If you’re one of the people that are interested in starting a business and making some money, but you don’t have the money for the initial investment, we have a question for you – have you heard about dropshipping? We’re going to assume you did, because at this point, who hasn’t? We understand that at the first glance it might seem too good to be true, but that’s not the case. Dropshipping is as good as it sounds
What Is Dropshipping?
To put it simply, dropshipping is a process where you sell the customer a product directly from your supplier without it ever being in your possession.
If you take a look at the regular sales business model, most retailers always have the products on hand in some kind of storage space or a regular store. Essentially, they sell items they have in stock and when they run out they stop. With dropshipping, on the other hand, there’s no need for storage space as your inventory is as great as your supplier’s.
Now, what does that all mean?
img source: freepik.com
What Are The Benefits Of Dropshipping?
First of all, you’re eliminating the need for an upfront investment to start your business or at least the need for a substantial one. You could end up spending a few bucks on designing and setting up your online store, but that’s about it. Long story short – all you need to do is set up an online store, find a supplier and you’re good to go.
Another benefit is that you don’t need an inventory, which also plays in the “not needing investment money”, but on some other level. Not having an actual inventory will save you a lot of time, money and labour. You won’t have to keep track of it not will you have to spend money to rent out storage space. Also, you don’t have to spend money to buy the products first.
So, where’s the catch? Do you pay your suppliers a fee? How do you make a profit?
No, not at all. If you’re not using free dropshipping suppliers you’re doing it all wrong. By free, we mean, you don’t pay your supplier anything but what the product or shipping costs. Before you sell an item, you’ll factor in the supplier costs, find the price that’s working for you and that’s it – you’re open for business.
Finding The Supplier
Dropshipping has become extremely popular over the last decade or so, which is understandable given how easy it is to start doing it. Because of it, some “suppliers” have started charging their clients a fee or raising their prices. On that note, if you’re thinking about starting a dropshipping business, we thought we’d extend a helping hand and point you in the direction of true, free dropshipping suppliers you can rely on.
Here are some of the best free suppliers you can work with.
AlliExpress
The godfather of all dropshipping – AlliExpress. If you don’t know about this website, we can only assume you’re living under a rock. This world-renowned supplier is one of the most popular in the dropshipping sphere and for a good reason. You can find anything on this website – from mobile phones to fishing equipment. It’s possible you could even order a car from AlliExpress, but we haven’t checked. All jokes aside, if you’re still in the development stages and you haven’t found your dropshipping niche then this website is just the one for you. It’s simple to use and even simpler to set up. Naturally, you’ll have to endure and cope with some extended waiting periods, as all items are shipped from China, but that’s just a price you have to pay for arguably the most affordable supplier.
GoTen.com
If you’re in the mood for something closer to home than China, but still as affordable and even more reliable – GoTen.com might be the right fit for you. Once again, you’re looking at a supplier that can provide you with anything from jewellery and clothing to hiking equipment. All of this makes GoTen one of the most successful, free, dropshipping suppliers and definitely the one you shouldn’t look past if you’re looking to start a new business. Their advantage over AlliExpress would definitely be the delivery times, especially if you’re planning on operating on US or European soil. On top of all that, they’re also very welcoming and offer a lot of support and practical tips for beginners looking to learn how to dropship. Additionally, the better you become at your job, the better you’ll rank, which will translate into some major benefits like stock reservation or exclusive, tier discounts on all your orders.
Oberlo
Another major name in the business, Obrerlo, is one of the most well-known and well-renowned dropshipping companies in the world. If you’re looking for a place to start your new business venture, you may as well start here. Oberlo platform is easy to use and setting up your store is equally as easy. The company operates globally, so you can start doing business regardless of where you live.
DropWow
DropWow is another company that offers you a free-of-charge dropshipping experience, so you can start making money without having to spend any of it. What’s great about this one is that even though it is not, in fact, a supplier – it does connect with you with many suppliers, completely free. What’s also great about it is the fact that they guarantee the quality of products because they won’t just work with anyone, so if your goal is to take things seriously and have an outstanding dropshipping business, DropWow might be the stop for you.
Wholesale Central
For our final pick, we have Wholesale Central. Wholesale Central is a free-to-use platform – just like all the other ones we’ve mentioned. What makes this one stand out from the bunch is the fact that through it, you can connect directly to the manufacturers and inspect the products you plan on selling in the future, so you can make sure you sell only quality products. Unlike AlliExpress, for instance, Wholesale Central allows you to get and sell the good from all over the world.
Conclusion
Don’t be mistaken, dropshipping may be simple and free, but it’s not easy. You’ll still have to work hard in order to make a decent living doing this, but if you do things right and make sure to use one of the free suppliers we’ve presented you with, we feel like you’ll do a lot better than you initially thought you might.
