How To Avoid DropShipping Scammers
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Even during financially turbulent times, millions of people still wish to quit their office time job and live under no one’s command but their own. That means taking more risks, and people are willing to take them for the promise of flexibility and freedom (not to mention the money).
However, not everyone is like that. Some people feel extremely endangered if they have to quit a stable job and salary just to start their dream one, because what if it doesn’t work? Others have the will but not the skill, and yet others are happy with keeping it as a dream.
They need an oportunity that requires minimal investment without quitting their jobs, and which they can learn quickly. That’s dropshipping.
What is dropshipping?
It’s a business model where you sell products to your customers without keeping a stock or even buying the products beforehand. You sell a product from a manufacturer on your website, and when your customers make a purchase, you grab that money and hand it to your supplier.
You also have to give your customer’s address to send the product straight to them. Your profit is the difference between what you charged your client and what you paid for the product.
Staying away from scams
Using dropshipping suppliers for an extra product source in people’s eCommerce is a huge trend right now. Store owners always look for ways to grow their catalogue, and since they can do it without spending money and space in inventory, it’s a booming business, to say the least.
That leads to millions using this business model thanks to the low risks and cost efficiency. However, with legitimate growth, there’s always someone looking to take advantage of that with shady means.
Dropship scams can be a menace for newcomers and experts alike, so how do you keep them at bay?
“Programs” vs actual wholesalers
The main skill required by scammers is the same one as your standard middleman: marketing and SEO, not good products.
Searching for specific keywords will never guarantee that the first results are legitimate companies. Interestingly, most genuine suppliers never use the term “dropshipping” on either their titles or URLs; they don’t even care about most keywords.
They tend to be bulk wholesalers who also keep a dropshipping program on the side for extra cash. Therefore, your focus should be to find an actual wholesale supplier instead of dropshipping-focused ones.
You can do it with programs like Salehoo if you don’t want to do the entire research. (Read Salehoo Review Here)
Not enough contact info
Finally, wholesalers aren’t small online stores with no need to provide addresses. As such, your supplier must have contact numbers, physical and email address, and other contact information.
The physical address is the most important one for validation, and it’s where the items will ship from, so it’s definitely something they want to list.
After getting the address, you should use a directory and Google Maps to confirm that the address actually exists.
Conclusion
Overall, dropshipping is an excellent way to make something extra that you can then grow into a sutainable business; it could then grow into your escape from your 9-5 job if you’re dedicated enough.
However, it’s a really competitive market with thin margins most of the time, so to be pofitable, you need to grow a good customer base and strengthen your marketing approaches. Of course, that should be coupled with keeping away from scams.
Finally, you want a solid plan to succeed on this market. Several dropshippers have found success and huge profits because they took the time to research properly and work on their brand while establishing strong relationships with their suppliers, not because of marketing promises from middlemen.
