Doba Review - Is Doba worth joining?
Doba.com has gained a good reputation and has some great reviews on the web for providing a sourcing directory specializing in drop shippers. But would the reality live up to the hype? I decided to find out and give it a review …
For first impressions, Doba gets full marks. It’s an attractive, well-laid out website and easily draws you in with the comforting promise of fraud protection and reimbursement of fraudulent orders for qualifying sellers - very reassuring for new sellers wary of being ripped off!
Doba claims an impressive 33%-75% profit margins on their stock – another reason why this directory appeals! However, I’d treat this figure with caution. While Doba undoubtedly has some good sources that will give you a high profit margin in this range, a more realistic figure for the majority would likely be around 10%-30%.
Unless you are a reseller who is lucky enough to be selling vast quantities of stock, you are unlikely to get cheaper wholesale prices than these. Doba compares well with other wholesale offers, but it won’t provide anything extra. Those extra-sweet deals will only be found one way: and that’s by you!
Remember that directories are a great booster to begin your selling career. They make it so much easier and faster to get started…and to get some cash in your pocket. But you shouldn’t solely rely on them to make your millions in the long term.
The secret to using Doba well is to use it as a way of getting started, rather than pinning all your hopes on it for the long term. Then, either work on developing good relationships with several of the suppliers you have found – until you get to the point where you can bargain for better prices – or, use the knowledge and confidence you have gained from dealing with these suppliers to branch off on your own research.
Despite Doba’s very tempting offer of allowing you to pay for goods only after you sell them, I recommend purchasing your items in bulk before you list them. Although Doba generally provides a good service, occasionally there are unavoidable hiccups with drop shipping, and it can be very embarrassing when a customer has purchased an item, but the drop-shipper is out of stock. Let me be very clear that this is not a problem isolated to Doba – all dropshippers can suddenly run out of stock without warning leaving you in the lurch unless you take precautions.
I was very impressed by Doba’s great selection of free articles written by eBay powerseller, consultant, and former eBay employee Stuart Lisonbee. They were interesting, informative, and very focused on Doba’s target audience - anyone interested in taking advantage of drop shipping. These are well worth a read!
Doba also provides a newsletter and regular press releases keeping you informed and up to date.
All in all, Doba is a good product. Although the price is steeper than other directories, members with reasonable expectations feel that it is good value.
Doba compliments SaleHoo fantastically by focusing almost solely on drop shipping, while SaleHoo provides a broad range of wholesale suppliers, drop shippers and bulk wholesalers. Sign up for Doba’s free trial and check out their sources.
