What is a dropshipping business
Dropshipping is an online retail business model in which a third-party dropshipping company manufactures, warehouses, and ships the products sold by an online retailer.
Under the dropshipping business model, instead of buying large quantities of stock from a supplier, an online store will buy a single item directly from the manufacturer after receiving payment from the customer’s credit card.
First-time business owners can benefit greatly from dropshipping. In the beginning of your business, it is likely that you will not have many or even any employees. By assigning the task of order fulfillment to a third party, you can save time to concentrate on marketing, customer support, and expanding your brand.
How does dropshipping automation benefit your online store
Dropshipping offers numerous advantages to merchants who aim to expand their business as it allows them to delegate a significant portion of the initial labor to a third party.
- Low overhead costs. When you dropship products, you’re only paying for the products after you’ve sold them, meaning you’ll never have to worry about sinking funds into over-stocking your product.
- Less startup capital required. Startup costs can be kept much lower, since you don’t need to pay to have your products manufactured or stored. The added savings means more can be spent on paid ads to help jumpstart your growth.
- Location flexibility. Since stock is managed from your dropshipper’s location, there are fewer reasons to stay fixed to any one spot. You could work from home, your favourite café, or a secluded cabin deep in the woods (preferably one with decent Wi-Fi).
- Fewer risks when testing new products. Most dropshipping companies highlight their bestsellers, meaning you already know which products are in high demand.
- Saves a ton of time. Securing stock, managing logistics, and shipping products takes a lot of time. With these tasks delegated to a third party, you can focus on marketing your products and building your brand.
In order to gain a better understanding of the functioning of dropshipping, let’s examine it in detail and discuss various possibilities to automate your online business.
Although all dropshipping companies have the same main function, they exhibit significant variations in terms of costs, products, policies, and user-friendliness. Each dropshipping success story is individualistic, therefore a dropshipper that is suitable for one brand may not be suitable at all for another brand.
When evaluating choices for your dropshipping store, it is vital to consider the products offered by the company, the compatibility of their service charges and shipping fees with your budget, and the appropriateness of their shipping times based on the location of your customers.
We have made it easy by compiling a list of the top dropshipping companies we have encountered. Each dropshipping service will be discussed, along with our recommendations for the types of merchants they are suitable for.
The best dropshipping websites
1. DSers-aliExpress dropshipping
AliExpress is a dropshipping company that stands out in terms of product variety. Since its launch in 2010, it has amassed over 100 million products, making it highly probable to find something to sell regardless of your business’s nature.
If you are considering dropshipping with AliExpress, the DSers app is the recommended choice for your Shopify store. With its free plan, the DSers-AliExpress Dropshipping plug-in enables you to easily browse AliExpress’s vast range of products and effortlessly incorporate them into your store.
By selecting the Advanced plan, which is cheaper than other options, you will have access to automation features that will retrieve new orders from your store, deliver products to your customers, and indicate that orders have been fulfilled, all without you needing to do anything.
2. Spocket
Spocket, predominantly operating in the United States and Europe, is an order fulfillment service that offers an extensive selection of wholesale merchants. Additionally, it includes merchants from Canada, Asia, Australia, Brazil, and various other countries.
By using the Spocket plug-in, you have the ability to effortlessly browse the products of various merchants and quickly add them to your Shopify store. Additionally, Spocket effectively streamlines the entire order process by ensuring that products are promptly delivered to your customers right when they make a purchase.
The branded invoice feature of Spocket is a major highlight because it enables you to create a customized invoice for your brand that is included with your products when they are shipped. This feature of branded packaging can greatly contribute to building brand awareness and gaining repeat customers.
3. Printify
If you are looking to make your products stand out from competitors, Printify is the ideal choice. It is a print-on-demand platform that offers over 800 one-of-a-kind, customizable products, making it the top option for print-on-demand dropshipping.
You have the ability to dropship a wide range of products, such as men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing, as well as stylish accessories and home decor items. Printify can be used for free, but there is also the option of Printify Premium for $24.99 per month, which includes discounts of up to 20% on all products. Enterprise-tier users have the option of custom pricing.
Printify has integration capabilities with several e-commerce platforms including Shopify, Etsy, Walmart, eBay, PrestaShop, BigCommerce, Wix, WooCommerce, and Squarespace. In addition, Printify offers custom API solutions, and regularly updates its list of supported platforms. This facilitates the needs of individuals at any level of experience, whether they are beginners in online business or established merchants who desire to dropship personalized products and have the ability to choose from a range of suppliers.
4. SaleHoo
SaleHoo is a tool for market research and dropshipping that provides a comprehensive directory of suppliers for dropshippers and eCommerce stores. Within their database, you can access more than 8,000 approved dropship suppliers and wholesale distributors, who collectively offer over 2.5 million distinctive products.
SaleHoo offers a market research tool that gives valuable information on product sales rates and performance in other stores. Additionally, their training guides provide helpful information for eCommerce beginners. The SaleHoo Directory can be accessed for $67 per year or for a lifetime with a fee of $127. For SaleHoo Dropship service, the Basic subscription costs $27 per month, while the Premium subscription is priced at $97 per month.
Merchants who have experience in dropshipping and possess data-oriented skills to construct their stores using custom solutions.
5. Wholesale2b
Wholesale2b provides an opportunity to reduce shipping costs by offering a wide range of over a million dropshipping products from trusted suppliers based mainly in North America. This is advantageous if your main target market consists of customers in the US and Canada.
Wholesale2b offers a broad range of integrations for eCommerce stores and marketplaces. By using their automated dropshipping app, you can easily retrieve orders from your store, forward them to your wholesale suppliers, and include tracking information for every shipment.
The price varies based on the sales channel you choose, starting at $29.99 per month for monthly subscriptions. Additionally, you have the option to avail a 7-day free trial. Some of the platforms include Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Ecwid, Weebly, eBay, Amazon, and others.
Dropshipping businesses that operate in the US or Canada are interested in expediting shipping times and sourcing products locally, even if it means incurring higher costs.
6. Worldwide brands
Worldwide Brands is a well-established and highly regarded wholesale supplier directory for dropshippers. It provides access to an extensive range of products suitable for any dropshipping niche, boasting over 8,000 certified dropshippers and wholesalers.
For a single payment of $197, you will have lifelong access. Dropshipping stores are in search of reliable and authorized partners for long-term collaboration.
7. Modalyst
If you are in need of a dropshipping platform for luxury and high-end fashion items, then you should give Modalyst a try. They have a rigorously evaluated group of suppliers who send out millions of high-quality wholesale products to over 80 countries around the globe.
You have the option to sell a wide range of products, including apparel, accessories, and jewelry. Some suppliers also provide branding opportunities. You can choose to use the free Hobby plan, which has a limit of 25 products. Alternatively, you can opt for the Start Up plan, which costs $35 per month, or the Pro plan, which costs $90 per month.
Merchants seeking to sell high-end and luxury products through dropshipping at inexpensive prices.
