Open Government Licence - Canada | Open Government - Government of Canada

Open Government Licence - Canada | Open Government - Government of Canada

Some Essential Questions You Should Ask A Supplier Before Signing Up For A Dropshipping Account

Some Essential Questions You Should Ask A Supplier Before Signing Up For A Dropshipping Account

If you're looking for a dropship supplier for your business, it's essential to do your research beforehand as there are so many scams and middlemen who pretend to be a legitimate dropshipping company but are merely just a middleman or a scam just to take your money and run.

A dropshipping scam or a middleman can be quite difficult to distinguish from a legit dropshipping company. Their website will look like a real business, the design, layout, and features can be difficult to distinguish from a true droppshipper, and may even be designed to look even better than the average legit website. This is to fool you into giving away your hard earned cash without you knowing until it's too late.

So before you decide on starting your own dropshipping business, I've prepared some essential questions below to ask a supplier before committing to a scamster or a middleman acting as a legitimate business with the sole intent of taking your cash and disappearing.

In case you're wondering what's is a middleman, it's a company acting as a dropshipper and claiming to be the supplier of the products displayed on their website, but instead of taking your cash and running, most middlemen will actually supply the products you pay for but do not hold the products themselves but instead they use their own legit suppliers and add a higher margin to the products taking a cut of your profit, thus making it difficult for you to earn a profit from the high prices you pay compared to your competition.

"Below are some questions I've prepared for you to ask a supplier before committing, and in order to separate the legitimate dropshipper from scams and middlemen"

1. Are you the Manufacturer of the product/s?   If not are you a partner or have a share of the Manufacturer's business? (This is an important question to ask. Although not all dropshipping company actually manufactures the products they sell, but if legit will have some sort of partnership or common interest with them as some manufacturers don't have the time to dropship items in small quantities, so they outsource them to large wholesale companies who purchase in bulk).
2. Do you stock Inventory of the products you sell?  (If not this is guaranteed to be a middleman, who is taking the profit that you should be earning and charging a much higher price to you, which will prevent you from competing on price with your competition and more often than not you'll end up at a loss.
3. Do you offer true wholesale pricing so I can make a profit?   (If so, ask them for a copy of their price list or ask to see some product prices on their website).
4. Do you Dropship (single) item's to the UK?  (I've used the 'UK' in question 1. as an example only. This is your choice depending on what country you live. Also, I've put the word (single) in brackets because not all dropshipping company's will dropship single items, some have a minimum amount (e.g. minimum £100....) you have to spend on your first order. Most dropshippers will dropship single item’s but not all will. Don't automatically assume it's a scam if they have a minimum purchase requirement).
5. Do you charge a dropshipping fee for each item, and if so what are your fees?    (Not all genuine dropshipping company's charge an additional fee for their service, but some do. this is quite normal for them to charge a small fee for their service, as it covers their shipping materials and handling charge. Others don't charge an additional fee but merely include it in the price of the products. Either way, it saves you a lot of time and hassle of having to purchase shipping materials yourself and saves you time, enabling you to concentrate on more important aspects of running your day to day business.
6. Is there a minimum order?   (Some legitimate dropshippers policies include a minimum order, so don't automatically assume its a scam if they do. It's your decision to separate legitimate company's from the scamster, only after asking all these questions and getting a reply, along with your own research of the company in question. Only then should you make a decision. If one or more of your questions cannot be answered appropriately, then ask yourself, why?  (All legitimate dropshipping companies should be able to answer these simple questions, and in plain and simple English, without the jargon, and words you don't understand).
7. Do I have to purchase the website start-up package in order to become a dropshipper and do business with you?   (some legitimate dropshipping company's I've come across do have a package website already loaded with their products for you to dropship, but will also give you the option to dropship single items without purchasing the package. Personally, I've found that a lot of them with the website package deals are a scam. not all of them but the majority of them are. if you come across a company with this package your better off to steer clear and avoid using them. If you are sure they are legitimate and want to do business with them and they give you an option of taking out the package or not, then it's safer not to buy into the package, just use the single item dropshipping program they have).
8. Do you have the appropriate certificates in your possession that are needed for a business in order to be a dropshipping company? If so is it possible to see them or get a copy of them? (A legitimate company should have these in their possession and would be only too willing to share this information with you. If there's a delay in providing this or if they are unable to provide these certificates, the stay well away. It's almost certainly a scam if they refuse to provide this information).

Check out some wholesale products at my store

eBay Top Rated Seller Status on eBay

eBay Top Rated Seller Status 

Anybody can sell items on eBay, be it items you have lying around the house that never get used, or an attic or garage with antiques and collectibles, it don't matter as long as you stay within eBay's policies and Guidelines s and of course you must have a PayPal account in  your name with verified address linking to that account at least. That's the minimum requirements in order to start selling.

If like most people you already have an ebay account for purchasing items, then you're ready to go!

But like I said you or your partner must have a verified Paypal account, even if you purchase your items via credit card, bank transfer, check or any other means of credit. 

eBay insists on this, mainly because not too long ago they actually owned Paypal, but have recently sold it's assets, mostly anyway and have a small share in it. It's not that bad though if you're unfamiliar with Paypal, there are a lot of benefits especially for individuals, like payment protection if you don't receive your item or vice versa.

Exactly the same as a business seller, except without the ever increasing selling fees, from both eBay plus Paypal fees, so do the math first before jumping in as a business seller because you could end up at a loss if not careful.

"It's essential that you register as a Business Seller though, in order to be granted 'TOP RATED SELLER STATUS'. And even then its not guaranteed."

Here are the requirements needed to become a top rated seller on eBay.....

8 Tips for a Successful Holiday Season Run

The holiday season is upon us. Some will actually say that the holiday season already started back in August. Without going into a shouting match on who is right and who is wrong, let's just agree to disagree and say, "It's Time!" It's time to start checking inventory, getting your email lists ready and organized, checking your listings images and even prioritizing your tasks as we inch closer. I will go as far as to say that the latter is the most important. It's important to make sure you are ready for the rush.


How many marketplaces are you on this year? One? Two? Four??? Have you added more or scaled back your efforts from last year? Are you on niche marketplaces or broad ones like Addoway, eBay and Amazon? The answer is: It doesn't matter right now.


We want to sell and we want to sell a lot during the holidays. It is not just about the money. Money is very important, but it's about the fun we have selling this time of the year. Am I wrong? Going back to the years I sold, I always had the most fun during the holidays. Of course they were the busiest and the most hectic, but the clients were so easy to please and were always overjoyed to get something they loved from us. So before you read any further try to remember the holidays and the fun and enjoyment YOU bring to your customers.

1. Don't forget what you sell

It's easy to get closer to the holidays and see products that people are liking that are not part of your collection and get a feeling to buy some in and resell to be a part of the madness. DON'T DO IT! Don't be part of the madness. If you haven't thought about the product(s) already and planned to bring some into your inventory you are only going to give yourself a headache. 

2. Don't Add New Suppliers

This only applies if you are a drop shipper, but this is part of Tip 1. You don't want to add mayhem to you and your business life right now. You have planned planned and planned some more. Don't mess it up by adding unknowns right now. 

3. Make Sure You Ship Worldwide

I can't tell you how many shoppers buy from sites like ours and eBay that are overseas. I know it's a challenge to deal with a new language and currency, but trust me - you are missing out. If you have the tools to track the locations of your shoppers check to see the percentage of international shoppers. It might just surprise you. 

4. Make Sure You Have Plenty of Inventory

You know what sells and doesn't. Just make sure you have enough and not too much. When? Right now. Make sure right now. Don't go to Tip 5 until you go check your inventory. Yes even if it takes two days to go through it. Come back and continue reading after. 

5. If You Can Go Niche, Go Niche

I know on Addoway we are not a niche marketplace, but this doesn't mean you can't be a niche store. It is much easier for a shopper visiting your store to browse other items and buy more when you are selling similar items. Sometimes it can hurt your business when you sell clothes, candles, and couches. Nothing matches. 

6. Thank. Thank. And Thank Some More

We are confident you already do this with every communication and order you receive, but it is even more important this time of the year. Thank potential shoppers for visiting and asking questions whether it's through your store, email account or on Facebook or Twitter. Even thank another seller for mentioning you online. They have to purchase too! Once the holiday season is over you can then spend time sending thank you cards and reminding them that your store is always open and that you appreciate their business. 

7. Don't Ever Give Up On Social Media, Especially Now!

If you have been using Pinterest, Facebook and all of the other social sites, don't stop now. Did you know that 65% of Shoppers Tap Social Media for the Perfect Gift? Shoppers are influenced by what their friends post and what they find online. If you are not using it by now, you need to get on that bandwagon. It is never too late. 

8. Don't Forget Old Fashioned Email Marketing

Email marketing will always be a HUGE generator of the most sought after form of marketing - "word of mouth." It is also one of the most important forms of marketing. You have lists of old buyer's right? Well, send out a nice "The Holidays are Upon Us" or "You bought from us before and you might like this" card. Something simple and not too markety (no it's not a word, but I am going to use it :)). 

We hope you find a lot of success this holiday season. We know you have a lot of options and places to spend your time and we do appreciate and thank you for spending time with us. This year might have been more challenging for you, but remember that triumph comes from challenges and this holiday season can easily turn around any kind of year you might have had. There are so many great successes in your business - you just have to open your eyes to see them. Please share any tips we might have not added as we would love to hear what works for you. Thank you.

Product Review: "Epson Stylus Office BX305 FW Plus, all in one.

                                                 Epson Stylus Office BX305FW Plus 
                                       ALL IN ONE WIRELESS PRINTER/SCANNER/COPIER

Product Review:

The all in one Epson Stylus Office BX305FW Plus, wireless Printer, Scan & Copy machine is an all around useful product to own, for a number of reasons. I own one myself and its great for use as a personal home printer for your average use plus is capable of use for an office or a small to medium sized business. I use mine for both as a home personal printer, just changing a few settings lets you print out text and images a lesser quality than if you were to use it in business, making it a reasonable price to print documents and manuals for home and personal use which in turn makes the ink last that much longer than another brand of printer. The reason for this is each ink cartridge are individually purchased so when one cartridge is empty, there's no need to dispose of the rest. All you need to do is purchase the colour that is empty, unlike some printers where you can no longer use the other colours as they are combined into one cartridge, making it a lot more expensive and disposing of a lot of wasted ink.

Secondly by changing a couple of settings it is transformed into a more professional device for use in your business or for great photos, presentations or for making a perfect copy of an important document that's needed in your business. It's not as fast as some office printers but the quality is great, the settings are easy to manage, the ink is very inexpensive to buy plus you have the capability to use it wireless capabilities weather at your office or even in a room at home where anyone with network access can print directly from it in any room without the need to change settings or connect to it via printer cable.

It is also capable of printing out 99 copies continually in a very short period of time and only using a small amount of ink at the same time. The scanner gives a perfect image of your scanned document and with a few changes in the scanned document can be changed, edited or remodelled to a perfect image or doc that your happy with without compromising on quality or colour. Perfect for photographers, businesses or just a home personal printer.

This product that I have purchased myself is my third model of this printer. After buying the two previous Epson models, which were quite good compared to some other brands, I knew that soon as the newest model of this Epson came tho the market I had to have it based on my experience from the two lesser quality models of the same product. Also out of the 3 models of this product that I've purchased, Ive not had no problems with them all working correctly as they should. Occasionally I had a paper jam or a bad print out but that was easy to overcome. I purchased the upgraded models for better quality printouts and my previous models was sold on eBay with no problems at all.

All in all I would give this product a 5 star rating for all round excellence, cheap ink, quality printed documents, Clear image prints, ease of use for the novice and professional alike. I have not yet had a good look at the upgraded model of this printer, but you can bet your life on it that will be my next purchase when I am ready to renew my printer.

I wrote this honest review of this product in my own words as it is my main printer for both home and office use, and not for profit am I affiliated to Epson. I wrote this for my readers.

J.R.Chinn
JRC Retail - Independent Wholesale Distributor
jrcetail@gmail.com
(44) 7375991641

JRC-eTail Independent Wholesale Distributor