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Date: August 29, 2006 What is Drop Shipping? Drop shipping is where you sell products to a customer that you don’t physically have in your inventory. The customer pays you and then you turn around and purchase the product from a wholesaler at a reduced profit. The wholesaler then ships the item to your customer, usually using your return address. You make a profit on the difference between what the customer pays you and what you pay the wholesaler. This can be a very profitable and lucrative business, if you know what to do… Step 1: Before You Do Anything Else The first step in starting any new business is to sit down and write out a business plan. It doesn’t have to be some long drawn out analysis of every aspect of your new business, but it needs to be at least a list of bullet points to give an idea of what it is and where it’s going. You need to include what products or services you are going to provide to your customers. You also need to talk about who your potential customers are and why they would want to purchase from you. You also might want to think about how you are going to market to your potential customers to draw them to your website. Most important of all you need to figure out where you are getting the financial resources for the start-up of your business. This is not as big a deal in a drop shipping business as it would be in a business that holds inventory and ships out its own merchandise. If you take the time to write out a solid business plan than you will have a better chance of success with your new business than someone who is going into this blind. Step 2: Where Are You Selling? The next step in starting a drop shipping business is deciding where you are going to sell your products. The two main options is by forming your own website or by selling them on an auction site such as Ebay. Either option is a great way to make money. If you are better at writing great product descriptions that get buyers excited about the product and don’t want to spend money on a webpage than Ebay might be the best thing for you. After you have gained a little income you might want to go ahead and start your own website. However, just by having a website does not mean you will get customers. You will have to look into marketing your site through search engines to really get that traffic flowing to your store. Both of these options are great, it just depends on what you think is best for you. Step 3: Choosing a Drop Shipper One of the hardest things about starting a drop shipping business is finding a reputable drop shipper. The internet is filled with scam artists who are pretending to be drop shippers when they really aren’t. Places like Doba and Mega Goods say they are drop shippers but in reality they are middle men who have a list of actual drop shippers that they use. They charge you more than what the actual distributors charge them to drop ship. In order for you to get the lowest price on merchandise, you need to bypass the middle men and go straight to the distributors. You can do this by going to websites that provide lists of reputable distributors that you can use in your business. This way you can guarantee you are getting the absolute lowest prices. The best way to do this is to join a site that gives you access to a directory of reputable drop shippers. These drop shippers can sell you merchandise at half-off or more. Step 4: Making the Money The final step in setting up a drop shipping business is making money. If you do what I have told you already and you put some work into your business, you will make money. There’s no way you can’t, unless you don’t try. The most important thing that you can learn when making money is to remember to pay your taxes. This isn’t free money and the government has to have their cut, just like in a regular job. So make sure you consult an accountant and have all your ducks in a row before rush off and start making those millions. I wish you the best of luck in your new business. Matthew is a student at the University of Central Arkansas and has had success making money online. http://www.usfreeads.com/563298-cls.html Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_French Getting set up to create your own internet home based business where you can work from home selling products online can seem like an overwhelming project, but it actually just involves following a proven process mixed in with some creative ingenuity and the discipline to see the project through. We will touch on a few of the most important points in this article. All of this starts with creating a plan of action and then executing. First you need to figure out what you want to sell. To verify your options, you have to do some research to see if there is a demand for this product or service and whether it is currently being sold successfully online. Check your local discount stores and large online chains like Amazon to see if they already sell this product. Unless your product has some unique or valuable feature to distinguish it from others, your customers are going to go to big discount stores, or buy online from a large retailer. After this research is complete, if you are still excited about the opportunity of online business, you will next need to establish your business (choosing your business 'type' - sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability partnership, corporation, etc.). You will need to choose a business type that gives you the best tax benefit, and the most protection against liability (if your product or service may expose you to legal action). You will get a Tax ID number when you set up your business. This number allows you to collect state sales tax and establishes your ability to buy products wholesale so you can re-sell these products on your web site. Next, you will need a business bank account. Some banks require you to wait three months after your business paperwork is filed, before you can open a business account. Since your business is an online business, you will have to get a 'domain' name. This name is the name of your web site and the 'address' your customers will type into their web browser when they want to visit your site. You should be prepared with several options and spin-offs of the name you think you want, since your first choice may not be available. If the name is already registered to another business, you will not be able to use it for YOUR web site. The next item on your list is to find a web host. A web hosting company will store all the files that make up your web site, including a database of information, prices, and content.
Some web hosting companies are much cheaper than others. However, you have to look at the features and services your web host will offer before you choose the host that is right for you. Next, you will need to decide if you are going to design your own web site or hire professionals to do it for you. You can compromise by purchasing web 'templates' from a professional company. With a little training and a little effort, you can learn to update these templates to change or add information to your web site. Whether you are designing your own web site or hiring professionals, you need to figure out what 'content' you want on your site. Will you have educational information, write articles, provide a description of your services or just sell products? If you are selling products or services on your web site, you will need some way to accept payments. Make no mistake you MUST provide a method to accept payments on the spot, rather than asking your customer to send a check or money order. If you intend to be recognized as a professional business, you must offer your customers a simple way to order your products. After you have done all these things, you will need to either stock your product or hire your employees to perform services. Your web designer (maybe YOU) will have to consider advertising techniques and other methods to get customers to find and buy from your web site. As you can see, starting an online business is a significant investment in time and effort. Your expenses may not be high, but you do have to put in the planning time and ensure that you have thought through all the aspects of the business. The bottom line for prospective online business entrepreneurs is to consider the time and effort, the cost and the findings from your research. THEN, decide whether you really think you can pull this off! © Cookgroup Marketing LLC – All Rights Reserved. This article brought to you by http://Work-At-Home-Biz-Dot.net/ You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Will_Cook
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Bryan Thorby
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webmaster@home-business-and-marketing.com
http://www.home-business-and-marketing.com
In This Issue:
Thoughts of the Day
Article 1: How To Start a Drop Shipping Business
Article 2: Plan for an eCommerce Website For Your Home Based Business
Article 3: Blogging Can Be A Dangerous Game
Resources
Disclaimer & Privacy Statement
I trust all is well with you.
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One of the "Private Label" products that I've published in the
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To Your Home Business Success,
Bryan
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THOUGHTS OF THE DAY
Don't be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated;
you can't cross a chasm in two small jumps.
-- David Lloyd George
Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish
something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will
pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time
to the best possible use.
-- Earl Nightingale
ARTICLE #1
How To Start a Drop Shipping Business
ARTICLE #2
Plan for an eCommerce Website For Your Home Based Business
By Will Cook
ARTICLE #3
Blogging Can Be A Dangerous Game
By Sharon Housley
I have heard many a blogger say that blogging fills a need.
While blogging provides a humanizing effect on news and
journaling, it also opens a window into personal lives. The
details shared in blogs were once only available to a select
group of friends, and while blogging has become common
place, it has risks that should not be ignored.
Cyberstalking is a new phenomenon that allows anonymous
online stalkers to prowl for victims. Online bloggers
traditionally provide personal details about their lives. As
a result, many women that blog are becoming victims. Most
people are concerned about children on the Internet and set
up rigorous posting guidelines for children, adolescents,
and teenagers, but few adults heed the warnings and often do
not consider that they too can be targeted.
Females, in particular, should be cautious when
circumnavigating the blogosphere. If you are a blogger or
contemplating an online journal, consider these tips to
protecting your identity:
Do not have an online profile.
Most blogging services allow bloggers to create an online
profile. While it might be fun to post information about
likes and dislikes, it is best to refrain from posting any
personal details. Often, personal details inadvertently
provide insight into physical location or habits. The
aggregate information in a personal profile can also assist
someone interested in pursuing an individual.
Post anonymously.
Manage your blog anonymously or adopt an alias for all
online posting. This will help protect you in the event that
you draw unwanted attention.
Avoid personal or identifying details.
Avoid any personal or identifying details when posting in
your blog. Do not post in advance about locations that you
will be or about areas that you live near.
No photos.
Refrain from posting a picture. Photos can invite trouble or
unwanted attention.
Avoid inappropriate dialogue.
Be careful not to engage in dialogue that could be
interpreted in a way that it was not intended. Sometimes
humorous threads can get out of hand. If the dialogue
degrades to an area that makes you uncomfortable, disengage
from the dialogue and refrain from further posting. Also
when making decisions about individuals online, consider
their past posting behavior and attempt to consider their
true intentions.
Lurkers.
Always remember that just because you do not have a dialogue
with someone does not mean that they are not reading
everything that you write. Many people merely lurk on line
and don't engage in comment posting, but do read what is
written. Your audience could be much larger than you
realize.
Timeless.
Internet content is timeless, and keep in mind that even if
you remove content, it might be archived or syndicated. If
you do not want something read, do not post it to the
Internet. High Schools, Colleges and Employers all search
the Internet to discern an individuals history. Sordid
details about a late night will not help land a coveted job.
The internet is a haven for all types of predators. Always
remember that just because someone says something is true,
does not mean that it is. Predators adopt personas of who
they think you want them to be. Just as we provide
guidelines to young children, adults should be wary and take
precautions when posting online as well.
While blogging can be a great outlet and channel, and in
someway immortalizing thoughts, it is important that safety
is considered and that good blogging practices are followed
at all times.
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll
www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing,
publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon
manages marketing for NotePage www.notepage.net a
wireless text messaging software company.
RESOURCES
WebSite Hosting
My recommendation - ThirdSphere Hosting
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PromoBuddy - 36 databases which allow you to organize your entire Internet marketing
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DISCLAIMER & PRIVACY STATEMENT
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profitability or legality of any published articles or
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Home Business & Marketing Options ezine.
And, although all of the articles have been selected for
their content, the publishing of such articles within
this newsletter does NOT constitute a recommendation of
the products or services mentioned or advertised within
those articles.
Be responsible! Always do your own Due Diligence before
responding to any offer.
I respect the privacy of my readers.
I will NEVER supply or sell your personal
information to any Third Party!
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