Is Drop Shipping for You?

Tuesday September 16, 2008 • Leave a Comment 

September 16, 2008
Issue 213

3woft.gifMany basketeers have inquired about adding drop shipping to their gift basket businesses.

At one time I could only give limited information about where to find drop shippers. But after extensive research I have created an online directory Gift Basket Drop Ship Companies that will answer your questions about drop shipping. It also lists over 30 USA and Canadian drop shippers and their website links.

In a typical retail transaction there are two parties involved: the retailer and the customer.
Dropshipping introduces a third party to the retail transaction: the retailer who takes the order, the drop shipper who actually designs and ships the finished basket and the customer or recipient designated by the customer. Learn more at Gift Basket Drop Ship Companies.

There are a number of advantages to using drop shipping for the gift basket retailer:

1. Minimum financial investment
2. Ability to offer a wide array of gift baskets without having to stock them
3. You make a percentage of the sale without having to create or ship the gift basket.

If this appeals to you, learn about gift basket drop shipping. Only then can you decide if drop shipping is right for you.

Get more information at Gift Basket Drop Ship Companies now.
 

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Design Tips You Can Use

Tuesday September 9, 2008 • Leave a Comment 

September 9, 2008
Issue 212

4.gifThe holidays are stressful enough without being slowed by design problems. Here are some design tips that have helped me and other designers get through the holidays and year-round too.

1. Remove sticky glue residue left by price stickers with Goo Gone. When you buy wholesale products you don’t have this problem, but if you occasionally use retail items, you’ll be glad to know this tip.

2. When the package colors on the contents in your design seem to clash, use ribbon from 3 of the clashing colors in your bow. Suddenly those colors seem to go together.

3. When using glue dots do they stick to your fingers and then seemingly refuse to come off onto the product? I just learned from one of the students at my gift basket class that wearing a plastic food glove will solve this problem. You’ll be able to pick up a glue dot with your gloved finger and place it where it you wish without the oil from your finger ruining its stickiness.

4. If you do hand-deliveries, be sure to carry an emergency design kit in your vehicle. In this kit, include a pair of sharp scissors, curling ribbon, tape and whatever else you think necessary to make a quick repair.

5. Choose a basket or container size that’s small enough to seem overflowing once all the products are in place. Amateurs tend to choose a basket that’s too large for the number of items. 
Introducing our new online directory of wholesale containers!
www.GiftBasketsContainers.com

Perfect resource for gift, floral and gift basket retailersAmazing designers seek unique containers.
Search for just the right container by type, such as baskets, bags, trays, boxes, floral containers and specialty containers. Or search by state to see which container wholesalers are near you.

Either way, you’ll be delighted with the time and energy you save when you can click a link and land on your selected company’s website from our new online directory.



Are You Ready for the Holidays?

Tuesday September 2, 2008 • Leave a Comment 

valentinebag1.gifIssue 211

The fourth quarter is the busiest and most profitable time of the year for gift basket businesses. Being prepared ensures that you enjoy your share of these profits.

Here are three tips to get you started:

1. Contact clients from last holiday season. Send them a copy of the recipients and contact information from last year asking them to revise and update their gift list. This will impress them with your efficiency and make reordering easy and convenient.

2. Give an incentive for ordering early. Some will be motivated by a discount on the total order. Others may prefer free shipping, but I caution you on this one since shipping costs have skyrocketed.

3. Update your website with current holiday photos and enticing headings. Check your e-commerce system to be sure orders go through smoothly.Get more great tips in this article “Are You Up for a Profitable Holiday Season?”



What are You Missing?

Tuesday August 26, 2008 • Leave a Comment 

ewsplash-showfloor.jpgOne of the best pieces of advice I give new gift basket retailers is start where you are. This applies not just to getting your first customers. It also applies to keeping up with trends, replenishing inventory, getting marketing ideas and maintaining your enthusiasm.The more you can use vendors, suppliers and manufacturers near you, the more you save time, money and energy. Ultimately, this means more profits for you. 

One of the best places to find all of these things is at tradeshows. While the major tradeshows seem to take place in January and July, there are hundreds of other gift, beverage and gourmet tradeshows throughout the year where you can benefit, some of them near or in your area. 

If you don’t know about these shows, of course, you can’t participate. So, each day this week I will spotlight a tradeshow on my blog. Not only will you get links to registration, but also a sampling of a few of the exhibitors who will be attending that show.  

Yesterday I spotlighted the Las Vegas Souvenir and Gift Show. Check out which show I spotlight today and the rest of the week. 

Not all suppliers will exhibit at tradeshows, however. I’ve discovered some great sources of baskets, enhancements, shipping supplies within a few miles of my studio. You can too. To learn how, listen to Shirley Frazier and me share simple techniques for finding products in and around your town, on a special audio CD , “How to Find Products In and Around Your State.” 

You can also see what you’ve been missing in your area by searching the tradeshows grouped by state on my website here. 



You Asked for It

Tuesday August 19, 2008 • Leave a Comment 

A few  months ago I began asking readers to give me feedback about this newsletter in a survey that appears near the bottom of every issue. Here are some of their comments from the survey followed by my responses.

Reader Comment–I’m finding too many links to businesses that have “ready made” gift baskets. I make my own gift baskets and am not interested in “ready made” baskets. I would like to know where to get supplies without having to download your ebook.
 
My Response–All of my ebooks and e-courses are free, so I suspect that this reader is referring to my product directories that give the contact information for as many as hundreds of wholesalers. I created those directories to save my subscribers and visitors tons of time, energy and frustration searching for this information.For those of you who prefer to locate the information on your own, you certainly may do that. To learn where to get supplies without buying my product directories you only need to go to the same sources I researched to get that information:  directories distributed when you attend tradeshows, searches on Google and other search engines, combing through message boards, networking with other gift basket retailers, reading gift basket blogs and visiting the listing of wholesalers in your state. I compiled my product directories over 17 years of being in the gift basket industry.
Reader Comment–I like your newsletter, but I just wish it was longer.My Response–My newsletter was a lot longer in the beginning, but readers requested that I shorten it so they could read it more quickly. For more extensive coverage on the gift basket business, visit my blog and gift basket websites listed near the bottom of each issue.

Reader Comment –I would like to have more experienced gift basket owners tell of their success, and give ideas on how they found clients to make baskets for. Also, prices to charge based on the size of the basket and the contents.My Response–The recent interviews of gift basket owners covered these very issues and appear in my blog. To learn more about pricing your designs, see Price Right for Peerless Profits.

 Reader Comment–Some of the tips in your newsletter are sometimes too general.My Response–Detailed tips are inGift Basket BusinessWorld Blog
The Gift Basket Library
Easy Gift Basket Ideas
Make Gift Baskets Now
Reader Comment–I’d like to see topics on creating an advertising schedule, business plan, and different types of online contest to ENTER TO WIN A GIFT BASKET.My Response–Shirley Frazier, author of How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business and The Gift Basket Design Book, has covered these very well in her many materials, tutorials, DVDs, CDs, websites and blog. I encourage you to invest in the treasure of resources Shirley has provided based on her 18 years of experience. Visit her site now.




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