This type of entrepreneur usually possesses previous experience in the retail industry, though it is not totally necessary to have previous experience in order to succeed. However, an inexperienced online retailer faces the biggest learning curve.

In order to sell tangible goods, you'll need to learn the ins and outs of wholesale for product sourcing. You'll need to learn how to set the optimal price point for your products to remain profitable and competitive. You must deal with shipping and returns.

If you run a one-person operation, it will be near impossible to ship products in the necessary volume. In this case, you'll need to find companies which can "drop ship" your product. Drop shipping is a fulfillment service.

This sounds ideal - but be forewarned. Most real wholesalers have minimum order requirements and will not ship single items.

Drop ship wholesalers who do ship single items often mark up their prices and you end up paying at least 10%-15% above the true wholesale cost. This isn't a small price to pay when your objective is competitive pricing. Even a small mark up can kill your profit margin.

If you choose this route, be prepared for a lot of hard work! Online retail requires persistence, patience, strategic planning and a high degree of risk.

Kevin Nobleman has researched and uncovered numerous scams in the corrupt online drop ship industry. He has written special articles to help people avoid drop ship scams. With five years of experience in the online drop ship industry, Kevin has discovered over two dozen legitimate drop ship compananies, wholesalers, independent suppliers and buyer/seller communities he would encourage you to do business with. He provides this report in a valuable information package on his website, http://www.restaurantandbar.org