For those in the wholesale and retail business who believe they’ve got their bases covered on keeping expenses down and maximizing their resources; there may be some unexpected opportunities to save money in the form of strategies that involve managing incoming inventory and outbound shipments… while reducing expenses and increasing efficiency. Somewhere out there you’ve got truckloads of general merchandise, apparel, accessories, gifts, electronics, handbags, jewelry, toys, and more, needing a ride. Finding the goods on the pages of toptenwholesale.com, manufacturer.com, wholesaleu.com, and offpricenetwork.com is easy enough, but once you’ve secured them, you need to get them to their final destination without killing yourself in the process. Let’s face it: freight isn’t the cheapest thing in the wholesaler’s bag of tricks, and the economic crisis we’ve all been hearing so much about hasn’t been very kind to anyone… especially those in the freight business. This translates to costly expenditures for nearly everyone in the food chain, and also includes an added headache for you… when all you want to do is move the goods from point A to point B, and then maybe to point C.

Drop-shipping has proven itself to be a real advantage for online sellers, especially since it eliminates the need for warehousing, or other forms of costly overhead. However, there are a few things that you could do to tighten things up just a little more, to make the most of that revenue… and turn it into profit. Pop quiz: Ask yourself the following questions, answering with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ at the end…

• I am tracking my freight expenses right now.

• I know how much I totally spend on freight.

If you answered ‘no’ to either of those questions, you’re probably not in a very comfortable zone… and if you answered ‘no’ to both questions… well, you’d better keep reading!

You might need the services of a logistics company that can do freight management services for you. Check out companies like Blue Grace Logistics to see an example of what this can mean. I realize that the last thing you want to do is add another task to your ever-evolving list of things to get done ASAP, but you might want to give it some consideration, since hiring a third-party freight management service may be the best choice in the long-run, especially if you’re moving massive amounts of freight. So what if you’re a small-size player in the wholesale game? Sometimes it really pays to handle things on your own, and that doesn’t mean you have to take the easiest – and often most inefficient – way out. In either case, try analyzing your shipping strategies using the following points of consideration, and see how it adds up with regard to your operation:

• Freight auditing… is never fun, but it can save you more than money in the end, as you find peace of mind through thorough checks and confirmation.

• Freight expense analysis and benchmarking… sounds nerdy and numbers-driven, because it is. This is the unglamorous part of the whole process, and having these numbers available could come in quite handy when you’re comparison shopping for shippers.

• Proprietary discounts on inbound, outbound and LTL shipments… if you don’t ask, they’ll never tell.

• Strategies for cost-effective shipping practices… are you paying attention to the little tricks of the trade, like using light bagging materials and thinner boxes for the less breakable goods?

• Regular weekly, monthly and quarterly reporting… maybe even daily, depending on your operation size, volume, and type of product.

• Consolidated weekly billing and allocation… why make things more complicated than they need to be? If you can work with less figures, do so.

For years, the use of premium freight was viewed as a last-ditch effort of the supply chain. However, rapid product launches, a growing focus on keeping lean inventories to reduce warehousing costs, and the need to develop faster and better global supply chains confirm dropshipping’s position as a necessary business practice, as you continue to Find it. Source it. Profit!