How to find the best dropshipping provider

Knowing how to find the best dropshipping provider can be a complicated and time-consuming task, but it is essential to the success of any business . In this guide we are going to make it much easier for you to know which provider to accept and which to reject.
 

How to identify the best dropshipping provider?

There are a number of ways to find good suppliers for your dropshipping store. Here are our top tips to get you started.

1. Contact the manufacturers

Contact the manufacturers of the products you want to sell to get a list of vendors they work with . This simple step ensures you find legitimate providers. If you see the same name, over and over again, it may be your ideal provider.

2. Try Niche Scraper

Niche Scraper is a product search tool that helps dropshippers spot trending items. It also provides you with a daily list of recommended products, vendors, and ad targeting approaches put together by its experts.

3. Go to a fair

Find out if there are trade shows in your industry near you. Tickets can be expensive, but fairs are a great way to meet vendors and see products in person .
4. Google extensively

Many wholesale dropshipping providers are not yet proficient in marketing. With this in mind, you should search Google using different keywords and look beyond the first page of Google results. Don't dismiss a provider just because of a crappy website .

5. Ask the competition

Order some products from competitors or dropshippers that you want to look like. Looking for the sender's address you will know who your provider is. This is a great opportunity to see what the competition is like and find potential suppliers at the same time.

What should you negotiate with a dropshipping provider?

When you first approach a new provider, be as formal and direct as possible . The approach will depend on the type of supplier you contact: wholesaler, manufacturer, dropshipper or liquidator.

1. First email

In your first email, I recommend that you ask vendors:
  • Information about the products that interest you.
  • Prices and availability.
  • More information, including the minimum number of orders and product catalogues.
By simply asking for “more information”, the provider will likely answer most questions . This avoids having to ask too large a list of questions that can overwhelm providers and cause them not to respond.

2. Follow-up emails

If you still have questions after the provider has responded, you should ask about:
  • Shipment information.
  • Additional expenses (in case of dropshipping, etc.).
  • Payment methods accepted.
  • Product samples and photographs.
  • Manufacturing capacity (for own brand products and manufacturers).
  • Deposit amount (for manufacturing).
  • Return policy.
  • Tax information.
  • Warranty information.
  • Discounts for wholesale purchases.
  • Commercial information of the supplier.

Do I have to make a contract with the dropshipping provider?

Dropshipping is a complex agreement and it is important to get a Dropshipping agreement written up if you want to get started in this type of business.

A Dropshipping agreement is a legally binding contract between a seller and a manufacturer of products. If you are a seller who wants to hire a manufacturer to help you in your business, you have to write a Dropshipping agreement.

It is an important contract that establishes the main terms of the agreement between the seller and the manufacturer , including the respective rights and responsibilities.

It is customizable and can be written in terms that protect the interests of the vendor, manufacturer, and customer.

What should I include in a dropshipping agreement?

If you want to draft a dropshipping agreement, here are some of the main areas of the agreement to keep in mind.

Prices

If you are a seller, you need to generate profit to have a successful business.
Therefore, the price of the products you sell through your online store is an important consideration.
The wholesale price of the products you buy from the manufacturer must be low enough to allow you to make a profit .

shipping agreement

As a seller in a dropshipping deal, you have limited control over the supply chain, since you don't directly control when and how products are shipped.

Having strict shipping, handling and delivery conditions is essential to ensure customer satisfaction and limit the risk of things going wrong in the shipping process. It will also give you the option to take legal action against the manufacturer in case things go wrong.

Returns

What happens if a customer is not satisfied with a product? If a customer wants to return or exchange your product, there should be policies that cover it .

If a manufacturer does not have a return policy, the seller will be responsible for replacing the defective product.

Dropshipping can be risky if there is no effective agreement between the manufacturer and the seller . This risk is unique to dropshipping compared to traditional online stores.

This is because if a seller makes their own products or has a warehouse where they keep their products for sale, they have the opportunity to personally check the quality of the products before shipping them to their customers.

It is always important to make sure that the manufacturer offers a warranty on their products or has a good return and exchange policy to resolve customer complaints about faulty products.

Where can you find cheap dropshipping providers?

There are a number of web pages that easily and conveniently list providers classified by niche . Some of these directory pages claim to vet providers before listing them, providing security and peace of mind.

Directories like Worldwide Brands and Salehoo claim to vet each and every wholesaler, but charge an access fee.

Next I am going to comment on some good pages that are free. But just like on Amazon or eBay, you have to look at comments and reviews to find out which vendors are trustworthy .

1.BigBuy

BigBuy 's headquarters are in Europe, and in its inventory we find products from all categories. What does BigBuy offer us?
  • You don't need to store, nor do you need to invest in stock . Thousands of BigBuy products will become your stock. 0 investment with all the guarantees.
  • BigBuy is in charge of preparing the order, packaging and shipping. It does all the logistics so that you save it.
  • The acclaimed « direct shipment to the final customer » is at your expense. They deliver with the logo and name of your brand.
  • They have a catalog in 24 different languages, so you can navigate easily.
  • Tech support is pretty good . Having tested it, we can ensure that they answer quickly.
  • They have wholesale prices sending individual products .
  • Products can be sold on Amazon, Ebay, Rakuten , etc. Take charge only of improving the marketing of your brand.
  • They have many synchronization options with your ecommerce with different CMS.
We recently gave our Bigbuy reviews , highlighting the main features and listing the advantages and disadvantages it has. We recommend you take a look.

2. AliExpress

AliExpress makes dropshipping easy to all over the world. Thanks to its search engine it is very easy to search and there are tools like Oberlo , which allow you to add their products to your Shopify store with a few clicks. It has many suppliers and products, most of which are Chinese.

3.DHGate

This is another Chinese website, very similar to AliExpress. Similarly, DHGate offers a huge range of products and buyer protections , it also has warehouses in the United States.
4.LightInTheBox

LightInTheBox has been selling a wide variety of fashion apparel, electronics and lifestyle products since 2007, shipping to over 200 countries.

5. Oberlo

If you use Shopify you can consider Oberlo, Shopify's own dropshipping plugin . It is a popular choice among dropshippers due to the gigantic range of products, as well as its low prices. Most of the dropshipping suppliers listed on Oberlo are from China, and Oberlo awards quality marks to suppliers that meet its standards, 'Oberlo Supplier' or 'Verified Supplier'.

6.SaleHoo

This New Zealand platform has an online dropshipping supplier directory with more than 8,000 suppliers around the world. There are more than 1.6 million products in 75 categories . You can dropship clothing, electronics, furniture, office supplies, mobile phones, and much more.

You'll have to pay a one-time fee of $67 to access the database, where you'll find European suppliers with decent shipping times . You can also filter suppliers based on the size of their minimum orders or products.

7.Socket

It is a platform for European and American dropshipping providers . There are thousands of products listed on the platform, from clothing, accessories, beauty and health, electronics, household products, and toys. Spocket ships worldwide.

It has a higher price range than AliExpress dropshipping, for example. Spocket is a bit more expensive than other dropshipping platforms. Plus, shipping rates range from free shipping to $20. The platform offers integrations with Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix, and WooCommerce.

8. Printful

If you're interested in selling white-label products with your own design , Printful might be a suitable dropshipping provider. The company works on the basis of "print on demand". They can print your designs on clothing as well as bags, mugs, and phone cases.

In Europe, the company is located in Latvia, which makes shipping possible within two to four days. There are integrations available with Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, Wix, BigCommerce, and Prestashop . It also offers integrations with marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, and Wish.

9.Modalyst

This page connects dropshippers and suppliers from the United States, Australia and Europe. Some of Modalyst's wholesalers are also listed on AliExpress.

Modalyst claims to have verified all dropshipping providers. Among other categories, clothing, shoes, and accessories are sold by premium and non-premium vendors. The platform can be easily integrated with Shopify, Wix, and BigCommerce .

10.EDC

It is a Dutch wholesaler that offers more than 14,000 erotic products. It has a dropshipping program, for which it is necessary to be registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce. There are no minimum orders and they ship worldwide. Due to the nature of the products that EDC sells, you may need to check import restrictions if you are shipping outside of Europe.

Advantages of using suppliers from Europe

Finding dropshipping suppliers in Europe can save you from many of the problems that can arise with Chinese manufacturers. Shipping will take less time , which often means happier customers . When an order is damaged, you will also be able to send your customers a replacement product quickly.

As a European company, you pay higher import costs for packages from outside of Europe . Another advantage is that products from European suppliers are required to meet European safety requirements.

When importing products into Europe, you are responsible for meeting these requirements. In the case of defective products, you will have to be held accountable, but with a European supplier you can hold them accountable .
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