If you’re new to drop shipping this post will be especially useful for you. In this post, you will learn how to find wholesale supplier directories and what steps to take.
Starting an ecommerce business can be overwhelming and exciting at the same time.
Dropshipping is a way for you to partner with a supplier so you can sell their stuff.
You won’t need to store a bunch of products or worry about the hassle of shipping these products.
The supplier will ship the product directly to your customer.
You will need to make sure your customers are happy and answer questions from time to time, but overall a pretty passive way to earn income online.
None of this is possible of course without partnering with a supplier. So where do you find suppliers?
That’s what you’ll find out next…
How To Find Drop Shipping Suppliers?
Depending on your business niche the process for finding suppliers is basically the same.
You will need to do your due diligence when selecting the right supplier and be aware that there are some scams out there and bad suppliers.
This list is some of the most popular suppliers to help you get started:
- Aliexpress – This platform offers millions of products from suppliers in 40 niche categories like electronics and apparel. They Offer free signup.
- SaleHoo – is a wholesale supplier directory that connects
dropshippers to suppliers. It includes suppliers in a variety of niches that serve the United States, UKand Australia. They offer a 60-day money back guarantee with a $67 annual fee. - Dropshipper.com – Pay a one-time $99 fee to access their list of drop shippers. This platform carriers over 1.7 Million products!
- National Dropshippers – They charge a $19.99 monthly fee and charge $2.49 per order. Up to 250,000 products to source
- Inventory Source – It connects to platforms like BigCommerce, Shopify, eBay, and Amazon. They have pricing plans that start at $50 month.
- Worldwide Brands – One-time fee of $249 that offers a comprehensive directory of
dropshippers and bulk distributors. - Doba – Pricing starts at $29 and consolidate them into a custom list.
Steps To Starting A Drop Ship e-commerce business
Once you decide what you’ll be focusing your store on it’s time to find suppliers that offer products that you’d like to sell.
Your goal is to find reputable suppliers that deliver on time, provide reliable contact, and give you some perks for working with them.
Next you’ll need to contact suppliers either on the phone or email. The most important part of this step is getting in touch with the decision maker.
It’s also essential to follow up with your emails or calls. This is the step that a lot of people slack on and it can leave you missing out.
Ask for samples this is important because you never want to sell products that you haven’t seen first.
Always negotiate on pricing and avoid drop shipping arrangements in the beginning.
Another way to go about finding drop shippers is to attend trade shows.
Conclusion
There is a reason not everyone gets into dropshipping. And that’s because it takes a lot of upfront work when starting out.
If your expectations are that this is easy money and you won’t have to do any work…
You may be in for a rude awaking.
Although this is a great business with a lot of potential to earn a good living you need to put in effort to get your business up and running.
Once you learn the steps and have one store that is profitable you can rinse and repeat if you’d like to create other stores.
Select your niche and contact supplier that you can partner with and build a relationship. Always ask for samples and avoid setting up a drop shipping arrangement when starting out.
Make sure to always negotiate price because this will save you money of course and it’s actually expected from the supplier.
Hope this information has helped you gain the information you need to decide if drop shipping is right or maybe it’s helped you learn that it’s not what you thought it was.
Either way, I hope you have a better understanding of what it’s like to run a drop shipping business.
