*This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.
Dropshipping is one of my main income streams so I can promise you that it works! It’s also a great place to start on your side hustle journey because it will teach you a lot about what it takes to run an e-commerce business. I learned a lot of skills while dropshipping that help me out every day with my other hustles.
What is dropshipping?
Dropshipping is a way of fulfilling online sales by shipping directly to your customer from your supplier, instead of holding any stock yourself.
Example: A customer purchases a lamp from your home decor online store for $100. You then forward that order to your lamp supplier where you only pay them $70 per lamp. Your supplier ships the lamp to your customer's address that you’ve provided for them. Leaving you with a $30 profit without ever touching the product.
Want to know more?
What is dropshipping? Definition, cost, features, and providers.
How do people use it?
The possibilities are endless when it comes to dropshipping. I have made money with both eBay and Facebook dropshipping even though these are two platforms with a lot of competition. Like all e-commerce, real money is made when you can find a niche and online platform with low competition, but that will take time and experience to find so be patient and trust the process.
Open your eyes to the possibilities of dropshipping:
-Check out this podcast interview on Side Hustle Nation where they interview a woman making 6 figures dropshipping dollhouse furniture.
-Paul Lipsky is my go-to guy for all things eBay, Amazon, and Facebook dropshipping. He has an extremely informative YouTube Channel where he posts videos on how to get started. I even took his Dropshipping Titans eBay course when I was starting and I highly recommend it.
-If selling on social media is more your thing then here are 11 Examples of Instagram dropshipping.
-Shopify dropshipping is very popular, and I have also heard of people dropshipping on Mercari, Etsy, and Tiktok.
*Before you jump onto a platform and start dropshipping, you should always do your research beforehand and see what their dropshipping policy is. Rules are changing constantly and you need to make sure you're prepared.
Have you heard that dropshipping is "dead"? That couldn't be further from the truth! Sure dropshipping had become more competitive over the years, but there are more and more online platforms and opportunities to drop ship every year. Also, as far as I’m concerned, dropshipping is not dead if I’m still making money. If you don’t want to take my word for it check out this article on dropshipping from Gary Vaynerchuk.
Where do I start?
1) Don't spend a penny just yet. Spend some time reading articles online and watching YouTube videos on Dropshipping instead. Learn some of the terms you see and make sure that you can answer the following questions.
-What is dropshipping?
-What are the pros and cons?
-What dropshipping platforms interest me the most? (Social media/eBay/Shopify)
2) Now for a completely unbiased view on dropshipping join any Reddit and Facebook groups that you find. I recommend the dropship forum on Reddit and this dropshipping Facebook group.
These groups will be some of your most valuable resources. On day 1 I encourage you to just be a fly on the wall and see what other people are posting. Lookup any terms, or websites that you see the community discussing. Try to answer the following questions:
-Who is making money and do they disclose where or what they are dropshipping?
-What are some complaints or problems people seem to be having?
-What are some questions I have and can I use the search bar function in these groups to see if my questions have been asked before?
3) Once you feel like you have a basic understanding of what it takes to run a dropshipping business and you're ready to expand on your education you have two routes you can take.
-You can be a self-learner and search independently for articles and videos online to teach you what you need. The internet is filled with free information that you can utilize to grow your business on your own. If you go this route you will learn a lot through trial and error, and it will take you longer to teach yourself than it would if you had a teacher. However, this will also be the option with the least amount of upfront costs.
-Or you can take a course and learn directly from an expert. I am a big fan of courses because they can help fast-track you to making money with your business. It's like having a mentor to guide you through the entire process and keep you from making time-wasting mistakes.
While I built my Amazon business without a course, I did take a course to start my Dropshipping store. After trying both, from now on I will almost always take a course when I take on a new business idea. It is more valuable to me to get results quicker than to save money by not purchasing a course.
Consider both options and go with whatever you're most comfortable with. I am a big believer in keeping start-up costs as low as possible when you're beginning a new hustle, that way the risk is low if it doesn't bring you in money immediately. So if you're not comfortable spending money on a course don't do it.
If you do decide that a course is the best option for you check out my course checklist. These are all the features I look for when choosing a course and the red flags to keep an eye out for.
Keep in mind that purchasing an expensive course isn't always necessary. I always check out what Udemy and Skillshare classes are relevant to what I'm learning first and only look into other course options if I need more information.
I always check Skillshare first because it's the most cost-effective way to learn (besides youtube!). You can sign up now and get a 1-month free trial where you get access to their entire library of courses. I use it all the time and it's the first place I go whenever I want to start up a new side hustle. If you love it and turn into a Skillshare addict like me right now you can get 30% off an annual membership.
If I can't find exactly what I'm looking for on Skillshare then I turn to Udemy! I love Udemy also and it's filled with in-depth courses from experts all over the world. You do purchase courses individually on Udemy but it is well worth the money to learn directly from the pros.
What are the best course options for Dropshipping?
Here are some of the best-rated courses I found that can help kick things off!
The Complete Shopify Aliexpress Dropship Course
This impressive bestselling course taught by Tim Sharp has had over 87,000 students! It was created for complete beginners who are ready to learn step by step how to create and run a profitable e-commerce store.
My favorite features of this course:
No prior knowledge of dropshipping, Aliexpress, or e-commerce is required.
He walks you through how to find hot selling products and your ideal customers.
30-day money-back guarantee.
Paul Lipsky's eBay Dropshipping Titans Course
I have taken this course and I can promise you it WORKS. Paul does an excellent job walking you through every step in the process from setting up your eBay store, making your first sales, communicating with customers, and finding suppliers. I recommend that you learn as much as you can from his free youtube videos before purchasing the course because it is pretty pricey. It's worth it, but can be a big expense when you're first getting started.
My favorite features of this course:
It teaches a different method of dropshipping that focuses on selling products directly on eBay instead of setting up your own store.
Extensive course with videos and access to the private ebay titans community group.
Teaches you how to talk to customers, deal with common problems, and work with eBay support.
The most important thing that you can do now is to take action, while it's important to do your research you should be mindful not to get caught up in the learning process. It's easy to feel overwhelmed and think that you need to know everything before you start, but that is simply not the case. Taking action is where most people fall short, so learn the basics and get started quickly. You will learn as you go and you can rely on your Reddit community and Facebook group if you need assistance.
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