Your drop shipping provider takes a lot of responsibility off your hands, but the truth is you can never completely trust anybody other than yourself to do the trade properly. Therefore, a big part of successfully employing a drop shipper involves good supervision skills.

• Call or email your provider at least twice weekly to check up on store levels. A provider may not tell you if the products are getting low.

• Keep two to three "buffer" products on hand in case there are orders that cannot be completed because of unexpected stock shortages. This gives you extra control over the capacity to provide solid client service.

• If the provider is located worldwide, then make sure you state in your listing description that products will take one to two weeks to deliver after payment. Be honest, and never try to hide something from your customers, this will only boost their distrust of you if some things do go wrong.

• In your listing description, state your policy on returns.

• Preferably, use a drop shipping provider who is wiling to attach your trade name to the packages.

• Consider enhancing personalization through giving your drop shipping provider hand-written thank-you notes to be included in the packages. Not every drop shippers will be pleasant to this, but you can try.

• Remember that eBay has a new rule that obliges you to list the location of the merchandise at the time of listing. So if you use a drop shipper, this means you have to list Hong Kong, China, or wherever they are situated. In your listing description, explain the benefits to your clients. Tell them that they are getting unique products at a much more affordable rate. Never forget to present a full guarantee and returns/refunds policy to relieve any fears over quality.

• Follow up after sale with a client satisfaction survey. It is vital that you keep tabs about how well your drop shipping provider performs. As a retailer it is your responsibility to know if the service of your supplier is bad or good enough to satisfy your customers' needs. eBay purchasers are now able to give comments on different sides of the sale, so you have to make sure that every step of the sales process is exceptional.

Managing a successful online business using drop shippers is now possible; you just have to be extra careful in searching for the right provider both for your customers and for your own personal satisfaction.