Hello everyone!
How do I make like a lot of money with like the least amount of effort possib-- kidding!
After working full-time and putting some savings aside for some time I have decided to leave my job and become an entrepreneur. I want my first venture to be in dropshipping, hence my post here today.
I have done a fair amount of research on dropshipping so far and have understood that although the concept is simple, there is a large variety of different types/techniques and levels of dropshipping. The one common thread between each DS resource that I find however is that the make or break point for all dropshippers is finding good suppliers. Good, reliable suppliers are love. Good, reliable suppliers are life.
From what I understand there are a number of different ways of sourcing products, from easier to more complex:
1) Ebay, Amazon & other Online Stores | Find products you want to sell, list them on your platform of choice and when orders come through you just forward those orders and you're done!
2) Marketplaces like Aliexpress | Find products you want to sell and (A) repeat step 1 or (B) get in touch with the people selling them to come to some sort of DS agreement, and then you're in business
3) Wholesalers, importers & manufacturers | Ring up local businesses and try and negotiate a DS agreement with them
4) China | Use services like Alibaba to find suppliers directly in China and try and dropship this way (with delivery taking several weeks)
5) Premium, subscription-based DS services | Most people say to avoid these like the plague, I trust most people
What I wanted to know is what experiences you guys have had with each of these types of suppliers, what has worked best for you personally? Have I missed anything?
One thing that concerns me quite a fair amount with suppliers such as 1) and 2) is that, if you end up supplying products through these channels, you would risk damaging your brand. What if a customer realises that although your shop is called XYZ Elephant Supplies and you sold them a shoe for $10, the invoice clearly says The Ebay Shoe Shop and that they paid $6.99. Have you ever had experiences similar to these, and how did you deal with them?
Looking forward to seeing your replies, any tips or advice for a newbie like myself is much appreciated!
How do I make like a lot of money with like the least amount of effort possib-- kidding!
After working full-time and putting some savings aside for some time I have decided to leave my job and become an entrepreneur. I want my first venture to be in dropshipping, hence my post here today.
I have done a fair amount of research on dropshipping so far and have understood that although the concept is simple, there is a large variety of different types/techniques and levels of dropshipping. The one common thread between each DS resource that I find however is that the make or break point for all dropshippers is finding good suppliers. Good, reliable suppliers are love. Good, reliable suppliers are life.
From what I understand there are a number of different ways of sourcing products, from easier to more complex:
1) Ebay, Amazon & other Online Stores | Find products you want to sell, list them on your platform of choice and when orders come through you just forward those orders and you're done!
2) Marketplaces like Aliexpress | Find products you want to sell and (A) repeat step 1 or (B) get in touch with the people selling them to come to some sort of DS agreement, and then you're in business
3) Wholesalers, importers & manufacturers | Ring up local businesses and try and negotiate a DS agreement with them
4) China | Use services like Alibaba to find suppliers directly in China and try and dropship this way (with delivery taking several weeks)
5) Premium, subscription-based DS services | Most people say to avoid these like the plague, I trust most people
What I wanted to know is what experiences you guys have had with each of these types of suppliers, what has worked best for you personally? Have I missed anything?
One thing that concerns me quite a fair amount with suppliers such as 1) and 2) is that, if you end up supplying products through these channels, you would risk damaging your brand. What if a customer realises that although your shop is called XYZ Elephant Supplies and you sold them a shoe for $10, the invoice clearly says The Ebay Shoe Shop and that they paid $6.99. Have you ever had experiences similar to these, and how did you deal with them?
Looking forward to seeing your replies, any tips or advice for a newbie like myself is much appreciated!
