Dropshipping is a great option.
Dropship services are more than a wholesaler that ships orders and fulfills them. Dropship services are one-stop shops that provide products from many suppliers. They also offer options that make it easy to add products to your website or online marketplace (Amazon.com, Ebay. etc.). You plan to sell them. The best dropship services also include integration with many leading shopping cart software providers.
Dropshipping is a great option. Dropshipping is a great way to save money on shipping and storage. Also, you don’t have to deal anymore with unsold stock. You don’t need to maintain relationships with multiple suppliers because the wholesaler/supplier ships orders directly from their warehouse. These services can often allow you to add large quantities to your platform to sell your goods. This will save you time and effort in marketing your products, as well as the tedious tasks associated with fulfillment.
Dropshippers have their pitfalls. There are many products on the market, so some categories can be oversaturated. Margin is very thin because you must price your products competitively. Instead of trying to be all things to everyone, it’s better to focus on a few areas and find your niche. Even though you can avoid the hassles of shipping and storing inventory, you still have to deal with any customer service issues that may arise.
Signing up for a dropship service is one step in starting an online business. The best dropship services provide more than products to sell. They also offer tools and resources that make selling easier.
What to Expect from a Dropship Service
We found several common features in all dropshipping services that we tested. They combine multiple suppliers into one service for you. Dropshippers ship products blindly for you. This means they don’t include any information about themselves on the packaging slip.
Dropship Direct lets you customize the packaging slip that comes with your orders. Dropship services offer product order tracking so that you and your customers can ensure every order arrives at its destination.
How to Sell Your Products The most popular options are Amazon, eBay, and your own website. Each option has its advantages and disadvantages.
Both Amazon and eBay are simple to use and have a large audience. Both sites charge listing fees which can reduce your profits. You have more control and freedom when creating your website, and there are no third-party fees. Most of the reviewed services can create a website for an additional cost.
You will need to market your site and optimize it if you don’t have access already existing traffic. It can be more difficult to manage your own website than listing your products on Amazon or eBay. Many services allow you to upload products to an already existing website. Dropship Direct or Wholesale2b allow you to do this.
Dropshipping Services
We looked at both the inventory management options and the products they have in stock when evaluating dropshipping services. We also examined how dropshipping services handle shipping with their many suppliers. Our rating was also influenced by fees and costs. These fees include shipping costs and membership fees. The dropship services provided account support, which was the last factor that we considered.
The services we evaluated were done using research and hands-on evaluation. Dropshipping services that we evaluated did not have any influence on our testing process. The research was done through the websites of the services and by directly contacting them.
Inventory & Backend Management
Dropship services were evaluated based on the export options offered by companies. A data feed or another inventory-management feature allows you to upload large quantities of products to your website and other sales channels. This saves time and effort that would otherwise be spent manually adding each product. Dropship Direct stands out in this regard. It uses Pushlist technology for creating inventory feeds in formats suitable for 20 shopping carts.
You should consider the products that you will sell when choosing a dropshipping service. We were able to find a range of products through dropshippers, ranging from 2,000 to 2 million. Although we thought large inventories were a positive, we also considered that certain services are better at handling specific product niches. Megagoods, with a focus on electronics, and Smart Living Company, with home goods, are two dropship suppliers with smaller inventories and a focus on specific categories.
Shipping options
Dropshipping is where a customer places an order from you. Then, they log in to the dropshipping service and place their order. We liked the fact that many services can integrate with your shopping cart so orders placed on your website are automatically processed by the dropshipping service. This saves time and simplifies the fulfillment process. Particularly, Wholesale2b offers strong integration options for shopping carts.
Some dropship services, such as Inventory Source and Dropshippers.com, require you to select specific suppliers and don’t collect all the products under one roof. These services are good if you’re interested in building relationships with specific suppliers. However, we penalize them in our rankings as it takes more effort than all-inclusive solutions.
Shipping times can vary because dropship companies often work with multiple suppliers. Shipping costs and speeds can also be affected by other variables such as the customer’s location and the supplier. Megagoods is the fastest of the services we reviewed, with an average shipping time of one to two days in the U.S. Only a handful of services on our list offer international shipping, while a few more only ship to certain countries.
Costs & Fees
Dropship providers charge a membership fee. This can be paid monthly, or annually. Some services require a one-time payment. Monthly fees can range from $14.99 up to $59.95. Dropshippers may offer discounts to help you save even more. Dropshippers may offer incentives to help you save even more. Plans that allow you to sell products on Amazon or eBay (or your own website), are typically cheaper than those that require a dropship company building a website. You’ll pay more upfront if you have a dropship company build your website. There will also be monthly hosting fees.
Dropship Direct has the lowest fees and costs. Although it does not have a membership fee for Pushlist data feeds, there is a charge for using them. Megagoods and Wholesale2b are two other services that have low membership fees. Doba has the highest membership fees.
Dropship services may also charge fees for restocking, dropship and shipping and handling. Customers who return defective products are subject to a restocking fee of a percentage from the order cost. Restocking fees for the services we have listed ranged between 15 and 20 percent. Dropship fees, which are added to regular shipping and handling fees, are charged per order and range between $.99 and $5.95. However there are many services that do not charge dropship fees. Shipping and handling costs can vary depending on many factors, including the location of the supplier and the delivery service used by the supplier.
Before you sign up for dropshipping, it is important to understand the company’s prices. You will also have to pay wholesale fees in addition to membership fees. If you sell on an online marketplace, there are listing fees.
Dropship Direct is the best option for a basic plan. It aggregates products, is affordable and allows you export to a wide range of platforms.
Support for Accounts
Each dropship service was scored based on its willingness to provide information and the speed with which customer support responded to inquiries (via email and phone). Many of the companies that we looked at proved difficult to reach. They didn’t return emails or calls promptly or they didn’t reply at all.
Many services do not have a phone number or an email address listed. They can only be reached through their online ticket system. Before you sign up, make sure to evaluate how accessible these services are. Before you commit to any dropship service, we recommend that you evaluate their contact methods, responsiveness, and speak to a representative.
Doba and Smart Living Company provided the best account support. Both provided us with helpful information and were very responsive to our inquiries. Each company provides a dedicated account representative who can provide advice and guidance on the best options for you business.
Dropship Services: Our Verdict & Recommendations
Dropshipping companies that are the best offer inventory management without the need to deal with multiple suppliers. You should be aware that many dropship companies charge a monthly, or yearly, so make sure you shop around to find one that offers the best mix of products and the best price for you.
Doba is a dropshipping service that can be used by large businesses who need access to the most inventory. Doba has more than 2 million products, and offers a variety of back-end management options that are ideal for enterprises. Doba charges high fees.
Dropship Direct is a great option if you’re tech-savvy. Pushlist technology allows for you to quickly customize your data feed and add products to your website or marketplace. Dropship Direct doesn’t charge membership fees.
Wholesale2b is a great option if you want a website built for you. You can choose from many templates and have the website preloaded with products you want.
Sunrise Wholesale is a great option if you are looking to sell products on eBay. You can manage your eBay listings using the eBay wizard. You can link your eBay account with your Sunrise Wholesale account, and load products from Sunrise Wholesale’s catalogue.
