Dropshipping

Dropshipping is an e-commerce model in which a retailer sells products without stocking them. When a customer places an order in the online store, the retailer forwards it to a supplier, who ships the goods directly to the end customer's address. In German-speaking markets the model is known as Streckengeschäft, sometimes also referred to as direct shipping. Prefinancing, warehouse space and in-house shipping logistics all become unnecessary. Responsibility for assortment, pricing, product communication and service, however, remains entirely with the retailer.

The sequence follows a fixed pattern. The customer orders and pays in the store, the retailer forwards the order to the supplier and settles the wholesale price, and the supplier picks and ships the parcel, usually neutrally and without its own promotional inserts. What matters here is less the logistics than the flow of data. Article numbers, variants, stock levels and delivery times have to stay reliably in sync between the supplier system and the store. Otherwise items get sold that are unavailable, or delivery dates are promised that nobody can meet. Every additional supplier increases this coordination effort, because each partner brings its own formats and update cycles.

Legally, the store remains the seller toward the consumer, while the supplier is merely an upstream vendor. Mandatory disclosures, the right of withdrawal, warranty obligations, product safety and labeling therefore rest with the retailer, even though the goods are never handled directly. When shipments are delayed, arrive damaged or are returned, the customer contacts the store rather than the sender. In practice this means recourse against the supplier belongs in the contract, along with commitments on delivery times, return addresses and indemnification for the infringement of third-party rights. Failing to verify origin, labeling and trademark status leaves the retailer liable for counterfeits within its own assortment.

Because the product is never photographed in house, third-party material defines the product page. Two risks follow from this. The first concerns quality: when many stores show identical manufacturer photos and the same brief descriptions, nothing sets one offer apart, and incomplete product data leads to wrong purchases and higher return rates. The second concerns usage rights. Numerous dropshipping tools import images and texts automatically from the supplier listing. Without the rights holder's explicit consent this constitutes copyright infringement and regularly results in cease and desist letters. A written agreement with each supplier on the image rights actually granted is therefore advisable. A central system such as TESSA DAM keeps the supplied media in one place, documents source and approval per asset, and provides the right formats for stores and marketplaces.