Who Are They?

Doba^® is the leading wholesale drop shipper in the emerging online product sourcing industry. Doba has a catalog of 1,700,000 wholesale products that over 40,000 subscribers use to conduct millions of dollars in annual sales through online auction and commerce sites such as eBay, Yahoo! Stores, and Amazon. To complement its inventory, Doba provides online retailers with premium services such as advanced tools, resources, and education to enable them to achieve maximum growth and profitability in their entrepreneurial endeavors.
The proprietary technology platform, built by Doba, enables business transactions between suppliers and retailers-transactions that otherwise would not occur-by offering a unique value proposition. For hundreds of suppliers, the platform:

Offers a new, large distribution and sales channel
Eliminates the risk and complexities of small-volume seller relationships

For thousands of retailers of varying sophistication and experience, the platform:

Aggregates their combined purchasing power
Alleviates the problems and expense of packaging, shipping, and warehousing products, further enabling them to sell wholesale products profitably
Enables them to transact with the world's largest manufacturers and suppliers without having to risk carrying unsold or unprofitable inventory

History
Doba and its founders have been in the product sourcing business since 2000 and have been offering subscription-based wholesale drop ship services since 2002. Early on, the founders of Doba discovered that finding products for online entrepreneurs to stock and resell at a profit was a complicated, time-intensive process. Many cumbersome steps such as opening and integrating supplier accounts resulted in missed opportunities and lost profits. Doba now provides entrepreneurs a single, comprehensive solution for their product sourcing needs. The Company seeks out the most compelling products and works with manufacturers and distributors to lower prices and shipping fees on behalf of every subscribing member. Doba offers the world's largest online variety and selection of drop ship products and continues to add breadth and depth to its offering every day. Over the past two years, Doba has had its revenue in core subscription business grow nearly 100% annually. With the addition of its new management team in 2005, the business is on pace to exceed the previous year's revenues by over 300%.

Competitive Position
The Company enjoys a substantial lead in its subscriber base and total number of products compared to its closest competitors, and continues to build on that leadership position. Its core transaction platform has taken years and millions of dollars to develop and bring online. Doba has exclusive relationships, custom data integrations, and near real-time product information feeds which present a considerable barrier to entry for other companies. Additionally, the Company is the only drop shipper to become an eBay Certified Service Provider, undergoing rigorous certification in both customer satisfaction and operations. Finally, Doba has educational programs, online selling tools, and outstanding customer service which have resulted in increasing renewal rates.

Market
Product sourcing is a rapidly growing market as online selling and auction venues such as eBay, Yahoo! and Amazon continue to grow. For example, online auctioneers on eBay's platform boast over 430,000 users who consider online selling as their primary source of income and over 400,000 e-commerce stores exist on eBay and Yahoo!

Market statistics

Over 12 million small, home-based business in the U.S. (SBA, 2004)
Over 430,000 eBay sellers consider online selling their primary source of income (eBay, 2004)
Nearly 12 million registered sellers (eBay, 2004)
Approximately $32 billion in eBay product sales (eBay, 2004)
Over 250,000 Yahoo! Stores, and over 150,000 eBay stores (eBay, Yahoo, Dec 2004)
Total e-Commerce sales expected to reach $316 billion by 2010 (Forrester, Nov 2004)

Fast facts