Can you really make money dropshipping? I say you can. If you have an entrepreneurial slant, you can start making money dropshipping. It takes some setting-up, but it’s a great way to make money.
A dropshipper is a seller who doesn’t maintain their own or store any inventory. Whenever a customer buys something from the dropshipper’s store, the dropshipper will immediately purchase the item from a supplier. The supplier then ships the item to the buyer. The entire process is automated and fast. The buyer may not even know that the dropshipper gets their items from a supplier.
This set-up makes it really easy for you to start your own online selling business. You don’t have to spend money on costly warehouse rental, or maintain a network of logistics and shipping support. Basically, all that is handled by your suppliers.
It is definitely possible to make money dropshipping. If you want to learn how to make money on this, read on! I’ll be giving you some tips on how to make money with it.
Know What You Want to Sell
Simply saying you want to “sell stuff” online won’t cut it. You need to focus on specific items. A good way to narrow this field down is to consider what the market would respond favorably to. For example, if you notice that not a whole lot of people are selling a certain product to your city, you can step in to fill that demand.
Know How to Sell It
You can’t expect your products to go sell themselves. You have to be proactive in that regard. Since all entrepreneurs wear multiple hats, you’ll also have to handle the marketing of your items. You can take out ads on Facebook or Google, but another great way to promote your business is by maintaining a blog about your products and other related topics.
Find a Reliable Supplier
This is the most important step to becoming a successful dropshipper. You can have all the logistics in place and the necessary marketing skills, but all of that will be worthless if you don’t actually have anything to sell. And that’s where having a reliable supplier comes in. Take note, I mentioned a “reliable” supplier. It’s pretty easy to find suppliers after just a few seconds on Google. But to find one that is legit and reliable is a whole different ball game. Here are just some of the qualities you’ll want in a supplier:
1. Has Great Inventory
You’ll want a supplier that, simply put, got the goods. If their main product line is always out of stock, that’s a big red flag. They might spin it so it appears that their products are in such great demand that they keep selling out of stuff. But it simply means that they can’t coordinate with their manufacturers to keep a steady supply of products. If you deal with these people, you will eventually run out of supplies, and since you’re the one facing the market, that could be a very bad thing.
So always work with reliable suppliers. How do you know which one is reliable? Check online comments and ratings. But nothing beats the first-hand experience.
2. Maintains Good Communication
A good supplier always keeps you updated on the status of their inventory and status of purchases. They answer any questions promptly and never give you vague or misleading answers. They are upfront if there are any problems with the shipments, and let you know as soon as possible.
3. Has Great Customer Service
This is the next level above good communication. It’s all right if your supplier encounters a problem – that sort of thing happens, even to legit suppliers. But you’ll want the supplier to be able to give solutions, not just problems. A great supplier will move heaven and hell to make sure you get your order in time, and as described. And if that isn’t possible, a supplier should be able to make amends in the form of discounts or other perks.
4. Ships Stuff Out Fast
This is doubly important if you’re buying and selling perishable products. You’ll want your supplier to ship stuff out to your customers quickly and promptly. And remember, when the supplier screws up, you’re the one who has to face the customer. So make sure you chose your suppliers wisely!
Get a Good E-Commerce Platform
Let’s say you already know what to sell. You also have a great plan to promote and sell your items. You also have a legit supplier to support your business. Now, you will need a storefront. But in this case, we’re talking about an online shop. There are lots of e-commerce platforms you can use, some of which have free and paid services.
You can start with one of the most popular platforms: Shopify. The e-commerce platform is one of the most popular ones around and for good reason. Shopify is really simple to use. Even the free version of Shopify offers you lots of customization options and valuable features. For the first year of my dropshipping business, I used a free Shopify template, and it looked just as good as some of the paid themes.
Using Shopify is a breeze. Anyone who’s set-up a Facebook page – which is most of us – will be able to create a Shopify selling page. All you need to do is upload photos, write descriptions. And lots of the options on Shopify are really easy to tweak. It’s so easy, I wondered why I never did this sooner!
Invest in Branding and Good Photos
This is my final piece of advice. Since dropshippers usually don’t sell unique items, their photos and marketing materials end up looking pretty similar. Just because another dropshipper is selling the same items you are, that doesn’t mean your photos and branding should look like theirs. If anything, having your own photos and marketing materials will help you stand out from the competition! So once your dropship biz starts to roll and gain momentum, invest in professional photos and marketing materials!
A dropshipper is a seller who doesn’t maintain their own or store any inventory. Whenever a customer buys something from the dropshipper’s store, the dropshipper will immediately purchase the item from a supplier. The supplier then ships the item to the buyer. The entire process is automated and fast. The buyer may not even know that the dropshipper gets their items from a supplier.
This set-up makes it really easy for you to start your own online selling business. You don’t have to spend money on costly warehouse rental, or maintain a network of logistics and shipping support. Basically, all that is handled by your suppliers.
It is definitely possible to make money dropshipping. If you want to learn how to make money on this, read on! I’ll be giving you some tips on how to make money with it.
Know What You Want to Sell
Simply saying you want to “sell stuff” online won’t cut it. You need to focus on specific items. A good way to narrow this field down is to consider what the market would respond favorably to. For example, if you notice that not a whole lot of people are selling a certain product to your city, you can step in to fill that demand.
Know How to Sell It
You can’t expect your products to go sell themselves. You have to be proactive in that regard. Since all entrepreneurs wear multiple hats, you’ll also have to handle the marketing of your items. You can take out ads on Facebook or Google, but another great way to promote your business is by maintaining a blog about your products and other related topics.
Find a Reliable Supplier
This is the most important step to becoming a successful dropshipper. You can have all the logistics in place and the necessary marketing skills, but all of that will be worthless if you don’t actually have anything to sell. And that’s where having a reliable supplier comes in. Take note, I mentioned a “reliable” supplier. It’s pretty easy to find suppliers after just a few seconds on Google. But to find one that is legit and reliable is a whole different ball game. Here are just some of the qualities you’ll want in a supplier:
1. Has Great Inventory
You’ll want a supplier that, simply put, got the goods. If their main product line is always out of stock, that’s a big red flag. They might spin it so it appears that their products are in such great demand that they keep selling out of stuff. But it simply means that they can’t coordinate with their manufacturers to keep a steady supply of products. If you deal with these people, you will eventually run out of supplies, and since you’re the one facing the market, that could be a very bad thing.
So always work with reliable suppliers. How do you know which one is reliable? Check online comments and ratings. But nothing beats the first-hand experience.
2. Maintains Good Communication
A good supplier always keeps you updated on the status of their inventory and status of purchases. They answer any questions promptly and never give you vague or misleading answers. They are upfront if there are any problems with the shipments, and let you know as soon as possible.
3. Has Great Customer Service
This is the next level above good communication. It’s all right if your supplier encounters a problem – that sort of thing happens, even to legit suppliers. But you’ll want the supplier to be able to give solutions, not just problems. A great supplier will move heaven and hell to make sure you get your order in time, and as described. And if that isn’t possible, a supplier should be able to make amends in the form of discounts or other perks.
4. Ships Stuff Out Fast
This is doubly important if you’re buying and selling perishable products. You’ll want your supplier to ship stuff out to your customers quickly and promptly. And remember, when the supplier screws up, you’re the one who has to face the customer. So make sure you chose your suppliers wisely!
Get a Good E-Commerce Platform
Let’s say you already know what to sell. You also have a great plan to promote and sell your items. You also have a legit supplier to support your business. Now, you will need a storefront. But in this case, we’re talking about an online shop. There are lots of e-commerce platforms you can use, some of which have free and paid services.
You can start with one of the most popular platforms: Shopify. The e-commerce platform is one of the most popular ones around and for good reason. Shopify is really simple to use. Even the free version of Shopify offers you lots of customization options and valuable features. For the first year of my dropshipping business, I used a free Shopify template, and it looked just as good as some of the paid themes.
Using Shopify is a breeze. Anyone who’s set-up a Facebook page – which is most of us – will be able to create a Shopify selling page. All you need to do is upload photos, write descriptions. And lots of the options on Shopify are really easy to tweak. It’s so easy, I wondered why I never did this sooner!
Invest in Branding and Good Photos
This is my final piece of advice. Since dropshippers usually don’t sell unique items, their photos and marketing materials end up looking pretty similar. Just because another dropshipper is selling the same items you are, that doesn’t mean your photos and branding should look like theirs. If anything, having your own photos and marketing materials will help you stand out from the competition! So once your dropship biz starts to roll and gain momentum, invest in professional photos and marketing materials!
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