How to Sell Online with No Inventory

If you’ve been dreaming of becoming an online retailer, you shouldn’t let yourself be stopped by an obstacle as minor as not having any of your own stuff to sell.

Doesn’t sound very minor to you? Well, while starting an online store without your own inventory might seem like a pipe dream, it’s actually entirely feasible if you use a process known as drop shipping.

Drop shipping involves partnering with a wholesale retailer who has the products that you want to sell online. It’s your job to market their products through your online store and transfer customer orders to the wholesaler, and it’s the wholesaler’s job to ship the order to the customer. You can even use “blind shipping” so that the customer receives the product with your return address and a customized invoice, rather than the wholesaler’s.

So how do you get started using this model to sell online? Just follow these steps:

1. Apply for an Employer Identification Number. Most reputable wholesalers will ask to see this before partnering with you.
2. Search for wholesalers with your products of choice using Google or a reputable paid directory like World Wide Brands.
3. Start contacting drop shippers. Be prepared to submit your EIN, a copy of your state sales tax, and potentially a resale certificate.
4. After you’ve decided to partner with a wholesaler, ask them for trade credit to make sure that you don’t pay for the product until the customer’s payment clears.
5. Start marketing your products through sites like Sheepbuy. You can also use social media and guest posts on other blogs to promote your products. Remember, you’ll likely have drop shipping competitors, so you need to show that you’re superior by offering things like better customer service and education about the products.
6. Fulfill orders as quickly as possible, and respond to all customer questions or complaints in a timely manner in order to build a good reputation.

That’s really all there is to starting your own ecommerce business. Starting to sell online through drop shipping might seem intimidating at first, but Sheepbuy can help by providing you with a convenient space for your online store at a low monthly rate of just $10 that stays the same no matter how much you sell.