eCommerce Questions

[thomasjoseph315]

So I am in a world of hurt and need some help. I got a a store I need to be build but my supplier has about 70,000 items with 30,000 more about to enter into market. Atm, they offer drop shipment which is great, but they really don't have a web store, I have to build my own or pay someone else. I've already spoken with 2 companies they recommended. The first one was a joke run by 2 young developers who haven't a clue what they are doing. The second one is legit, but is becoming more of a middle man sucking off my monthly profit. As I am just starting out this isn't something I am looking forward too. Anyway, the idea is I can build my own carting site, but I want to incorporate live availability into the store, stock levels. I am wondering how I can do this. They have b2b store where I order my products from, but I was wondering if I can take lines of code of just the availability levels and inject it into my own store, in this case zen cart. Also, if possible see if there is anyway to set up a data base to install all the products they have available without manually adding them all, what would I need?

[kobra]

I don't see any way to link to their live inventory

A lot depends upon what you can obtain from them, what type of DB server they are using etc

If you can get a CSV file, then you could use easy populate to upload them into your ZenCart database
This gets you the item & maybe a description if they have one but not the images
Images will have to be obtained by another method

[RodG]

I got a a store I need to be build

So you don't actually have a working store yet?

but my supplier has about 70,000 items with 30,000 more about to enter into market. Atm, they offer drop shipment

So, to rephrase this. You have recently found one of the many dropshipping suppliers around, and you are now seeking advice about how to make $$$ from the service. Correct?

but they really don't have a web store,

This is good. Would you really want your supplier to have an online store that will effectively be in direct competition with your own store? (once set up). You could never hope to compete, at least not on price, and being a drop ship supply, you probably wouldn't be any competition in regards to service either.

I have to build my own or pay someone else.

Funny about that. No one wants to build webstores for free these days. I don't know what that would be. Do you?

I've already spoken with 2 companies they recommended.

Two down, only another million or so to check out. ;-)

The first one was a joke run by 2 young developers who haven't a clue what they are doing.

Oh, I know those people. I assume it is the same two people, after all, how many developers put "We are young and don't know what we are doing" on their resume? <g>

The second one is legit,

I'm sure that your young clueless devs are also legit. They may not be the right fit for everyone, but they must have *some* clue, else they wouldn't even try to get into the development business. They probably work cheap and learn as they go. This is exactly what some people want.

but is becoming more of a middle man sucking off my monthly profit. As I am just starting out this isn't something I am looking forward too.

Becoming? Does this mean that you've already got them on the job, or are you speculating that this will be the case?

It seems to me that if you don't yet have a store then you probably don't yet even have a monthly profit that can be eaten into.

Anyway, the idea is I can build my own carting site,

As you stated earlier, if you don't build it yourself you'll need to pay someone to do it for you.

but I want to incorporate live availability into the store, stock levels. I am wondering how I can do this. They have b2b store where I order my products from, but I was wondering if I can take lines of code of just the availability levels and inject it into my own store, in this case zen cart. Also, if possible see if there is anyway to set up a data base to install all the products they have available without manually adding them all

In theory, all of what you seek can be done.

what would I need?

Time (lots of), plus experience and/or a willingness to learn. or....
Lots of money so you can pay someone to do the things you can't.

What you don't need is the expectation that someone is going to set all of this up for you at minimal cost so you can simply sit back let the store handle the orders, the drop shipper handle the deliveries, leaving you with nothing to do other than take in the profits.

Sadly, this is how many drop shipper suppliers make things appear though.

As a bit of an aside, if the second dev company can do all you require, and if we assume that they end up taking (say) 90% of the 'profits' for their efforts, that will still give you a 10% profit for doing *absolutely nothing*. That, to me, seems like a far better deal than actually having to *work* for the other 90%. :-)

Cheers
RodG

[schoolboy]

Rod makes many important points... The "value days" of dropshipping are long gone. Very few people make money using dropshippers. If you want to make money in the drop-shipping game, rather become a dropshipper and get others to race to the bottom on pricing. Dropshippers are just getting other idiots to market (and pay for the marketing of) their products. They get their margin irrespective. The more "outlets" a dropshipper has (you, for example, and a hundred others) the more competitive the pricing. Shoppers are not dumb. When you appear on a search for a given product sold by your dropshipping partner, a hundred other sites selling the same item will also appear - and people will then shop on one criteria only... PRICE. Because it matters not from whom I buy - I get the same item, so I will go for the idiot who is selling it for the lowest price. That idiot thinks that sale = good business and has yet to learn that profit = good business.

Few people succeed at dropshipping these days. My advice would be to avoid it unless you have big bucks to invest in it.