The increase in the number of online retailers is likely a direct result of the increasing number of retailers being able to order from wholesale dropshippers. Wholesale dropshipping can be summed up in a few words: wholesale pricing, pay when you buy, and outsource packaging and shipping. By definition alone, the potential to expand profit margins is clear. Wholesale dropshipping can translate to lower cost, therefore higher profit and increased convenience for any online retailer. The question now is, why would you want to cut some of the profit to pay for not-so-cheap access to wholesale dropshipping directories?

There are certainly cheaper lists out there, some of which offer a one-time fee for lifetime access. Think about this though: what quality listing do you think you’ll get for a $5 lifetime access fee? As a businessman, you should know better. Maintaining and upgrading services cost money! Obviously, without money to maintain or update that list, it will be outdated and limited.

There has been a lot of controversy and praise for the most expensive dropship directories. Let’s review Salehoo, for example. For around $70 a year, you get a list of about 8,000 wholesale dropshipping suppliers offering a variety of products around the world. You also get access to online resources and easy search tools. What you can’t get from these resources, you can get from the member forums or consult knowledgeable salespeople who are on the site’s staff. For a little over $5 a month, I’d like to think this is good value for money. Of course, there are downsides to these larger directories as well. For one, Salehoo and others like it generally don’t distinguish true wholesale providers from middlemen. However, you have at least the guarantee that the provider is active and real.

Imagine the alternative: frustrating calls to an outdated vendor or getting a much higher price for a product that your competitors got rock bottom prices on the best directory; or even worse, hire a scammer who is listed as a provider on an unverified list. Certainly, the $5 you spent on a lifetime membership can turn into hundreds of dollars lost in opportunity costs or even lost sales.

So to the question why you should pay more for a good dropship wholesale directory, I’d say it’s because you want to get what you pay for: efficiency, convenience, and higher profit margins.