How to Find a Reliable Dropship Wholesaler

Whether you are just getting started with an online business, or an established presence without a lot of warehouse space, a dropship wholesaler can help streamline your business and free up your time to do other business activities, such as marketing and sourcing new product.

• Do some research about the company.  Google the company and see if there are any discussions about them.  Take a look at the Better Business Bureau’s listing for them and see if there have been any complaints.  This quick research can help weed out undesirable wholesalers and takes only a few minutes to complete.


• Learn the company’s inventory practices.  Are the products unique or are there many available?  It will do you no good to market a product and find it has sold out when you receive an order for it.  Unique items are usually not suitable for dropshipping systems.


• Find out the return and exchange terms.  Is your potential dropship wholesaler willing to back up their products?  How will they handle returns of items they dropship?  Some companies want you to handle the return while others will ask you to have your customer return directly to them.  This information is critical to know before you start selling.


• Do not pay for a directory of dropship wholesalers.  First, the person who is selling the directory is likely only interested in making a profit and not as concerned with the accuracy or reliability of listings.  Second, those directories are passed around like wildfire on the Internet and the likelihood of finding products you can actually sell is minimal.


• Place a test order with your potential dropship wholesaler.  Send it to a friend so you can have the opportunity to evaluate the ordering process.  If the package comes with a lot of marketing material directing your customer to the dropshipper’s website, you probably should look elsewhere.  It is not profitable to give away all your customers to a supplier.


• Trust your instincts.  If the website looks shady or you do not feel comfortable after conversing with a supplier, move on to the next one.  While a product may be in high demand, your reputation and business is not worth a few dollars in profit.