mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999
As long as you have an agreement with your supplier to act as a drop shipper for you, you will be adhering to that portion of the Ebay rules.
If this is something you are seriously thinking about, vet your suppliers completely. You need to know their handling times as well as the quality of the products that you will be purchasing from them. You need to understand the products so you can accurately describe them.
Some people that have never done drop shipping do not think it can be done successfully. Others have been on the receiving end and been burnt by a seller that drop ships and then goes OOS and therefore doesn't ship the order.
If done properly, drop shipping is NOT an easy job as a seller. It is hard work, dedication and commitment to make sure the inventory you are presenting as being available for sale on this site is both well described, but actually available to be sold.
Some things I sell I drop ship. I've used my Vendor for many years. I get a report 5-7 times a week that give me inventory exceptions. New things to stock, price increases, price decreases, back in stock and items that are now OOS. I review this report daily and make any adjustment to my listings that are necessary.
The thing that will damage you quickly is if you sell stuff you can't ship. So make sure you have some procedure that works for you in place that will allow you to keep your active listings as accurate as possible. That is your responsibility as a seller and to your customers. If you get too many dings for OOS, you will significantly damage the health of your selling account.
If you have questions, feel free to ask.
@stanleysoverstock wrote:If I suspect a seller is drop shipping an item I'm interested in I have my wife look at the site she uses. Low and behold it is usually cheaper there. We needed a coffee pot one time. Found the one we wanted and the drop shipper was OOS. They canceled the order without our request and so we waited longer for a coffee pot. It disappeared from our purchase history so we couldn't warn others about this bad service. We photograph, describe and list our items. We send you what you buy from us. And we do it as soon as we can. In other words, if drop shipping is suspected by us Ebay looses the sale here.
That can absolutely work, but it may not as well.
Because someone drop ships their products is in now way a guarantee that they are the lowest price for the product. Nor do sellers, at least that I'm aware of, state such a guarantee. It certainly may or may not be true and it could pertain to any seller selling any item on Ebay. They may or may not be the lowest price. But then that is one of the buyer's responsibilities to check and determine if the item is worth their time or money. Not a determination for the seller to make.
Some things you are just better off getting from a drop shipper. Things where freshness is important is one reason. Things that either have an expiration date or if stored improperly can have their life span significantly affected.
Just some thoughts to consider. Drop shipping are not dirty words if the seller is serious about doing it the right way. There are lots of sellers that do it WRONG. But there are lots of sellers that do it the right way too. But as a buyer I completely respect your concerns and observations.
