I received a call yesterday from one of their reps about methods of payment. It seems that credit cards, or a debit card are the cheapest ways to pay... however, they asked for a copy of my debit card. I feel this to be a very unusual request. I've had my account compromised in the past with unauthorized use.

I've never been asked for a copy of any credit card before.

You state that you've had experience with this company. Is this a common request from ***EDITED***, or any other supplier you deal with? I would like your opinion on this.

I'll hold off on sending the copy until I hear from you...

I'm not going to recommend you give your card to anyone if you don't feel comfortable. I don't have a credit card on file with this company. I pay for my orders using COD as they arrive at my business. This may be an option for you to discuss with your rep.

Personally, if I decided to use a credit card for payment, I wouldn't have any problem sending a copy to ***EDITED***. They are the second largest dvd wholesaler in the country. I don't know if there is much difference in giving a supplier your credit card number and sending them a copy, other than a copy allows them to verify you actually have the card in your possession. It is most likely a safeguard for them to prevent unauthorized card use.

Another option you can consider is giving them a credit card versus a debit card. If someone makes an unauthorized charge on your debit card, the money is immediately withdrawn from your bank account. It can take months to get this money replaced. You can completely avoid this problem by using a credit card.

Good Luck,

Brent Crouch

I have run into a snag with the big suppliers you have recomended. They want to do a credit check in order to qualify for the "direct to consumer" method of internet sales. For example, ***EDITED*** requires an open credit line of $25,000.00 to do "direct to customer' fullfillment. To be honest, there is no way I will qualify for that. I have been laid off from a job in the past that seriously affected my ability to keep up and my credit rating was damaged. Just recently I had surgery and was on short tern disability and am currently a tad behind. Now I have a good job and can catch up quickly, however, with my initial success on ebay i was hoping and dreaming to corner more of the market that I am in. My store is very small (300+ items) yet I am being very successful.

My question to you is this. What options do people in my situation have in order to have the opportunity to be as successful as I know I can be in this industry? I'm gonna go forward with ***EDITED*** to see what they say. I do know it will not be good. I know they have other options of payment that would entail them sending the product to me and then me forwarding on to my customer. I want to avoid that. That delays the process and customer service is one place I have an edge so far on ebay. I look forward to hearing any suggestions you may have. Thank you for your time.

Congrats on your success so far. It sounds like you are on the right path.

I have never drop shipped a single dvd that I have sold. Basically, if I don't have it in my possession, I don't list it. Customer service is important to me to. I don't want to take the chance that a title I sell is going to be out of stock when it is time to ship to the customer. Sure you can always check inventory levels before listing, but consider the following scenario.

You check with your supplier and feel comfortable listing a time that they have 1,000 of in stock. You list your item on a 7 day auction. Even if your auction ends successfully, not everyone is a fast payer. What happens when it takes your buyer a full 10 days to pay? Regardless of your terms, ebay allows buyers 10 days to make payment. In this case, 17 days have passed from the time you checked the inventory level to the time you are ready to drop ship your product. Are you confident your supplier is still going to have the title in stock? I wouldn't be.

With that said, it seems what you are doing is working well for you. If you can stick to your current model, then go for it. I don't have any magic words to convenience someone to approve you for $25,000 of credit. But maybe you can come up with some arrangement with the dvd supplier.

If you can't, you still have two options you can consider.

1. You already have some sales under your belt and have a good feel for titles. You can continue to use the supplier you are currently using to drop ship the bulk of your orders, and then use the top supplier on my list to order the titles you know are going to be good sellers. This will allow to establish a relationship with this supplier and maybe in 3 - 6 months you can ask them to reconsider a drop shipping arrangement.

2. You can use your knowledge of titles to order all your titles in advance. This is the method I use and recommend for most people. However, if drop shipping is working for you, then that would be my first choice.

Good Luck,

Brent Crouch

Chances are there isn't a problem with the pic or description provided by the studio. The problem is most likely a word or words you are using in the auctions that leads ebay to believe these items are bootleg dvds. If you purchased them from a dvd distributor that advertised them as imports, dvd-5, dvd9, or sold them without the case, chances are good that ebay is correct in removing them.

Some of the bootleg dvds are so sophisticated that they look identical to the legitimate factory dvds. There are a few giveaways that is usually an indication that a dvd supplier is selling bootlegs.

1. If the product is advertised as Region 5, DVD9, or DVD-5, then I would be very suspicious of the copies I were getting. These are code words used to describe bootleg movies.

2. Bootlegs are usually sold without the cases. They often come in clear plastic sleeves.

3. Bootleg dvds usually do not have the special features. The dvds are not the normal capacity as a factory dvd and do not have the room to hold them.

4. Bootleg dvds sometimes have low quality printing and sometimes have Asian writing on them.

If you purchase dvds that fit any of these descriptions, you should question if the dvds are legitimate factory copies or bootlegs.

Good Luck,

Brent Crouch

The best rule of thumb I can give, if you can find it at Wal-mart, Best Buy, or another big box store, the top two wholesale dvd distributors on my list will have it as well. This includes box sets, tv series, and HiDef Dvds.

Good Luck,

Brent Crouch

There are over 120 suppliers in my list. I haven't used all of them and even if I did, I wouldn't try to comment on the policies and requirements of each one. Will the U.S. wholesalers in my list ship to Canada? The easy answer is some will and some want.

My list contains a few wholesalers located in Canada. One of these wholesalers is the top DVD reseller for the Canadian market. I've had several customers located in Canada that have used this wholesaler with success.

Largest DVD Supplier for Canada

Good Luck,

Brent Crouch

The most important thing is to be professional. If you present yourself as a new business, you'll be treated like a new business. If you present yourself as an established business that is new to dvd sales, most wholesale companies will take you more seriously.

I'm not an English major and couldn't beat many 4th graders in a spelling contest, but I know how to use Spell Checker. If you are filling out wholesale applications and writing emails to suppliers, make sure to double check your spelling. I am amazed at some of the wholesale applications I get that appear to be written by a 6 year old.

Most large wholesalers will take the time to call you before opening up your account. Don't be caught off guard. Be prepared to discuss your business plan. What venue do plan to use? What types of movies are you going to sell? What type of volume do you expect? How long have you been in business?

Good Luck,

Brent Crouch

I've been asked a few times about this letter. Most people want to copy it exactly. Others want to know what they should put in their own letter.

First, don't copy my letter. It wouldn't be of much benefit if every wholesaler on my list got a copy of the same letter 10 times every week. Simply use my letter as a guide to write your own letter. You should consider including a history of your company, your sales channels, and your expected volume. If you aren't comfortable listing some of these things, don't worry. Remember, the letter isn't even required.

Good Luck,

Brent Crouch