Drop Ship List Directory™
Hienote, Inc.
Last Updated: 1 March 2007;
3 February 2008


	NOTES

Excellent niche directory.

Cost-effective. Best bang for the buck.

Continuously researched, up-to-date.

Free preview.

Real Researchers ...
Doing Real Field Work

Internet Searches
Search engines are used to locate a specific retail product, which is then traced back to the manufacturer. Once the manufacturer is identified, enquiries are made with respect to their distribution policies.

Trade Show Searches
Many large trade shows focus on particular market segments (e.g., sporting goods, automotive, household, etc.), and feature manufacturers or importers who drop ship. Hienote attends trade shows to research and interview potential drop shippers, gathering critical logistical information.

Government Agency Search
Manufacturers in other countries want to sell their products in the U.S. They request their government agencies to place them on a list of manufacturers seeking to export. Such lists are obtained by U.S. import/export firms, who subsequently arrange to warehouse foreign products for distribution. Hienote uses these embassy and government agency lists to contact foreign manufacturers, identify their U.S. wholesale distribution counterparts, and assess their drop shipping services.

Developed over the course of two years, the Hienote Directory only recently went online. The site was moved to a new host at the end of May 2004, and the Directory now features enhanced database functionality. New instructional material and valuable tools are rapidly becoming available, making this a truly comprehensive site for the drop ship entrepreneur.

For my initial review in 2005, Brad afforded me access to the Hienote directory. I found the list of drop shippers much shorter than that presented by World Wide Brands, but frankly, I'd also found it more difficult to find niche items in Malta's directory; the number of drop shippers and brand names is not necessarily relevant when you're looking for the unique and hard-to-find. Heinote, on the other hand, included several importers - I spoke with some of them by phone - whose products were fresh and unusual. This Directory was promoted as a service aimed at identifying niche products not available from conventional sources, and it delivered nicely in this respect.

UPDATE — 1 March 2007:

Hienote offers a renewable Yearly Membership for $29.95 USD. A Lifetime Membership is $99.95.
Hienote no longer offers free search for specific products and sources. If a particular product is not listed in the Directory (use the free preview to determine this, before you order), "then it's safe to assume we have not located a vendor willing to drop ship that particular product".
Hienote's well-organized Directory features (i) Product Type Lookup, (ii) Company Lookup, and (iii) Category Lookup.

There are 49 Categories into which companies are divided, with very limited replication:

General Apparel (8)
Mens Apparel (1)
Womens Apparel (6)
Childrens Apparel (2)
Art (14)
General Automotive (8)
Automotive Parts (5)
Automotive Novelty (6)
Bath (12)
Books, Audio and Video (10)
Candles (5)
Childrens and Baby Items (18)
Clocks & Watches (7)
Collectables and Models (3)
Computers (3)
Computer Accessories (5)
Corporate Gifts (6)
Electronics (19)
Entertainment (2)
Exercise Equipment (4)
Food (12)
Furniture (15)
General Merchandise (15)
Gift Baskets (6)
Health and Beauty (17)

Home and Garden (16)
Housewares (14)
Jewelry (9)
Leather Goods (3)
Lingerie (2)
Medical (2)
Metaphysical (5)
Motorcycle Items (3)
Musical Merchandise (5)
Office Supplies (7)
Parasols (2)
Pet Products (9)
Perfume (2)
Religious Items (5)
Sporting Good and Outdoor (16)
Survival Gear (4)
Tools (5)
Toys (13)
Travel (4)
Wedding Supplies (4)
Wine and Accessories (5)
Marine (3)
Tobacco Items (1)
Environment Products (1)

Although several drop shippers in the Directory will ship to Canada (I even found one California-based company with a warehouse in Ontario), duty and taxes on shipped products become the responsibility of your customer, and you must advise clients of that fact. Nearly all companies are located in the United States, so, if you're Canadian and you market to the US, you don't have to worry about cross-border duty and taxes.
Contact information is provided in a clear and concise manner, including Company Name, Website, Email, Phone, Fax, Dropshipping Info, Shipping, Description [of product line(s)], Payment Info, whether the company Ships International, and Products.
All three lookup functions work well — you can move smoothly from one to the next.
Many of the listed companies also have an affiliate program, and some of those may provide an additional stream of income for you.
If you're looking for niche sources, this is one of the directories I highly recommend.

The Hienote Guarantee:

Each drop shipper sends product from their own warehouse or facility.
Each drop shipper and supplier listed in the directory has been researched and verified as an authentic drop shipper through our stringent qualification process. Therefore, they are a true wholesale supplier or manufacturer of the products they offer. In addition, they warehouse their own products to be shipped from their location.
Each drop shipper and supplier listed in the directory does not require a minimum quantity of product to be ordered. In other words, they will drop ship in single quantities.

The entire staff at Hienote is dedicated towards helping you achieve success. We want you to find the best drop shippers. Our directory contains some of the best drop shippers in the business.

Listen to an interview with Brad Beiermann by Lee Mirabel on The Entrepreneur Magazine Radio Show.

Hienote follows an international quality standard, ISO 9001, which allows a third party to visit and audit their facility. The International Standards Organization (ISO) is a network of national standards institutes from 148 countries, working in partnership with international organizations, governments, industry, business and consumer representatives. ISO 9001 has become an international reference for quality management requirements in business-to-business dealings.

For more than 30 years, the Trade Show Exhibitors Association (TSEA) has helped marketing and management professionals and suppliers exhibit, promote, and sell their products. TSEA represents more than 2,100 members from the United States and abroad. Hienote is the first wholesale drop ship research company to join this highly respected association.

NOTE:
Most drop ship sources listed in the Directories, Guides and Service Solutions we review are located in the United States. Though they may drop ship to Canada and other countries, there are additional fees you may need to factor into your selling price - e.g., duty, brokerage, taxes. If you're Canadian, and you plan to drop ship product from the U.S. into Canada or are looking for Canadian suppliers who drop ship in Canada, see Drop Shipping in Canada.