I scanned the blogosphere and various Web sites for tips on choosing drop shippers and then managing those relationships. I found a lot of good info, and thought you all could use it as well.

Before jumping into a drop ship model – sure, it's enticing if you consider the benefits of carrying little or no inventory; besides there are gazillions of so-called drop ship providers to choose from! – make sure you understand all angles.

Today’s Internet savvy consumer has any number of options to find, compare, price and buy products, from cars to clothes to computers and more. It’s this shopping smorgasbord, and the online computing that enables it, that is transforming buying habits. But in order to capture wallet share of the new consumer, retailers need to rethink and refine online sales functions, order fulfillment and distribution models and visibility into and management of their inventory and supply chain processes.