Technically speaking, you can start dropshipping for $0.00. With the right combination of free trials and starter plans – and a willingness to look the other way and hope for the best when it comes to the quality of your products – 45 minutes of spare time is all that stands between you and a dropshipping store.
But to borrow from the Big Book of English Expressions: Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
No doubt, dropshipping has lowered the barrier to entry to starting a business. You can plug into suppliers from around the world and sell their products without ever holding inventory. It’s an awesome setup.
So awesome, in fact, that people can get carried away, dreaming of a six-figure business that doesn’t require any investment.
Thing is, starting a successful business has never been free, and that’s still the case. Even with dropshipping. You don’t need to get a second mortgage, but you will have to put some money into your dropshipping business before your dropshipping business puts money into your pocket.
This post will break down unavoidable costs that any (legitimate) dropshipping store will need to absorb to get off the ground. Read to the end, and you’ll have an itemized list of your startup costs, plus insights from dropshipping entrepreneurs who can tell you what to expect.
The awesome thing about dropshipping is that you never handle the products that you’re selling. While this might solve one of the biggest challenges of commerce – having cool products to sell – it introduces a new set of considerations. Namely, you don’t control the quality of the products, the timeliness of delivery, or the appearance of the packaging.
That’s why we recommend setting aside some time (and money) to order the products that you’re going to be selling in your store.
This gives you a chance to investigate the suppliers. After you place your order, for example, you can follow up and ask, “When can I expect my order to arrive?” And when it does arrive, does it meet your expectations? Is it defective in any way? Would you want to buy it?
Once you have your products on hand, you can use them to generate interest in your store. Show them off. Take pictures of people holding them. Ask your friends what they think (and how much they’d pay).
Okay, so how much will eating your dropshipping vegetables cost you? Well, you don’t need to buy every variation of every product. If you sell yellow, red, and blue dresses from the same supplier, you’re probably fine just ordering one color. But it’s definitely a good idea to order at least one item from every supplier whose products you plan to offer at your store.
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