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-1afa3.jpg "Blind Dropshipping Explained: Everything you need to know")
Blind dropshipping is a clever way to hide any marketing material that you do not wish your customers to see. Many sellers practice a selling method known as a blind drop ship. In this article, we will see what blind dropshipping is, how it works, its cons, pros and why many sellers blind drop ship?
Blind drop shipping refers to a shipper who ships the product directly, from the supplier to the customer while not showing the identity of the supplier anywhere, including the invoice attached to the product. The bill only shows the name and address of the shipper and does not contain any information about the supplier.
For blind drop ship, the shipper must prepay the blind shipping service as well as the shipment fee before the product pickup.
Blind drop shipping is an important shipping method used by millions of shippers. However, many still come up with the question, ‘why?’
We would elaborate on its importance using a real-life example. Imagine yourself as a store owner. A customer visits your online store and purchases an item worth $10. Upon opening their parcel, the price they see on the invoice is $3. How will they react to it?
First of all, they would be surprised. After a while, they will get angry over you charging thrice of what the original cost is. They might even leave you a bad review stating that your prices are high. Consequently, you get a bad reputation as a shipper and your store gets a bad reputation due to the bad review.
What’s the result? An unhappy, angry, and long-lost customer. Do not forget a long PayPal dispute and an even longer customer complaint.
You might see where this is going. Do you realize your mistake now? You did not include the invoice of your customer but included the invoice subject to you and your supplier. Your customer did not see the price he paid but saw what you paid to get the product.
By default, most of the novice and amateur shippers include the original invoice in the packaging that in return, drives a lot of customers mad and angry. They feel sad at the fact that they could have paid the supplier and got the product at a very low price as compared to what they paid you.
In essence, the customer is lost and he assumed you to be a crook. As per customers’ behavior, we were able to deduce that they are quick to label a shipper a crook, especially if they see the original invoice and do not know much about him.
Generally, people do not care about what they have paid for the product unless they see the price differences. The only way they can know is when you attach the original invoice on the packaging by default.
You cannot control what’s inside of the package. However, you can control what’s on the outside of the package- the packing slip.
A typical packing slip includes the detail about the products you have sold to your customers. It is in the form of a document and pasted on the package to tell the shipper that the package has been released from the inventory and will be arriving at any moment.
However, a blind drop ship packing slip is specifically designed for blind dropshipping. It does not include any information about the supplier or the company that manufactured the product.
To blind drop ship, the first step is to switch to a blind drop ship packing slip. You can ask your wholesaler or the supplier to provide you the service. Usually, it’s not that hard and sometimes, free of cost if you have already paid the shipping fee in advance.
The process to start a blind drop ship depends on the drop shipping platforms. However, the first step is to ask your supplier if he can assist in blind dropshipping.
Usually, Shopify shippers have the option to leave a message to the suppliers after they have placed an order with them. You can request to turn the product into a blind drop ship product or advise them to not include the invoice or any details that might lead to the revelation of the original price of the product.
Another way to run a blind dropshipping store is to get help from a third-party shipping service provider. However, you should only opt for this if you have not come to an agreement with your supplier about blind dropshipping products. Paying a third-party shipping company can be costly, sometimes.
All you have to do is provide the shipping company with the company’s operating name or the legal store name. They might also need your Logo in PNG. Or JPG. Format. The information on the original packing slip will go blind and only your information will be provided to your customers.
Hiring a third-party shipping company also helps in branding your business.
If you are a novice shipper, looking to turn your Shopify store into a lucrative business and to market it, the answer is definitely, YES. The blind drop ship method prevents the supplier to sell the product directly to your customers. Therefore, your business depends on customers buying from you and not from the vendor.
However, as a novice shipper, you should maintain a healthy working relationship with your suppliers. Respect the supplier’s opinion and ask if they can assist in blind dropshipping. Only then can you leverage a blind dropship store.
Blind drop shipping is an excellent opportunity for shippers who are currently dealing with branding and inventory issues. With the right approach in blind dropshipping, not only can you market your business but expand it while working together with your suppliers.
The beauty of dropshipping is teaming up even if the people are continents away. So, step up your e-commerce game and switch to blind dropshipping for a lucrative change.
