Dropship experiences?

I'm currently researching the possibility of setting up my own internet store. Jim Straw (among others) has advocated using wholesalers who dropship as a viable way of starting a mailorder operation without incurring inventory costs. There are plenty of others who advocate using the dropship model for an ecommerce store as well.

Can anyone out their share their experiences (good, bad, or otherwise) using dropshippers? Can this be done profitably or will the profits quickly be gobbled away by dropship fees, online costs, etc...

The dropship model is obviously enticing because of the relatively low startup costs.

Thanks everyone for your comments.

Jack Lunn
Software Developer
www.productiveEsolutions.com