Monday, August 31, 2020

Best Purchase Order Software

A good purchase order software makes sure your business gets the inventory it needs from suppliers easily and quickly.

It streamlines the procurement process, allowing you to rest easy your business will get the products you need at a later date.

There are many different purchase order software out there, though. Which one should your business go with?

Luckily, we’ve taken a look at dozens of purchase order software and reviewed them for quality, efficiency, and reliability. Below are our reviews breaking down the top five purchase order software we looked at.

But before we jump into the list, it’s important to understand what exactly a purchase order software is.

• Flexible and easy-to-use
• Great interface
• Helpful alerts
• Email and mobile approvals
Try it today!

What is Purchase Order Software?

To understand the software, we must first understand what purchase orders are.

A purchase order (PO) is a document that buyers send to suppliers. The document is a request for products and/or services to be delivered and furnished by the supplier.

Here’s a good example of one below:

There are a few good reasons why businesses issue purchase orders.

For one, they’re legally binding. That means that once a buyer issues a PO to the supplier, and they receive their products and/or services, they must pay the supplier.

This allows the buyer to purchase items on credit then, which is very helpful for them.

They also help provide a record for exchanges between buyers and suppliers. These can be referred back to in case of any disputes—legal or otherwise.

Purchase orders can also be used by lenders and other financial institutions to provide loans and other types of financial assistance to the buyers.

A purchase order software is merely software that furnishes and sends purchase orders digitally as well as physically. This gives your business the opportunity to send POs over the Internet or, if you want, to print out the PO and send it via mail.

The 5 Best Purchase Order Software

Below are our reviews and recommendations for the five best purchase order software out there. Each one has its own unique benefits and drawbacks.

The one you ultimately choose might differ from another company. That’s okay. The important thing is you choose one that’s good for your process and needs.

#1. Coupa Procurement – Most flexible purchase order software

• Flexible and easy-to-use
• Great interface
• Helpful alerts
• Email and mobile approvals
Try it today!

Coupa Procurement is one of the most popular purchase order softwares on the market.

They offer a flexible, easy-to-use purchasing system that doesn’t sacrifice quality for affordability.

It’s simple: The interface walks you through the procurement process with its dead simple search bar. They even alert you to products being sold at discounted prices. This allows you to save even more money and stretch the value of your dollar.

It brings the simplicity of an ecommerce store you use daily like Amazon and brings it to the world of procurement.

For services, their statement of work forms are incredibly straightforward. Even your greenest employee can fill them out with ease.

Couple that with their email and mobile approvals process, and you can bet your workflow will be more streamlined when it comes to procurement.

Pricing is obscured on their website. However, Coupa offers a free live demo of their product including a live Q&A so you can have direct access to a representative. They’ll be able to provide you with more information regarding pricing. You could also contact their sales team through a form on their website.

#2. Quickbooks – Best for purchase order software for Quickbook invoice users

• Great for Quickbook invoice users
• Automated billing and invoicing
• Receive payment immediately
• Prices start at $12.50 / month
Try it today!

Quickbooks offers invoicing and payment solutions. However, they also have a great purchase order software as well.

As such, it’s a solid choice for any current Quickbook users.

Using their intuitive, user-friendly interface, Quickbooks allows you to easily create high-quality purchase orders. They even furnish unique purchase order numbers.

Each form can be customized to your business’s brand including logo, colors, and information.

Once the order is complete, Quickbook automates the process for you. They’ll turn your purchase order into a bill you can then send to customers complete with items, prices, and quantity of the orders.

And since it’s already integrated with their invoicing solutions, you’ll be able to receive payment from customers as soon as they receive the bill and make a payment.

It’s the automation that really makes Quickbooks shine, and why I recommend it so highly. Nothing beats being able to set it and forget it.

Pricing and plans start at $12.50 / month for the Essentials plan. The features included with each are as follows:

While the Essentials plan should be more than enough for smaller businesses, I highly recommend going with the Plus plan. That comes with more users and permissions, as well as inventory management and a very handy tool to help you handle 1099 contractors. Great for growing businesses.

#3. Procurify – Best purchase order software for customization

• All-in-one procurement solution
• Excellent and fun user experience
• Track budgets
• Free demo
Try it today!

Procurify offers a great procurement solution.

Their focus is primarily on tracking and managing your team’s spending. They do so through a very user-friendly dashboard and mobile interface.

Speaking of which, they easily have the most pleasant user experience of any purchase order software on this list. Billed as the “purchasing software your team actually wants to use,” their dashboards are simple, straightforward, while still offering all the features you’d want to see in a good purchase order software such as budget tracking, customized approvals, and metrics reporting.

Their approval flows are highly customizable. You and your team will be able to design an approval process that’s perfect for your business. You can also set customized notifications on desktop and mobile for an even more streamlined experience.

Of course, when it comes to purchase orders themselves, they have a great process for that too. Your entire team is able to see the status of each procurement order. This allows for more communication and breaks down potential roadblocks along the way.

And with their mobile app, you’ll be able to make purchase orders no matter where you are. Employees can even receive notifications for any updates or changes in orders. Perfect for remote and distributed teams.

Unfortunately, their prices are obscured on the website. However, your team can request a free demo from Procurify to try it out. A sales team rep will be able to give you a quote based on what your company needs.

#4. Xero – Best price for purchase order software

• Award-winning software
• Complete purchase orders quickly
• Automated invoicing
• Prices start at $9/month
Try it today!

Xero is an award-winning accounting software. They also offer a great purchase order solution that shouldn’t be slept on.

Using your inventory items, Xero helps you complete purchase orders quickly and efficiently. Like many of the other offerings on this list, they also allow you to customize your purchase order to reflect your company’s brand.

Like Quickbooks, they also help you convert your purchase orders into invoices or bills. The difference, of course, is that they do it through Xero’s accounting software rather than Quickbooks.

As such, Xero is a great choice if you were using Xero already. Plus, the price point at $9.00 / month is very lucrative.

They also offer a free-trial option. This allows you to dip your toes in the water before making the decision to jump in. The free trial lasts 30 days, which should be more than enough time for you and your team to get a sense of whether or not you’d like to go with it.

There are a few downsides though. For one, the learning curve for Xero is a little steeper than the other ones. A few reviews online from customers say that the interface can be difficult to use. Also, they sometimes throw unexpected upcharges on you if you’re not careful.

#5. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus – Best for purchase order software for IT teams

• Great for IT teams
• Automates tech purchases
• All-in-one dashboard
• Free demo
Try it now!

ManageEngine is an IT management solution division of Zoho.

It’s no surprise then that they offer a great purchase order software as well.

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus optimizes and automates your IT purchases. In a single dashboard, you’ll be able to utilize their massive product and vendor catalog to make orders and furnish billing for each one.

Of course, making purchase orders isn’t the only thing you can do with ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus. It’s also a fully-fleshed out IT help desk software that helps you with things such as:

  • Reporting/analytics
  • IT app management
  • ITSM workflows
  • Asset inventory reports
  • Help desk reports
  • Self-service portals
  • Project management
  • Service catalogs

…and more.

ManageEngine also offers two different types of solutions too. You can sign up for the service to be provided on the cloud, or you can download it for on-premise.

They do offer a demo for teams to test out and dip their toes in the water before jumping in. And you can also get a quote that’s “tailor fit” to your business’s needs and goals.

Methodology for Choosing Purchase Order Software

When choosing a purchase order software, there are a lot of different criteria you might want to consider.

In our reviews above, we took a look at three different factors we found were most important in a good PO software.

Automation

Automated features such as invoicing and billing, as well as notifications to all relevant stakeholders are crucial to a good purchase order software.

It’s the set-it-and-forget-it method of ordering inventory from vendors. You don’t have to worry about the minutes of the process. You’ll be able to easily facilitate the relationship between vendor and buyer with ease.

You’ll also be able to place a purchase order, and the software will automatically send the purchase requisition to the right stakeholder for approval. When it’s approved, it automatically goes to the vendor.

No more following up with people to see if it was sent. That’s the beauty of automation.

Comprehensive catalogs

To satisfy the needs of your team and employees, you’ll want a purchase order software that gives you access to the products you need.

(Also water is wet)

To that end, you’ll want a PO software with a comprehensive catalog of popular products. It’ll give your team a quick and easy way to get anything from office supplies to tech products. These catalogs can be furnished from suppliers, or they can be managed by a procurement team on-site.

Either way, you want to get access to the items that you need.

Budgeting

A good purchase order software shouldn’t break the bank. Not only does that mean its price point should be right, but the software itself should also help you and your business stay within your budget.

This can be done in a number of ways. The most common way is probably through a budgeting tool that’s customized to your business’s goals and needs.

You should be able to set the dollar amount for your budget, and the tool should be able to work with multiple different budget types as well. After all, your business doesn’t just have one budget for everything. It’s like subdivided by projects, teams, and divisions in your company.

Your purchase order software should facilitate that.

• Flexible and easy-to-use
• Great interface
• Helpful alerts
• Email and mobile approvals
Try it today!

Conclusion

Here’s the list of our recommendations again.

  • Coupa Procurement – Most flexible purchase order software
  • Quickbooks – Best purchase order software for Quickbooks users
  • Procurify – Best purchase order software for customization
  • Xero – Best price for purchase order software
  • ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus – Best purchase order software for IT teams

If you’re looking for the best one, we highly recommend Coupa Procurement. However, it ultimately depends on the needs of your business.



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The Rising From the Ashes Story of Brand Builders + A Special Offer

Brand Builders has come a long way. If you were familiar with Brand Builders 1 or 2 years ago, what you see today is drastically different.  Today, I want to talk about the evolution that Brand Builders has taken over…

The post The Rising From the Ashes Story of Brand Builders + A Special Offer appeared first on Niche Pursuits.



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The Best Dropshipping Companies

Want to jump straight to the answer? The best dropshipping companies for most people are definitely Modalyst for Wix and Oberlo for Shopify.

If you want to start an ecommerce business without having to deal with:

  • Shipping
  • Storing inventory
  • Having money to purchase inventory upfront

Get into dropshipping. Manufacturers ship products directly to your customer for you. You get all the upside without any of the ecommerce headaches.

In this guide, I list and review the best dropshippers to help you get started.

The 15 best dropshipping companies, suppliers, databases, and tools

Once you have your Wix or Shopify account and your store set up, you’re ready to link up with a dropshipping partner and get selling. But, it can be hard to break into dropshipping because most dropshipping businesses don’t like to share their items or their suppliers. The thinking is: you’ll just replicate their shop and eat into their market.

I’m here to help with this list of 17 dropshippers, databases and suppliers — along with their pros and cons.

1. Modalyst — Best Wix plugin and directory

Free Starter Plan
Basic Plan $35 per month
Pro Plan $90 per month
4.8 out of 5 stars

Modalyst seamlessly automates your dropshipping business.

They connect you with suppliers to get your customers the products they need. They also boast a massive of products including clothing, jewelry, accessories, and more.

Modalyst is also centralized—making it very easy to use. You’ll be able to connect with suppliers from a single dashboard, and they even have an app for easy communication.

Where Modalyst really shines is their highly rated integration with Wix. With just a single click, you’ll be able to install their app and get started selling to your customers.

Pricing starts free with a basic plan that includes a 25 product limit.

2. Oberlo — Best Shopify plugin and directory

Free Starter Plan
Basic Plan $30 per month
Pro Plan $80 per month
4.7 out of 5 stars

Oberlo offers an excellent plugin service that works with Shopify stores.

You’ll browse the Oberlo directory (which includes suppliers verified by Oberlo) to find inventory you’d like to sell in your store. It also shows you how many pageviews, sales, and star-rankings each item and seller has.

Once you make a sale, you’ll use Oberlo to order the item to be shipped to your customer.

Oberlo - How it Works

The product selection and fulfillment are handled for you. That frees up your time to focus on driving traffic to your store.

Oberlo has a forever-free Starter plan. However, to unlock shipment tracking and order fulfillment monitoring (which I recommend) you’ll need to upgrade to the Basic plan at $30 per month.

It’ll also raise your sales limit from 50 to 500. Once you crest 500, you’ll be in Pro territory, which is $80 per month and allows for multiple users as well.

Oberlo has 4.2 out of 5 stars from 2,000 reviews in the Shopify app store.

3. SaleHoo — Members-only database of 8,000+ suppliers

60 Day Free Trial
Annual Plan $67 per year
Lifetime Plan $127 one time
9.6 out of 10 stars

A $67 yearly membership grants you access to this database of wholesalers and dropshippers. There are currently 8,000+ suppliers on the site, and they’re all screened by SaleHoo before they’re added to the directory. There’s a 60-day free trial period, and the customer service gets high marks: 9.6 out of 10 with 300 reviews on TrustPilot.

4. Spocket — A Shopify database app with good reviews

Free Starter Plan
Pro Plan $49 per month
Empire Plan $99 per month
4.7 out of 5 stars

Spocket is a database app of dropship items that you can sort by country and simply upload into your Shopify store. Spocket makes it easy to find US and EU items that’ll ship within your country rather than from China, cutting down on slow ship speeds.

The Basic plan (25 products with unlimited orders) is forever free, and upgrading to Pro is $49 per month for 250 products and branded invoicing. The Empire plan unlocks unlimited products for $99 per month. The app has 4.5 out of 5 stars in the Shopify app store.

5. Wholesale2B — Versatile supplier and dropshipping hub

Browse for Free
Multiple Plan Options
$29.99 to $49.99 per month
DIY Plan $67 per year

You can do a lot of different things with Wholesale2b: sell its products on eBay, Amazon, on a Wholesale2B site, or your own WooCommerce / Shopify / Magento / BigCommerce site. Handle the orders yourself by becoming a registered reseller with each supplier or pay Wholesale2B a 3% fee to handle that for you.

6. Inventory Source — Timesaving dropshipping automation tool

Dropship Automation Solutions
Inventory $50 per month
Full Automation $150 per month
180+ Dropship Suppliers

An automation tool that allows you to either sync the suppliers products with your page (inventory automation) or to sync the entire customer purchase flow so that your orders are automatically placed with your supplier (full automation). Inventory automation is $50/month and full automation is $150/month.

7. Worldwide Brands — Budget-friendly database

Lifetime Plan $299
Direct Access to All Wholesalers
16+ Million Wholesale Products
BBB A+ Rated

For $299, you can get a lifetime subscription to this database of wholesalers and dropshippers. Worldwide Brands is a budget-friendly — but still great — solution for those competing to sell products on Amazon, eBay, and Etsy.

Worldwide Brands distinguishes itself with its extensive upper-market wholesale directory of certified dropshippers and its reliable and quick-to-respond support team. The lifetime membership certainly doesn’t hurt either. Worldwide Brands has 4.9 out of 5 stars from 171 reviews on Trustpilot.

8. Dropified — Popular Shopify app for AliExpress

14 Day Free Trial
Builder Plan $47 per month
Premier Plan $127 per month
4.8 out of 5 stars

This is another Shopify app for populating your store with items and automate your orders on AliExpress, including customer shipping address.

That said, there is no Dropified marketplace, but rather a browser plugin that’ll let you pull from anywhere on the web. You can set up margin parameters and rules for changing the price points in your store.

There’s a 14-day free trial; after that it’s $47 per month for the Builder plan, or $39 per month on the annual plan. The Premier plan, which costs $127 per month or $97 per month with annual billing, recently added a profit dashboard, Zapier integration, and an unlimited high-speed captcha solver.

The app has 4.4 out of 5 stars from 104 reviews in the Shopify app store.

9. AliExpress — China-based dropshipper with great user reviews

Free To Join
100+ Million Products
Worldwide Delivery
Seller Feedback Reviews

AliExpress is Alibaba’s online retailer and a popular dropshipping service worldwide. A Chinese online sales platform, AliExpress offers incredibly low prices on many products.

On their website, you’ll find lots of user reviews and analytics that are super useful during the product research phase.

But here’s my take: AliExpress offers the perfect model for starting out.

You don’t need an established business entity before starting your online store. You control your margins. And there’s limited investment upfront. You can get up and running for free in literally under an hour with access to millions of products. AliExpress dropshipping is possible even without contacting suppliers.

Because AliExpress is best for small order quantities and finding samples of items, it can be a low-risk option for testing out product ideas without a ton of investment.

10. DHgate — 1M+ products, but check user reviews

Free To Join
Products From Certified Sellers
Worldwide Delivery
Escrow Protection On All Orders

There are over a million Chinese suppliers on DHGate. Best practice for buying off DHgate: check user ratings and feedback. Just like you would when buying something off of eBay, be wary of anything that could be a knock-off or imitation, and be prepared for slow shipping and nuances like new-with-box items arriving with their boxes unassembled.

11. Doba — 2M+ products with so-so profit margins

14 Day Free Trial
Basic Plan $29 per month
Advanced Plan $69 per month
Pro Plan $249 per month

This 2 million product database doesn’t just bring a number of suppliers into one marketplace — you’ll also place your customer orders within Doda as well. That being said, it’s not cheap and we’ve read a number of negative reviews, many of which mention that the prices aren’t low enough to profit. Doba has a 14-day free trial, so you can log in and run the numbers to see if a membership (which starts at $29 per month) is right for you.

12. Wholesale Central — Best free dropshipping directory

No Membership Required
Free Directory of Suppliers
Free Directory of Trade Shows
Good Site For Research

This free directory lists suppliers you can work with individually to order products from. There’s nothing fancy about it — it’s like a phone book — but has useful information to use as you do your research.

13. Sunrise Wholesale Merchandise — Some of the best shipping speeds

7 Day Free Trial
$49 per month or $199 per year
Over 20,000 wholesale products
Ships to USA and Canada

A $99 yearly fee gets you access to Sunrise’s selection of goods. It’s a bit smaller than other databases, but the shipping times are pretty quick: typically 5–7 days. Packages arrive to your customers with a receipt from “Customer Service” that’s not branded.

14. Megagoods — US-based dropshipping supplier

30 Day Free Trial
$14.99 per month
$1.50 per order fee
Located in California

A California-based warehouse that will dropship your goods under your packaging and branding, typically in less time than it’d take to ship from an overseas supplier. Pro tip: check the added fees to make sure that your margins are good.

15. Dropship News – Extensive online directory

Online Directory of Suppliers
No Registration Required
Find US-Based Suppliers
Free Resources and Guides

This free online directory of suppliers is worth sifting through. We found some great US-based suppliers. Most of each supplier’s dropshipping information is on their profile, which saves you some clicking around.

The Worst Dropshipping Services

1. National Dropshippers — Difficult user interface and product search (not recommended)

You can give a try to see if there’s a product that’s only available here, but if you can find it elsewhere you’ll probably be better off going with the alternative. Products are hard to find and search for, and the returns and shipping policies aren’t favorable.

2. Dropwow — Negatively reviewed Oberlo competitor (not recommended)

An app that’s reminiscent of Oberlo and Spocket, but with more negative reviews. The tool claims to automate your orders and help you locate dropshippers located in the US and elsewhere. However, with only 3.8 out of 5 stars from 121 reviewers on the Shopify app store, and a monthly subscription of $29 per month, I don’t recommend it.

3. DropshipDirect.com — Currently in hiatus

This site makes some enticing claims: 100,000 items in its inventory, a SaaS-approach to data, and quick shipping from its Michigan warehouses. However, the sign-up form is in private mode and the company seems to be on a year-long hiatus. We’ll keep an eye on Dropship Direct and report back.

Why Dropship?

Dropshipping solves a bunch of problems: no cash needed upfront, no boxes piling up in your store room, garage, or let’s be honest, in your spare bedroom. You never even have to touch the product or be responsible for the packaging or shipping. That means no more trips to the Post Office, either. Your dropship partner takes care of all that.

Today world’s largest cab company, Uber, does not own a single cab. World’s largest accommodation company, Airbnb, does not own a single hotel. Similarly, lot of ecommerce companies don’t own any inventory and just operate as a marketplace. If you ever had a dream to start a eCommerce business this is the best time.” —Saba Mohebpour CEO of Spocket, as told to Thrive Global

The benefits of dropshipping are also its drawbacks. You don’t have the inventory in your warehouse, so you don’t have control of a customer ordering something that’s out of stock. There’s no shipping work on your end, so you can’t control the shipping speed, or the packaging.

Long ship times = canceled orders.
Weird packaging = bad reviews.

And, you still need some money up front to build your website, put in the sweat equity of making that business take off, and all the other steps you’ll need to take to start your business.

Like any business partnership, you need to do your research on who you’re working with, what it’s going to cost you, and what you’re expecting to get out of it before you get too involved. This review will help you pick dropshipping companies that’ll work for your business — no matter your niche.

What’s the best dropshipping company for me?

Trying to find the best dropshipping company all up is a little bit beside the point. It’s like asking for the best eBay seller or the best store on Etsy. The things that make dropshippers great are a lot of the same things that make an eBay or Etsy seller great: They’re communicative and have fast shipping. The product arrives as promised. It looks like the listing and it shows up in one piece in packaging that looks nice and not chewed up by an alligator.

Just like an eBay seller, the best dropshipper for you is the one selling what you’re interested in buying (and reselling). They will reliably, communicatively, and quickly ship the product you’re after at a price that’s profitable for you — it’s about finding your best.

Most dropshippers use a Shopify or Wix store and an automation app like Modalyst or Oberlo. If you’re new to dropshipping, this is definitely the easiest way to get set up.

Why Shopify is the best way to start your dropshipping business

That means, you are basically setting up the equivalent to any ecommerce store. For ecommerce stores, the clear winner is Shopify. It’s been the frontrunner for a while. What’s most important about that for dropshipping is that the app store is super robust. Most stores use Shopify, so developers looking to make a high-quality app develop it for the Shopify app store.

So, if you haven’t already set up your Shopify store, that needs to go on your to-do list. We have a post that’ll walk you through the step-by-step process for setting up your Shopify store. It’s easy. There’s even a course in the Shopify Academy to learn how to start a dropshipping business with Shopify: Dropshipping 101.

I don’t recommend dropshipping with eBay

It’s compelling to set up shop with a marketplace — you don’t have to start a website, pay a subscription, etc. like you would with Shopify. But, I don’t recommend it. Unlike Shopify that’s super excited and helpful with new dropshipping businesses, eBay is growing more and more against them. Here are the sticking points for me:

  • Your store’s reputation is on the line — eBay is not forgiving and will downgrade accounts with reports of slow shipping
  • You’re probably not the only one selling that item
  • Your business case isn’t clear — why should someone buy that item from you, just another eBay store?
  • eBay has been cracking down on dropshippers and resellers, asking for proof of having the item in possession and freezing your store until you send in that proof. Proof could be a photo of your ID card with the item — not a photo of the item from a different listing. See this article from eSellerCafe.com for more on eBay Aggressively Banning Drop Shipping / Arbitrage Accounts.

If you do want to build your dropshipping business with eBay, I’d spend a few weeks or months in the seller forums to understand the specific risks and challenges of dropshipping on eBay.

How to start a dropshipping company

1. Find items to sell

Find your niche.

There’s lots of chatter on the internet about finding your dropshipping niche, but this is just a trendy buzzword for product-market fit: are there people who want to buy your product? From you?

If not, you won’t have a successful business.

You’ll have the most success dropshipping a product if there’s an audience that wants to buy it and doesn’t have an easy way to access it. That’s where you come in.

Some ways to find your niche: brainstorm rabid fan groups or audiences with a common need or interest (dog lovers, anime fans, parents who love to dress up their kids in matching outfits, sailors, very tall people, people who love 90s throwback tees). These are purchase-ready populations looking to love and buy things that they’re interested in.

See what’s trending on Facebook.

Doing a quick search of a phrase like “Get yours here” or “Buy now” and look at the videos featuring items for sale that are getting traction. This can give you a sense of which products are interesting people on Facebook right now. Look for a high number of views in a short period of time, then search for the item at a dropship supplier like Oberlo or AliExpress. Consider the price-point of the item in the video and the assets you can create for it. Can you replicate — or improve on — the current trending video? If so, you may have an item worth dropshipping.

Don’t sell anything dangerous or copyrighted.

If you’re a beginner, don’t start with something that goes in or on a person’s body. If you do not know the quality and source of the ingredients, and something goes wrong, do you have coverage for that liability?

Also, if there’s a celebrity or character from a movie franchise on the item, it could get you in trouble. Steer clear of mice with big round ears.

Look at seller’s reviews and order a test product.

How long has the seller been selling? What feedback have they been getting. When you order a test product, does it meet your expectations? What do you need to tell your customers so they’ll be happy when they receive the product?

Consider dropshipping only some items.

Just because you’re dropshipping some things doesn’t mean you need to dropship everything. Perhaps it makes sense to use dropshipping for large, bulky, high-priced niche items.

Say, for example, you have an online store that sells nautical gear. You may want to personally store and ship some items, but dropship the anchors. For items like this, your customers may also be more accommodating to longer shipping times since it’s a large and more considered purchase. Same goes for home goods: perhaps you keep small items in stock, but dropship the couches. You can increase your inventory breadth very simply this way.

Go directly to a supplier and build a dropshipping relationship with them.

This is a killer plan: there’s guaranteed to be less competition. You’re basically creating a new audience for an under-marketed product that’s not getting seen by a ready-to-buy audience. If you use a database, every single other subscriber is using that same database.

2. Nail the basics

Invest in a good domain name.

We buy all our domain names from Domain.com. (You can read our full review on the best domain registrars.)

Set up your website.

If you go with Shopify, you’ll be up in minutes. Lots of dropshippers recommend the Shopify Brooklyn theme with a good font choice. You can also use another ecommerce option. Here’s our review on the best ecommerce platforms, if you’re interested in exploring.

Get a professional logo.

You can get one for a reasonable price (and no design expertise) with 99Designs. See my post about how to get your first brand identity on a budget for more details and how to run a logo design contest.

Use a professional email address.

It should be a sensible start (help@, support@) with your own domain name. I recommend getting G Suite for $5 a month per user. There’s nothing to trust about emailing a customer service that’s at yahoo.com or gmail.com.

Give your customer strong trust signals.

You can do this with high quality photos and unique item copy, a real and robust About Us page, and thoughtfully using things like discounted prices and pop-ups.

Ask yourself: Would I buy from this store? Would I feel comfortable suggesting it to a friend or family member? You’ll need some trust logos and some FAQs at minimum.

Set shipping time expectations.

Most dropshipped items aren’t going to get to the customer very quickly — and in world where Amazon Prime has set the standard at two days, that means dropshipments of 30 days feel extremely slow. If you don’t prepare your customers they’ll be very unhappy. We’ve seen very straightforward copy, like: All our items ship directly from our suppliers in China. Shipments are processed the day of your order and arrive in 25–30 days.

Make sure your orders go through.

Bundle credit card orders so your bank doesn’t cancel your numerous orders. Let your bank know what types of orders and in what quantities you’ll be placing, so they’re not flagged as fraudulent. There is no pain so rich as having to reorder orders you’ve placed. (You do have a business credit card, right?)

Prepare for returns and cancellations.

How will you deal with unhappy customers? What’s your return policy and how will you chargeback customer payments? Will returned items be shipped to you, or to your distributor? How will that work? Like with anything in business, it’s important to set it all up from day one like it’ll be a huge success.

Set aside money to pay taxes.

If you’re using Shopify as your payment gateway, once you get to a certain sales threshold, Shopify will automatically report your sales to the government. You’ll want to make sure you have money available to pay applicable taxes. We also recommend getting an accountant and a lawyer (we’ve heard good things about UpCounsel and LegalZoom) and setting up Quicken.

3. Differentiate yourself

Make your store listings and ads unique.

Remember, if you can quickly and easily set up a dropshipping order for a specific product, it’s likely another store will be able to do the same. You will need to find an edge: why would someone order from you, or find your store selling the product, and not your competitor?

Take your own pictures. Write your own copy. Shoot unique social videos. Really put thought into how to best convey the product and why a person would want it: What problems does it solve? Can it make them feel joy?

Import user reviews.

If you’re using AliExpress, you can import the user reviews. No one likes being the first to buy something.

Consider offering free shipping.

Do all orders have free shipping or only when a certain order spend is hit? What threshold or minimum spend works best?

I do not recommend offering “Free products — you pay shipping.” Many customers would rather know the price up-front than go through a purchase flow that says $0 the whole way through and then slaps on a $15 shipping charge. It’s 2019 and the norm is free 2-day shipping with Prime. People are catching on and aren’t happy about it. Read more from The Daily Beast in Instagram Influencers Dupe Their Fans With ‘Free’ Products.

Market your store.

Make sure people know about your store. This can be through word of mouth, social media ads, viral memes, influencer programs, SEO, a newsletter. You’re going to need visitors to make sales.

4. Iterate iterate iterate

Use ads to test and gather data.

We’re assuming that you’ll be buying ads. If you do, buy and use the data to test what’s working. What gets traction? Double down on it. What doesn’t? Trash it. This may lead you to changing your products, your ad style, your audience. Following the early traction means you head toward what’s working and away from what’s not.

Analyze your sales.

What’s selling well? What’s not selling at all? Is there any common theme in the items? Replicate what you can. Stop what’s not working.

Dropshipping vocabulary

Arbitrage – The simultaneous buying and selling of an item to take advantage of a difference in price for the same asset. Say there’s a board game for sale at Walmart for $20, but the lowest price on Amazon is $45. Arbitrage is listing the game for sale on Amazon and buying the Walmart game. For every sale you make on Amazon, you take advantage of a $25 price difference. If your arbitrage is online to online, with free shipping, the math suggests you could simply sell on one site, buy and ship from the other, and pocket all the profit. This does not take into account any hiccups: returns, merchandise not accurate, merchandise no longer in stock, price changes in either market, etc.

Dropshipping (DS) – The supply chain system in which a seller does not keep items in stock, but rather transfers orders directly to a manufacturer, supplier, or wholesaler who ships the item directly to the consumer.

Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) – Some sellers set a floor to how low you can advertise or display your product for sale. This is not the same as the price you can sell it for. So, the MAP price does not take into account coupon codes or sales, or other tricks like offering a gift card with a purchase, offering rebates, or doing things like showing an even lower price in the cart.

Dropshipping examples and press

You may have seen the posts we’ve seen — the ones about people starting dropshipping businesses and raking in the sales. We’re talking five-figures in a single day, six-figures every month. What is this magic sauce, we wonder.

The magic sauce is the same sauce as any other business: it’s a math equation based on margins. How big are your margins? How big is your customer base? What’s the conversion rate? How stiff is the competition?

Welcome to a little-known corner of the e-commerce world, where small entrepreneurs use social-media ads and hip virtual storefronts to entice people into buying products listed on online marketplaces such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s AliExpress.

The process often involves online storefronts transferring customer details to an AliExpress seller, which ships the goods directly to the customer; the storefront bills the customer. Called dropshipping, it is a twist on a fulfillment technique that major online retailers also use to send goods directly from their manufacturers to the customer.

The entrepreneur profits by charging a high markup, betting shoppers are unlikely to stumble upon the less-expensive goods on a marketplace site. AliExpress is the most popular such marketplace, but some entrepreneurs order from sellers on other marketplace sites like Amazon.

—“The Mystery of the $70 Hoodie That’s All Over Facebook,” Wall Street Journal

The mystery of the $70 hoodie is also not a mystery: it’s a one-time sale that’s not going to turn into repeat business. It’s a simple equation:

high price + low product quality + poor customer experience = repeat business

Dropshipping seemed cool because it made starting an eCommerce seem easy: I didn’t need to buy products in advance; I didn’t need to have space to hold them, and it didn’t require extra time and effort to ship the orders myself. Dropshipping does have disadvantages, but it really appealed to me, so I continued my online search.

There are numerous ready-to-use eCommerce platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce or Squarespace. Most of them start at around $20 per month, which seemed like a good deal for a first-time entrepreneur like myself.

It took me two days to set up the store the way that I wanted it to look. Shopify is totally non-programmer friendly. All you need to do is open an account, select a look for your store, and that’s it – you’re ready to sell.

When I set up my store, I had no definite idea of what I should sell. I wasn’t sure if I should pick a product I was passionate about or just a random product I was able to find in dropshipping databases like WholesaleDirect.com or the like.

“This Guy Made $12K In One Month While Working Full-Time,” Huffington Post

“This guy” is Justin Wong, and he made his business work by studying Instagram marketing, set up affiliate partnerships with influencers, and matched his product with his marketing technique. And, he’s not confused about the pros and cons of that marketing strategy: when the posts age on a influencers feed, his sales go down.

My name is Jacky Chou. With my partner, Albert Liu (albeliu on Reddit), we launched a home decor dropshipping site that went from negative 3k to 250k a month in 8 months at 30-40% margins. We’re both first generation Asian-Canadians who moved from Vancouver to Berlin to work in marketing.

We started our dropshipping store as a ‘practice what you preach’ case study, as we’re both working as digital marketing consultants (Albert as a freelance Facebook consultant and I’m a founder of an SEO agency, Indexsy).

— “We made 250k USD last month with our dropshipping side hustle. Oberlo / Shopify reached out to us to do a success story. AMA!,” Reddit

Further reading



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The Best Dedicated Hosting Plans

Want to jump straight to the answer? The best dedicated hosting plan for most people is definitely BlueHost.

Choosing the best web hosting provider is a crucial step for website owners. Your hosting service and plan will have a major impact on the performance of your website.

But with so many options to choose from, it can seem complicated.

A dedicated server might be right for you. That means your website will have its own server on which it will be hosted. 

Dedicated server plans are not created equally. Eery website has unique needs as well. The best dedicated server plan for one website, might not be the best option for you. That was my inspiration for creating this guide.

The truth is, there are lots of amazing dedicated server plans out there. It would be irresponsible and impractical for me to name just one as the best (although if I had to pick just one it would be BlueHost).

Instead, I’ve narrowed down the best dedicated servers with every type of website in mind. So no matter what you’re looking for, I’m confident you can find it on this list.

Top 8 Best Dedicated Hosting Plans for 2020

  • Bluehost — Best Overall Dedicated Hosting Plan
  • SiteGround — Best Support for Dedicated Hosting Plan
  • HostGator — Most Reliable Dedicated Hosting Plan
  • A2 Hosting — Fastest Dedicated Hosting Plan
  • Media Temple — Best Dedicated Hosting Plan for Enterprises and Resellers
  • Liquid Web — Best Add-On Bundle Packages for Dedicated Hosting Plan
  • AccuWeb & Hostwinds — Best Cheap Dedicated Hosting Plan Plans

Read on to learn more about each of my top picks for the best dedicated hosting providers for 2020.

Reviews of the Best Dedicated Server Providers and Dedicated Hosting Plans

Now that you have a better understanding of dedicated hosting, it’s time to dive into the best plans on the market today. We always keep this list refreshed, so you can be sure that the information is accurate and up to date.

Bluehost – Best Overall Dedicated Hosting Plan

Normally starts at $119.99/month
Free domain and SSL certificate
Tuned for optimum performance
30-day money back guarantee
Get up to 63% off

Bluehost offers the best dedicated hosting plan of anyone out there.

That’s why they’re an industry leader in web hosting. Their dedicated hosting plans are some of the most cost-effective options that you’ll find.

Bluehost gives you the best value while still providing exceptional service.

There are three dedicated server plans for you to choose from. Here are some of the highlights of each one:

Standard Plan

  • Pricing starts at $79.99 per month (renews at $119.99).
  • 500 GB of storage.
  • 4 GB of RAM.
  • 5 TB of bandwidth.
  • 3 IP addresses.

Enhanced Plan

  • Pricing starts at $99.99 per month (renews at $159.99).
  • 1 TB of storage.
  • 8 GB of RAM.
  • 10 TB of bandwidth.
  • 4 IP addresses.

Premium Plan

  • Pricing starts at $119.99 per month (renews at $209).
  • 1 TB of storage.
  • 16 GB of RAM.
  • 15 TB of bandwidth.
  • 5 IP addresses.

The standard or enhanced plan is more than enough for most websites. However, there’s plenty in the premium plan that is worth the extra cost for dedicated hosting.

All dedicated hosting plans from Bluehost come with a free SSL certificate, free domain for one year, and 24/7 customer support.

For those of you who are more advanced and want to make custom installations to your server, Bluehost gives you full root access as well.

I doubt you’ll need it, but Bluehost offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. So you can always back out in the first month if you change your mind.

Get up to 63% off at Bluehost

SiteGround – Best Support for Dedicated Hosting Plan

SiteGround

In addition to the quality and reliability of their server features, SiteGround makes our list because they have exceptional customer support.

They’re quick to respond and they’re incredibly knowledgable. This makes it ideal for relatively smaller sites that want to transition to a dedicated server.

Easy access to friendly support is crucial during this process. That’s why they’re ranked so highly.

There are three dedicated server plans for you to choose from:

Entry Server

  • $269 per month.
  • 8 MB of CPU cache.
  • 16 GB of DDR3 RAM.
  • 480 GB of SSD.
  • 10 TB of bandwidth.

Power Server

  • $349 per month.
  • 8 MB of CPU cache.
  • 32 GB of DDR3 RAM.
  • 960 GB of SSD.
  • 10 TB of Bandwidth.

Super Power Server

  • $729 per month.
  • 15 MB of CPU cache.
  • 64 GB of DDR3 RAM.
  • 2 x 960 GB of SSD in RAID1.
  • 10 TB of Bandwidth.

All dedicated hosting plans from SiteGround are fully managed. They set up your server, keep its software up to date, and monitor the server 24/7. They offer instant help if any issues come up.

While the Entry Server isn’t cheap, it still offers a good amount of bandwidth, RAM, and speed for an entry-level plan. The storage is a bit on the low side, which makes the Power Server my top pick of the three.

With the Super Power Server priced at more than double the monthly rate of the Power Server, it’s not likely that most websites will need that much storage.

Learn More at SiteGround

HostGator – Most Reliable Dedicated Hosting Plan

HostGator

HostGator is arguably the most well-known web hosting provider on the market today. They have exceptional uptime rates, also making them one of the most reliable web hosts you can choose.

However, their loading speeds fall a bit short of industry averages.

With that said, the dedicated server plans offered by HostGator are definitely ones that you should take into consideration, especially if you’re looking for a more affordable option.

  • Value Server — $118.99 per month
  • Power Server — $138.99 per month
  • Enterprise Server — $148.99 per month

If you compare that to the other plans we’ve looked at so far, HostGator is priced just slightly above Bluehost, but significantly lower than SiteGround.

So for those of you who are looking for a dedicated server in that low-to-mid price range, HostGator fits the bill.

The HostGator dedicated server plans offer 8 GB, 16 GB, and 30 GB of RAM, respectively. If you compare that to the other plans we’ve reviewed, it’s a great value for the price.

HostGator has unmetered bandwidth for all dedicated servers, which is another added bonus.

Overall, if you want a dedicated server that’s a step above the lower pricing tiers while still delivering exceptional uptime and quality customer support, HostGator has you covered.

Get up to 48% off at HostGator

A2 Hosting – Fastest Dedicated Hosting Plan

A2 Hosting isn’t as well known as some of the other web hosting providers on our list. But they still offer some of the best dedicated servers on the market today.

If you want blazing fast speed, look no further than A2 Hosting.

In addition to the great performance of their hardware, A2 Hosting has a wide range of hosting options for you to choose from. This can’t be said for every other provider out there.

Here’s an overview of the pricing, features, and benefits of their dedicated hosting plans.

A2 Hosting

As you can see, A2 Hosting has a dedicated server plan for everyone. They offer unmanaged hosting and fully managed hosting options at an affordable rate.

Their Core Flex Server is fully managed and still provides root access to website owners who want that added level of customization.

I always like to recommend products and services from companies that stand behind what they’re selling. That’s why it’s always nice to see a web hosting providers offer something like a 30-day money-back guarantee.

A2 Hosting takes that promise to an entirely new level with their anytime money-back guarantee.

Now, there are definitely some stipulations here. I’m sure you can’t use the service for a year and then call and ask for a refund. According to their site, accounts canceled within 30 days of use will get a full refund.

Accounts canceled after 30 days will be refunded a prorated amount of the unused service. There are even stipulations about how refunds will be issued for requests after 120 days.

While I’m not anticipating that you’ll want to cancel your plan, it’s nice to know that it’s an option and you’re not locked in if you’re unhappy.

Overall, A2 Hosting offers competitive pricing, service, support, and performance for their dedicated servers.

Get up to 33% off at A2 Hosting

Media Temple – Best Dedicated Hosting Plan for Enterprises and Resellers

Media Temple

As I said earlier, dedicated hosting plans are not for everyone. With that said, Media Temple is not even for everyone who knows they want a dedicated server.

With plans starting at $2,000 per month, Media Temple dedicated hosting plans are made specifically for enterprise-level hosting.

So even if your small business website generates tons of monthly traffic, you should look elsewhere for a dedicated server.

Media Temple offers both managed hosting and self-managed hosting plans, depending on how much control you want over your servers.

With a whopping 128 GB of RAM, you’ll be able to run complex tasks on your site. Dynamic content, CMS, and high volumes of traffic won’t slow you down.

These dedicated server plans are best for enterprises who plan on reselling. You’ll have enough power and control to rent space your clients on one server.

If you want to save some money, Media Temple offers discounted rates for long-term contracts.

Annual plans start at $20,000, which is essentially two months free compared to the month-to-month rate. Two-year contacts and three-year contracts are priced at $38,000 and $54,000, respectively.

Again, these dedicated servers are not for everyone. But for those of you who have agencies and plan to resell your server space, this will be your best choice.

Learn More at Media Temple

Liquid Web – Best Add-On Bundle Packages for Dedicated Hosting Plans

Liquid Web

Liquid Web is another lesser-known web hosting provider. But their servers, performance, and support earn them a top spot on our list.

Pricing for these hosting plans falls within the same range as SiteGround. So it’s a great choice for those of you who are looking for a higher-end plan, without breaking the bank on unnecessary features.

Here’s an overview of the dedicated hosting plans offered by Liquid Web.

Intel Xeon 1230 v6

  • Starting at $199 per month.
  • 16 GB of RAM.
  • 5 TB of Bandwidth.
  • 2 x 240 GB of SSD primary disk.

Intel Xeon Silver 4108

  • Starting at $299 per month ($359 per month for dual CPU).
  • 32 GB of RAM.
  • 8 TB of Bandwidth.
  • 2 x 480 GB of SSD primary disk.

Intel Xeon Gold 6130

  • Starting at $499 per month ($699 per month for dual CPU).
  • 32 GB of RAM.
  • 8 TB of Bandwidth
  • 2 x 480 GB of SSD primary disk.

As you can see, there isn’t an upgrade in terms of storage or bandwidth from the Silver to Gold server plans. The biggest difference is that the Gold server has 16 cores, while the Silver server only has 8.

The Gold server can be used for big databases, large SaaS companies, and virtualization on your website.

If you’re going to use Liquid Web for dedicated hosting, I strongly recommend that you take advantage of their bundle pricing. Take a look at the value bundles and compare it to the specs that I’ve listed above.

As you can see, you get significant upgrades without spending too much more money. The value packs include all of the recommended add-ons at a more reasonable price than purchasing them individually.

Liquid Web Plans

So if you were willing to spend the $499 on the Gold package, you can double the RAM and bandwidth for just another $50 per month. It’s well worth it.

All Liquid Web dedicated servers include:

  • CloudFlare CDN
  • Root access
  • Dedicated IP address
  • Standard DDoS protection
  • IPMI access
  • Business-grade SSD storage

Another great benefit of Liquid Web is their transparency. Plans are month-to-month and rates won’t increase upon renewal.

Click here and use coupon code QUICKSPROUT to get 40% off 2 months of any Liquid Web hosting plan.

Get up to 40% off at Liquid Web

Best Cheap Dedicated Hosting Plans

There are a few more cost-effective hosting plans that are worth considering if you’re looking for a great rate. While these options are suitable, they each fall short in certain areas, which is why I grouped them in a category of their own.

AccuWeb Hosting

The dedicated hosting plans offered by AccuWeb start at just $90 per month, which is a great rate for a quality service.

You’ll get a server in a location that’s close to where you are based. AccuWeb has servers located in the US, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the UK, and other areas throughout the globe.

Accuweb

For those of you who like lots of options, AccuWeb has the most dedicated server choices on our list, by far.

There are six different single-processor dedicated servers that you can configure, and nine dual-processor dedicated servers. That’s 15 different options!

While pricing for some of these configurations starts at more than $300 per month, the entry-level server pricing at just $90 per month is best for those of you looking at low-cost options in this category.

I consider AccuWeb Hosting a “cheap” dedicated server because their uptimes and loading speeds are inconsistent. So you’ll have to weigh the cost compared to the performance when making your decision.

Learn More at AccuWeb

Hostwinds

HostWinds

Founded in 2010, Hostwinds is another lesser-known option on the market. They have dedicated server plans starting at just $79.50 per month as an introductory offer.

I like Hostwinds because their dedicated server plans are super easy to customize. Directly on their website, you can configure things like:

  • Server drives
  • RAM
  • RAID
  • Operating system
  • Bandwidth
  • IP Addresses

All dedicated servers are fully managed, have nightly backups, and 24/7 server monitoring.

Similar to AccuWeb, Hostwinds doesn’t have the best uptime and loading speeds. But with that said, it’s still a suitable option to consider for low-cost dedicated hosting.

Learn More at Hostwinds

What is dedicated hosting?

As the name implies, dedicated hosting plans provide a dedicated server to a single client. This means that you won’t be sharing your server resources with other websites.

Best Dedicated Hosting Plans

You don’t get this benefit with a shared, VPS, or cloud hosting plan.

Dedicated servers are essentially the top of the line in web hosting. Since you won’t be sharing resources like RAM, CPU output, and bandwidth, you can expect superior performance on your website.

Who is dedicated hosting for?

Dedicated servers are not for everyone. So before you proceed and buy one of these plans, make sure that you’re in the right place.

A dedicated hosting plan is ideal for larger organizations or websites with high volumes of traffic.

If you own a local restaurant or small business with just a few thousand visitors per month, you don’t need a dedicated server.

However, if your website has upwards of 50,000 or 100,000+ visitors per month, you should consider a dedicated hosting plan. Dedicated servers make it easy for you to scale your website as well.

Traffic alone isn’t the only factor that should be taken into consideration. There are other types of services, such as cloud hosting, that can accommodate scalable site traffic.

Dedicated hosting plans are for businesses that want complete customization and flexibility of their server functions. That’s why large ecommerce businesses and enterprises typically choose a dedicated server.

Websites that require strict security, such as ones that involve medical data or financial information should be using a dedicated server.

Finally, dedicated servers are for websites that can afford it. While most of you can find some great cost-effective options, there are dedicated plans out there starting at $1,000 or $2,000 per month.

Conclusion

When it comes to dedicated servers, there is no shortage of options to choose from. But rather than scouring the web and searching through dozens of hosting providers, I’m confident that you can find what you’re looking for in this guide.

So what’s the best dedicated hosting plan? It depends on what you’re looking for.

My guide has something for everyone. What’s best for you might not be best for everyone else.

At the end of the day, the decision is yours. You’ll need to compare the plans to determine what’s the best value for the features your website needs.

Here’s a quick summary of the best plans to point you in the right direction.

Compare the Best Dedicated Hosting Plans for 2020



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