I am in the pet industry. I sell pet products retail at pet shows and events already and have a small amount of inventory I keep in stock for my shows. I have an ecommerce site in development. I sell about 100 products now. I would like to sell 1000's, like my competitors. When I go on other pet supply (boutique type pet supplies) sites, they are offering 1000's of products. How are they all doing this? I know many of the products and they come from manufacturers who will not drop ship. Are there only two choices? Drop shipping or stocking a ton of inventory? I can not possibly stock the amount of products that my competitors offer. I can barely stock the 100 products I sell now. Please help, I can not move on with my website until I figure out my distribution system. I want to package my own items for now. In the future, I may switch to a fulfillment house. I pride myself on excellent customer service and don't want my customers to have to wait weeks for their products. My original plan was to wait and see the orders that come in, then order products from the manufacturer the same day or in a few days when orders build up. I would have to hit the minimum for each manufacturer, which means I would be gaining extra inventory that I may not be able to sell. This could get very costly. And I am afraid that if I offer even a ship date of 1-2 weeks for my products, by the time the manufacturer sends the products to me, I pack and ship them, I will be late with the order. Thanks, any input/ideas will be greatly appreciated!