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Shopify dropshipping ‍

Arguably one of the lowest barriers to entry businesses models around. However, this business plan has taken a brutal beating on the internet and is now associated with scams, unethical business operations, fake gurus, and negative customer experiences.

We’ll be breaking down the Shopify dropshipping space in this short article to give you a better understanding if this business model is for you or not.

First things first. What is Shopify Dropshipping? - drop shipping is taking a product from a supplier, wholesaler, or distributor and throwing it on a website. When a customer orders from your website you order it from them and send it to your customer and then you keep the difference. “Shopify Dropshipping” is this exact same model, it’s just happening on the Shopify platform.

Right away you can see how valuable this is. You don’t have to hold any inventory, you can implement creative branding around a product or products, and it’s a fairly easy system to operate. However, not being in control of your logistics and supply chain can have it’s own set of issues.

Is it still viable in 2021?

The short answer, of course, it is! And don’t let anyone tell you any differently. It just has to be done right. For example, the popular furniture company Wayfair operates on a 100% dropshipping model. They are doing millions per month in revenue. As long as there are people online buying products drop shipping will be around.

Things are drastically different in the drop shipping space in 2021 compared to early 2006 when the trend first took off.

Let’s investigate how it got its bad rep.

Shopify Dropshipping - a series of unfortunate events

Shopify dropshipping is best done when paired with social media marketing, social ads, branding, and best digital marketing practices. In 2006 you could create a Shopify store head over to Aliexpress ( a Chinese wholesale marketplace) throw a few popular products on your store. Then, if you ran Facebook ads, you’d likely get a lot of sales. That being said, in the early days many young entrepreneurs flourished in this space. They began teaching their success to other individuals on social platforms. Before we knew it, we had 18 year olds flashing Lamborghini’s promising you financial freedom overnight.

Shopify dropshipping is just like any other business, it’s hard work, relationships are everything, and the customer should be put first.

Soon enough massive problems began to arise. Customers were not getting their products due to unreputable suppliers, products were taking months to arrive, the customer experience for these poorly ran dropshipping stores just looking to make a quick buck was absolutely terrible.

The brands that did survive had great customer service in place, were very transparent about their shipping times and operations, and had good relationships with their suppliers and actually took the time to vet them properly.

Steps you can take to execute Shopify dropshipping properly in 2021

Create a Shopify account and build your store
Research quality suppliers for the product you are looking to sell. It is also a great option to hire a sourcing agent to help you navigate the complex Chinese marketplace. They vet and develop relationships with suppliers for a living and work with brand owners to help them find a reliable and trustworthy supplier
The foundation is set - time to market your new business.
Treat it like a business. Setup customer communication channels, track my order page, clearly communicate shipping times on your website, and continue to get feedback on your brand.