Finding a dropshipping supplier is one of the most important aspects of starting a dropshipping company. Dropshipping can be a great way of making additional income, especially if your business does not have the infrastructure to store traditional stock. It’s not easy to find the right dropshipping supplier. This is the most important decision for any dropshipping company. The right supplier will make your job much easier. However, the wrong one can make it more difficult. Continue reading to learn how to identify a drop shipping supplier and the potential risks involved in selecting dropshipping suppliers.
Locating Your Drop Shipping Supplier
Dropshipping is a popular option in eCommerce. There are many dropshipping suppliers available. You will need to either buy wholesale or form a partnership with a supplier that will guarantee you the highest profit margin. You may need to do some searching to find these suppliers. AliExpress and SaleHoo are two of the largest wholesalers, but anyone can use these platforms. This platform does not offer any special pricing or treatment.
You will need to do more research in order to find wholesalers that might be interested in possible partnerships. One thing that is well-known in the wholesale industry is their lack of marketing skills. It is possible to find legitimate wholesalers by simply doing a Google search. It will take patience to find the best drop shipping companies in the US.
Step 1: Get in touch with the manufacturer
Product sourcing This is the most important aspect of your business as it is what your customers see: your products. Once you have decided what products you want to sell through your drop shipping business, you can contact manufacturers directly and request information about their wholesale suppliers. This will ensure that you are in touch with wholesalers and drop shipping suppliers who already do business with manufacturers. These suppliers can also provide details about dropshipping programs.
Dropship distrubutors
Dropship wholesalers are also a good idea. Dropship distributors can also be helpful when you are sourcing products. This is especially important if you are just starting out. Dropship distributors can be wholesale companies that sell directly at dropshippers or dropship retailers.
The most difficult part of dropshipping supply chains is finding a reliable distributor. As you can see in our first tip, dropship distributors are not well-known for their marketing skills. Because dropship distributors don’t sell directly, it can be difficult to determine their legitimacy. What can you do?
Asking around is the best way to find dropship distributors. Reach out to dropshippers and retailers that dropship successfully. Ask them if they have heard of the company, and if so, how did they get in touch with them. You can also ask dropshipping questions on forums. Drop shipping suppliers are often looking for partners but inconsistent in their marketing. Dropshipping suppliers have a double-edged sword: marketability vs reliability.
Step 2: Place an order with other dropshippers
There’s a good chance that you aren’t reinventing the wheel with your new business. If this is true and you know of dropshippers who are selling the product you want to sell, you can order the product from them and then Google their return address. You can find legitimate wholesalers to generate leads by researching your competitors. It is easy to find dropshipping suppliers that you can order from, but be careful as not all dropshipping suppliers are legitimate. You should also check their social media profiles.
Step 3: Ask around and use member directories
Although member directories can be a great way to locate legitimate suppliers, you will need to pay for it. You might consider using guides like Shopify to find the best supplier directories. This will allow you to focus on your suppliers and not worry about how to find a member directory.
Also, you might consider joining dropshipping forums or groups on Facebook to ask for recommendations for dropshippers. This is a great way for dropshippers to recommend dropshipping suppliers they are already working with.
Step 4: Do your research
Third-party websites such as Alibaba and World Wide Brands are good options for research. These websites are useful because they provide information about dropship distributors through reviews. This allows you to see what dropshippers have to share about dropship distributors before you decide to form a relationship.
Dropshipping is unregulated and not well-regulated. Be careful with your products and money. It is important to ensure that your dropship supplier doesn’t rip off you or take too long to deliver your dropshipping products. Dropship suppliers who promise a lot but are slow to deliver will not be a good fit for anyone.
There are dropship suppliers who sell high-quality products, but they are not as marketable because of slow shipping times and poor marketing efforts. Dropshipping success is dependent on reliable suppliers who sell high-quality products.
Legitimate Drop Shipping Supplier 101
This is a brief guide on what to expect from (mostly) legitimate wholesalers.
They can and will.
- Direct from the manufacturer
- These items are available at the most affordable prices
- Charge minimum order sizes
- Per-Order Fees
Most likely, they won’t:
- You will be charged a monthly or ongoing charge
- Sell to the public
Top 5 Legitimate Dropshipping Supplier Directories
Perhaps you are looking for dropshipping suppliers with a long list. There are many companies that have done the hard work for you. These distributors and suppliers offer high-quality products and services.
1. Wholesale Central
Wholesale Central Dropshipping Suppliers are a great choice for business owners as they offer resources and deals that dropshippers can benefit from. You can also find high-quality products that aren’t available on AliExpress.
Wholesale Central offers dropshippers the opportunity to work with a company that’s been around for more than 20 years. They have a high level of trustworthiness which dropshippers can depend on.
2. World Wide Brands (WWB).
World Wide Brands has been in existence for more than 10 years. It is a dropship supplier directory. If you are looking for distributors in various wholesale niches, this is a great place.
They have dropship distributors for fashion, beauty and accessories as well as dropship distributors who sell drop shipping services.
WWB is well-known for its dropship distributors and service companies. If you are looking for dropshipping services, this is the right place to start.
3. UDropship
UDropship can also be used to locate products. This wholesale supplier list has a variety of products and distributors that cover almost every niche. Your business will find the right product for you.
4. Dropship Direct
DropshipDirect is a wholesale directory that offers the lowest prices for high quality products. Distributors of all types are available, including apparel, home, gift, and health products. The directory is simple to use and offers a lot of great options in every niche.
5. Tophatter
Tophatter offers dropshipping and other services that dropshippers can use to stock their sites with a wide range of products. Tophatter offers many benefits, including courses, tools, and other resources that dropshippers can use.
These wholesalers offer high-quality products that you can be sure your customers will love.
Review of the Top 7 Drop Shipping Providers
Here are 7 top independent dropshipping suppliers if you’re searching for individual suppliers and not a directory or supplier list.
1. AliExpress
AliExpress, a trusted source of wholesale suppliers, is a great choice. It offers a large selection of products. It is easy to find the right dropshipping products for your website.
Aliexpress is a popular online retailer with many benefits. Aliexpress sells nearly everything you could want, including clothes, shoes, accessories and electronics. Aliexpress offers millions of products at incredible prices. It also provides peace of mind for its customers because it has a strict return policy. When choosing a dropshipping supplier, this is important to remember.
2. CJ Dropshipping
CJdropShipping helps drop shipping business owners find suppliers and products. They have access to over 10,000 dropshipping vendors and specially designed tools that dropship marketers can use to promote their sites.
3. Spocket
Spocket Dropshipping helps dropshippers find dropshipping products. Clients can quickly find the items they need by browsing over 60,000 dropshipping product options. Spocket allows customers to create dropshipping listings.
4. Doba
Doba, another dropship supplier dropshippers use to source dropshipping items. These drop shippers offer over 2,000,000 wholesale products. You’ll find everything you need in their dropshipping catalogue. Dropshipping is made easy by their ability to provide product images, descriptions, as well as dropshipping labels.
5. Zendrop
Formerly Silkroad, Zendrop is an internet dropshipper that offers products in many categories. These products include electronics, health and beauty, electronics and household goods. Zendrop dropships offers dropshipping management and dropship label printing to simplify the whole process.
6. SaleHoo
SaleHoo offers dropshipping services that allow businesses to find products. This company offers a huge selection of dropship products from around the globe, so marketers can select from millions of products to sell. SaleHoo offers drop ship management and label printing services to help make dropshipping simpler.
7. DHGate
DHGate dropship can be used by dropshippers to source dropshipping items. There are over 200,000 products available for dropshipping, including clothing, electronics, and apparel. Dropshipping deals can be obtained directly by DHGate clients through the DHGate dropshipping website.
Dropship distributors such as AliExpress and Spocket can help you achieve success with dropship suppliers.
Dropshipping is Risky
It is crucial to find legitimate drop shipping suppliers if you want to run a drop shipping business. You should also be aware of the potential risks associated with this industry. These are the top risks that drop shipping businesses face and how you can mitigate them.
Wholesale posers
You may find retail stores disguised as wholesalers when searching for suppliers. You might find retail sellers, or any seller selling to the public, as your suppliers. Their prices are likely to be higher than if they are legitimate wholesalers. This can be avoided by doing your research and selecting a reliable drop shipping supplier.
Additional fees
There is another risk with illegal wholesalers and drop shipping suppliers: ongoing fees. While some suppliers might charge a monthly fee for doing business with them, legitimate wholesalers won’t. You should never allow a supplier to try to charge you a monthly fee. It is not a good idea to siphon funds from businesses with low margins.
Fraud in merchant services
The drop shipping industry has a high rate of payment processing. The business is otherwise sound. This is due to the business’ vulnerability to fraudulent online charges. Many payment processors and banks won’t take on this business because of it. With the right support, however, it is possible to find a high-risk merchant account for drop shipping businesses.
To mitigate eCommerce fraudulency risk, you can have a better understanding of your business by opening a dropship merchant account.
Chargebacks
Credit card processing companies often leave drop shipping because they fear that chargebacks could be made, just like fraudulent charges.
There is not much you can do to prevent chargebacks from happening, which they will. You should instead try to mitigate the risk. You can save time by using a chargeback protection screener software to manage chargebacks before the bank does. This can save you money in the long-term. Banks often close accounts that receive a high percentage of chargebacks. This software can be used to stop chargebacks from affecting your business.
Drop Ship Merchant Account
You don’t have to choose a wholesaler. To reduce financial risk and simplify your life, you should look into a merchant account to help your dropshipping business. You will also be able to accept credit and debit cards, as well as high-risk ACH processing.
The first step in your dropshipping success is finding a drop shipping supplier. You will be able to scale and grow your business and set yourself up for success.
Maintaining Dropshipping Supplier Relationships
All dropshipping suppliers need maintenance, regardless of whether you have found one or not. Here are some ways to maintain good relationships with dropship suppliers to ensure your business runs smoothly.
Keep natural partnerships
Drop shipping suppliers who are the best will want your business succeed. They feel that you’re a valuable addition to their product range. If you’re just starting out, it is a good idea to look for wholesalers that have done the majority of the work. This will ensure that you can get your orders answered quickly so your dropshipping business can continue without any setbacks.
Maintain your business integrity
It’s crucial to make the right impression when you meet dropship suppliers. Maintaining good relationships with them will ensure that they are happy to work with you. You must pay your bills on time, and cancel payments when necessary. This includes keeping your dropshipping company up to date so dropship suppliers can rely on you.
Handle dropship supplier relationships delicately
Dropship suppliers who realize they are losing money working with you may decide to end the relationship, or cancel it entirely. It’s time for you to find a dropship supplier that is more interested in your company. Don’t let dropshipping suppliers intimidate you. Don’t be discouraged if they decline your requests or ask you to improve your business before continuing working with them. There are always other drop shipping suppliers that can be more suitable for your business.
Keep your suppliers informed
Dropship suppliers who are familiar with your company will be better equipped to answer your questions, expedite orders and promote your success. Dropship suppliers who have worked with you in the past will be more open to working with you. Dropship suppliers who know all about your business can handle your orders better and make your dropshipping journey easier.
It is important to keep track all information regarding your supplier relationships when you are looking for a dropship provider to help your dropshipping company. It will be easier to set up systems that make your suppliers happy if your dropshipping business records remain current and accurate.
Keep supplier relations professional
Documentation is the best way to maintain professional relationships with dropshipping suppliers. Documents that can be used to prove changes or other business developments are a great way to keep your supplier relationships professional.
It is important to ensure that supplier records are up-to-date
It doesn’t matter if you use dropship automation software to constantly update information, or if you keep your own records. It’s vital that you regularly update supplier records. It can seriously impact your dropship supplier success if the information is out of date. This is especially true when dropship suppliers reject orders due to out-of-date information about shipping.
Dropship Automation Software
Dropship automation software is a great option if you are looking for a platform or service that can handle all aspects of your dropshipping business. Software providers such as InventorySource have thousands of wholesalers and suppliers. Dropship automation software has many benefits. The software can integrate not only with the product directories of your suppliers, but also with your eCommerce website. This allows you sync and automatically update things such as SKUs, regulations and other product updates. Dropship automation software also handles data feed management. This is where suppliers store their entire product catalogs. It would be difficult and time-consuming to maintain your catalogs.
Conclusion
Dropshipping can be a huge part of your business’ success. It’s important to keep these relationships. Do your research to find the right dropship supplier for your business. Dropship automation software providers and member directories can help you locate the best suppliers for yourself or your business.
