What is dropshipping?

Shopify defines dropshipping as a retail fulfillment method where a store doesn’t keep the products it sells in stock. Instead, when a store sells a product, it purchases the item from a third party and has it shipped directly to the customer. As a result, the merchant never sees or handles the product.

Shopify also says that the biggest difference between dropshipping and the standard retail model is that the selling merchant doesn’t stock or own inventory. Instead, the merchant purchases inventory as needed from a third party – usually a wholesaler or manufacturer – to fulfill orders.

Why use the dropshipping method?

Dropshipping is an effective solution for running an online store if you are a digital nomad. There is no need to maintain inventory or ship your goods. Your store is run from your laptop and inventory is managed and shipped by your suppliers. That is slightly over-simplified, but dropshipping also helps ensure that you do not end up with a load of unsellable merchandise stacked in your garage.

Can I set up dropshipping with my existing online store?

Yes! When you run a digital store, you choose your suppliers and the merchandise you want to sell. You can choose to buy or import your goods and maintain an inventory of the products you are offering for sale, or you can choose suppliers who offer dropshipping.

How can I learn about dropshipping?

You can certainly try to figure out how to choose suppliers and set up your dropshipping business on your own. There are, however, a number of online courses and guides that make it easier to set up your dropshipping business, start selling your products and improve your profitability.

Full disclosure: I may earn an affiliate income – at no cost to you – if you click on some of the links below.

Alidropship*: We take education seriously. Alidropship 7-day dropshipping course offers free access, convenient form, experience-based approach, consistency, and practical focus.

 

 

Udemy: Learn on demand. Study any topic anytime. Explore thousands of courses starting at just $10.99. There are 190 results for dropshipping courses on Udemy

 

 

 eCom Elites: A step-by-step online entrepreneurial masterclass that covers topics such as sourcing products, creating your store, Facebook traffic, Advanced Facebook traffic, Instagram traffic, organic Google traffic, Email marketing, and Business 101.

 

The Product Winner Blueprint:  A Proven Blueprint To Find Winning Products and a step-by-step system to SCALE them using Facebook Ads.

 

 Dropship Lifestyle : The step-by-step guide to creating a highly-profitable, semi-automated drop ship store. You will learn how to choose a profitable niche, how to do market research, how to create your website, how to get approved with suppliers, how to optimize for conversions, how to get traffic, and how to automate your new online business.