The Street Articles

How much does it cost to launch a dropshipping store? 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 so...

Before we get any further, it’s important that you have an answer to the question: what is dropshipping? Dropshipping is a type of retail fulfillment method. Instead of a store stocking products, it purchases the products from a third party supplier. The products are then shipped directly to the consumer. For the store, this is a mostly hands-off process. The merchant doesn’t have to order inventory or fulfill the orders in any way. Instead, the third party supplier takes care of the product itself. Dropshipping is great for entrepreneurs because it doesn’t demand as much as the traditional retail model. You don’t have to open a brick-and-mortar store, pay overhead, and stock products. Instead, you open an online storefront and buy wholesale from suppliers who already have products and warehouse space. The merchant is mainly responsible for gaining customers and processing orders in dropshipping, meaning you’ll effectively be a middleman. Despite this, you’ll reap the lion’s ...