You do not have to hold any stocks. Your financial participation is minimal. Hell, you can start a drop shipping e-commerce shop for almost anything. You do not have to worry about fulfilling orders and, something that attracts a lot of this kind of e-commerce, you can run it practically from anywhere.
Unfortunately, all this is not great with a drop ship business.
When you run a drop ship business, you end up giving up control of a large part of your business to someone else.
It's not for you but a product or drop shipper that handles your orders. You have very little influence on when this will happen. You may be on top or at the bottom of the queue but you simply do not know. You can not control the packaging and what goes in the package and everything is just the tip of the iceberg.
In short, after you have passed the system, your control over what happens with the ends.
This is also where most problems start.
As a dropshipping shop owner myself I can guarantee you one thing, if something is going wrong with the order, I will.
If you are considering starting a dropshipping online shop, read on. The following is a list of the most common issues and problems you will likely come across and my recommendations on how to solve them.
Ready?
8 most common dropshipping problems solved
Problem 1: Item out of stock
Probably the most common of all the problems you will encounter.
Although most producers and demand-fulfilling companies are trying hard to keep e-commerce partners informed about the availability of the product, it often happens that the product someone ordered from your store is out of stock. Or it may stop altogether.
Best way to handle: client loop. Do not email them. Customers prefer personal contact, even if that means bad news about their order. Also, if possible, try a product source from another resource. Instead, find out if you can get a similar product from another product. Suggest any alternatives you may have to a customer. Often they will be happy to change their order to another product.
Problem 2: Delay with system processing
Imagine this. You have received a request from your store. Immediately you rush to put it with the product and wait until it is processed so you can inform the client that they have been shipped and pass the tracking code to them. However, the demand confirmation does not arrive.
Best way to deal with: The usual time to process an order is up to 24 hours. If you hear something back from the product or drop the charger then, follow it immediately. These days customers are being used to process their orders within 24 hours as well. It is necessary for your brand that even if the system is not processed at the time, you at least know the reason and almost when it happens.
why? Because the client may ring you. This usually happens if you are selling expensive products and someone bought through your store for the first time. Your confidence levels are low and through their ranking, they will eventually put you at stake.
Issue 3: Send the wrong item to the client
I must say that this has not happened to me yet, however, I know that many Ecommerce shop owners are the worst nightmare so I am including this problem on the menu.
Shipping the wrong product to the customer is bad customer service, fact. It always leaves a bad impression regardless of the goodwill of the customer. Regardless of the circumstances, it is always you who are the guilty party.
This is one of the most unfortunate aspects of drop shipping. No matter what mistake you make, it is always you and your reputation that you suffer.
The best way to deal with: First of all, knowing your product or dropping the return policy shipper back to back. In fact, you should know them before you ship your first product. That way, when a complaint comes from a customer, you will be able to direct them on what to do immediately.
Also, it is good to give the customer a discount to buy my future or at least a small symbol to apologize for your mistake.
Problem 4: Wrong quantity shipped
Similarly the above problem, the product may be shipped correct but the quantity is wrong. This happened to me at times. It is not such a problem if more items are sent but the problem starts when it is less than the customer has ordered.
The best way to deal: Sometimes you are actually able to stop this error from happening. Always check the invoice of the drop shipping company. Usually send them before the goods leave the warehouse and if you notice the wrong quantity on them, ring them immediately and stop the order from being shipped.
However, if the order has already been shipped, proceed in the same way as the previous issue discussed above.
Problem 5: You Were Billed Wrong
A problem that does not affect the customer, yet still quite common.
Best Way to Handle: Always review the invoice carefully. This becomes especially important if you are paying straight away via credit card and don’t have a credit line with the producer. Sure, you will most likely receive a credit from the producer, yet your spending ability will be limited for that month nonetheless.
Problem 6: The Shipment Went to a Wrong Address / Orders Got Confused
Different producers have different ways of handling orders. Some want you to email them over, others prefer you to order by phone. And as much as email greatly reduces the chances for a spelling error, it is quite easy to happen over the phone.
As a result, orders might be shipped to an address that doesn’t exist. Or to a completely different person (if orders got mixed up for instance).
Best Way to Handle: It is imperative that you hold some sort of proof of the shipping address you have supplied the producer or drop shipper with. Reshipping items cost money and you must be sure whose fault it was before you agree to any costs.
Problem 7: Item Arrived Damaged
This luckily never happened to me, although I know some drop ship business owners to whom it did.
Best Way to Handle: This problem is actually pretty easy to solve. In most cases, the producer will ship out a replacement part or the whole item. However, it is good that you know your producers warranty terms and conditions. I am lucky to be working with producers that offer lifetime replacement guarantee, however, it might be different for yours. So, better check that up.
Problem 8: Wrong Tracking Code
A minor problem, yet still something that has to be sort out. Sometimes the tracking code you receive is either invalid or its for a completely different package.
When you think of it, your producer or drop shipper you use issues tens if not hundreds of tracking codes a day. With such a volume, it is quite easy for a simple human error to happen.
Best Way to Handle: Always test tracking codes before you pass them on to your customer. Simple.
Running a drop ship business may seem like an easy thing to do. Unfortunately, in such a business model you rely greatly on a producer whose products you use or a drop shipping company they use to ship their goods. And as always when you leave the control over such an important aspect of business to someone else, mistakes can happen.
Good Luck
No comments:
Post a Comment