[exelius]

Or you need to fix the supply chain issue yourself by holding inventory. This solves a problem that your producers have and provides better service to your customers. This is what Amazon does.

The real problem is when you have a bunch of producers trying to sell direct to customers and drop ship is that it's a very inconsistent consumer experience. If your selling point is a compelling customer experience, you need consistency in how packages are shipped and changes communicated. All of that leads to inventory, shipping, logistics, and something that looks much more like a traditional e-commerce store.

Once you lose control of the customer experience in this way, it can no longer be your competitive advantage. So you either need another competitive advantage, or you need to fold up shop.