Drop shipping.... :(

[ukracer]

Is it just me ( or my state of mind) who is getting sick to death of these large shop chains "drop shipping" but no leaving you no way to check stock in store with one click.

I have for example searched for local shops carrying puncture repair kits.
B and M show them as a product. But as they also ship online no way of knowing if they have store stock. (I went last night they had none)

B and Q list them but closer scrutiny show drop shipped only.

The range is the same.

Only bonus is halfords show them in stock. But I would expect that as a specialist cycle outlet. Other stuff I have found like screwfix have a large inventory but a large% is next day delivery to store only.

 

[frank horton]

blame the accountants of this world....
yes it's normal but keeps delivery drivers working....

 

[Craig-SM]

I don't even bother looking on B&Q website now

 

[Craig-SM]

blame the accountants of this world....
yes it's normal but keeps delivery drivers working....

I resent that. Nothing to do with accountants, that's pure sales and marketing

 

[addjunkie]

I resent that. Nothing to do with accountants, that's pure sales and marketing

Stock on shelves is tied up non working capital. So it is more financially efficient to stock say 10 at a central point, and over night to one of 500 depots rather than 1 in each depot.

 

[Craig-SM]

Stock on shelves is tied up non working capital. So it is more financially efficient to stock say 10 at a central point, and over night to one of 500 depots rather than 1 in each depot.

Physical size of store prevents from stocking everything without it being an actual warehouse closed to the public. To compete with the likes of Amazon and other online retailers they become an online store front, so sales not accounting.

 

[ukracer]

Stock on shelves is tied up non working capital. So it is more financially efficient to stock say 10 at a central point, and over night to one of 500 depots rather than 1 in each depot.

But in my case that's simply not true. They could have 2000 at a central depot but I am still not going to buy from them.

However it was more that companies could easily list online stock only with one click. So I don't have to trawl through it .

 

[Nomad]

Drop shipping seemed to become the big thing a few years ago. Before that if Ebay showed a UK seller with stock I would expect delivery in a few days at most.

Now many "UK sellers with stock in UK warehouses" show delivery 4+ weeks, when you dig into their contact details tucked away in the background on the system you find they are based somewhere in the far east.

It makes good business sense as they don't have a fortune tied up in stock but it's frustrating when you're waiting for something and expect it in a couple of days ...

 

[jimbo84]

B&Q at least give you the option to select 1 hour click and collect in the filters so you know it’s in stock at a store or not. The range is useless as a website with all this marketplace rubbish. I generally steer clear of them if I can use a more local indy, even if it costs more.

Generally use toolstation now because they have more stock on the shelves, screwfix is too much next working day apart from a lot of their very cheap stuff, LAP and the likes.

I’m finding I’m going more old school now and valuing using physical shops that keep stock.

 

[m_c]

What the OP is describing, isn't drop shipping.
Drop shipping is where the seller doesn't actually own/hold any stock. They simply market and sell somebody else's stock, who'll more than likely also handle shipping, and the seller's profit is whatever mark-up they can make over what they pay for each item.

What the OP is describing is centrally held stock by the seller, which they ship out when required, although B&Q also operate diy.com as a marketplace for other sellers, but that's still not drop shipping.
There are several reasons retailers don't list individual store stock, but the main one for typical retail outlets will likely come back to it avoiding customers complaining/harassing/abusing staff as "Your website showed it in stock, and I've walked/driven/<whatever mode of transport> halfway around the world to get here and you've not got any, so can you please magic one up, otherwise I'm going to complain to everybody about how rubbish you are as well as make a big scene in the shop, and little jimmy will have to walk/<insert sob story of choice for extra sympathy points>"

 

[JOEPRO]

What the OP is describing, isn't drop shipping.
Drop shipping is where the seller doesn't actually own/hold any stock. They simply market and sell somebody else's stock, who'll more than likely also handle shipping, and the seller's profit is whatever mark-up they can make over what they pay for each item.

Exactly this.

I was caught by a drop shipper on ebay today I ordered an item at £113 then through messaging them they let slip that it'll be here tomorrow as it ships from amazon. I looked on Amazon and sure enough the item was available next day for £107. Hence the ebay seller doesn't hold the stock and is a drop shipper which isnt illegal as I understand it but frowned upon!

 

[JOEPRO]

However I also once one VS a drop shipper.

I ordered a CTEK car battery charger on ebay and after a few days nothing arrived. I contacted the seller and no response. So ebay stepped in and refunded me after this went on for nearly 2 weeks. Then a couple days later a CTEK charger arrives from amazon with a gift note inside with the ebay vendor's name dated a week or so earlier. They were a drop shipper, never admitted it and clearly the Amazon parcel somehow got delayed on its way to me.

I did the honorable thing and kept it - serves the gits right!

 

[ukracer]

What the OP is describing, isn't drop shipping.
Drop shipping is where the seller doesn't actually own/hold any stock. They simply market and sell somebody else's stock, who'll more than likely also handle shipping, and the seller's profit is whatever mark-up they can make over what they pay for each item.

What the OP is describing is centrally held stock by the seller, which they ship out when required, although B&Q also operate diy.com as a marketplace for other sellers, but that's still not drop shipping.
There are several reasons retailers don't list individual store stock, but the main one for typical retail outlets will likely come back to it avoiding customers complaining/harassing/abusing staff as "Your website showed it in stock, and I've walked/driven/<whatever mode of transport> halfway around the world to get here and you've not got any, so can you please magic one up, otherwise I'm going to complain to everybody about how rubbish you are as well as make a big scene in the shop, and little jimmy will have to walk/<insert sob story of choice for extra sympathy points>"

I appreciate it added what you describe for screwfix and the like. But my initial gripe was a drop shipped item.

 

[m_c]

Exactly this.

I was caught by a drop shipper on ebay today I ordered an item at £113 then through messaging them they let slip that it'll be here tomorrow as it ships from amazon. I looked on Amazon and sure enough the item was available next day for £107. Hence the ebay seller doesn't hold the stock and is a drop shipper which isnt illegal as I understand it but frowned upon!

Amazon do fulfilment, so it might not have been simply drop shipping via buying on Amazon, especially considering £5 margin is only going to leave you with a couple quid 'profit' after eBay fees, although I am aware some people do operate that business model.
However having stock held by Amazon is fairly common, with various others drop shipping that stock.

 

[m_c]

I appreciate it added what you describe for screwfix and the like. But my initial gripe was a drop shipped item.
View attachment 505672View attachment 505674View attachment 505673

That's not drop shipping.
That's a marketplace item.
The seller might be drop shipping it, but B&Q aren't selling it, they're simply acting as a marketplace, just like eBay acts as a marketplace for lots of sellers, who may or may not be drop shipping.

 

[ukracer]

That's not drop shipping.
That's a marketplace item.
The seller might be drop shipping it, but B&Q aren't selling it, they're simply acting as a marketplace, just like eBay acts as a marketplace for lots of sellers, who may or may not be drop shipping.

Interesting. That was my interpretation of drop shipping. Advertising items you don't have in your possession? Shipped to you by a third party.

 

[m_c]

Interesting. That was my interpretation of drop shipping. Advertising items you don't have in your possession? Shipped to you by a third party.

It's selling items you don't have in your possession, but B&Q aren't actually selling them, just like eBay aren't actually selling anything, as they're only acting as marketplaces for other sellers in this case.

 

[MattF]

Is it just me

Whatever the question, the answer's: Yes.

 

[Screwdriver]

I set up a drop shipping website many years ago: bitsforbikes.com

You buy an item off my website, I buy that item from Motrax and get them to ship it to you. The key feature being Motrax used to be a motor factor and were not themselves allowed to compete with their own customers by selling directly to the public.

BitsForBikes was very successful, very quickly more than doubling sales every month. Problem was cashflow. Even though there was an average 40% margin (!) I didn't get your money in my hands for a month whereas I had to pay Motrax immediately.

Would have been fixable if my business partner hadn't decided to run off with the money...

 

[ukracer]

I set up a drop shipping website many years ago: bitsforbikes.com

You buy an item off my website, I buy that item from Motrax and get them to ship it to you. The key feature being Motrax used to be a motor factor and were not themselves allowed to compete with their own customers by selling directly to the public.

BitsForBikes was very successful, very quickly more than doubling sales every month. Problem was cashflow. Even though there was an average 40% margin (!) I didn't get your money in my hands for a month whereas I had to pay Motrax immediately.

Would have been fixable if my business partner hadn't decided to run off with the money...

I thought the idea of drop shipping was to alleviate the need to pay before you sold and got the money.