Now you can do your buy and sell business online, big thanks to the internet. You do your business sitting down with your desktop or laptop. They christened it eCommerce. You can offer, negotiate, price, sell, deliver and collect payment all through the internet. Then they added something to move things faster and make business more lucrative; dropshipping.
Dropshipping is a brilliant way of skipping the traditional distribution channels. As a dropshipper, all you do is connect the buyer to the manufacturer and let them develop their new found relationship minus the stores, shops, department stores, malls and other retail outlets. The beauty of it all is that, you make money without shelling out big capital. You offer a product, the buyer pays, and you make him wait for several days for shipment to arrive at his front door. While he waits, you arrange for product shipping with the manufacturer, paying him the money the buyer paid you. That’s the second beauty of it—the manufacturer does all the hard work.
Actually, eCommerce and dropshipping are nothing new. They’ve been on the Net in the form of affiliate marketing where you sell other people’s products. You also act as the bridge connecting the seller to the buyer, and once a sale is completed you get a commission. Mind you, all the selling, convincing, closing, collection and shipment are done by the selling company’s website and all you do is just make the connection possible without making an appearance or talking to anybody. You do it through your customized affiliate link which you share on social media.
But they have incorporated a leveraging system into eCommerce and dropshipping making it a new form of network marketing business together with online franchising. Now, the focus is on recruitment, not anymore on the product and commerce. The complication is worsened by the need to attend a series of webinars to get tips on recruitment which is hyped to triple profits, even more. They no longer care about what product they sell and market because recruitment is now the main activity. In fact, many of them are clueless about what marketing is really all about but make big money out of recruitment.
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Admittedly, not all eCommerce and dropshipping businesses employ network marketing, but they add a twist to make more money out of them. They lure people to their “free” webinars where participants are merely given small hints, ideas and guesses about the business (hyped with how much money they can make with it) but kept in the dark and remain unequipped to launch the business on their own. They are urged to make an investment this time (if they’re dead serious about doing the business) by attending a paid webinar or commit to several coaching sessions where all the tricks of the trade would be taught.
Here’s the ridiculous thing. Despite the huge amount of profits they say they rake in from doing eCommerce and dropshipping, they charge participants exorbitant fees to access their coaching. The fees are such that only well-to-do people can afford them, or else the marginalized will have to borrow money to pay them. And these coaches who make millions from their eCommerce and dropshipping always claim that they’re sharing the business to “help” people get out of poverty or debt or an enslaving employment.
Why do they charge high fees? Here are their lame excuses:
The business will look cheap if they charged less.
They worked hard to learn the trade so now they have the right to charge high. After all, it’s a business.
The high fees make sure only the serious and diligent will enter the business.
If people really want to learn the business and make money, they will find ways to pay for the fees.
Now, people who cannot afford the fees produce the money by hook or by crook, and if they fail to make money they find themselves in deeper debt than before. How many people really make money from it? If 100 people enrolled in their coaching sessions, probably 20 or 30 people will make money, and just a fraction of that will make big profits, perhaps even turn millionaires. How many people lost their money? How many became doubly or triply indebted? About 70 to 80. What these coaches do is highlight the 20 or so in their testimonials as “proof” that their coaching really works. And then they use this to lure more people to their “free” webinars.
Am I against eCommerce, dropshipping, online franchising or network marketing or MLM? It’s the exorbitant fees I am really against, charging such amount to people who are already in the threshold of poverty, if not wallowing in its quagmire. They reason that they never forced anyone to join their coaching. Yeah, but luring hungry, poor, or disenfranchised people who have little to no savings and then telling them the hefty price they have to pay after wetting their appetites with hope, is a dirty marketing trick. It’s a merciless way of fooling a famished person with a spoonful of food you pretend to give him but withdrawing it when he opens his mouth, giving it only if he can pay the price.
Just imagine charging a jobless guy Php 12K or so for coaching sessions after raising his hopes sky high and making him believe that it will set him free financially, but without any guarantee. Out of desperation, a lot of poor, adventurous guys will bite the bait. Some will succeed, but how about those who wouldn’t?
If they charged something much lower—like say, 2 to 3 thousand pesos—that would have been reasonable. I’d say a fee of Php 500 would be enough if you have made hundred thousands or millions of profit from the business, as you claim you have—and if your avowed intent of helping people is true.
CS GAERLAN 