4 ms·

A lot of talk on HN about drop-shipping lately, wondering what it is exactly? Why its good / bad?

• steve_adams_86 5y ago
  It’s when you essentially forward a product from the manufacturer, typically somewhere in Asia. All the drop shopper is doing is providing a digital store front, and the goods are piped directly to you from the overseas supplier. There is no value add or special thing about the product; you could order it from the supplier yourself for much less at the expense of (sometimes) waiting longer.
  • cartoonworld 5y ago
    >There is no value add or special thing about the product; you could order it from the supplier yourself for much less While otherwise true, I hate to say it but this point misses something. There is definitely a value-add in marketing something to someone who wants it. There are tons of products (especially fashion) that people might be interested in but don't know exist. This is the most benevolent thesis of the entire marketing field. As scummy as marketing can be, there is definitely some value in curating a basket of stuff and generating a commission on the sales lead. What the markup is, of course, can really color the palette, but I don't see anything inherently wrong with marketing. This whole scenario is a lot more on the astroturf side of the scale, but social media is a lot of astroturf in some respects.
  • wingworks 5y ago
    The "value add" is the dropshipper spending money make a "pretty" front end, and advertising/scam bots to make you aware of the products... I guess.
  • pishpash 5y ago
    They are providing marketing and a sales channel aren't they? At the least a referral service. If it were such a well known product this would be arbitraged away.
  • herbst 5y ago
    There is some value added. Customer protection and return laws. At least for Europe run shops. Or do you buy your electronics directly in china?