Greetings / Editor's Note

As a retail merchant, you are well aware of the need to constantly improve and expand your business in order to survive and thrive in the current marketplace. For Doba, the same is true. The ever-evolving marketplace constantly challenges us to adapt—to add more suppliers to our team, to offer retailers more educational materials and opportunities, and to follow our members' recommendations on how to make Doba even better.

In this issue of the eNewsletter, we reveal our most recent efforts to evolve and to provide you, our members, with the products, services, and education you need in order to achieve your desired level of success in the retail marketplace. This issue features two new articles that provide practical advice on how to improve your business and boost sales and profits. We highlight one of our newest partners, 3XP Web Solutions, which provides a turnkey solution to creating and maintaining your own online retail storefront. We unveil 29 new suppliers, 4 new Webinars, and the answer to June's Member Q&A. We also extend an invitation to join Doba for milk and cookies at eBay Live!, and let you know how one of our meetings with members recently unfolded in Los Angeles, California.

It's hard to believe that we are only six months into the year and have already accomplished so much, but Doba has ambitious plans for the next six months. We hope you enjoy this month's edition of the eNewsletter and we promise more to come… so stay tuned.

—Doba's Community & Education Staff

Table of Contents

• June Promotion: Order & Win!
• New article: Cashing in on Father's Day sales
• Hot-Selling Electronics? Think Again!
• Education News: Four new webinars in June
• Doba and eBay Live! (June 14-16, Boston Convention & Exhibition Center)
• Supplier News: Twenty-nine new suppliers added to the Product Catalog
• Customer Engagement: Doba goes to L.A.
• June's Member Q&A: Why are some of Doba’s wholesale prices higher than some retailers’ prices?

June Promotion—Order and Win

When you place an order on Doba during the month of June, you may find yourself $500.00 richer!

During the month of June when you place an order with any of our new suppliers, you’ll be entered to win cash and prizes. You could win $500.00 or one of several product samples from our newest suppliers. The more orders you place and the more suppliers you order from, the better your chance of winning. Don’t wait… place an order now!

New Article: Cashing in on Father's Day sales

According to National Retail Federation (NRF), this Father's Day (Sunday, June 17) is shaping up to be an excellent opportunity for retailers. Results from an NRF survey indicate that the average consumer will spend $98.34 on the holiday, up from $88.80 last year. An extra $9.54 may not sound like much, but that's very close to an 11-percent increase over last year.

What are shoppers buying?

As a retailer, you may be able to share in the wealth by adjusting your product line and marketing to take advantage of this seasonal selling opportunity. And to do that, you need to know what people are planning on buying for their dads. Let the survey's statistics be your guide:

Read the rest of “Cashing in on Father's Day sales” here

Partner Highlight:

3XP Web Solutions gives you everything you need to start an online business in one complete and easy system, including a webstore and a merchant account so you can accept credit cards. Best of all it is seamlessly integrated with the Doba product catalog! Also included are traffic analysis tools, search engine submission, domain name registration, multi-tiered affiliate program, and more. Click here to view 3XP's special offer for Doba members!

New Article: Hot-Selling Electronics? Think Again!

First-time online retailers often make the mistake of assuming that selling online means selling consumer electronics online. We see this play out on Doba all the time. Members see how popular consumer electronics are and how many people seem to be selling these products successfully online, and that's the first thing they want to sell—HD TVs, notebook computers, iPods, portable DVD players, digital camcorders, and so on.

This is usually a terrible choice for several reasons:

Click here for the rest of "Hot-Selling Electronics? Think Again!"

Education News: Upcoming Webinars June

Does it seem like everyone is trying to sell the hottest products? Avoid the crowds...and the competition by thinking about where people will use, hang, or carry their newest purchases. By selling accessories you can tap a niche that's a bit less glamorous but often more profitable. Points we'll cover in this Webinar include finding out "What's Hot?," researching the "long tail," achieving thought leadership in selling, and developing a product line around a hot product.

Online retailers see their fair share of shoplifters—individuals who carry out all sorts of clever schemes to get something for nothing. They may try to place an order with stolen credit card information, pay with forged checks or money orders, or even set up a bogus PayPal account. In this presentation, Doba's Manager of Fraud Protection, Tyson Wanlass, shows you how to protect yourself, your business, and your customers from fraudulent transactions and the scammers and fraudsters who commit them. Topics covered include the latest trends and threats in online fraud, how simple due diligence can save you money and time, safe payment methods (and the not-so-safe ones too), and Doba's own efforts to mitigate fraud to protect you and your customers.

Online marketing WILL make a difference in your bottom line. Whether you are selling products that can be shipped nationally or running a local business, the fact is that more and more people are heading to the Internet to research products before making a purchase decision. In this informative and interactive Webinar, you will learn how your website can generate more business for you, how an understanding of search technology can impact your business, how keyword research can make or break your online success, and how to steer traffic to your website - for free.

Plain text product listings are just plain boring. Web surfers who are accustomed to pulling up pages packed with multimedia offerings are going to fall asleep in the aisles if you hit them with a plain text product listing. Start making your eBay listings more appealing. With just a few simple Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) commands, you can transform your listings from drab to dazzling! We’ll show you how to use eBay Listing Designer to pick a theme and layout that will compliment your listings. In this Webinar you’ll learn how to insert additional pictures into your descriptions for FREE; create bulleted lists and draw horizontal lines; tastefully use color; and find HTML resources to help you along the way.

Partner Highlight:

A picture is worth a thousand words! MyStoreMaps counts the number of items you've shipped, keeps track of where you shipped them, and displays a map that shows customers where you have shipped products in the past. With a quick look at the map, prospective customers can see that you have experience shipping items to their geographical location, and are more likely to place an order with you than with another retailer who hasn't shipped items to their locale. Use MyStoreMaps increase your credibility and drive more sales. Sign up for 90-day FREE trial today

Doba and eBay Live! -- June 14-16 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center: Join us on the 16th for Milk and Cookies

If you want to boost your business on eBay, meet like-minded online retailers, and learn from some of the best e-tail experts on the planet, or if you are just looking to have a whole lot of eBay-related fun, then pack your bags and join Doba in Boston for eBay Live!, (June 14-16, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center).

This year, Doba is celebrating the success of our members and our company with a special event at eBay Live! Join us on Saturday afternoon, June 16, from 2-4 p.m. at the Doba booth—located just inside the main entrance of the Solutions Center Expo Hall—for fresh-baked cookies and milk. That’s right, we said cookies and milk (lobster was too expensive, and with the Closing Gala starting at 6:30 p.m., we figured milk and cookies was just the thing to hold everyone over until dinnertime). Stop by, say hello, and celebrate with us over some milk and sweets! Don’t be a stranger; come and meet Doba staff and see how we can help your retail business grow.

For more information about eBay Live! 2007, visit the official eBay Live! website.

Partner Highlight:

One of the fastest ways to build your eBay business is by opening an eBay Store. eBay Stores have a flat $0.05 to $0.10 listing fee, and you can get started today!.

Customer Engagement: Doba Goes to Los Angeles

Recently, some of the Doba's staff traveled to Southern California to meet with members face-to-face and talk about online retailing. The gathering—which was the first in a series of customer engagement events we hope to host over the course of the next 12 months and beyond—was extremely enlightening and engaging as Doba staff and members traded ideas about how to make the Doba service even better. To all of the members who took the time to meet with us, thanks! We appreciated the opportunity to meet face-to-face, and we want you to know that we learned a lot from the experience. If you are interested in hosting a future Doba gather, or if you ever have suggestions or feedback for us, we’d love to hear from you. Please send any ideas or feedback to feedback@doba.com.

This Month's Member Q&A: I found a retail price that is lower than Doba's wholesale price. How is this possible?

Some retailers can offer products for less than you pay for identical products from a Doba supplier by implementing any of several retail strategies including the following:

• Selling the product at a loss to draw customers to their store.
• Buying large quantities to qualify for lower wholesale prices.
• Selling at closeout prices to clear inventory.
• Charging outrageous shipping fees.
• Selling products that have been returned or “gently used.”
• Buying cheaper wholesale products from suppliers that offer fewer services than Doba.
• The retailer might even be selling “grey market” goods -- products sold through distribution channels other than those authorized by the manufacturer.

Retail merchants constantly employ numerous innovative pricing strategies to gain a competitive edge. Doba and its drop ship wholesale suppliers have no control over this aspect of the retail business—competitive pricing, sometimes to the point of taking a calculated loss, is part of the nature of retail merchandising.

If you are still concerned about wholesale pricing, read our article “Giving Away the Store, Part I: Competing on price alone” and “Giving Away the Store, Part II: Competing on something other than price.” Almost every online retailer makes the same honest mistake. They figure they can earn a lot of money simply by selling merchandise for a little less than the competition (a strategy that relates directly to wholesale pricing). You will soon discover, however, that competing on price alone does not work. Read “Giving Away the Store” to learn why. For additional information on pricing basics, read chapter 10 of the Doba User Manual entitled, "Pricing Products to Sell"

If you have a question related to eBay, drop shipping, or running an online business, email your question to education@doba.com. If your question is highlighted in an upcoming issue of the eNewsletter, you will receive two months worth of all your Doba-related services for free!

Supplier News: 29 new suppliers added to the Product Catalog

Starting an online business is relatively easy. Making it a success takes hard work and the right mix of products. To help you achieve your business-related goals, we recently added 29 new wholesale suppliers and manufacturers to the Doba Product Catalog (bringing the total number of Doba suppliers to 160), including:

• Supplier Apricot has been manufacturing fine carpet rugs for the last 80 years. Styles include multi-colored textured loops, pattern loops, cut-and-loops, and a solid cut pile. Apricot dedicates its efforts to producing carpet of the utmost quality by using raw materials and state-of-the-art manufacturing processes.
• Supplier Beige offers a range of beautiful room dividers that fit any style of room and accent any style of decor. The collection includes room dividers from the four corners of the earth.
• Supplier Bona manufactures high end custom crown molding, and distributes pet supplies.
• Supplier Canyonlands designs and manufacturers beach, outdoor and pet products that are rigorously field tested for durability, functionality and fun.
• Supplier Breckenridge has been importing and distributing Eastern European gifts, collectibles, and toys since the 1970s. Each of their items is hand-made by craftsmen whose skills are taught and passed from generation to generation. Products include hand-carved wooden boxes, nesting dolls, and rockers, and blown-glass ornaments. Although Breckenridge designs change with the times, their criteria remain—European, All Handmade, All Quality, Always.
• Supplier Chocolate is all that name implies—candy for the eyes. This supplier features seductive and sensuous lingerie that your end consumer won't be able to take their eyes off of. If you can't sell this product line, with the models they have, then you should just quit selling.
• Supplier Cilantro carries Kitchenaid blenders, coffee grinders, juicers, toasters, and accessories. Other brands carried by Cilantro include: Bissell, Black and Decker, Braun, Conair, Dirt Devil, George Foreman, Oster, and Norelco.
• Supplier Cleavers is a manufacture and distributor of specialty stained glass lighting for residential and institutional properties. Cleavers' unique designs add a classy but functional lighting source, especially for billiard tables and game and play rooms.
• Supplier Colorado offers a variety of unique light switch covers in every design imaginable, including custom styles. If you're selling home decor, these items are a must-add to your product line, enabling homeowners to quickly and affordably add an extra touch to any room in the house. All items are always in stock, ready to ship.
• Supplier Dill is the manufacture of the Beaver Drill. This multi-purpose drill is specially designed for drilling, sawing, cutting, and reaming any hard material. The Beaver's special bit is not only capable of drilling hard metals; it can also drill tile, plastic, wood, marble, and granite.
• Supplier Elderberry excels in the design and production of solid wood mirror frames and furniture, but its product line is not limited solely to wood. They also produce a wide array of decorative composite mirror frames and clocks. Elderberry specializes in offering the highest quality home furnishings for a variety of budgets.
• Supplier Fushia is an artistically inspired business dedicated to the creation of original, one-of-a-kind, hand-painted ceramic gifts. Here, you will find an imaginative selection of products for every gift-giving need.
• Supplier Ginger has an exclusive line of modern clothing for Muslim women, including kurties, hijabs, salwar suits, and pashminas that are suitable for casual wear, formal wear, workplace, and festive occasions and available in a wide range of fabrics and designs. Ginger's apparel is tastefully designed to cater to the needs and requirements of various communities and is available at very competitive prices.
• Supplier Holly is the distributor of the happy stroller attachment—a bike-like trailer seat that attaches to nearly any stroller to enable an older child to ride along while her younger sibling sits in the stroller. Specifically designed for parents on the go.
• Supplier Lime is an artisan of personalized sports art. Their artistic works cover everything from baseball to lacrosse. The artist bonds with the athletes he draws, enabling him to capture the passion, commitment, and pure intensity of competitive athletics, while producing artistically impressive works. Several of his works are on display in galleries throughout the United States.
• Supplier Pacific prides itself on delivering the very best in basic bedding. They began with and continue to have a simple mission—to manufacture the finest quality pillows, comforters, feather beds, mattress pads, and related bedding products available anywhere in the world. Supplier Pacific uses the finest raw materials obtainable, even if they cost more, and follows painstaking manufacturing practices, resulting in premium products.
• Supplier Pastel carries a unique assortment of flasks, handbags, and greeting cards, all of which are manufactured using100% post-consumer paper and other recycled materials.
• Supplier Peace offers a wide assortment of buckwheat and Kapok filled pillows. Buckwheat-filled are very durable and do not conduct or reflect heat as much as synthetic fill pillows do, and are great for sleep or support during yoga or meditation.
• Supplier Platinum provides access to thousands of records label and movie studio CDs and DVDs. Platinum features an accurate database of over 20,000 available titles, making out of stock situations a rare occurrence.
• Supplier Poppy brings you a unique assortment of gifts for expecting Moms and their newborns. From baby gift baskets to diaper bags and other baby suppliers, Poppy's inventory is constantly changing to provide an ever evolving selection of products. Poppy ships to your customers from multiple warehouse locations, which cuts down on processing time.
• Supplier Root specializes exclusively in high-end model bicycles and accessories for bicycling enthusiasts. Root's goal is to provide its customers with exceptional quality merchandise at reasonable prices. Whether your customers want to get out and ride with the kids around the neighborhood or hit the pavement or off-road trails, Root has the perfect bike. Root carries a complete line of road bikes, mountain bikes, hybrid, comfort bikes, BMX bikes, kids bikes, and recumbents, all at affordable prices.
• Supplier Sandy is a well-established wholesale company that provides you with many high-fashion, trendy accessories. They produce and carry over 130 different styles of sunglasses, a wide variety of toys, fashion belts, jewelry, key chains, watches, and winter accessories.
• Supplier Savory provides access to the full line of groovy Tango Shag rugs.
• Supplier Scarlet was founded over two decades ago and is committed to making high quality bath products that are easy to sell and install as they are enjoyable to use. Scarlet's unshakable belief in quality and value makes them a leader in the kitchen & bath industry.
• Supplier Skullcap carriers clothing and accessories from artists Misery and Martin F. Edmund. Skullcap's clothes can be found in specialty boutiques and clothing stores around the world, and is worn by recording artist Pink in one of her latest music videos.
• Supplier Slate carries a robust collection of quality musical instruments and electronics at an affordable price, for both students and professional musicians. Slate offers a huge variety of guitar sets with different styles and colors, along with keyboards, mandolins, violins, wind instruments like saxophones, and many more!
• Supplier Spring was established with the goal of creating the ultimate portable and digital vaporizer—a unique device which takes the essence of any plant, such as an herb, and transforms it into an aerosol mist without burning it. Through an unprecedented technique, vaporization releases an herb's essential material without many of the toxic elements sometimes created by combustion. These vaporizers are designed primarily for aromatherapy, smoking cessation, and drug delivery markets. Supplier Spring is the only company in the world to effectively harness the pioneering technology of Digital Air(TM) Aromatherapy & Vaporization.
• Supplier Stuart manufactures memory foam mattress and bedding products for the home, campground cabins, and health and marine facilities. Stuart strives to meet the elements retailers look for in a business and product...namely, comfort, quality, and convenience. Stuart's products can be found under the following brand names: Paramount Home, Aero-Pedic, Sensus, Aerus, Energia, Venus, Hickory Home from Hickory Springs, and Talatech.