There are two thing that might prevent you from starting an e-commerce business, storage problems, and upfront costs.

Let's explore drop shipping as a possible work around.

Just what is drop shipping?

Drop shipping is simple an agreement with a supplier, to send merchandise directly to a customer for you, with out you ever handling it.

The merchant orders the product for his customer after receiving the payment.

The drop shipper will send the end user the merchandise with the return addresses being that of the seller.

The seller never has to handle or store the product as it is sent from the supplier to the buyer.

The merchant doesn't have to spend time packaging and shipping.

Are you ready to start an online business?

Here are a few things you need to do.

You will need a drop shipper that supplies the things that you are going to promote. Your best resource to find a supplier is the Internet. In your search engine search bar type the product name plus drop shipper. You can also search for wholesale directories. In minutes you will have a big long list of products to choose from. There are a couple of things to look for in your new supplier.

The drop shipping service wont be free, but if there are monthly fees make sure that they are minimal. A supplier may ask that you fund an account up front, most will let you pay as you place orders.

Be warned the Internet is full of fake drop shipping companies designed to only set you up for one scam after another It pays to choose a drop shipper through one of the legitimate directories such as saleHoo, or check a distributor out yourself through the BBB.

Now that you have access to so many products, take full advantage and list them all on your site. Incorporating attractive images and lengthy descriptions (reworded) from the drop shipper's catalog further enhance the chances of being listed in the search engines.

It won't take long after you start to have your own e commerce site up and running.

When you make a sale, the last part of the process is to simply place your customer's order with the drop shipper.

Almost always, your drop shipping vendor will have a store front not unlike yours. You just simply place your customers order.

Some parting tips for you:

1) You want to keep the prices as low as you can to start to build a list of people you can sell to again.

2) The drop shipper you choose may offer you a premade e-store, resist this temptation because the content will be duplicated across the web giving you no advantage with the search engines.

3) I highly recommend and 800 umber displayed on your site. I just let the calls go to a voice mail, the 800 number is more for putting the customer at ease about contacting you if they have problems.

4) Search for and apply for trust seals for your site, it seriously helps conversions.

5) I can't emphasis enough how valuable the list of customer, don't be afraid to sell to your list.

Everyone loves a great deal! Many people spend quite a bit of time searching for good deals on the items that they want and need - and when they find those deals, they experience a certain amount of satisfaction. These people typically haunt garage sales, stores that are holding sales, wholesale warehouses, flea markets, and especially online and offline auctions. With the incredible number of auctions that are constantly going on at eBay, it can be difficult to find the items you want, at the price you want to pay. But it isn't impossible to find great deals!

There are steps you can take to ensure that you are getting a great deal on the items you purchase through eBay. In fact, these same steps will also help to protect you against fraud. Participating in online auctions is a great deal of fun, but you must use caution as well. This caution entails doing your research before you place any bids.

Start with the auction in question. Make sure that you read every word of the description and the auction details. You can never have too much information - especially if that information is about an individual that you may be doing business with. Pay special attention to what the description and auction details do not say. For instance, is a guarantee mentioned? Is the item new? Is it authentic? Is there proof of authenticity? Look for auctions that provide the right information - and the right amount of information. Avoid those that do not.

Who will pay the shipping and handling costs? Often, the buyer pays these costs, and sometimes, the seller tries to charge more than the actual shipping and handling costs are. Beware of high shipping costs, especially for items that will be auctioned off at a very low price. Also note when the item is supposed to ship after the bidding has ended. Depending on what you are trying to purchase the item for, it may not arrive in time.

Don't make the mistake of bidding on an item simply because it is a 'good deal.' It is only a good deal for you if the item is something that you really want or need. Many people simply bid for the sake of bidding - or winning - without having any real need or desire for the item in question. Before bidding on items that you do want or need, check prices around the Internet and the prices available from offline sources as well. Just because it is on eBay does not guarantee that it is the cheapest price available!

Finally, learn more about the seller. Can you trust them? What is their rating? Read their feedback page! Failure to learn more about the seller can be costly. Not everyone is as honest as you are - and the seller may be trying to take advantage of people that simply don't know enough to find out more about them. Sometimes scammers make their auctions sound like really great deals. Beware of prices that seem extremely low!