Yes, you are right, when you enter the market there always will be competition (and that is good – it is an indication of money in the market ) but there are not millions of people selling the same products. Usually there are 3-5 strong payers in the market that hold most of the market share; the rest ones – are one day -players that come and go. This applies to 99% of niches.

As far as your concern about “…you then find a never-ending supply of the same item(s) on eBay and/or Amazon from hundreds of other people trying to sell the very same thing from the very same place…” If you’re selling on eBay you can easily beat 90% of competitors by choosing the right selling strategy and doing market research. On average I was able to sell my products 25% more profitable than some regular Joe in the same market selling the same exact product by using eBay market research tools like HammerTap and TeraPeak. By analyzing eBay market information they tell you what’s working and what’s not, give you an exact information about what you need to do to sell more profitable. Which sales copy is working for your product, what day and time you need to start your auction, which keywords you need to put in the title to attract buyers, what your best starting price should be etc. The rest of your competitors don’t have that insight information…

You don’t have to have the lowest price in the market in order to make money: eBay and Amazon are not the only two places where you can sell. There are gazillion of independent online stores that are selling same items as eBay and Amazon and they don’t have lower prices but they are still profitable. Look at MyWeddingFavors.com for example – you can find exact same items on Amazon cheaper. In order to win a customer they’re putting unique twist like “free engraving on your Champaign glasses” or “get free… when you buy this…” they are not just selling wedding favors – they are selling “unique wedding favors that reflect your personal style”. People love to feel special and when they feel special they much more likely to buy from you.

I think, it is entirely possible that WWB compensated for referring sellers to eBay, Yahoo, Amazon. But at the same time they negotiated a deal with them, so you’re getting value out of it too. I think, referring person to a good product that is working is worth compensation. (There are a lot of folks out there that will try to sell you piece of s##t wrapped in golden foil, just to get commissions). So, giving that most online products have affiliate programs, I figure, it’s better to put the money in pockets of those who’re trying to share the good, than to leave the money to the dishonest affiliates. I think you shouldn’t endorse anything for money that you wouldn’t endorse for free. You may wish to adopt a similar philosophy.

We, as online entrepreneurs, should use the best of both worlds so if you’re selling a product that is good why not make more money by promoting it as affiliate also? Worldwide Brands is a good eBiz informational resource and their drop ship is top notch. So if you want to promote them, you can check out WWB affiliate program here.

The problem with Worldwide Brands, SMC and places like this is that when you join, you join a market with a million other people doing the same thing with the same products, …you buy into competition. During the market research phase, if you find something that you would like to sell, you then find a never-ending supply of the same item(s) on eBay and/or Amazon from hundreds of other people trying to sell the very same thing from the very same place, …and that makes pricing so competitive, eBay and Amazon are practically the only people making decent money. You begin to wonder if it’s not just a platform where by WWB can make money by buddying up with the big sites then and selling you ‘coaching’ on the side. As you mentioned, name brand stuff that’s sure to sell can’t be aquired thru a place like WWB because it usually requires huge buys-ins, a brick and mortar store front, or other requirements that are out of reach for most starting a home based business. WWB is a good informational resource for people that are starting a home based business from scratch, but even with a huge list of suppliers, niche markets and profits are still hard to come by. I bought a lifetime membership and sometimes I wonder if I would make more money being an affiliate rather than a retailer.