Online Dropshipping of enamel pins
Enamel lapel pins, which are affordable fashion accessories, were popularized in 1970’s. They have been rediscovered in recent years. This once niche accessory has become a popular part of the streetwear collection. Pins are a great product to dropship online. They are easy to make and inexpensive to ship. It’s easy to create your niche and make a profit online. They’re also very affordable at $15 per pin and are a great way for people to show their support for any type of entertainment, from a bowling alley to a rock band, without breaking the bank.
You can create custom enamel pins of any size, shape, or color if you are creative. If you prefer to manage the business side of things you can white-label existing designs purchased from a dropshipper. No matter what you dropship, there’s a market ready to purchase!
How to make enamel pins
Don’t worry if you don’t have the budget to hire a professional designer. The best designs are often simple but resonate strongly with a particular audience. It’s easy to let your imagination run wild and think like the target market. To see what’s hot in your subculture, start by looking through Reddit and Tumblr. Facebook groups like Pin Nation are another great place to find some inspiration and engage with the community.
Next, get out your sketchbook and start to draw. This low-cost business idea can be done using the old school pen and pad method. Once you have decided on a design it is time to convert it into a printable document. Vector files are best because they allow for faster manufacturing. You can get Adobe Creative Suite for free or download an online vector program such as Vectr and Inkscape. You can also find designers on marketplaces like Fiverr or Upwork, where gigs start at $5 USD. You can share your ideas and sketches with the freelancer, and they will take care of the rest!
Enamel pins for manufacturing
You won’t be capable of making enamel pins at home unless you have stamping equipment. There are many manufacturers that can help you get your pins. Many manufacturers allow you to choose the exact materials. You should order samples to ensure that your vision is as sharp in person. The type of enamel is an important design consideration. Hard enamel pins have raised edges while soft enamel pins have flat, smooth surfaces.
GS-JJ, The Studio and True Metal Works are examples of production partners that make it easy to upload your artwork and order a small batch of customized pins. Shopify is not associated with these websites and Shopify does not endorse them. However, they are popular companies that could be helpful for your research. Jesse Fillmore, pin brand RlyGoods, recommends that you keep an eye on seasonal sales as manufacturers may sometimes reduce prices by up to 40%.
Dropshipping Enamel Pins
Dropshipping is a great alternative to designing your enamel pins. Aliexpress is a great resource for finding dropshippers. You can sort suppliers by “Most Purchased Products” and “Highest Rated Sellers” when searching. You should always read reviews and order samples to see if there are any red flags.
There are many popular designs for enamel pins on Aliexpress. We bought a batch of these pins from a store called Kongness and hired a professional photographer to take all the photos you’ll need to get this business up and running. To download the entire image set, click on the links below or above. Shopify is not associated with Aliexpress and there are many alternatives that can provide the exact same pins.
Model for business
No matter if you are a manufacturer or dropshipper, ordering in bulk will help you save money. You will save more if you order more. Pins typically retail for $8-12 and can be purchased for $0.75 to $4.
Advice from a successful entrepreneur on business
RlyGoods.com, an Internet brand that specializes in pins and clothing, was founded by Jesse Fillmore. Fillmore has some great tips for entrepreneurs looking to get into the pin industry. He suggests that you buy bulk bubble mailers to save money on shipping costs.
He recommends new pin entrepreneurs to try different methods of getting their brand out, like trade shows and social media platforms. Jesse recommends that entrepreneurs build a backlog to ensure your Instagram feed is constantly updated. He explained that ” Instagram is a great place to drive traffic, but only if you’re posting regularly.” He also suggests trading shoutouts on social media with other pin-makers as this will benefit both of them and help establish your brand within the community.
Newcomers should be aware of art theft. This is a real threat in the industry. Jesse suggests watermarking your mockups, and being aware of your middlemen/who you share your source files.
Dropshipping tips
Here are some tips for dropshipping through AliExpress.
Ship with ePackets
AliExpress can make free shipping extremely slow and express options can often be prohibitively expensive. Look for dropshippers who offer epacket shipping. It’s an economical alternative that allows tracking and fast shipping from China to most countries, including the USA and Canada.
Look for the Best Products
AliExpress can be overwhelming due to the sheer number of products available. You might not know where to begin when choosing products. Sort your search results by “Most Purchased”. This will place the most popular dropshippers at the top and give you an idea of what’s in demand. Oberlo can also be used to drop-ship directly from suppliers.
Take a look at the competition
You can see the actual cases in person by visiting the Reviews tab on product listings. Also, view “Reviews With Photos” to get an idea of the case. You should also check the AliExpress “Transactions” tab in the product listing. It’s possible that the seller is drop-shipping the item if you see multiple purchases from one individual. This indicates that it is likely to be a good item for sale.
Get the right price
AliExpress may be cheap, but don’t over-price your products. It is important to allow enough margin for marketing so that you can dropship your products at three to four times the cost.
Expand your offerings
You might consider offering complementary products or bundling items. To get an idea of which product categories are most relevant to your audience, look at what is being sold by the competition.
Hyper-Targeted Ads Facebook allows you to target specific behaviours or attributes through platforms like it. If you use Facebook ads for traffic to a mobile phone store, you could target iPhone 6 users to purchase iPhone 6 cases or LG V10 users to buy LG V10 cases. These options are available in the “Behaviour Targeting” section of your Facebook advertising manager. Hyper-targeting is possible for a variety of demographics and behaviors.
