In order to drop ship on eBay, you must meet specific requirements:
- Drop shipped products fall under eBay’s pre-sale item policy Items that are not in your possession are called “pre-sale” listings
- Pre-sale items must be shipped within 30 days from the customer’s date of purchase
- You must clearly indicate in your listing that the item is NOT in your possession and that it is a pre-sale/drop shipped item
For example in your listing you might say:
“To comply with eBay's requirements concerning drop-shipped items, please be aware that the item in this listing is a PRE-SALE ITEM and is guaranteed to be shipped to you no later than 10 business days from the date your payment is processed.”
Here are some other important requirements that many people do not know about:
The pre-sale statement in your listing must be at least in the default size font (12 point) or HTML font size 3.
This means that you can’t put your pre-sale statement in little, teeny, tiny, fine print.
Even if you could, you don’t want to. Because one of the secrets to success of drop shipping is VERY clear customer communication.
- This is more important than ever now due to the upcoming feedback changes and the new emphasis on DSRs on eBay - Clear communication and over-communicating is a MUST if you want to make drop shipping work for you
- Violations of the pre-sale policy can result in (from eBay’s site):
o Listing cancellation o Limited account privileges o eBay ID account suspension o Loss of listing fees for cancelled listings o Removal of PowerSeller status
- Violations of the pre-sale policy can result in (from a customer standpoint): o Unhappy customers o Negative feedback o Low DSR ratings o Loss of future sales o 30 –Day buyer dissatisfaction > 5% can make you subject to the 21-Day Payment Hold
Before you ever list a product on eBay, you’re going to test that drop shipper to see if they are who they say they are, because unfortunately, even the ones that really have good intentions don't always follow through.
And here’s how you'll know.
Place an order for yourself and you have that product drop shipped to you.
Once it arrives, look at the packaging and determine whether or not it is acceptable packaging.
Track their delivery time and you find out whether or not they deliver in the timeframe that they say.
And you also need to look at the label on that package and you need to find out if they do what’s called blind labeling, or if they’re putting the label from their distribution center on that package.
Don’t skip this step!
Don’t Be One of the Sheep
If all goes well with your drop shipping test, you are ready to start listing these products on eBay. Start off with a few products until you know that the drop shipper and the process is going to work with your customers.
Now here’s where people make second biggest mistake.
They use the cookie cutter photo and cookie cutter product description that comes from the drop shipper in their listing description.
Which IMMEDIATELY positions their item as a commodity. And commodities never command top prices.
The BIGGEST advantage you have as an eBay retailer is your ability to add a USP (Unique Selling Position) to the product you’re selling.
We talk about how to do this a lot at WhatDoISell.com
When listing a drop shipped item, you want to make your photo unique AND make your listing description unique.
This will help your product stand out from the crowd.
There are some other key reasons that you want to do this as well.
But first and foremost, know that you should always put your own spin on the products you offer your customers.
This is another reason why drop shipping is not a ‘set it and forget it’ business model.
I noticed that the drop shipping info from ebay was no longer there. I wrote ebay regarding this and this was their reply!
Subject: EN62821 LP
Response to your email concerning eBay's listing policies. (KMM315597445V52474L0KM)
Received: 04-Feb-09
From: eBay Customer Support Expires: 06-Mar-09
Dear XXXXX
,
Thank you for contacting eBay regarding your question concerning drop
shipping.
First allow me to apologize for the delay in responding to your email. I
understand how frustrating it can be waiting for a response, and I
appreciate your patience.
Since we constantly revise the Help page as policies evolve or as
updates are required, I noticed that this information regarding Drop
Shipping is no longer showing.
Please note that the same principles still apply concerning drop
shipping as is currently stated in your About Me page. It is in your
best interest to clearly state that you drop ship but that all items
will be shipped within the 30 days from the date of purchase (to comply
with the Presale policy.
For more information about eBay's listing guidelines please visit the
following URL:
So I understand that this info is correct but no longer stated this way in the UA, so w/o saying so, "drop shipping listings" should be treated the same as Pre Sale listings.
Time for someone else to ask.
ALSO CHECK THE HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR DSR's BROUGHT TO YOU BY EBAY AND CHANNEL ADVISOR CEO
I think if you read this workshop that you might find some informtion you can use. I didn't think there was any info there that I sould be interested in, but after reading it a few times, I did find some elements that I was able to mold and use to benefit me. I'm sure if you look hard you can make some work for you too!
SOME ACTUAL PRICES THAT MAY BE INCLUDED IN THE HANDLING PART OF S&H Thank you my friends on the feedback board!
box.............................free - $5.00
bubble envelope..........$.30 - $1.00
bubble wrap...............$.10 per square foot
shipping peanuts.........$1.00 per cubic foot
shipping label...........$.15
printer paper.............$.02 per sheet
packaging tape...........$2.00 per roll
sellers time.............. some add this in
gas to post office........ I don't, but some add this in
Lowered DSR's............. Priceless
New PayPal UA effective May 7th
Starting May 7th:
(2) Section 4.3 Use of PayPal on eBay is being amended to delete the following language:
"Sellers may not communicate to buyers that they only accept Balance/Bank Funded Payments, or will not accept Card Funded Payments. eCheck is the only Funding Source that eBay sellers are allowed to block."
The following new language will be added to section 4.3:
"Sellers may not communicate to buyers that they only accept, or will not accept, specific forms of PayPal payment."
Which means you can no longer say you will not accept e-checks.
) 