Dropshipping - how to start working without investment...Formula for a successful, free business

Content

• What is dropshipping - how it works
• Example of sales using the dropshipping system
• Pros and cons of dropshipping
• Where to look for dropshipping products and what is profitable to sell
• Dropshipping companies and suppliers for Russia, Ukraine and CIS countries
• ApiShops
• Dropshipping from Aliexpress
• How to open an online store using dropshipping
• Selling goods via dropshipping through on-page sites
• Dropshipping on social networks
• Some useful tips
• Conclusion

Defining a market niche

Define your market niche . Don't try to cover all product categories. Some are less in demand than others. In addition, it is advisable to study competition in the market, promotion features and marketing strategies of competing companies.

When dealing with China and other countries, it is important to consider the risks associated with transportation. In addition, it will take some time to earn a reputation. If a product is completely new on the Russian market, then you will have to invest a lot of effort to convince potential buyers of the need to purchase it.

What is dropshipping - how it works

We have already written articles about how to make money and about making money on the Internet without investment. And dropshipping is just one of these types of earnings.

In fact, there is nothing complicated here, but beginners may not immediately understand everything. I will try to explain in detail.

Dropshipping is a direct delivery from a supplier to a buyer . In this case, you act as an intermediary, find buyers, send the order to the supplier, and the supplier immediately sends it to your buyer on your behalf. Thus, you do not purchase goods for yourself, but simply send the order to the supplier. The supplier can be a wholesale company or even the manufacturer itself. The supplier receives an amount of money equal to the wholesale price of the product, you receive the difference from the wholesale price and the one for which you sold the product to your buyer.

Everything is as indicated in the diagram:

Example of sales using the dropshipping system

Now I’ll tell you all this with an example.

You want to start selling products online, such as clothes. But you don’t have the money to purchase a lot of goods for your warehouse or you simply don’t want to take risks when purchasing goods. Dropshipping comes to your rescue.

Scheme in 6 simple steps:

1. You find a supplier working on dropshipping and look at his catalog with prices and photos. You study the conditions and you are satisfied with everything. Prices from suppliers are wholesale, so you can mark up decent amounts on top. Here's an article on how to mark up.

2. Next, you create an online store or a one-page website or a group on social networks (for example, on VKontakte or Odnoklassniki) and place the goods selected from the supplier there, BUT you set prices more expensive (higher than the wholesale price at which the goods cost from the supplier).

3. After filling the store or group, you launch advertising and you have buyers who pay for the goods.

4. You place an order for the purchased or selected product from the supplier and arrange delivery immediately to your buyer’s address. You pay the supplier for the goods at the wholesale price specified by the supplier. And you keep the extra charge you made.

5. The supplier packs and ships the order to your customer.

6. As a result, the client receives the purchased product, the supplier receives money from the wholesale price, and you receive money from the difference in price. Everything is a plus!

I hope I have explained it in detail now. Let's move on.

Dropshipping - instructions

Now I want to talk in detail about where to start and what to do. Even though you can open a business using dropshipping quickly and for free, you still have to do some work at first. But this is much easier than purchasing goods and storing them yourself.

The whole path can be divided into 6 steps:

1. Choosing a niche. Think about what products you would like to sell. This is a very important step. And the point is not to choose the most expensive and popular items. It's better to do what you like. This way you will be able to attract more buyers, because you yourself will want to describe and praise the products. There are special services that help determine the popularity of queries on the Internet for certain products. For example, wordstat.yandex.ru.
2. We create a platform. This could be a full-fledged online store, social groups. networks, accounts on message boards, or all at once. Just count your strength. If you've never been in business before, don't rush into it. It is much easier to devote all your strength to one site than to several. And when the first clients appear, it will be possible to increase promotion channels.
3. We are finding a supplier for an online dropshipping store. It is important not to make a mistake here. You may be partnering for several years, so it's worth taking the time to research each supplier. And it's not just about commission and remuneration. The supplier must be reliable. If your customers like the quality of the goods and the speed of delivery, they will buy more and recommend them to others.
4. We fill the store with goods. You shouldn’t think that people will see a new site and immediately want to buy something there. Products should be useful, photos should be high-quality, and descriptions should be attractive. This means that it is not enough to simply talk about the good quality of clothing, the technical characteristics of devices or the benefits of cosmetics. It is also very important to be able to attract a client so that he wants to buy the product.
5. We determine the target audience. This is required in absolutely any business. And dropshipping is no exception. Before you start working, you must understand who will be interested in the products. After all, it makes no sense to offer lipstick to men and spare parts for cars to women. Once you understand your customer, it will be easier for you to persuade him to buy. For example, men are more guided by logic, and women - by emotions. All this needs to be taken into account.
6. We promote product pages online. So, we created the store, decided on the product, supplier and target audience. Now all that remains is to make yourself known. They do this in different ways. For example, using advertising or SEO promotion. On social networks, you can ask your friends to tell their friends about the group. On free bulletin boards you can highlight your product or buy advertising. But this will already be paid.

Advice! When doing business, you will have to use various online wallets or bank cards. This may not be the option you will withdraw cash from later. There is a way to transfer up to 100,000 rubles a month from one account to another absolutely free of charge - this is a fast payment system!

I would also like to say that you should never stop. When working with a dropshipping system, you need to constantly develop. And this applies to any business in general. Getting started isn't that hard, but keeping a business afloat is much harder. If you understand that you cannot organize such a business, try making money on affiliate programs. Earning income from affiliate programs is, of course, a little easier, you can read about this by clicking on the link.

Pros and cons of dropshipping

Pros:

1. You can start with virtually no investment, because you don’t need to purchase goods;
2. You can test a niche using many products and, after testing, choose the best-selling one;
3. You will have unsellable goods lying around because you don’t buy them;
4. You don't have to worry about shipping because the supplier takes care of the shipping;
5. Suppliers already have a catalog of products and you don’t have to look for what to sell. You simply select products from the catalog.

Minuses:

1. You cannot control the shipment of goods and delivery times. If the supplier makes a mistake, the client will call and write to you as the seller;
2. You cannot evaluate the quality of the product because you do not have it in your hands;
3. You cannot control the remaining goods in the warehouse, because you are not the only supplier and the goods sell quickly.

Where to look for dropshipping products and what is profitable to sell

Where to look?

Dropshipping products can only be found from suppliers who sell through dropshipping, or you can find a wholesaler or manufacturer and agree to work with them individually on dropshipping. Look for both on the Internet. Also, suppliers can be not only in Russia or Ukraine, but in China. I'll tell you more about this below.

I will give you some dropshipping companies below, but the second option with manufacturers or wholesalers on individual terms needs to be worked out personally for you. Not everyone can agree, but nevertheless, according to the reviews of my colleagues and acquaintances, such companies do exist and I have a living example.

What is profitable to sell?

Anything, really. First you need to determine the demand. You can also just look at dropshipping supplier catalogs and choose. Such companies usually purchase trendy goods that are in good demand.

But I will still give a list of products and categories:

• Clothing, shoes (men's and women's);
• Children's goods (toys, clothes, shoes, strollers, etc.);
• Accessories (bags, backpacks, watches, wallets, etc.)
• Hoverboards;
• Bed sheets;
• Cosmetics;
• Phones, smartphones, iPhones, tablets and other gadgets, especially Apple brands;
• Electronic cigarettes and vapes;
• Sports goods (clothing, exercise equipment, equipment);
• Sports nutrition;
• Furniture and interior items;
• Auto parts;
• Electronics;
• etc.

Otherwise, rely only on your taste and the product catalog of dropshipping companies.

You may also find articles and sections useful:

1. What products can be sold;
2. How to choose a niche;
3. What sells well on the Internet;
4. Section about Business with China.

Dropshipping – which company to choose

It’s not an easy question for a novice businessman to find those same suppliers who work according to the dropshipping scheme. There are many suppliers, prices vary. Here are just some Chinese sites offering dropshipping: SunSky-Online.com, Focalprice.com, Clothing-Dropship, DinoDirect, BuySKU. Not all sites have a Russian-language version. The Russian version, for example, is on focalprice.com. This site sells a variety of goods, including: phone accessories, mobile phones, household appliances, computers and accessories, watches and jewelry, goods for hobbies and home:

Dropshipping is not uncommon - companies are found through Chinese trading platforms, such as: alibaba.com, aliexpress.com, taobao.com.

Dropshipping companies and suppliers for Russia, Ukraine and CIS countries

IMPORTANT! I’ll say right away that this is not advertising and we are not responsible for the suppliers listed below. To work or not to work with them is up to you. These companies are well-known, have been working wholesale and retail for a long time and have positive reviews, so we posted them.

ApiShops

The site of the company. A platform that allows you not only to sell products through the dropshipping system, but also provides ready-made online stores or one-page websites so that you can start selling right away. Ready-made solutions in the form of websites still need to be sorted out, but the company’s website has many instructions for beginners. They work with countries: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan. Maybe with some others, but I found information only on this list of countries.

Below is a video about working with them:

Both companies have good reviews and have been in the market for a long time.

Dropshipping from Aliexpress

Aliexpress is the largest and well-known website for Chinese goods. With it you can also start working on dropshipping. To do this, you need to register and when sending goods directly to the client, indicate his address. The advantages are that this is a good platform with a huge range of products. The only downside is the long delivery to your client. The site already has an article on how to buy on Aliexpress.

You may also find this article about where to find a supplier for an online store useful.

Collecting a database and increasing the base of regular customers

Even if a person made an order from you, but did not pay for it, it is still valuable for the site. After all, it not only improves the user characteristics of the site, but also leaves you with its contacts.

Your own email database is an excellent source of both additional traffic and additional earnings. After all, you can notify customers about updating the product range and expanding it.

In most cases this will bring positive results.

Of course, collecting a database of customer contacts is a slow process, so this process needs to be stimulated. Making a subscription form, or giving minor discounts to subscribers, all this will help you increase your base of regular customers.

The best client for any dropshipper is, of course, a wholesaler.

If several stores start buying goods from your website in order to expand their assortment, then you will receive a constant, stable profit with minimal effort and time. Also, wholesale sales in the vast majority of cases will help you get significant discounts from your supplier.

Although we are dropshippers ourselves, other dropshippers who could not find a cheap supplier often bought goods from us; this is also a good source of income, especially if you work together with a person.

We were also able to reach several children's toy stores, which also stock our items several times a month. Therefore, even if we now completely stop working on our website and only update the assortment, the site will still make a profit.

How to open an online store using dropshipping

There are several options here!

We create an online store ourselves or order from a specialist. The store will be on one of the CMS (content management system or engine).

• The downside is that you need special knowledge and it will be very difficult for a beginner to create an online store on their own.
• The advantage is that it is easier to promote an online store website in search engines.

I will not describe the process step by step, because there are many detailed articles in the section on how to open an online store and how to create an online store.

We create an online store using website design. Even a beginner can do it on his own. The process is quite simple.

• The downside is that it is harder to promote sites in search engines using website builders and you will have a template site.
• The advantage is the speed of creation, you can do it yourself.

For website builders, I can recommend Nethouse. I wrote about it in an article about how to create a website for free.

In both cases, you need to make a website, fill it with products and start advertising. The links above have a lot of information about what a website should be, how to make one, etc. When orders or payments are received, you will process them through the above suppliers on their terms and conditions.

Delivery terms

One of the most common problems for dropshipping in Russia is delivery times. Any deadline stated by the Chinese supplier can be safely multiplied by two. The goods can thus take weeks to reach the buyer. If the website indicates that a product is in stock, this does not mean that it is actually in stock. Or that the supplier will ship the goods directly on the day payment is received. All these points ultimately affect the mood of the buyer, that is, your client. What are the ways out of this situation:

1. Choose proven trading platforms and online stores, read reviews.
2. Trade rare and valuable goods. It is desirable that the product be expensive (with a markup of 100% or more%), but at the same time weigh as little as possible. In this case, for example, you can choose the “air cargo” delivery scheme. Delivery of an item weighing 15 kg will cost approximately $120. The product can be received in any major city in the Russian Federation within 10 - 20 days after dispatch.

Selling goods via dropshipping through on-page sites

You can sell not only through full-fledged online stores, but also through one-page sites (landing pages). Dropshipping from one-page websites is very common because you choose a trending product, make a one-page website for it, advertise and sell it.

The advantage of this scheme is that you have one product and a one-page website is designed specifically for selling this product without the ability to go to other pages of the site and “go astray.”

For example , my good friend Roman Kolesnikov sells goods from one-page websites for more than 200,000 rubles in net profit per month!

You can make a one-page website yourself using website builders, or order a landing page from specialists or freelancers.

Let's sum it up

The described scheme can become a profitable startup for an aspiring entrepreneur. She will teach a beginner about promotion, promotion, proper website design and other nuances of online sales. Having earned your first money from dropshipping, you can invest it in another business - or “grow” into a regular store.

Important! It is not necessary to look for a supplier among “ready-made” companies specializing in dropshipping. You can find a business partner willing to work according to the described scheme in your region, convince him of the benefits of cooperation and earn money together.

Dropshipping on social networks

This option also exists. You can create a group or public on social networks on VKontakte or Odnoklassniki and sell products through dropshipping there. The scheme is the same as for sales from websites, but orders will not arrive in your cart, but in private messages, and you will be able to accept payments outside the social network.

• The disadvantages are that it is less convenient in terms of payment than selling through websites.
• The advantages are that there is a large audience on social networks and it is easier to attract them. And also, to create a group or public you do not need special knowledge.

I even have an article on how to open an online store on VKontakte. She can help you.

Some useful tips

1. To get started, choose your dropshipping supplier. Study the product and terms of work with the supplier. When you 100% understand the conditions and scheme of working with the supplier, then you can start working.
2. Try checking the supplier with your own order. Buy a product to your address or a friend’s address and check the delivery time, packaging and compliance with all agreed conditions.
3. Use only effective advertising on the Internet, but at first you can take advantage of free advertising on the Internet. With proven advertising methods, you can test your business model faster and more effectively.
4. Try a little bit at a time. Don't invest a lot of money at once. Gradually analyze your actions and you will come to profit.
5. Try to pay attention to those products that interest you, because you are more likely to sell them.
6. Analyze the competition, because in some products it is so high that it will be difficult for a beginner with little money to get into it.
7. In addition to dropshipping, you can also earn money through affiliate programs.

Organizational aspects

The first thing you need to do to start making money is to choose which dropshipping supplier you will cooperate with. It is necessary to study the range and working conditions of the supplier. To evaluate product quality and delivery times, order some item for yourself. This way you can evaluate the purchased item and check how quickly you will receive it.

You may be interested in: Learning to make money by translating texts on the Internet

Next, you will need to launch an online store or a page on social networks to promote your products. The best thing is to combine both.

It’s quite possible to make a website yourself, even if it’s a site built on a website builder. If this site is a leader in search results, you will be able to receive many applications from it. With the help of social networks it is easy to reach a huge audience.

There is high competition in this area. To gain your market share, you can:

• reduce prices
• look for unique products that no one else has
• compete with additional services, such as free shipping.

First, try free sources of attracting traffic, then use effective and proven methods of promotion - for example, contextual and targeted advertising. When choosing products, pay attention to things that you like - this way you are more likely to be able to sell them.