_ Questions You Must Ask a Dropshipper
The key to succeed in a dropshipping business is to associate with a trustworthy dropshipper that not only offers good-quality merchandise but also has customer-friendly policies and efficient handling and dispatching mechanisms to ensure on-time and safe delivery of products.
However, finding such firms is not an easy task, and you should consider using trusted wholesale directories, like wholesaledeals.co.uk, that give extensive information about thousands of verified suppliers.
Once you locate few relevant dropshippers through a directory, you should ask them some key questions in order to select the best one.
- What is your lead time?
You cannot keep your customers waiting for their products for long. However, in dropshipping, you have no control over packaging and shipping of items as your dropship firm is responsible for those activities. Therefore, choose a firm that has a reasonable delivery time so that you do not have to face customer ire on account of delayed delivery of items.
- What kinds of systems do you have to facilitate retailers in forwarding orders, checking inventory, and tracking orders?
Manually forwarding the orders to dropship firms is passé. Nowadays, reputable dropship suppliers facilitate retailers by providing them with a web-integrated order forwarding and tracking system to ensure accuracy and quick transfer of order information. Some suppliers also have systems for keeping retailers updated about inventory so that the retailers do not have to face problems due to shortages. Online order tracking is another feature that most leading dropship firms offer to enable customers to check their order status, which eventually helps retailers build better relationships with their customers. You should choose a dropship firm that provides such automated tools so that you can stay ahead in e-commerce business.
- Which shipping carrier do you use?
Safe delivery of items should be your top priority, and therefore, look for dropship firms that use reputable shipping carriers like DHL and UPS.
- What is your return or exchange policy?
When shopping online, buyers look for stores that have customer-friendly return and exchange policies. However, it is not wise to have your return policy different from your dropship supplier, or else, you may face losses. Therefore, look for dropshippers that give sufficient time to customers to return products and have hassle-free return processes.
- What are your charges and fees for dropshipping items?
Some firms charge separately for packaging, handling, and shipping, while some include such expenses into the cost of the product. It is important to know about all charges and fees as they directly affect your profits.
- Do you add customized packaging slips?
If you want to develop your brand identity, it is important that you use customized packaging having the logo and name of your business. However, all dropship firms do not offer such a facility. And therefore, it is better to ask this question beforehand.
Sometimes, even the best drophip supplier does not turn out to be the right choice. Therefore, it is important that you should ask plenty of questions of prospective dropshippers in order to understand their modes of operations, fees, and policies. You should clarify all your doubts in order to avoid future problems. For more information on dropship suppliers, please visit wholesaledeals.co.uk.