Online business owners that sell mechandise, etc. How do you handle shipping, storage,etc?
seeking asked:
Are there companies that allow you to set up a website, use there products and storage. In other words I looking to start a online business but my concerns are setting a account with wholesales and shipping, storage that is alot. I trying to find a way to eliminate all of that. I will like to fine a ideal situation. If there are any other ideas for sales on line please share.
Are there companies that allow you to set up a website, use there products and storage. In other words I looking to start a online business but my concerns are setting a account with wholesales and shipping, storage that is alot. I trying to find a way to eliminate all of that. I will like to fine a ideal situation. If there are any other ideas for sales on line please share.
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:50 am
E-commerce can be a tricky business if you are strictly a manufacturer’s distributor. Some mfg’s require you purchase a certain dollar amount of inventory and store yourself. The upside to this method is that you can add quick time shipping and handling rate calculations to your website because of the single origin you would be shipping from. The downside to this method is that you will be required to pay tax on all inventoried items. If you choose a product that does not require inventory and can ship directly from one mfg/location this would be ideal. However, if you use multiple mfg’s in multiple locations you will have a difficult time quoting shipping and handling. You may have to have a set shipping fee (of course pad it a bit) and say ship’s anywhere in US for X amount.
July 26th, 2009 at 2:43 am
Look up Network Marketing. They are a distribution model set up to handle all of the money and the shipping, your responsibility is to promote your business which would be the exact same responsibility if it were not network marketing.
The two major advantages are that its turn key without reinventing the wheel and you leverage your efforts so that when you take a break the money doesn’t stop.
I’ve set up business to order a service they like selling to their customers from Network Marketing. At first they were resistant and then I explained that you don’t store products, you don’t handle any of the shipping or receiving… you just get them their own account and it goes UPS ground to their door and you get paid from their monthly orders. That was enough for them to say, that is very good business sense.
Business minded people who have experience building their businesses get it. People who have never had experience building their own business truly don’t get it. So, you will get answers from people bashing it because they haven’t succeeded or people praising it because they have.
The fact is that all business, regardless of the business model will either be successful or fail as over 90% of businesses will fail before the three year mark. So, you have to look for a turn key business that has tenure, listed with the BBB and DSA and Dun and Bradstreet for stock rating.