Everyone has sold something in their life. Maybe it was a one time occurrence but more than likely it was an attempt at some sort of financial venture. I'm not necessarily implying it was something of a business venture, maybe more for fun. People have things they don't use anymore so they sell it or they go out and look for things to sell be it at thrift stores, yard sales, discount bins at retailers or websites like craigslist. If you're someone that enjoys selling items as a hobby or as your business venture, let's talk about the option of buying products at wholesale prices to make your sales as beneficial as possible.

When most people decide to sell something online using a source such as Ebay or Amazon they usually have the item in hand. Meaning that they have the item in their possession and they are currently the sole owner of the item. When someone buys the item you then ship the item to them. Well that's all fine and dandy if you're someone who has gone out and taken the time and space to stockpile a huge inventory of items that you will be selling. Personally I see a lot of flaws in doing this. Don't get me wrong I love browsing thrift shops and yard sales, you never know what you'll find. I've made some good money in doing so. I would never, though, take up the space necessary in having inventory laying around until (or even if) it sells. The same thing goes with the money it costs to buy those items. Until, or if, you can sell those items, the money is out of your pocket.

You can never guarantee what is selling on Ebay or any other site at any given time. What's selling today might not be selling tomorrow. Something that can make your life as a seller much easier is buying your products not only at a wholesale price but having them drop shipped directly to your customers. What a novel idea!

Here is how it works. You look through the wholesaler's catalog and list whatever item you choose to sell. The best part of it is you don't buy the product until it sells. When it does sell you collect the payment from the buyer and then pay the wholesaler who will ship the product directly to your customer for you.

When the product is shipped the wholesaler can hide the fact that the item is being drop shipped and use your return address on the label and supply the customer with a custom invoice using your logo, if you have one. You keep whatever difference there is between the wholesale price and the selling price. It's just like you're any retailer in the world. You buy wholesale and then markup the price.

So it sounds like a good idea. What do you do to get started? First, you have to find your drop ship wholesale distributors. Meaning you have to find a source that will hook you up with all of the wholesalers that are available to you. Now there are legitimate drop ship companies and there are some that will take profits from you. What this means is that these companies receive the wholesalers prices and then list the products for a higher amount so they can line their pockets, thus minimizing the potential profits you can make. This is often the case with those wholesalers that can be seen on television such as SMC. In fact in some cases, including the television cases, most of the products have even less value than their wholesale price. These clubs make money solely on their membership price.

Before I leave you and tell you to read reviews and do your research I want to make two more small notes if you are going to look for a drop shipping company. First and foremost make sure the company is worth the membership price. I have yet to find a legitimate drop shipping company that doesn't charge for a lifetime membership. Yes, they need to make a little money somehow. If they don't charge a membership fee then they are up-charging the products you are buying! Just make sure the company not only provides drop shipping information but training information and support. Finally, for your safety, avoid overseas drop shippers! We're seeing most of the scams in this category coming from the overseas markets. Now, go do your research!