Are you on the hunt for a drop shipping supplier for your e-commerce store? You’re probably looking for a supplier that is reliable, that has quality products, and you wanna make sure that your products are gonna sell fast. So if you’re just starting your search or maybe you’re not having much luck with Alibaba, then today I’m gonna give you some leads so that you can find your perfect drop shipping partner. Welcome to Learn With shopify.
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Finding The Right Supplier Is Super Important
Finding the right supplier is super important because your business is only gonna be as good as your supplier is. Their strengths are your strengths and their weaknesses are your weaknesses as well. So you want a quality and reliable supplier since they will be the backbone of any drop shipping business. Factors like how fast they can ship, how unique their products are.
Those are all gonna be things that are gonna determine how successful you are as a business. So investing the time to do research and finding that best fit is gonna be your first step. When finding your perfect drop shipping partner, the first place to start is by using drop shipping supplier directories. So a drop shipping supplier directory is a database of suppliers.
Let’s think of AliExpress, that would be a perfect example. So directories are super convenient because you can quickly search for a large number of suppliers all in one place. And they really help with brainstorming ideas for products to sell as well. Many directories are gonna employ some sort of a screening process to ensure that the suppliers that are listed there are genuine wholesalers. Some directories are gonna be free to access and others will be paid.
Oberlo
But before we jump into the list, I just want you to keep in mind that we’re not endorsing any of these directories. We’re just giving you some options. So here are the most well known drop shipping supplier directories. So starting with Oberlo, Oberlo is a drop shipping platform that makes it easy to find products that are sold on AliExpress.
Now, the nice thing about Oberlo is that it seamlessly integrates with your Shopify store. Oberlo offers over 30,000 of the best drop shipping products. And there’s no shortage of niches either. You can choose from over 60 niche categories from suppliers around the world. Oberlo is free to sign up and then they offer paid plans that start at 29.99 a month. So let’s take a look at the location and shipping options that you can expect as you’re using Oberlo.
Oberlo Is Going To Connect With Suppliers
Oberlo is gonna connect you with suppliers around the world, and you’re gonna have several shipping options to choose from. You can find out what shipping methods a supplier uses on each product page of the Oberlo app. So let’s take a look at some of the popular shipping methods. So first of all, we have China Post. So China Post is gonna include free and affordable shipping options.
Delivery can take anywhere from 20 to 50 days with this method. And then AliExpress is also gonna be another affordable option. And this can take up to 15 days to ship. UPS, DHL and FedEx can also be used and this is gonna include express shipping costs. So this is gonna be a little bit more expensive and delivery can take anywhere from 5 to 15 days. So what kind of products can you expect to sell on Oberlo? So with Oberlo, the nice thing is that you can pretty much find anything. You can find antiques, bracelets, car parts, sunglasses, wedding supplies, furniture, the list goes on.
Who Is Oberlo Recommended For?
Oberlo is recommended for both beginners and veteran drop shippers. So the next option that you have here is CJ Drop Shipping. CJ Drop Shipping is a marketplace for those that are looking to scale their drop shipping business, but maybe in just a more affordable way as it is cheaper than AliExpress,. CJ Drop Shipping has products that are sourced directly from 1688 and Taobao marketplaces. 1688 and Taobao are marketplaces that are owned by AliExpress.
This is a well known, tried and true method of sourcing products. It’s also a free Shopify app, so that you can add this to your store and quickly import products. You can use this app alongside other drop shipping apps if you do wanna source a variance of products. Okay, so what are your location and shipping options as you’re using CJ Drop Shipping? So CJ Drop Shipping uses US based warehouses to execute same-day processing for your store. So it’s gonna work with USPS, UPS, DHL and FedEx. And if you are shipping from China, it actually has its own shipping line called CJ Packet.
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That can deliver products to the US between 7 to 12 days. So what kind of products can you sell on CJ Drop Shipping? Well, on CJ Drop Shipping, you can find products from independent designers and small business owners in China. There are hundreds of millions of listings that you can choose from on CJ Drop Shipping and the products are gonna range from mainstream items all the way to hard-to-find items. And you can actually even find virtual products. So if a product doesn’t exist in a CJ Drop Shipping app you can actually put in a request and CJ Drop Shipping will list it once it finds the best source. So who is CJ Drop Shipping recommended for? Well, if you want a one stop place for everything to do with drop shipping, then this is gonna be your best bet.
Supply Me Direct
CJ Drop Shipping offers help with product sourcing, order processing, fulfillment and even quick shipping to the United States. All right, so next up is Supply Me Direct Supply Me Direct is a wholesale supplier app that offers private labeling and reliable sourcing to sell branded products and increased profits. It is a free Shopify app and it’s backed by a dedicated support team that you can actually contact 24/7.
Location and shipping options on Supply Me Direct. So Supply Me Direct is unique because nearly 60% of its stock is gonna live in warehouses that are based in the United States, Canada, the UK and Europe. So this is gonna make shipping fast and reliable with an average delivery time of four to seven days. So what products can you sell on Supply Me Direct? You can sell pretty much anything from apparel to kitchenware. There is no shortage of the types of products that you can sell.
Who Is Supply Me Direct Gonna Be Recommended For?
Well if you plan to sell internationally and you do value quick shipping for your customers, then supply Me Direct is gonna be the perfect choice for you. So next recommendation is Crove. So Crove is gonna connect you to a wide range of products from a vetted list of US suppliers. This is another free Shopify app for populating your store with items and automating orders.
Location and shipping options on Crove. So shipping is available in 42 countries but actual shipping costs are gonna depend on specific shipping methods. You can find that out on each product details page in the directory, and by the way, Crove does have a US warehouse to ship domestic orders faster. So what products can you actually sell on Crove? Well, Crove offers more than 35,000 products in over 20 different trending categories from select suppliers.
There’s definitely no shortage there. And as far as who this is recommended for, if you are an e-commerce seller who wants to sell unique products on Shopify, Amazon, and eBay, then this might be right for you. So now that you know where to look, it’s important to know what to look for. Like most things in life, suppliers are not all created equal. So here’s how to find the best drop shipping supplier for you.
Super quick break here before we go any further I just want you to know, so if you are thinking about starting a drop shipping business, in this 45 minute workshop, we’re gonna walk you through how to launch your dropshipping business successfully. You’re gonna learn how to source top selling products from thousands of suppliers without paying for products up front, worrying about inventory or shipping a single package yourself.
How To Find Dropshipping Suppliers
To learn how to get your first sale and beyond and register. And that’s gonna give you access to the free on-demand webinar that’s already helped over a hundred thousand entrepreneurs. Okay, so back to it with how to find the right drop shipping suppliers before you contact suppliers, you’ve found a number of solid suppliers and maybe you’re ready to move forward.
That’s great, but before you start contacting companies, you’re gonna wanna have all your ducks in a row. First, you’re gonna need to be a legal business. Most legitimate wholesalers will require proof that you’re a legal business before allowing you to apply for an account. Most wholesalers only reveal their pricing to approved customers. So you’re gonna need to be a legally incorporated business before you get to see the kinds of pricing that you’re gonna receive.
Ask A Few Basic Questions
If you’re only looking to ask a few basic questions like maybe like, do you drop ship or do you have brand X? Then in that case, you’re not gonna need to provide any documentation, but don’t expect to launch without having your business properly set up. So another thing is that you’re gonna wanna understand how you appear. So wholesalers are constantly being bombarded by people with great business plans.
They’re taking up a lot of their time with questions and then they never end up ordering anything. So if you’re launching a new business, be aware that many suppliers aren’t gonna go outta their way to really help you to get started. I mean, most will be happy to set you up with a drop shipping account but don’t ask for discount pricing or spend hours tying up their sales representatives on the phone before you actually make them a single sale. It’s really gonna quickly earn you a bad rep. And it’s just gonna hurt your relationship with the supplier.
If you do need to make special requests like say for example you’re trying to convince a supplier to drop ship for you when they don’t normally do that, then you’re gonna need to build some credibility. So be definitive about your business plans. So for example you’re gonna say, we are launching our business January 20th instead of sounding flaky and saying like, you know we’re thinking of launching our job shipping business sometime in the near future.
Communicate Any Sales Successes
You know, you wanna communicate that you are trustworthy and be sure to communicate any sales successes that you’ve had in the past. You need to convince suppliers that the inconvenience of accommodating your special requests will pay off down the road when you become a successful drop shipping company and start bringing them a ton of business.
Don’t be afraid of the phone. So one of the biggest fears that people actually have and it can be paralyzing is to actually go ahead and pick up that phone. You might be able to send some emails for some issues but more often than not, you are gonna need to pick up that phone so that you’re getting the information that you need. The good news is that it’s not as scary as you might think. Suppliers are actually accustomed to having people calling them including newbie entrepreneurs.
You’re likely to get someone who is friendly and happy to answer any of your questions that you might have. So just write out your questions ahead of time, and that’s gonna be a lot easier when it comes time to actually make that call. When you’re vetting your suppliers, here are six attributes that will help you differentiate a good one from a great one.
Expert Staff And Industry Focus
Topnotch suppliers have knowledgeable sales representatives who really know the industry and their product lines. Being able to call a representative with questions is invaluable. Especially if you’re launching a store in an niche that you’re not overly familiar with. Dedicated support representatives. Quality drop shippers should assign you an individual sales representative that’s responsible for taking care of you and any issues that you have.
If you deal with a wholesaler that doesn’t assign you a specific representative, you’ll probably hate it. Problems are gonna take a lot longer to resolve and you’re just gonna have to nag people to take care of issues. Having a single supplier contact who is responsible for solving your issues is gonna be very important. You’re definitely gonna wanna find a supplier who is invested in technology. So there are plenty of good suppliers out there that have outdated websites.
Invests Heavily In Technology
That’s actually very common but a supplier that understands the benefits of and invests heavily in technology, that’s usually gonna be a pleasure to work with. Features such as real time inventory, a comprehensive online catalog, customizable data feeds and an online searchable order history. Those features are gonna be just, you know, pure luxury. And that’s really gonna help you streamline your operations. Find a supplier that can take orders via email. So this might sound like a minor issue but having to call every order in or having to manually place it on their website might make processing orders a lot more time intensive.
Find a supplier that is organized and efficient. Some suppliers have competent staff and great systems that result in efficient and mostly error free fulfillment but others will botch every fourth order and make you want to tear your hair out. So the trouble is it’s difficult to know how competent a supplier is without actually using it. Although it’s not gonna give you a complete picture placing a few small test orders can give you a great sense of how a supplier operates.
Follow Up With Tracking Information And Invoice
you can see how it handles the order process, you can see how quickly items are going to ship out, and how rapidly it’s gonna follow up with tracking information and invoice. And of course the quality of the job when it actually arrives. All right, now that you are a pro of finding your drop shipping supplier, you may need some helpful tools to start selling online. At Shopify we believe that running a business should be a possibility for everyone, which is why we offer a totally free no risk trial of our software.
