drop shipping.