Dropshipping can be a great business model if you’re just starting out in eCommerce. It requires less money to get started. Plus, you don’t have to manage your own order fulfillment. Before you get started, however, you’ll need to pick out your dropshipping suppliers. Fortunately, there are lots of great companies to choose from.
Starting a dropshipping business
Before we talk about how to find dropshipping suppliers, a few words about the dropshipping business model. When you run a dropshipping eCommerce business, you don’t purchase or store items. The first step is to find the dropshipping suppliers you want to work with. Then you place their products in your eCommerce store or online marketplace. You market your site and products.
When someone places an order, your dropshipping supplier ships it directly to your customer. The dropshipping manufacturer keeps possession of the merchandise until it gets sold. You and your supplier each take a cut of the revenue from the sale.
You can start a dropshipping business with your own online store. Or you can sell dropshipped products on a marketplace like eBay or Amazon.
Dropshipping has pros and cons. On the plus side, you don’t have to pay for storage or fulfillment. You don’t have to come up with the capital to buy stock. You don’t have to worry about inventory management.
On the other hand, you have less control over your eCommerce fulfillment. You’re trusting that your drop shipper will pack orders carefully and send them out quickly. If you sell products from multiple dropshipping suppliers, your customers might get a single order in multiple boxes on different days. And your share of the revenue will be less. Dropshipping suppliers charge a higher price for their merchandise than wholesalers.
Of course, you don’t have to be all or nothing with dropshipping. Some merchants use products from dropshipping suppliers to add breadth to their product lineup. There are lots of dropshipping apps and tools that make it easy to add dropshipped items to your online store.
Popular dropshipping suppliers
If you do decide to create a dropshipping business, you’ll need to find dropshipping suppliers. Fortunately, there are lots of resources available to connect you with companies that provide dropshipping services. You don’t have to contract with individual companies. Using a dropshipping platform, you can quickly connect with thousands of dropshipping suppliers.
The best supplier marketplace for you will depend on your market niche. You can find lists of dropshipping companies for apparel, jewelry, household goods, electronics, furniture, and more.
Here are some of the best places to find dropshipping suppliers from around the globe.
Oberlo
If you want to do dropshipping on Shopify, you probably want to get Oberlo. Oberlo is an app for Shopify stores. It connects you to dropshipping suppliers. Using Oberlo, you can easily find dropshipped products and add them to your Shopify store.
Oberlo offers a free starter plan that lets you sell up to 500 dropshipped items. The basic plan is $29.90 a month, and the pro plan is $79.90. All Oberlo plans let you make unlimited sales.
AliExpress
One of the places you can find dropshipping suppliers through Oberlo is on AliExpress. AliExpress is an excellent place to start your dropshipping business. This huge wholesale platform is part of the Alibaba empire. You can find good prices and a wide range of merchandise. Most products on AliExpress are made in China.
This platform doesn’t charge any fees to connect you with dropshipping suppliers. There are a number of apps to facilitate working with AliExpress on different platforms. If you use one of those, you will probably pay a fee for the app.
Doba
Doba gives you access to more than 2 million different products. On Doba, you’ll find both international and US-based dropshipping suppliers. Doba integrates with all the most popular eCommerce platforms, so it’s easy to add products to your store.
Some Doba users have complained about poor customer service. Fortunately, you can start with the platform’s 30-day free trial to make sure it’s a good fit for your business. If you decide to use Doba, the basic plan is $29 a month, advanced is $69, and pro is $249. All three plans give you two free months if you pay annually. In addition, Doba offers an enterprise service level with pricing by quote.
Worldwide Brands
Worldwide Brands is a directory of wholesale and dropshipping suppliers. The company’s supplier list includes premier brands. It has been around for two decades and vets the businesses it lists, so it is a solid source for good suppliers. And the list includes wholesalers you can work with for products you stock yourself.
You can get a free preview of Worldwide Brands. If you decide to join, there is a one-time fee of $299 that buys you a lifetime membership. Worldwide Brands only connects you to suppliers. You will probably want to invest in an app to communicate between the site and your sales platforms.
Modalyst
Modalyst gives you access to 10 million dropshipping suppliers. But that’s not why it’s on this list. Modalyst has a highly-rated Wix app that lets you add dropshipped products to your Wix site. With Wix templates, this is an easy and quick way to get your dropshipping business started.
Modalyst has three plans. The hobby plan is free, startup is $35 per month, and pro is $90 per month.
Dropshipper.com
Dropshipper.com has more than 3 million products to choose from. It also offers one thing that few other dropshipping platforms do. The company has a service that will build your eCommerce store for you and maintain it. You could run a dropshipping business and remain almost completely hands-off. If you want a dropshipping solution that is plug-and-play, Dropshipper.com is the choice for you.
Dropshipper.com has just one plan, and it costs $29 per month. You can try it free for seven days.
US dropshipping suppliers
Many dropshipping suppliers are based outside the US, primarily in China. However, there are also many US dropshipping suppliers. You can find US-based companies on Worldwide Brands and other resources. However, if you want to source your dropship merchandise from the United States, here are some resources with more of a US focus.
Spocket
Spocket specializes in dropshipping suppliers based in the US and the EU. You can trust the companies on Spocket to deliver for you because they have been verified by Spocket. This is a popular plugin for Shopify and WooCommerce.
Spocket has a free 14-day trial. The company’s starter plan is just $19 per month. The pro plan is $49 per month, empire is $99, and unicorn is $299.
SaleHoo
SaleHoo’s main focus is similar to Worldwide Brands, in that it is an online directory of dropshipping suppliers. The company is based in New Zealand. On its list of over 8,000 suppliers, you’ll find companies based in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia, as well as New Zealand and China.
SaleHoo has recently added a dropshipping automation feature that includes access to AliExpress products. The basic plan is $27 per month, and premium is $97. You get two months free when you pay annually. To access SaleHoo’s directory, the fee is $67 for one year or $127 for lifetime access.
Sunrise Wholesale
Sunrise Wholesale is smaller than some of the other dropship platforms, with about 15,000 products sourced from just seven dropshipping manufacturers. However, the company offers brand name products in a range of product categories. If you’re not sure whether Sunrise Wholesale has what you want, you can check out its product selection without signing up for a membership. Sunrise Wholesale offers a website-building service.
A monthly membership with Sunrise Wholesale costs $49. You can start with a 7-day free trial.
National Dropshippers
National Dropshippers has a broad range, with over 250,000 products. It offers faster order fulfillment than some other dropshipping suppliers. Another plus: you can look through its product selection before you sign up.
National Dropshippers will build your eCommerce store for you for $299. Monthly membership is $19.99, but you can get an annual membership for $89.88 and a lifetime membership for $199. You will pay a small fee for the company’s fulfillment service on each order.
More supplier resources for dropshipping businesses
Of course, you don’t have to use any of these directories or apps to start your dropshipping business. You can find dropship suppliers by doing a Google search. If you want to focus on a specific product category, BigCommerce has compiled a dropshipping supplier directory that includes some niche suppliers by category.
You don’t have to sell products only from established dropshipping suppliers. Local makers may be willing to work with you on setting up a dropship arrangement. Your dropshipping eCommerce options are almost unlimited.
