How do I start dropshipping?
This is probably the one question on your mind.
It is a good question considering the fact that lately there’s a lot of frenzy and buzz around the topic.
The truth is, dropshipping has been around for a while now.
It just recently caught on as more and more people are aiming to become their own boss these days.
If you’re in this category, looking to start a dropshipping business but don’t know how, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, we will explain all the essentials and all the things you need to know before you start dropshipping.
Without further ado, let’s get into it.
What Is Dropshipping?
Before you start dropshipping you need to of course know what it is all about. A very simple model that involves just three parties – the supplier, the drop shipper, and the buyer.
As a dropshipper you list certain items on an online retail marketplace like eBay for example.
When a buyer shows interest in any of your items, you then ship that item directly from a third-party supplier to the buyer’s address.
The amount you sell to the buyer would of course be more than the price quote the supplier is willing to sell the item.
The margin on that transaction is your profit.
It is a pretty simple buying and selling business model that involves a middleman, which is the dropshipper.
The cool thing about this is that you don’t have to own any inventory.
You are not responsible for the production of the item or the manufacture. You are however responsible for the quality of the item.
That is why it is of utmost importance that you are dropshipping from reliable suppliers that offer exactly what they describe.
Now that you know what dropshipping is all about and the stakeholders involved in drop shipping next thing is the big question of how to start dropshipping. Which brings us to the next section.
How To Start Dropshipping
From the explanation about it is clear that you need to sort your product from the right suppliers. Your suppliers had essentially the backbone of your dropshipping. They determine if you will last in the dropshipping business or not. Basically, they are the ones that ship the listed items to your buyers so if there is any problem with the item or any issue with the backend logistics caused by these suppliers, you will be the one to take the blame.
It is therefore pertinent that before you start dropshipping you need to first get the best suppliers to ship your products.
Dropshipping Suppliers
We have stated earlier that your suppliers are essential to the growth and success of your dropshipping business. And there are a few dropshipping suppliers that have proven themselves to be reliable and trustworthy over the years.
Below are some of them to use when you want to start dropshipping.
1.) AliExpress
It is no surprise that AliExpress features in this list.
Everybody uses AliExpress to dropship and most dropshippers use this online marketplace when they want to start dropshipping.
AliExpress is home to over 100 million items in a range of product categories.
AliExpress strict policies that ensure that any supply on their platform is reliable and trustworthy. You will rarely come across bad suppliers on AliExpress. To be double sure of the supplier of the item you can use Alitools.
Alitools is an all-round product tool built specifically for AliExpress. It helps you find hot selling items on AliExpress and at the same time point you to the right and trusted suppliers that sell these items.
2.) DHgate
This supplier is another trusted one whose major forte is replica items.
DHgate will tell you that their items are replica to avoid any issue when the items are shipped.
Although replicas, these products are durable.
3) Alibaba
Alibaba is the parent company of AliExpress and a great place to source products for dropshipping.
The only thing with Alibaba is that it usually sells in bulk. That is wholesale.
You would hardly get a supplier that is willing to sell in units in Alibaba.
Not that it’s not possible, it is rare. Plus you would have to do a lot of negotiating.
4) CJ Dropshipping
CJ dropshipping is another amazing platform to source dropshipping products.
CJ dropshipping is fast, secure, and reliable. It integrates product sourcing, order processing, and shipping fulfillment all in one platform.
Making it a versatile marketplace fit for any dropshipper that wants to start dropshipping.
5) Cocos Fashion
This supplier, as you can guess, deals mainly in the fashion category.
If you want to focus on selling clothing items as a dropshipper, you should seriously consider Cocos fashion.
They have men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing lines.
These clothing items are quality pieces and listing any of them on your eBay store is sure to grab the attention of prospective buyers.
Dropshipping Tools
One thing you must have before even considering starting dropshipping is a tool’s arsenal.
Dropshipping is simple on paper but putting in the work itself can be quite demanding.
Plus, in every business venture, you have to work smarter rather than harder.
Smart work gives you more time to strategize and think of ways to grow your business.
Hard work just takes a lot of your time to achieve the same result.
Below are the essential tools you need to start dropshipping.
KalDrop
The first tool is a Non API eBay lister that basically automates your dropshipping activities.
Things like listing items, sorting variants, updating prices, e.t.c, can be tasking and time-consuming if done manually.
With KalDrop, you can perform these activities with a click of a button.
It is important you get this tool especially when you are just starting dropshipping. It will greatly improve your efficiency and make your listings look more professional with its unique templates.
KalDrop also has other amazing features like bulk listings, ready messages, a 24/6 customer support line, and much more. Read more about KalDrop’s features here.
Fire Title Builder
This tool is a title optimization tool.
And what that means is that it improves the visibility of your listed items among others in a search query.
By using certain texts and strings, you can push your own item to the top list when a person searches for that item on eBay’s search bar.
Fire title builder suggests these texts so you can optimize the title of your items easily.
Conclusion
To start dropshipping is easy once you know the basics and have the right tools. Our advice to you is to start dropshipping today! It is a profitable venture and following using the knowledge mentioned above is sure going to make your road to success much easier.
