By Brad Beiermann Ph.D., Hienote Inc.

Do you remember the last time you bought a product and you were unhappy with the quality of the product? How did you feel as you looked at it? Disappointed? This sometimes happens with products bought online. In fact, here is the scenario:

The customer examines the picture and description of a product found on an online store.

The product looks greats.

The product description sounds good.

The price is right.

They hit "Add To Cart" and then click on the "Checkout" button.

They enter their payment information.

The product is now on its way to their doorstep.

The product arrives.

They open the packaging.

The product is a piece of junk.

They call to return the product and ask for a refund.

If you are the online retailer of the product, you might be stunned and ask, "What is wrong with the product?" The customer starts to describe a product that is poorly made and packaged. If you are like many stockless online retailers of a product, you may have never seen the products you sell. So, now your customers are seeing the products before you have seen them. They are giving you the quality report...and in this scenario it is not a good one. As an online retailer, do you want to be in this position? All together now...No!

So, let's think about what we should be doing.

Do you know what you are selling?

As an online retailer, it is important to have some knowledge about the products you sell. Yet, many folks who have an online store have never seen the products they sell in person. They most likely have seen a picture with a description, and that is about as far as they go into their product research. All is fine until the day an unhappy customer calls for a refund on their purchase. The customer expected quality, and got a lemon. Sadly, the online store owner ends up learning about their products from their angry customers. If you are an online store owner, there are three best practice rules you should abide by:

RULE #1. Order a sample product from the wholesale company you plan to retail.

If the sample product is too expensive or bulky for you to order, then

RULE #2. Ask to speak with someone who has purchased the product from them.

If you cannot find someone who has used their product, then

RULE #3. If the wholesale company will be attending a trade show in your neck of the woods, go see them at the show.

Again, it is important to know about what you are selling. By following these three simple rules you can increase your chances of having a much more satisfied customer base. At the same time you can reduce the possibility of a customer returning a product due to poor craftsmanship and quality.

Go to the show!

If you are an online retailer, you should make an effort to go to industry trade shows to learn about the wholesale company you might select. This gives you a chance to see their sample of products first hand. There is a lot of information revealed in face-to-face meetings at trade shows you simply would not get over the phone or find on the Web. Our company, Hienote Inc. offers a directory of wholesale companies who offer drop shipping services. Many of the wholesale drop shipping companies in our directory are found by us attending trade shows and examining their products. Many online store owners do not have the time or money to attend a trade show. So, we research the trade shows for them and find various wholesale products for their online store. As you can imagine, we see thousands of products at the shows we attend. We also ask a lot of questions to the wholesale companies about their products and drop shipping programs.