Shipping charges, fees and costs
Fees and charges are a major source of revenue for some businesses. In the dropshipping vnpay database business, high shipping costs can spell ruin. Larger, heavier items cost more to ship. To cut costs and maximize your profit margin, aim to spend less than $5 per item on storage, packaging, and shipping. Keep in mind that some suppliers may also charge a small monthly fee to work with them.
Fast shipping times
Unless you're dealing with overseas suppliers, the general expectation is that your product will reach the end customer within a week or two . Longer than that? Your customers will likely be upset.
Product samples available
Without samples to look at beforehand, you risk selling poor quality products. When your customers realize they bought something that is going to break or not work the way it was advertised or intended, you'll gain a bad reputation.
Before signing any type of supplier contract, ask for samples of the dropshipping products you want to sell . Test them yourself beforehand so you know exactly what your customers are getting.
Requesting samples also allows you to experience the shipping process from the customer's point of view.
References/References
Reputable dropshipping suppliers will give you references to other companies they have worked with if you ask. If the supplier doesn't provide that information, it's a sign to avoid them .
Ways to find dropshipping suppliers
Need help finding dropshipping suppliers? We have a list of the best dropshipping companies for every niche to help you get started.
You can use dropshipping marketplaces like AliExpress , Doba, Wholsale2B, and Dropship Direct as well to help you find suppliers. These marketplaces list sellers in a variety of niches, but they don't necessarily handle your due diligence for you. This Guide to AliExpress Dropshipping may be helpful .
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When you find a supplier or wholesaler through one of those marketplaces, take the time to do your own research on them before contacting them. The right dropshipping supplier does more than just offer the products you want to sell. They should also be a reliable business partner.
Outside of dropshipping marketplaces, you can also reach out directly to importers and manufacturers. This approach takes more time and effort, but the payoff is often worth it. You end up with higher profit margins because you cut out the middleman and buy wholesale directly from the manufacturer.
There are a couple of caveats with this approach:
Most manufacturers have minimum order volumes. For a beginner, minimum order volumes are not a viable approach. Sometimes, you can work out an agreement with the manufacturer, but that's hard to do as a new business. It could end up costing you more money up front, and it's riskier if you don't have past sales data to guide you.
You may not be able to integrate your ecommerce platform. Dropshipping marketplaces are much more likely to easily connect to your own online store, making it easier to automate the order fulfillment process . Without integration, it's a lot more work to add and manage inventory.
For most people, it makes sense to wait until you have some experience with dropshipping before working directly with manufacturers to source their products.
You can’t have a dropshipping business without an online store. With so many eCommerce platforms on the market today, choosing one to build your store on is another important factor.
Which one should you choose? How should you choose it? Ask yourself these questions. The answers will help guide you towards the right platform for your needs.
How comfortable are you with technology?
Many of today's website platforms are geared towards people with little to no technical knowledge or experience. You can effectively build a professional-quality website without any coding knowledge. That said, you do trade off a lot of control over smaller details as the platform takes care of everything for you.
