Not everything is suitable to be supplied over the Internet despite the fact that there may be suppliers willing to offer all kinds of items. To start with, shipping costs should not be out of proportion to the cost of the material and shipping fragile items is risky. The small business should also distinguish between general business supplies and supplies which are used in manufacturing product. The former are more likely to be available at a cost saving and will be easier to find while the latter directly impacts the characteristics and quality of the small businesses output - it will require a lot more effort and care to make that jump.
Once a small business has decided to look at online suppliers, a plan for making that change in an organized way is a must. Selecting a few products and services which may be purchased online is the first step. Printing, design services and promotional items are examples of general business requirements which are suitable for purchasing online and for which substantial cost savings can be realized. When the business is ready to purchase specific items online, possible suppliers can be searched out and evaluated.
Evaluation of possible suppliers should be carried out the same way local suppliers would be evaluated except that a visit to the physical site is likely to be impractical. Instead, supplier websites can be evaluated for competent design, customer service policies and general compatibility. Addresses should be checked to make sure they are actual facilities and telephone/fax numbers should be called. Domain names should be looked up in whois and the information cross-checked with that on the website. If there are references, they can also be verified.
Typically a good, normal supplier who is not a re-seller would have a well-designed website with easy access to the product information and pricing which is of interest. He will have customer-friendly return policies and warranties and a satisfactory privacy policy. He will have a physical address listed on the website with telephone and fax numbers whose area codes match the address. The domain would be registered to the company at the same address.
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