How To Start a Dropshipping Business Fast

Start a Dropshipping Business Today with No Overhead, Inventory, or Money!

If you are considering an E-commerce business, chances are you’re concerned about the amount of money it will cost you to get your business up and running. You may also be wondering what on earth to sell. You may not know where to start with setting up your dropshipping business.

If that’s you, read on. Dropshipping can provide you with a way to sell just about any product out there with no inventory and very few upfront costs.

The idea of earning passive income has become increasingly popular. It’s not surprising that in light of the recent pandemic, many people have taken the time at home to think about ways to increase their income. 

Everything from shopping to schooling has taken place online, so it’s understandable that any new side gig, part-time hustle, or at-home venture just might involve some type of E-Commerce business.

One of the most popular types of E-Commerce is dropshipping. Dropshipping is a business model that allows a business owner to sell an item without having to hold onto inventory, without having to ship the products, and often without upfront cash. 

Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, like anything else there are pros and cons but this is definitely a model that can prove to be profitable and one that you can start today.

 5 Steps to Start a Dropshipping Business Now

1. Picking a Dropshipping Niche

Before you can start a dropshipping business you have to begin thinking about the niche you want to serve. A niche is simply a portion of the population with some common attribute(s). It could be first responders, basketball enthusiasts, or Army brats. 

Whatever the group, you will want to make sure that the niche is large enough to market to but not so broad that you will be left with a huge group. For example, you could take the basketball enthusiast example and narrow that down to college basketball enthusiasts. 

If you make it college basketball enthusiasts in Philadelphia, PA, that may be too narrow. On the other hand, sports enthusiasts may work, but it’s a little broad. Try to think of one that gives you a demographic that you know something about. It is difficult to market to a group of people you know nothing about. 

Perhaps you could either speak with someone in the niche you are considering or make a list of possible niches that include a few that you yourself belong to. Think about hobbies and interests that you enjoy and consider selling products around those.

Make Sure Your Niche is Something People Are Passionate About

Finally, when you start your dropshipping business you want to choose a niche that people are passionate about. Are they willing to make an impulse purchase because that product appeals to them on an emotional level? Are they proud to talk about and display their interest? Think about teachers and nurses. 

The men and women who serve in these professions are generally proud to do so and are a great group to target. Similarly are people who love rescue dogs and coffee. Could you see yourself catering to these groups of people? This will help you determine what type of product you can sell and to whom.

There are many business owners who cross niches to narrow their focus even more. In previous examples, we saw nurses, teachers, and coffee lovers as possible niches. 

What if we combined two or three niches? How about targeting coffee-loving nurses? Or teachers who have rescue animals? Now you have narrowed down two very large niches into more manageable groups.

2. Is There a Demand For Your Product?

In order to ensure you will be able to sell to your niche, you have to be sure people are looking for that item. The worst thing you can do is invest time and energy choosing a product, setting up a website, and marketing your products only to find there is no market for them. 

Websites like Google Trends can let you know whether people have searched for items similar to yours. You want to be sure people are actively searching for products similar to yours and that the competition isn’t too high.

For example, if you decide to sell phone cases to college basketball fans but you see that no one is searching for them, chances are you will not be able to sell them either. If you see that there are more people selling them than there are people searching for them, you will have a different problem. 

You may want to search for something else like throw blankets or mini flashlights. As you can see in the Google Trends report below, cell phone cases sell pretty consistently but the search for college basketball cell phone cases yields nothing. 

This is not to say that you could not sell these types of cell phone cases, it is just an example of how narrowing your niche the wrong way can impact your likelihood of finding that audience you need for marketing.

Google Keyword Planner can help you determine the number of monthly searches Google receives about your particular item type. This is a free tool and is a part of Google Ads.

3. How to Find Dropshipping Suppliers

Finding the right supplier is crucial. There are, dropshipping suppliers who ship from the United States but many dropshipping wholesalers are located overseas. Be sure to find one that will ship to your customers in a reasonable amount of time. 

We have all become accustomed to fast shipping, (ahem, Amazon Prime) so finding a supplier who can deliver in a timely manner is essential if you want happy customers. You also want to be sure you are able to communicate with the supplier should you encounter any issues with the product or delivery. 

Aliexpress is a popular option as they are a collective of many different vendors on one site. Before selecting a product be sure you are comfortable that the wholesaler can deliver a quality item within a reasonable time. Ask about white labeling as well. 

Some suppliers will agree to use your business name, address, and package inserts so your customers believe the items are coming from you. I would suggest you place an order yourself to make sure they are actually following through on this, and to make sure the item you are sending your customers is of high quality.

4. Build a Dropshipping Website.

Now that you have a niche and products to sell, you need a platform to list them. The easiest way to accomplish this is to start an E-Commerce website. Websites like Shopify and Woo Commerce are easy to use, even for beginners. If you run into trouble while setting up your shop, contact their customer service for someone to walk you through it. 

Shopify offers a trial period that will allow you to set up your store free of charge. At the time of this article the monthly cost, once the trial ends, is $29. Other sites like Wix and WordPress also allow you to create a storefront but may require more customization on your part, as storefronts are not their primary selling point. 

It is not necessary to spend hundreds of dollars on web hosting when starting a dropshipping business. You just want a website with E-Commerce capabilities and a layout that is user-friendly.

When you set up your website you will have to acquire and assign a URL to your website. This is the name of your website. Try to think of a name that gives people some idea of what you’re selling without locking yourself in too much. 

For example, if you’re selling dog blankets, a name like www.dogblanketsareus.com may limit you to just dog blankets, which may be what you want. Just think about possible expansions before locking yourself in.

5. Marketing

Now you’re in the home stretch! You have a winning product and it’s listed on a website. All you need are customers. There are many ways to attract customers but dropshipping items are typically advertised via free posts on social media platforms and paid ads on social media. 

If you decide to advertise on a platform like Facebook, be sure to check the audience insights to reach out to people in your niche. If you market your product to all of Facebook it will be difficult to reach your niche and you will spend lots of advertising dollars on the wrong people. 

In our basketball example, you would use Facebook audience insights to search for people who are interested in basketball, college sports, and maybe even particular college teams. That would narrow your search so you focus on finding the right audience. 

6. Email Marketing For Your Dropshipping Business

Email lists should also be a part of your marketing strategy. Look at ways to collect emails using automated email sequences once they visit your website. Websites like Convertkit do an amazing job of helping you stay in contact with customers once you have created an email list. 

Dropshipping can be a very lucrative business if you choose the right product at the right time. Do your research and keep your pulse on the hot new trends in your niche. Communicate with your email subscribers to find out what types of products they would like to see. You’re now on the right track towards starting a dropshipping business.

A Dropshipping Landing Page

If you don’t have a website and you don’t want to take the time to create a blog and full shopping experience, consider creating a landing page. A landing page is one page that focuses on your products and a checkout method for your customers.  You don’t have to create an entire website if you have a landing page. Instead of sharing a web address with your audience, you would share the link to your landing page. Easier and more streamlined than a full website. Convertkit has lots of landing page templates to choose from.  Which one would you prefer? 

Good luck!

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