Dropshipper or middle man?

[digby]

Hi all ,

I wonder how would i tell if a dropshipper was holding their own stock and not just a middle man ?


I have a couple of suppliers in mind and would appreciate a little advise.

Digby

[Gothic Dropshipping]

ask and someone may be able to answer, I know a lot more don't hold stock or hold very minimum stock than you would think!

[digby]

I've mailed them and asked and they have all said yes, but I'm a little suspicious of one or 2, would i be wrong to ask if i could pay a personal visit to themselves?


Digby

[Gothic Dropshipping]

Well I know several that claim to hold stock and don't really, some of whom will hold 1 of each very popular item etc.  tbh the price will often give the truth away.

I don't think asking to visit should be out of the question, I work from home but will still be happy enough to prove to anyone that I have my stock!

[Lian B]

I doubt that they would directly tell you that they are a middle man, the only way to really find out is to find someone that has used them before, or if you can see the same products for sale cheaper, then there is probably a wholesaler with much better prices.

Michael i think you are pretty safe from un anounced visits as most of us would need to get on a ferry to come and see you 

[Gothic Dropshipping]

Michael i think you are pretty safe from un anounced visits as most of us would need to get on a ferry to come and see you 

all part of my cunning plan lol 

[Rainee Bows]

ahhh course the introduction of googles street view gives you a way of seeing just who is working from home, renting offices, or generally misleading people about their circumstances


Rain
xxxx

[DGTG Wholesale]

Indeed the best way may be to pay them a visit, however when i used people back in 2001 when we first started out on the net what we did was first check out their website if they had recommended retailers I would contact them and see how long they were using them and what the service is like. Sometimes I would even contact the brand themselves to see if they were ordering from them or if they would recommend them. This said I found it very enlighting with some of the information that returned.

1, brand never heard of them.
2, their customers were only with them for a short time.

As a rule of thumb if a dropshipper is buying from a brand regularly then the brand is happy to say so. Anyone is welcome to check do we buy from the brands we carry at any time.
second if they have customers for over a year that use them regularly then as a rule they are ok. That said though it should be noted that even big firms can suffer harsh times we only have to look at Gotlingerie and Apollo last year to understand that business never sits still, and times change what might be a great company today might become out of date and suffering tomorrow.