From About.com
Understand What You're Getting Into
Ready to make freelance writing your full time job? Don't make this transition blindfolded! Doing your research now will save you a lot of heartache later.
Market Yourself As a Freelance Writer
The next step to making freelance writing your full time job is to start marketing your skills to potential employers. Jobs can either come to you, for example through a writers website, or you can go to the source of jobs and stary applying. On the other hand, if you're aiming to make full time money from magazine article or trade publication writing, you'll need to start pitching your ideas and articles to editors right away.
Manage Your Freelance Writing Income
Once you secure clients and gigs, you'll need to carefully manage the three main elements of your freelance writing income: invoicing, banking and taxes. You will submit your invoice, usually via email, after the project is complete. However, those in the magazine/trade publications markets may get to forego this step due to internal processes. After you receive your payment (hopefully on time and in full!), you'll need to carefully track these expenses in anticipation of tax time. Once tax time hits, you'll be able to provide your tax preparer with all of the documents and numbers needed.
Achieve Freelance Writing Success
Once things get rolling, you have to keep them rolling. Things such as getting along with your editors and networking with other writers will keep your writing in business. Keep in mind that editors are the gatekeepers of work. Keeping this relationship productive and positive will keep the work flowing.
Another area to explore is writer's communities. No where can you learn about your new job better than from those who have been there. Seek out veterans and reach out to others who are just starting out, and you will soon find yourself well-supported and well known.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
Mystery shopping - Part Two
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mystery shopping or Mystery Consumer is a tool used by market research companies to measure quality of retail service or gather specific information about products and services. Mystery shoppers posing as normal customers perform specific tasks—such as purchasing a product, asking questions, registering complaints or behaving in a certain way – and then provide detailed reports or feedback about their experiences.
Mystery shopping began in the 1940s as a way to measure employee integrity. Tools used for mystery shopping assessments range from simple questionnaires to complete audio and video recordings. Many mystery shopping companies are completely administered through the Internet, allowing potential mystery shoppers to use the Internet to register for participation, find mystery shopping jobs and receive payment.
The most common venues where mystery shopping is used are retail stores, movie theaters, restaurants, fast food chains, banks, gas stations, car dealerships, apartments and health clubs, as well as health care facilities. In the UK, mystery shopping is increasingly used to provide feedback on customer services provided by local authorities and other non-profit organizations, such as housing associations and churches.
Methodology
When a client company comes on board with a company providing Mystery Shopping services, a survey model will be drawn up and agreed to which defines what information and improvement factors the client company wishes to measure as part of the mystery shopping process. These are then drawn up into survey instruments and assignments that are allocated to shoppers registered with the mystery shopping company in question.
Some of the common details and information points shoppers:
* the date and time of the pre-visit phone call
* the name of the store on each side of the store visited
* number of employees in the store on entering
* how long it takes before the mystery shopper is greeted
* the name of the employee(s)
* whether or not the greeting is friendly
* the questions asked by the shopper to find a suitable product
* the types of products shown
* if or how the employee attempted to close the sale
* whether the employee invited the shopper to come back to the store
* cleanliness of store and store associates
* speed of service
* compliance with company standards relating to service, store appearance, and grooming/presentation
Shoppers are often given instructions or procedures to make the transaction atypical to make the test of the knowledge and service skills of the employees more stringent or specific to a particular service issue (known as scenarios). For instance, mystery shoppers at a restaurant may pretend they are lactose-intolerant, or a clothing store mystery shopper could inquire about gift-wrapping services. Not all mystery shopping scenarios include a purchase.
From there, the shopper will then submit the data collected to the Mystery shopping company in question. The data is then reviewed and analyzed before quantitative and qualitative statistical [analysis] reports on the data are then returned to the client company that enables measurement against the previously defined criteria.
Statistics
The mystery shopping industry had an estimated value of nearly $600 million in the United States in 2004, according to a 2005 report commissioned by the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA). Companies that participated in the report experienced an average growth of 11.1 percent from 2003 to 2004, compared to an average growth of 12.2 percent. The report estimates more than 8.1 million mystery shops were conducted in 2004. The report represents the first industry association attempt to quantify the size of the mystery shopping industry. Similar surveys are available for European regions where mystery shopping is becoming more embedded into company procedures.
As a measure of its importance, customer/patient satisfaction is being incorporated more frequently into executive pay. A study by a U.S. firm found more than 55% of hospital chief executive officers surveyed in 2005 had "some compensation at risk," based on patient satisfaction, up from only 8% to 20% a dozen years ago."
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) ran a segment on this topic during a January 2001 episode of the news magazine program "Marketplace".
Fraud
There exists a scam that uses mystery shopping as a premise for fraud, where a person is sent a bad check with a request to deposit it into their bank account, wire a portion of the money through a wire transfer company such as Western Union and keep the remainder as a mystery shopping fee, and informed to mail the money immediately as the test is evaluating response time. People who wire the "remainder" discover the check is bad and lose the money they transfer and the wire transfer service fee in addition to the total amount of the check, often leaving them in debt to their banks.[6] One scam involved fraudulent websites using a misspelled URL to advertise online and in newspapers under a legitimate company's name.
Valid mystery shopping companies will never send their clients a cheque to cash prior to work being completed, and their advertisements will usually include a contact person and phone number. Cheques received from mystery shopping companies should only be in payment for work performed, and can always be taken to a bank to be verified. Most fraudulent cheques sent out by scam artists can be easily spotted and identified by a financial professional.
Mystery shopping or Mystery Consumer is a tool used by market research companies to measure quality of retail service or gather specific information about products and services. Mystery shoppers posing as normal customers perform specific tasks—such as purchasing a product, asking questions, registering complaints or behaving in a certain way – and then provide detailed reports or feedback about their experiences.
Mystery shopping began in the 1940s as a way to measure employee integrity. Tools used for mystery shopping assessments range from simple questionnaires to complete audio and video recordings. Many mystery shopping companies are completely administered through the Internet, allowing potential mystery shoppers to use the Internet to register for participation, find mystery shopping jobs and receive payment.
The most common venues where mystery shopping is used are retail stores, movie theaters, restaurants, fast food chains, banks, gas stations, car dealerships, apartments and health clubs, as well as health care facilities. In the UK, mystery shopping is increasingly used to provide feedback on customer services provided by local authorities and other non-profit organizations, such as housing associations and churches.
Methodology
When a client company comes on board with a company providing Mystery Shopping services, a survey model will be drawn up and agreed to which defines what information and improvement factors the client company wishes to measure as part of the mystery shopping process. These are then drawn up into survey instruments and assignments that are allocated to shoppers registered with the mystery shopping company in question.
Some of the common details and information points shoppers:
* the date and time of the pre-visit phone call
* the name of the store on each side of the store visited
* number of employees in the store on entering
* how long it takes before the mystery shopper is greeted
* the name of the employee(s)
* whether or not the greeting is friendly
* the questions asked by the shopper to find a suitable product
* the types of products shown
* if or how the employee attempted to close the sale
* whether the employee invited the shopper to come back to the store
* cleanliness of store and store associates
* speed of service
* compliance with company standards relating to service, store appearance, and grooming/presentation
Shoppers are often given instructions or procedures to make the transaction atypical to make the test of the knowledge and service skills of the employees more stringent or specific to a particular service issue (known as scenarios). For instance, mystery shoppers at a restaurant may pretend they are lactose-intolerant, or a clothing store mystery shopper could inquire about gift-wrapping services. Not all mystery shopping scenarios include a purchase.
From there, the shopper will then submit the data collected to the Mystery shopping company in question. The data is then reviewed and analyzed before quantitative and qualitative statistical [analysis] reports on the data are then returned to the client company that enables measurement against the previously defined criteria.
Statistics
The mystery shopping industry had an estimated value of nearly $600 million in the United States in 2004, according to a 2005 report commissioned by the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA). Companies that participated in the report experienced an average growth of 11.1 percent from 2003 to 2004, compared to an average growth of 12.2 percent. The report estimates more than 8.1 million mystery shops were conducted in 2004. The report represents the first industry association attempt to quantify the size of the mystery shopping industry. Similar surveys are available for European regions where mystery shopping is becoming more embedded into company procedures.
As a measure of its importance, customer/patient satisfaction is being incorporated more frequently into executive pay. A study by a U.S. firm found more than 55% of hospital chief executive officers surveyed in 2005 had "some compensation at risk," based on patient satisfaction, up from only 8% to 20% a dozen years ago."
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) ran a segment on this topic during a January 2001 episode of the news magazine program "Marketplace".
Fraud
There exists a scam that uses mystery shopping as a premise for fraud, where a person is sent a bad check with a request to deposit it into their bank account, wire a portion of the money through a wire transfer company such as Western Union and keep the remainder as a mystery shopping fee, and informed to mail the money immediately as the test is evaluating response time. People who wire the "remainder" discover the check is bad and lose the money they transfer and the wire transfer service fee in addition to the total amount of the check, often leaving them in debt to their banks.[6] One scam involved fraudulent websites using a misspelled URL to advertise online and in newspapers under a legitimate company's name.
Valid mystery shopping companies will never send their clients a cheque to cash prior to work being completed, and their advertisements will usually include a contact person and phone number. Cheques received from mystery shopping companies should only be in payment for work performed, and can always be taken to a bank to be verified. Most fraudulent cheques sent out by scam artists can be easily spotted and identified by a financial professional.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Mystery Shopping
Ever fancied going out to dinner or shopping and getting paid for it? Then you might consider becoming a mystery shopper.
What is mystery shopping?
A vast amount of companies are interested in knowing what their customers/clients think of their services and/or products in order to right what may be wrong and help them to improve customer service and productivity. To obtain this crucial data from a non biased viewpoint they hire Mystery Shopping agencies, who are trained market researchers, to gather the information on their behalf. This is where you come in. As a Mystery Shopper you will pose as a regular customer but will actually be collecting essential data set by the client and briefed to you via a questionnaire. Mystery Shopping companies are always on the lookout for trustworthy and reliable people to carry out assignments for them. Assignments vary from restaurants to shops, banks to fitness centres, the list is endless.
Sounds like fun? It is but it's no joke, your reports are vital material, so you've got to be commited and be able to complete each job as specified on your worksheet by your agency.
What qualifications or skills do I need?
You don't need any particular qualifications to become a mystery shopper, basically anyone can do it, any age, any background. However, you must be reliable, observant, have a good memory and be able to give an accurate, unbiased view of your findings. The job also requires discretion as in effect you are akin to an undercover reporter, therefore at no time must you reveal that you are a mystery shopper during an assignment.
How much money can I earn?
Mystery shopping companies pay between £4.00 - £20.00 per job, averaging at around £7.00. Some jobs pay more, some a little less. Costs incurred during a visit, i.e. buying food, drink or shopping will be reimbursed and some companies pay traveling expenses too. You won't get rich from mystery shopping but you will earn some extra cash and a host of freebies in the process including food, cold drinks, hot drinks, sandwiches, groceries, magazines, petrol, hotel accommodation, fitness lessons, small electrical items, software,cd's, dvd's and much, much more! Payment is made either monthly or fortnightly via bank transfer.
What is involved in a mystery shopping job?
The first step is to register with some agencies. Once accepted you will be given an assessor number that you must quote in order to enter the shopper page on an agents website, or quote via e-mail or telephone if need be. All agencies have their own system of distributing assignments but most of them offer jobs via their website. Assignments are on an ad/hoc basis and although some agencies notify you by e-mail when jobs become available, it is strongly advisable to check in on a regular basis to ensure you don't miss out on all the best assignments. Once released jobs disappear quickly! You will be notified if you have been accepted to carry out an assignment and will receive a brief detailing what is required of you together with a questionnaire - everything is explained in detail including times, dates, job description and what you need to look out for. Jobs usually take about an hour to an hour and a half to complete including travelling. If for any reason you accept a job then find that you can not complete it then you must notify the agency as soon as possible in order to give them sufficient time to reallocate it to someone else. It is best not to accept an assignment if you are unsure about whether or not you will be able to complete it. Once you build a good rapport with an agency and prove that you are a reliable assessor you will be offered more evaluations.
What to do after an assignment is completed?
After completing an assignment you are usually required to fill out an online questionnaire within a set timeframe, this is usually between 8 - 24 hours of job completion. The best thing to do is to enter your results onto the system as soon as you can while the details are still fresh in your mind. Some questionnaires are longer than others but should take no longer than fifteen minutes to complete.
A Word Of Warning
You may come across some sites that ask you for money, either to join their agency or for a list of Mystery Shopping Companies. NEVER sign-up with a mystery shopping agency that asks you for money - becoming a shopper is always FREE. And please do not pay for a list of agencies, a comprehensive search on a major search engine will give you the same results. We will be adding new agencies on this site periodically. You can either join our Newsletter group or bookmark this site for updates.
What is mystery shopping?
A vast amount of companies are interested in knowing what their customers/clients think of their services and/or products in order to right what may be wrong and help them to improve customer service and productivity. To obtain this crucial data from a non biased viewpoint they hire Mystery Shopping agencies, who are trained market researchers, to gather the information on their behalf. This is where you come in. As a Mystery Shopper you will pose as a regular customer but will actually be collecting essential data set by the client and briefed to you via a questionnaire. Mystery Shopping companies are always on the lookout for trustworthy and reliable people to carry out assignments for them. Assignments vary from restaurants to shops, banks to fitness centres, the list is endless.
Sounds like fun? It is but it's no joke, your reports are vital material, so you've got to be commited and be able to complete each job as specified on your worksheet by your agency.
What qualifications or skills do I need?
You don't need any particular qualifications to become a mystery shopper, basically anyone can do it, any age, any background. However, you must be reliable, observant, have a good memory and be able to give an accurate, unbiased view of your findings. The job also requires discretion as in effect you are akin to an undercover reporter, therefore at no time must you reveal that you are a mystery shopper during an assignment.
How much money can I earn?
Mystery shopping companies pay between £4.00 - £20.00 per job, averaging at around £7.00. Some jobs pay more, some a little less. Costs incurred during a visit, i.e. buying food, drink or shopping will be reimbursed and some companies pay traveling expenses too. You won't get rich from mystery shopping but you will earn some extra cash and a host of freebies in the process including food, cold drinks, hot drinks, sandwiches, groceries, magazines, petrol, hotel accommodation, fitness lessons, small electrical items, software,cd's, dvd's and much, much more! Payment is made either monthly or fortnightly via bank transfer.
What is involved in a mystery shopping job?
The first step is to register with some agencies. Once accepted you will be given an assessor number that you must quote in order to enter the shopper page on an agents website, or quote via e-mail or telephone if need be. All agencies have their own system of distributing assignments but most of them offer jobs via their website. Assignments are on an ad/hoc basis and although some agencies notify you by e-mail when jobs become available, it is strongly advisable to check in on a regular basis to ensure you don't miss out on all the best assignments. Once released jobs disappear quickly! You will be notified if you have been accepted to carry out an assignment and will receive a brief detailing what is required of you together with a questionnaire - everything is explained in detail including times, dates, job description and what you need to look out for. Jobs usually take about an hour to an hour and a half to complete including travelling. If for any reason you accept a job then find that you can not complete it then you must notify the agency as soon as possible in order to give them sufficient time to reallocate it to someone else. It is best not to accept an assignment if you are unsure about whether or not you will be able to complete it. Once you build a good rapport with an agency and prove that you are a reliable assessor you will be offered more evaluations.
What to do after an assignment is completed?
After completing an assignment you are usually required to fill out an online questionnaire within a set timeframe, this is usually between 8 - 24 hours of job completion. The best thing to do is to enter your results onto the system as soon as you can while the details are still fresh in your mind. Some questionnaires are longer than others but should take no longer than fifteen minutes to complete.
A Word Of Warning
You may come across some sites that ask you for money, either to join their agency or for a list of Mystery Shopping Companies. NEVER sign-up with a mystery shopping agency that asks you for money - becoming a shopper is always FREE. And please do not pay for a list of agencies, a comprehensive search on a major search engine will give you the same results. We will be adding new agencies on this site periodically. You can either join our Newsletter group or bookmark this site for updates.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
10 Part-Time Jobs You Can Do From Home
Working from home is typically seen as an alternative to jobs that require you to work from an office or outside location. Part-time work-from-home jobs are a great way to earn extra cash during your free time at home. A few jobs may require an on-site presence on the weekend or periodically, but in general, these are options that won't disrupt your daily gig.
1. Tutor
Pay: $10.90 to $18.85
Job Description: Provide one-on-one or group instruction. Tutor individuals from your home.
2. Childcare Worker/Babysitter
Pay: $7.82 - $10.18
Job Description: Care for children, organize and participate in recreational activities, discipline children, etc. At-home childcare workers can also provide before-school and afterschool care.
3. Wedding/Party Planner
Pay: $31,049 to $43,668
Job Description: Party planners conceive, organize, and execute special affairs such as weddings, birthday parties, anniversaries, and bar and bat mitzvahs. They custom design an event to suit their customers' needs and budgets.
4. Answering Service
Pay: $9.46 to $12.69
Job Description: Answer incoming calls from offices (i.e. doctors offices, apartment complexes, etc.) after normal business hours and relay information per specific account protocol.
5. Scheduler
Pay: $11.92 to $17.51
Job Description: Handles client calendar and updates appointments as needed.
6. Medical Biller
Pay: $11.88 to $15.72
Job Description: Medical Billing and its related occupations continue to be the fastest growing opportunities in health care. Insurance companies and the government are spending more time and money researching and controlling claims’ fraud, abusive practices, and medical necessity issues. Because of this, insurance companies, doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, and other providers are hiring more.
7. Freelance Writer
Pay: $28.78 to $45.62
Job Description: Freelance writing work generally requires at least one field of expertise. Create technical writing documents or blog about sports, politics, entertainment, etc. Writing assignments can also include grant proposals or academic projects.
8. Caterer
Pay: $9.47 to $11.97
Job Description: Cook food for events, i.e, parties, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, prepare specialty items, hors d'oeuvres, etc.
9. Desktop Publisher
Pay: $15.98 to $21.30
Job Description: Complete assignments involving word processing, including page layouts, charts and computer graphics utilizing desktop publishing equipment and integrated software packages. May require an associate's degree in a related area and experience in the field or in a related area.
10. Fundraiser
Pay: $35,349 to $51,291.
Job Description: Responsible for achieving an agreed money-raising target by approaching trusts, corporations, statutory bodies, major donors, individuals and other sources, and by running events. Fundraisers work with individuals, communities, businesses and charitable trusts to raise awareness of the charity's work, aims and goals.
Link to the original article
1. Tutor
Pay: $10.90 to $18.85
Job Description: Provide one-on-one or group instruction. Tutor individuals from your home.
2. Childcare Worker/Babysitter
Pay: $7.82 - $10.18
Job Description: Care for children, organize and participate in recreational activities, discipline children, etc. At-home childcare workers can also provide before-school and afterschool care.
3. Wedding/Party Planner
Pay: $31,049 to $43,668
Job Description: Party planners conceive, organize, and execute special affairs such as weddings, birthday parties, anniversaries, and bar and bat mitzvahs. They custom design an event to suit their customers' needs and budgets.
4. Answering Service
Pay: $9.46 to $12.69
Job Description: Answer incoming calls from offices (i.e. doctors offices, apartment complexes, etc.) after normal business hours and relay information per specific account protocol.
5. Scheduler
Pay: $11.92 to $17.51
Job Description: Handles client calendar and updates appointments as needed.
6. Medical Biller
Pay: $11.88 to $15.72
Job Description: Medical Billing and its related occupations continue to be the fastest growing opportunities in health care. Insurance companies and the government are spending more time and money researching and controlling claims’ fraud, abusive practices, and medical necessity issues. Because of this, insurance companies, doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, and other providers are hiring more.
7. Freelance Writer
Pay: $28.78 to $45.62
Job Description: Freelance writing work generally requires at least one field of expertise. Create technical writing documents or blog about sports, politics, entertainment, etc. Writing assignments can also include grant proposals or academic projects.
8. Caterer
Pay: $9.47 to $11.97
Job Description: Cook food for events, i.e, parties, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, prepare specialty items, hors d'oeuvres, etc.
9. Desktop Publisher
Pay: $15.98 to $21.30
Job Description: Complete assignments involving word processing, including page layouts, charts and computer graphics utilizing desktop publishing equipment and integrated software packages. May require an associate's degree in a related area and experience in the field or in a related area.
10. Fundraiser
Pay: $35,349 to $51,291.
Job Description: Responsible for achieving an agreed money-raising target by approaching trusts, corporations, statutory bodies, major donors, individuals and other sources, and by running events. Fundraisers work with individuals, communities, businesses and charitable trusts to raise awareness of the charity's work, aims and goals.
Link to the original article
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Drop shipping guide - tips, companies, resources and directories.
What is drop shipping?
Drop shipping can be a very simple and effective way to get involved in ecommerce. Many established online merchants are now turning to dropshipping companies as a means of minimizing stock on hand, decreasing overall shipping costs and cutting down on delivery times to customers.
Drop shipping allows web site owners to send single/low quantity unit orders gathered on their web sites to manufacturers, or wholesale warehouse companies, who in turn ship the items directly to the customers of the web site owner; i.e. you do the promotion and collect the payment, and the dropship company looks after order fulfillment.
Other advantages of the drop shipping model
*
Because a dropship companies can buy in huge volumes, they will also be able to offer you the best prices on products and shipping, usually wholesale, which will return a greater profit to you.
*
There's no capital investment and no danger of you suddenly having a pile of outdated items in your inventory
*
Using drop shipping allows you great flexibility in terms of product range - promote a dozen items or promote a thousand!
*
Instead of worrying about inventory and delivery, you get to focus on listening to the market and discovering the products your visitors you want - and then being able to rapidly add them to your site.
Challenges and dangers of dropshipping
Many wholesale companies will have an interest in teaming up with you in a dropshipping arrangement as it's an easy way for them to generate extra revenue, but there's a number of points to consider and things to look out for:
Pricing points
Don't accept that the first drop shipper you come across will give you the best deal - shop around for the most suitable wholesaler company.
Drop ship fees and charges
Some dropshippers will have a handling fee over and above freight costs - it's important to know all the costs involved so you can calculate your profit margins accurately. Any wholesale company that wants to charge you a regular "participation" fee should be avoided - the only time you should have to pay a dropship company *anything* is in connection with a specific order.
Shipping
Is the drop shipper using "Clumsy Cal's Discount Express" or Fedex? Will the company ship international? You'll want to ensure their shipping methods will see your clients get their products in one piece.
Also bear in mind that you may need a specific type of shopping cart in order to handle drop shipping. Many shopping carts only allow for one "ship from" zip code in the configuration for freight calculations. If you are dealing with a number of drop-shippers you may have dozens of point-of-origin zip codes - and this can be a real headache if freight is based on distance.
Accounts
Will the drop shipping company automatically debit your credit card on each order you submit, or can you get monthly payment terms? When you are starting out with a company, they are unlikely to offer credit, but it's good to check if this will be possible once you've established credibility.
Support, returns, refunds
The last thing you'll want is to be caught up in a nasty situation where you have a number of returns - and have to foot the bill. Ask the dropshipping company about their returns policy, what kind of support they'll offer you for their products and about any guarantees associated with their products - and get it in writing.
Chargebacks can also be an ominous problem; particularly when dealing with high cost, low margin goods as you'll have little or no comeback with your supplier in many instances.
Chargebacks - a fatal blow for drop shipping
A chargeback is where a consumer has filed a complaint with their bank against a company regarding a transaction for any number of reasons such as a claim the goods were not received, unauthorized transactions or any of a myriad of grievances. It's important to understand that the chargeback process is heavily weighted in the favor of the consumer. A chargeback is a great consumer protection mechanism, however there are unscrupulous individuals out there who abuse it.
If a chargeback is instigated, it can be a lengthy and frustrating process to challenge it. If your challenge should be rejected, you'll be stuck with the full amount of the sale being debited from your merchant account plus chargeback fees that are usually around the $30 amount. Additionally, if your level of chargebacks is high enough (1% of transactions or 1% of total transaction value), you may be penalized in the form of higher transaction fees and ultimately, it will put your merchant account at risk. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and as one of the most common reasons for a chargeback is a claim of an unauthorized transaction; effective fraud screening is a must. Learn more about fraud screening.
Credibility
How long have the drop shippers been around for? Do they respond to your requests for information rapidly and professionally? Young dropship companies and wholesalers have the habit of going belly up quickly, or growing too rapidly and as a consequence basic good customer service suffers.
How do I get into drop shipping?
It's fairly simple:
* Set up a web site that includes a dropship friendly shopping cart and credit card processing facilities.
* Find wholesale suppliers of products you wish to sell that incorporate drop shipping as a business method.
* Open an account with the company.
* Gather content and images relating to the products you've chosen, incorporate them on your site and shopping cart.
* Collect the order and payment from your site.
* Provide the supplier with the customer details.
* The company then bills you at the special price you have agreed upon; fulfills the order and sends it to your client - in most cases with labels referring to your business/web site instead of the dropshippers
How do I find drop shipping friendly suppliers and companies?
There's a couple of approaches you can take to find suitable dropship wholesalers.
Direct contact
You can contact wholesale suppliers directly who produce/stock goods of interest and inquire about a drop shipping partnership; although you should be a little cautious, especially if the company hasn't been involved in these kinds of partnerships before.
Search engines
The other way to go is to hit your favorite search engine and search on the terms:
"drop shipping" + product of interest
or
dropshipping + product of interest
or
"drop ship" + product of interest
or
"dropship" + product of interest
Ensure you encapsulate in quotes where indicated above to ensure the results you get are the most relevant.
Dropship resources directory
Shopster provide drop shipping resources internationally - and a free trial of their services. Tons of products, companies and suppliers to choose from in their directory, plus eBay integration, fraud prevention and online/phone customer support.
If you're based in the USA, try Doba - they are eBay certified, list 1.2 million products and add about five new wholesale suppliers and companies every week to their directory. Doba are currently running a free trial membership, so you can take a good look around the service without spending a cent.
If you're based outside the USA, give OneSource a try. They give you access to lists of over 1,000,000 products from over 234 different categories in their directory. Like Doba, OneSource lists the *real* wholesale drop shippers, not retail companies or middlemen with links to wholesalers - it's definitely worthwhile
Michael Bloch
Taming the Beast
____________________________
Copyright information.... This article is free for reproduction but must be reproduced in its entirety, including live links & this copyright statement must be included.
Link to the article
Drop shipping can be a very simple and effective way to get involved in ecommerce. Many established online merchants are now turning to dropshipping companies as a means of minimizing stock on hand, decreasing overall shipping costs and cutting down on delivery times to customers.
Drop shipping allows web site owners to send single/low quantity unit orders gathered on their web sites to manufacturers, or wholesale warehouse companies, who in turn ship the items directly to the customers of the web site owner; i.e. you do the promotion and collect the payment, and the dropship company looks after order fulfillment.
Other advantages of the drop shipping model
*
Because a dropship companies can buy in huge volumes, they will also be able to offer you the best prices on products and shipping, usually wholesale, which will return a greater profit to you.
*
There's no capital investment and no danger of you suddenly having a pile of outdated items in your inventory
*
Using drop shipping allows you great flexibility in terms of product range - promote a dozen items or promote a thousand!
*
Instead of worrying about inventory and delivery, you get to focus on listening to the market and discovering the products your visitors you want - and then being able to rapidly add them to your site.
Challenges and dangers of dropshipping
Many wholesale companies will have an interest in teaming up with you in a dropshipping arrangement as it's an easy way for them to generate extra revenue, but there's a number of points to consider and things to look out for:
Pricing points
Don't accept that the first drop shipper you come across will give you the best deal - shop around for the most suitable wholesaler company.
Drop ship fees and charges
Some dropshippers will have a handling fee over and above freight costs - it's important to know all the costs involved so you can calculate your profit margins accurately. Any wholesale company that wants to charge you a regular "participation" fee should be avoided - the only time you should have to pay a dropship company *anything* is in connection with a specific order.
Shipping
Is the drop shipper using "Clumsy Cal's Discount Express" or Fedex? Will the company ship international? You'll want to ensure their shipping methods will see your clients get their products in one piece.
Also bear in mind that you may need a specific type of shopping cart in order to handle drop shipping. Many shopping carts only allow for one "ship from" zip code in the configuration for freight calculations. If you are dealing with a number of drop-shippers you may have dozens of point-of-origin zip codes - and this can be a real headache if freight is based on distance.
Accounts
Will the drop shipping company automatically debit your credit card on each order you submit, or can you get monthly payment terms? When you are starting out with a company, they are unlikely to offer credit, but it's good to check if this will be possible once you've established credibility.
Support, returns, refunds
The last thing you'll want is to be caught up in a nasty situation where you have a number of returns - and have to foot the bill. Ask the dropshipping company about their returns policy, what kind of support they'll offer you for their products and about any guarantees associated with their products - and get it in writing.
Chargebacks can also be an ominous problem; particularly when dealing with high cost, low margin goods as you'll have little or no comeback with your supplier in many instances.
Chargebacks - a fatal blow for drop shipping
A chargeback is where a consumer has filed a complaint with their bank against a company regarding a transaction for any number of reasons such as a claim the goods were not received, unauthorized transactions or any of a myriad of grievances. It's important to understand that the chargeback process is heavily weighted in the favor of the consumer. A chargeback is a great consumer protection mechanism, however there are unscrupulous individuals out there who abuse it.
If a chargeback is instigated, it can be a lengthy and frustrating process to challenge it. If your challenge should be rejected, you'll be stuck with the full amount of the sale being debited from your merchant account plus chargeback fees that are usually around the $30 amount. Additionally, if your level of chargebacks is high enough (1% of transactions or 1% of total transaction value), you may be penalized in the form of higher transaction fees and ultimately, it will put your merchant account at risk. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and as one of the most common reasons for a chargeback is a claim of an unauthorized transaction; effective fraud screening is a must. Learn more about fraud screening.
Credibility
How long have the drop shippers been around for? Do they respond to your requests for information rapidly and professionally? Young dropship companies and wholesalers have the habit of going belly up quickly, or growing too rapidly and as a consequence basic good customer service suffers.
How do I get into drop shipping?
It's fairly simple:
* Set up a web site that includes a dropship friendly shopping cart and credit card processing facilities.
* Find wholesale suppliers of products you wish to sell that incorporate drop shipping as a business method.
* Open an account with the company.
* Gather content and images relating to the products you've chosen, incorporate them on your site and shopping cart.
* Collect the order and payment from your site.
* Provide the supplier with the customer details.
* The company then bills you at the special price you have agreed upon; fulfills the order and sends it to your client - in most cases with labels referring to your business/web site instead of the dropshippers
How do I find drop shipping friendly suppliers and companies?
There's a couple of approaches you can take to find suitable dropship wholesalers.
Direct contact
You can contact wholesale suppliers directly who produce/stock goods of interest and inquire about a drop shipping partnership; although you should be a little cautious, especially if the company hasn't been involved in these kinds of partnerships before.
Search engines
The other way to go is to hit your favorite search engine and search on the terms:
"drop shipping" + product of interest
or
dropshipping + product of interest
or
"drop ship" + product of interest
or
"dropship" + product of interest
Ensure you encapsulate in quotes where indicated above to ensure the results you get are the most relevant.
Dropship resources directory
Shopster provide drop shipping resources internationally - and a free trial of their services. Tons of products, companies and suppliers to choose from in their directory, plus eBay integration, fraud prevention and online/phone customer support.
If you're based in the USA, try Doba - they are eBay certified, list 1.2 million products and add about five new wholesale suppliers and companies every week to their directory. Doba are currently running a free trial membership, so you can take a good look around the service without spending a cent.
If you're based outside the USA, give OneSource a try. They give you access to lists of over 1,000,000 products from over 234 different categories in their directory. Like Doba, OneSource lists the *real* wholesale drop shippers, not retail companies or middlemen with links to wholesalers - it's definitely worthwhile
Michael Bloch
Taming the Beast
____________________________
Copyright information.... This article is free for reproduction but must be reproduced in its entirety, including live links & this copyright statement must be included.
Link to the article
Saturday, September 27, 2008
How drop ship works?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Drop shipping is a supply chain management technique in which the retailer does not keep goods in stock, but instead transfers customer orders and shipment details to wholesalers, who then ship the goods directly to the customer. The retailers make their profit on the difference between the wholesale and retail price.
Procedure
Some drop shipping retailers may keep "show" items on display in stores, so that customers can inspect an item similar to those that they can purchase. Other retailers may provide only a catalogue or website.
Retailers that drop ship merchandise from wholesalers may take measures to hide this fact to avoid any stigma, or to keep the wholesale source from becoming widely known. This can be effected by "blind shipping" (shipping merchandise without a return address), or "private label shipping" (having merchandise shipped from the wholesaler with a return address customized to the retailer). A customized packing slip may also be included by the wholesaler, indicating the retailer's company name, logo, and/or contact information.
Small business
Drop shipping can occur when a small retailer who typically sells in small quantities to the general public receives a single large order for a product. Rather than route the shipment through the retail store, the retailer may arrange for the goods to be shipped directly to the customer.
Online auctions
Many sellers on online auction sites, such as eBay, also drop ship. Often, a seller will list an item as new and ship the item directly from the wholesaler to the highest bidder. The seller profits from the difference between the winning bid and the wholesale price, minus any selling and merchant fees from the auction site. A seller is permitted to list items that are currently not in his/her own possession, provided that he/she follows eBay's policy on pre-sale items.
Custom products
A new emerging trend in the drop ship business is private label drop shipping, in which a manufacturer produces a custom item for a retailer and drop ships it. The range of private label drop shipped items varies from simple keychains and t-shirts with custom logos or pictures to customized formulations for vitamins and nutritional supplements.
Benefits
The two main benefits of drop shipping are - no upfront inventory to purchase and a positive cash flow cycle. A positive cash flow cycle occurs because the seller is paid when the purchase is made. The seller usually pays the wholesaler using a credit card or credit terms. Therefore, there is a period of time in which the seller has the customer's money, but has not yet paid the wholesaler. Often,[citation needed] web retailers starting their own business will confuse drop shipping services with those offered by a fulfillment house.
Risks
As in any business, some risks are involved in drop shipping. For example, back ordering may occur when a seller places a shipment request with a wholesaler, but the product is sold out. Back ordering may be accompanied by a long wait for a shipment while the wholesaler waits for new products, which may reflect badly on the retailer. A good wholesaler will keep retailers updated, but it is the business owner's job to be aware of the quantities that the wholesaler has available.
Scams
Drop shipping has also featured prominently in some Internet-based home business scams. [1] Scam artists will promote drop shipping as a lucrative "work from home opportunity." The victim who buys into this scam will be sold a list of businesses from which drop-shipment orders can be placed. These businesses may not be wholesalers, but other businesses or individuals acting as middlemen between retailers and wholesalers, with no product of their own to sell. These middlemen often charge prices that leave little profit margin for the victim, and require a regular fee for the retailer's usage of their services.
Drop shipping is a supply chain management technique in which the retailer does not keep goods in stock, but instead transfers customer orders and shipment details to wholesalers, who then ship the goods directly to the customer. The retailers make their profit on the difference between the wholesale and retail price.
Procedure
Some drop shipping retailers may keep "show" items on display in stores, so that customers can inspect an item similar to those that they can purchase. Other retailers may provide only a catalogue or website.
Retailers that drop ship merchandise from wholesalers may take measures to hide this fact to avoid any stigma, or to keep the wholesale source from becoming widely known. This can be effected by "blind shipping" (shipping merchandise without a return address), or "private label shipping" (having merchandise shipped from the wholesaler with a return address customized to the retailer). A customized packing slip may also be included by the wholesaler, indicating the retailer's company name, logo, and/or contact information.
Small business
Drop shipping can occur when a small retailer who typically sells in small quantities to the general public receives a single large order for a product. Rather than route the shipment through the retail store, the retailer may arrange for the goods to be shipped directly to the customer.
Online auctions
Many sellers on online auction sites, such as eBay, also drop ship. Often, a seller will list an item as new and ship the item directly from the wholesaler to the highest bidder. The seller profits from the difference between the winning bid and the wholesale price, minus any selling and merchant fees from the auction site. A seller is permitted to list items that are currently not in his/her own possession, provided that he/she follows eBay's policy on pre-sale items.
Custom products
A new emerging trend in the drop ship business is private label drop shipping, in which a manufacturer produces a custom item for a retailer and drop ships it. The range of private label drop shipped items varies from simple keychains and t-shirts with custom logos or pictures to customized formulations for vitamins and nutritional supplements.
Benefits
The two main benefits of drop shipping are - no upfront inventory to purchase and a positive cash flow cycle. A positive cash flow cycle occurs because the seller is paid when the purchase is made. The seller usually pays the wholesaler using a credit card or credit terms. Therefore, there is a period of time in which the seller has the customer's money, but has not yet paid the wholesaler. Often,[citation needed] web retailers starting their own business will confuse drop shipping services with those offered by a fulfillment house.
Risks
As in any business, some risks are involved in drop shipping. For example, back ordering may occur when a seller places a shipment request with a wholesaler, but the product is sold out. Back ordering may be accompanied by a long wait for a shipment while the wholesaler waits for new products, which may reflect badly on the retailer. A good wholesaler will keep retailers updated, but it is the business owner's job to be aware of the quantities that the wholesaler has available.
Scams
Drop shipping has also featured prominently in some Internet-based home business scams. [1] Scam artists will promote drop shipping as a lucrative "work from home opportunity." The victim who buys into this scam will be sold a list of businesses from which drop-shipment orders can be placed. These businesses may not be wholesalers, but other businesses or individuals acting as middlemen between retailers and wholesalers, with no product of their own to sell. These middlemen often charge prices that leave little profit margin for the victim, and require a regular fee for the retailer's usage of their services.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Make money and clean up with EBay
Until about a year ago, my eBay experience was pretty limited. Actually, it mostly consisted of answering the door and signing for packages containing items my husband had ordered from the online auction house late at night after I had gone to bed.
Yes, some people watch late- night talk shows; He shops for weird stuff online.
One memorable arrival -- oh, there have been a few -- was a package in plain brown wrapping about the size of a large tissue box. I know what you're thinking. Relax.
Anyway, I signed the courier's electronic notepad, then headed up the stairs and deposited the package on the dining-room table. As I did so, I noticed that on the customs form, the contents of the package were listed as "antique surgical tools."
I am not kidding.
Add the fact my husband's last name is Hyde and you have the makings of a Victorian horror story.
But I never woke up with a tip of my finger missing or a bandage on my kidney area. No, it seems my husband, who is of the arty persuasion, planned on using the strange occluders and retractors in a multimedia art piece.
I haven't yet seen the art piece, but I have seen my interest in EBay grow.
OK, it's not as eclectic an interest as his. I order clothing, not creepy collectibles.
And I don't go crazy. I hate clutter and, after recently talking to home-organizing experts for this column, I am even more mindful of the popular clutter-free fan's rule that states when you bring an item into a house, you should try to take something else out.
EBay can help with that.
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