Table of Contents
What is Dropshipping?
Dropshipping is a method of retailing in which the retailer does not own the inventory being sold. Instead, the manufacturer or distributor provides the orders to the retailer, who then passes them on to customers.
Preliminary startup costs can be less than starting a traditional business because there is no need to purchase any inventory; all the “shipping” costs are passed to the sourcing company.
It is a common business model for companies who wish to launch an e-commerce venture without having exposure to any risk of inventory, as well as a way for brick and mortar businesses that started online to sell their products with minimum operating expenses.
This is because dropshipping allows them to skip the cost of maintaining a warehouse, stocking products, and paying salespeople.
Who can dropship?
Dropshipping is open to people of all backgrounds, whether you’re an individual looking to make some money on the side or a seasoned business owner.
How does dropshipping work?
When setting up your new web store, you need to find reliable suppliers who carry the products you wish to sell. These are called dropship suppliers.
They don’t require any upfront payment nor do you need to worry about shipping costs. The dropship suppliers will handle all of the shipping and storage issues, as well as providing images and descriptions for each of your products. You need to focus on sourcing new products and marketing your site.
9 Ways to Find Reliable Suppliers In Dropshipping?
In the fast-paced world of today, sourcing suppliers for dropshipping has been made easier. There are many ways to find reliable suppliers from directories or platforms online. Here are several options:
1. Google keyword research
Google the product you wish to sell and review the search results. If there are a lot of blog posts or sites that discuss sourcing for this particular product, it is a good sign that sourcing is possible. If no websites are talking about this product, sourcing might be difficult.
2. Online wholesale directories
Wholesale sourcing directories are online platforms that list many different suppliers. You can use their categories to search for your desired product. Many of these websites also have alerts that send you new listings when products matching your desired criteria are added to the directory.
3. Industry forums
Search on one of the many forums or discussion boards for an industry related to your product. You can either ask directly or do some sleuthing and see if sourcing is possible by searching existing posts.
Examples of dropshipping forums are Reddit and Shopify Community. There are many posts discussing sourcing for dropshipping. You can ask other people about sourcing methods or search the posts to see what other people are doing to find suppliers for dropshipping.
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4. Trade shows
Find trade shows that are happening locally or in your country of choice then research the exhibitors who will be attending. Many drop ship suppliers attend these types of events so you can directly approach them and ask if they sell online. If so, ask for their website or email address so you can reach out to them later.
5. Social sourcing
Check out Pinterest or Instagram to see if there are any boards or posts about sourcing for the product you wish to sell online. If so, contact the author and ask them where they source their merchandise. If there aren’t any boards or posts talking about sourcing, again sourcing might be difficult for this particular item.
6. Facebook marketplace
Although sourcing on Facebook might seem like a strange idea, there are hundreds of thousands of users that buy and sell different products daily. You can find sourcing groups that are specific to your product niche and ask if sourcing is possible.
7. Sourcing Engine
Super Chain is a sourcing engine that gathers verified suppliers from different countries in one place and provides 10000+ products for users to choose from. We also provide dropshipping ideas by analyzing recent trending products.
8. Amazon
Amazon is a platform that is designed to sell products. It is the world’s largest online retailer, and it offers sourcing opportunities for many different products. Suppliers can be found by searching Amazon’s website, looking through the various categories they offer, or sourcing forums on Amazon. For sourcing suppliers on Amazon, you want to search-relevant keywords or browse relevant categories.
9. Alibaba
Alibaba is an online wholesale sourcing platform that has become the go-to sourcing website for drop shippers worldwide. Similar to Amazon, you can find dropshipping suppliers by searching Alibaba’s website, browsing categories related to your niche, or sourcing forums on Alibaba.
Tools that help to identify a reliable supplier
Sitejabber
Find businesses that match your sourcing criteria and search for their reviews on Sitejabber. It’s important to find a business with positive reviews so you know they’re reliable. Searching their profile will also show if they’ve been reviewed by any other sourcing or review websites.
Trustpilot
Look for reviews on the sourcing website you are using. Some sourcing websites have been reviewed similar to Sitejabber, but others might not be as popular. To find reviews on these other sourcing websites, go onto Trustpilot and search their name or similar keywords.
How to spot fake suppliers?
1: Visit the official website
Contact the company and visit their real, working website to find out if they are a scam or a fake supplier. If they don’t have a website, this may mean that the business is not legitimate. Make sure that their contact information listed on the site is accurate and can be tested by you?
2. Do they have a physical address?
Do they sell the product there or do they send it to you? Either way, make sure their business has a legitimate street address. Some sourcing websites are legitimate, but still, list PO boxes as their official shipping location. If so, this means that the supplier isn’t willing to share the correct information with the public.
3. Will they send samples?
Get in contact with the supplier and ask them if they can send you a sample of their product. If so, this will give you an idea of what the final product looks like before placing an order.
4. Do not have to have any money upfront
Do not have to pay up-front for anything before getting the products to you. If they ask for money first, this may mean that they are not legitimate and mean to scam you.
Conclusion
Sourcing suppliers can be an intimidating task, especially for beginners. But sourcing suppliers is a critical part of dropshipping, so it’s necessary to find reliable sourcing sites and sourcing products that don’t have any major hurdles or roadblocks.
By sourcing suppliers on Amazon, Alibaba, or other sourcing websites, you can find a variety of dropshipping products. If sourcing products prove to be too difficult for you, there are sourcing tools that gather verified suppliers in one place and provide countless dropshipping products for users to choose from.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row” equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1516095762744{padding-right: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]