Drop-shipping is a great way to save money, if you’re careful

It seems that for every successful home based business there are a dozen ‘home business parasites’ ready to sell valuable information. Most, not all of course, drop-shipping lists can be lumped into this category.

If you’re looking for a drop-shipper for your home based business, be very wary of any list that offers hundreds of thousands of supplier contacts for a small cost. For a few dollars what you’ll most likely end up with is an automated email with a few hundred company names, addresses and phone numbers. Seems great until you call a few disconnected numbers and realize the list is as old as the concept of drop-shipping and completely worthless.

There’s another downside to buying finding a drop-shipping deal for your home based business on a widely distributed directory. You and everyone else that bought the directory are going to be competing for the same products. Even if you manage to set up a deal from one of the suppliers on the list, you’re going to pay a premium because of the competition from all the other home business operators that bought the same list. Spending a few bucks on a drop-shipping list online may cost you more than you expected.

Any home based business should be able to find drop-shipping partners, without a list 

Remember, these suppliers are businesses that want to be found, not fugitives on the run. A little research and a few phone calls and you should be on your way, but where to start?

Since you already know what type of product your home business is going to sell, you’re halfway home.

Suppose you intend to sell lawnmower blades:

Step 1: Head out to everywhere you can think of that sells the type of lawnmower blades your business is interested in.

Step 2: Copy the manufacturer’s contact information from the blades or packaging.

Step 3: Contact the manufacturer directly and ask if they drop-ship their products.

Some will let you know right away that they are set up to drop-ship for you. Some may even tell you that they simply don't offer drop-shipping, period. Smaller manufacturers that haven’t yet heard of the concept may be sold on the concept if you can explain it properly.

If a manufacturer does agree to drop-ship for you then great, since you’ve contacted them directly you have successfully eliminated all middlemen. If not then your next course of action may be tracking down a distributor, the manufacturer should be able to recommend one. The downside of dealing with a distributor is a small fee; however you can be sure that a reputable distributor can ship your products in a timely fashion.

Still no luck?

Try looking through some trade magazines. There are usually listings of distributors and manufacturers in the back. Unlike the list you were going to buy online these companies pay for their trade magazine listing so you can be sure you won’t be wasting your energy contacting them.

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