寻找直接运输供应商和公司（+免费目录）

一件代发供应商是每个一件代发业务的重要方面。 毕竟，没有一件代发供应商，您就没有产品可以卖给您的客户！ 但是，可能很难为您的品牌找到合适的一件代发供应商或一件代发公司来储存您正在寻找的确切产品。

作为我们上一篇关于直销的后续文章，直销 101：什么是直销，许多人想知道如何找到信誉良好的直销供应商。 这是一个很好的问题，因为自然而然地，寻找一件代发供应商是开展一件代发业务的第一步。

对于大多数新的电子商务企业家来说，寻找信誉良好的一件代发供应商可能是一个艰巨的过程，因为搜索过程中充斥着骗局和死胡同。 您如何知道哪些供应商值得信赖，哪些供应商提供您可以确定未来客户会喜欢的最佳直销产品？ 由于找到合适的直销供应商可能是一个具有挑战性的过程，我们在本文中结合了我们的行业知识和联系，以帮助像您这样的新企业家为您的企业找到最好的直销供应商。

如果您在为您的企业寻找代运供应商时遇到困难，那么您来对地方了！ 我们涵盖了您在本文中寻找一件代发供应商所需了解的所有信息，我们甚至让您访问我们精选的一件代发供应商目录，这样您就可以找到一件代发公司来为您的商店供应产品，而无需搜索所有的高低通过互联网。

寻找直接运输公司和供应商视频概述

什么是直销？

回顾我们上一篇文章，直销是一种商业模式，允许商家在不拥有、处理或运输库存的情况下经营电子商务商店。 它通常是入门级企业家使用的一种商业模式，因为它很容易上手 - 无需购买库存，无需负责库存，无需处理复杂的运输流程，而且通常很简单较少动手类型的业务开始。

虽然这些是开始直销业务的一些优势，但它也有一些缺点。 采购直销产品可能有点挑战，因为供应商太多，很难知道该信任谁。 由于这是一种非常容易上手的商业模式，因此也可能有很多其他电子商务商家已经在销售或希望销售与您有兴趣销售的产品相同的产品，这意味着可能有很多竞赛。 最后，一件代发的最大缺点之一是利润率比批发或从头制造产品等其他类型的商业模式要小得多。 这是因为其他人或公司正在代表您的业务处理供应链的许多不同方面——即库存处理、拣选、包装和运输责任——所以，当然，他们为您完成这项工作而获得报酬它反映在您从您销售的产品中获得的利润中。

因此，虽然直销是一种易于上手的商业模式，它有助于教会新企业家如何管理和经营在线业务，并帮助他们在此过程中学习宝贵的经验，但从长远来看，发展直销商店可能很困难，随着时间的推移，这并不是发展可持续业务的最有效方式。

直运船供应链

为了全面了解直销并为您找到合适的直销供应商，了解直销供应链非常重要。 首先，了解制造商和批发商之间的区别很重要：

制造商是实际生产一种或多种产品的公司。 例如，任天堂是 Wii 游戏机的制造商。 一些制造商将制定直销计划，允许其他商家直接与他们合作销售他们的产品。 如果是这种情况，商家可以在自己的网站上销售制造商的产品，每当他们进行销售时，商家只需将信息转发给制造商，制造商将代表客户挑选、包装和运送产品。商人。 当客户收到包裹时，他们会相信它直接来自商家，因为制造商不会在包装或产品上贴上自己的品牌。

在直销方面，与制造商合作是一个理想的方案，因为商家可以省去所有中间商，这些中间商有时会参与供应商流程，这通常意味着他们以最便宜的价格出售所售商品，从而允许更大的成本。利润率。 出于这些原因，在为您自己的直销业务寻找直销供应商时，如果可以，请尝试与制造商合作。

如果制造商没有到位的一件代发计划，那么他们可能会选择与批发商合作销售他们的商品。 批发商是指直接从制造商处购买商品，然后以略微加价但以折扣批发价将这些商品转售给零售商的任何企业。

批发公司也可以称为分销商，它只是一家专门向其他零售商分销产品的公司。 这些批发分销商将从制造商处批量购买产品，并可能提供直销计划，允许商家与他们合作销售商品。 如果您通过批发商代销商品，可以肯定地说，价格已从他们支付给制造商的原始价格上加价，因为批发商也必须获利。

有时，可能会涉及从其他批发商处采购的其他批发商，他们可能会假装直接从制造商处采购。 如果是这种情况，从他们那里直接发货的商家将以进一步提高的价格购买产品。

这就是为什么您作为商人必须小心与哪种供应商合作，因为与您合作的制造商、批发供应商或分销商添加的任何加价都会侵蚀您自己的利润，这会使您的企业更难以竞争在市场上。

真实 Dropshippers 的属性

如上所述，有时欺骗性的中间商、分销商或供应商会试图将自己伪装成真正的代销商，而实际上他们并非如此。 真正的直销供应商通常都有几个共同点，您可以注意这些属性，以帮助更好地保护自己并确保您与合法的直销供应商合作并获得最优惠的价格：

• 真正的代销商通常不向公众销售：大多数代销商都专注于向其他企业销售，不直接向公众销售。
• 许多 Dropshippers 需要申请：如果您只能使用电子邮件和姓名进行注册，那么他们很可能不是合法的 dropshipper。 大多数，如果不是全部，dropshippers 将需要某种类型的应用程序来清除轮胎踢球者。
• 许多代销商需要 EIN 号码和经销商证书（适用于美国公民）：大多数合法代销商都需要您提供一些法律信息来设置帐户。 在美国，这通常是 EIN 号码和经销商证书。 如果您来自其他国家/地区，并与美国的一件代发批发商合作，只需告诉他们您来自其他国家/地区并且不需要拥有这些物品。
• 大多数真正的直销商都有看起来很古老的网站：不要指望伟大的直销供应商会提供一个漂亮、现代的网站。 大多数合法的直销供应商并没有与时俱进，并且拥有看起来非常过时的网站。 然而，有些正在更新他们的网站，所以如果你确实遇到了一些看起来很现代的网站，那是一个额外的好处，但这只是需要记住的事情。
• 真正的 Dropshippers 不公布价格：由于他们不向公众出售产品并且他们想保护自己的价格，合法的 Dropshippers 通常不会在网上公布他们的价格。 在他们的申请获得批准后，他们可能会向商家提供特殊的登录信息，以便他们可以通过其网站的私人部分访问价格，或者向商家发送他们的定价电子表格。

这些属性可能并不直接适用于市场上的每一家直销供应商，但它们是一些很好的经验法则，可以帮助您区分合法的直销供应商与提高价格的中间商或分销商，或与不合法的供应商可能正在寻找欺骗潜在的商家。 始终批判性地考虑您调查的每个直销供应商，并进行自己的尽职调查以确认直销供应商是否合法。

Dropshipping 适合您吗？

虽然您可能认为直销是适合您的商业模式，因为它的承诺低且易于访问，但还有其他类型的商业模式可能更适合。 如果您从未考虑过这些商业模式，您可能会错过电子商务市场中商业模式的大局。

其他类型的商业模式

Dropshipping 只是众多商业模式中的一种。 其他一些现有的相关商业模式包括：

• 私人标签
• 批发
• 制造业

自有品牌可能是一种与直销最相似的商业模式。 当商家从供应商处购买自有品牌产品时，他们可以在自己的网站上列出供应商的产品，并且可以像销售自己的产品一样进行销售。 供应商创建的产品要么不贴任何品牌，要么贴上您商店的品牌，因此即使产品是通用设计或配方，您的品牌也会放在产品上以使其成为您自己的。 这对于想要创造更具品牌化体验并希望建立客户可以参与的品牌的商家很有帮助。

然而，私人标签与直销的区别在于，供应商不为商家处理任何库存，也不代表商家直接包装和运送产品给客户。 显然，这是与直销的巨大区别，因为这是直销的一个方面，使其对如此多的商家如此有吸引力。 在利润率方面，通过自有品牌采购产品通常比代发货提供更丰厚的利润率潜力，但这在很大程度上取决于具体情况，其中产品类型、行业和供应商将影响整体利润率潜力。

另一方面，批发和制造与私人标签和直销有很大不同。 当商家从批发供应商处采购时，他们通常会采购已经存在的知名品牌的产品。 当商家销售批发产品时，他们通常必须遵守某些准则，例如销售价格以及产品何时上架和下架。 批发的利润率比代发货的利润率要大一些，但根据供应商严格的销售准则，通常会有一个上限。

最后，制造通常是最难开始的商业模式，因为通常需要满足最小起订量，需要负责大量库存，并且必须由商家而非供应商来挑选、包装和运输库存。 然而，这种商业模式通常提供最大的投资回报，因为利润率是所有商业模式中最慷慨的。

现在您了解了所有这些信息，您可以根据自己的情况和目标充分考虑直销是否适合您的商业模式。

为什么直销可能适合您

在以下情况下，直销可能是您追求的正确商业模式：

• 您没有大量时间或资金来采购库存
• 您希望销售经过验证的产品，这些产品很可能在市场上畅销
• 您对电子商务的经验很少，只想试水
• 您想快速轻松地开设电子商务商店
• 您可以对您的产品没有完全的品牌控制权
• 您了解您的利润率赚取潜力可能远低于通过任何其他类型的商业模式获得的收益

为什么 Dropshipping 可能不适合您

如果出现以下情况，Dropshipping 可能不是您追求的正确商业模式：

• 您希望完全控制您的产品品牌，包括从在产品上放置您自己的徽标到创建独特的产品包装到创建品牌拆箱体验等等的所有内容
• 您希望尽可能获得最大的利润率潜力
• 您有时间和资金开始建立您的在线业务
• 您对自己的品牌有一个愿景，并且希望将这一愿景变为现实
• 你想拥有一个完全独特的产品，没有其他人销售
• 您的产品创意尚不存在，需要创建

您应该放弃哪些产品？

一旦您确定直销是适合您的商业模式，就该开始考虑您将在线直销哪种或哪些产品。 选择要发货的产品并不是一件容易的事。 有许多因素、考虑因素和标准需要考虑。

首先，如果您对代销的想法完全陌生，并且不知道市场上存在什么样的代销产品，甚至没有产品理念，那么查看一些供应商目录可能会有所帮助开始弄清楚什么是可用的。

如果您浏览过我们的 Dropshipping 供应商目录（在此处查看免费预览 Dropshipping 供应商目录），您会发现有大量不同的 Dropshipping 产品可供选择。 从服装到配饰、宠物产品、家居用品、家具、电器和设备等等，应有尽有。 许多想要开始直销业务但不知道要销售什么产品的企业家浏览直销供应商目录以了解市场上的可用产品。

通常，只要仔细阅读目录，他们就会找到他们有兴趣销售的产品，而且作为额外的好处，他们已经拥有能够直接从目录中联系供应商的信息！ 这有助于减少从寻找产品到寻找该产品的供应商所需的步骤，这有时是一个非常耗时的过程。

在线查找直销产品的另一种方法是找到您热衷或活跃的利基市场，然后找到适合该利基市场的直销产品。 要开始寻找利基市场，请考虑您自己的兴趣和您参与的活动。利基的一些例子包括背包旅行、品酒、文学、园艺和 DJ。 如果您在考虑自己可能参与的细分市场时遇到困难，请查看我们的 500 个电子商务细分市场的可下载指南，以帮助您入门。

一旦你选择了一个利基市场来关注，想想那个利基市场的人已经把钱花在什么上了，以及他们可能有兴趣从你那里购买什么。 向利基市场销售直销产品是一种有利可图的商业模式，因为人们通常非常愿意为自己的爱好花钱——即使这些产品不是必需的或不实用的。

最后，如果您打算使用 Shopify 开始您的直销业务（我们强烈推荐它，因为它是市场上最好的电子商务平台之一，可供新企业家访问，具有用于发展商店的强大可扩展功能，并且是其中之一市场上最受推荐的电子商务平台，正如我们在深入 Shopify 评论中所讨论的那样）您可能想查看 Shopify 应用商店中的直销供应商应用程序，以查找直销产品创意和已经销售它们的供应商。 我们在本文中汇总了 10 个 Best Shopify Dropshipping 应用程序来为您的新商店获取库存，其中包括一些向 Shopify 卖家提供按需产品的最佳直销供应商。

一旦你开始想出一些你认为可以直销到你选择的利基市场的产品创意，评估这些产品创意以确保它们是客户真正会购买的东西。 为此，重要的是要完成评估您的直销产品创意的过程。

我们在逆向工程在线销售的完美产品一文中谈到了这个评估过程。 在本文中，我们讨论了您需要考虑的一切，以便找到可在线销售的优质产品，例如：

• 潜在市场规模
• 现有竞争
• 市场预测（趋势、时尚、稳定或增长）
• 本地可用性
• 目标市场
• 潜在加价潜力
• 潜在售价
• SKU 数量（库存单位）
• 订阅商业模式的潜力
• 产品的尺寸和重量
• 产品的耐用性和易碎性
• 任何潜在的季节性采购波动
• 产品是解决痛点还是激情
• 产品周转潜力
• 产品是消耗品还是一次性产品
• 产品是否易腐烂
• 围绕产品的任何限制或规定

考虑这些评估标准，考虑您潜在的直销产品创意，以评估它是否可能是继续追求的可行直销产品。 您可能会发现，您认为您的利基市场想要的产品创意实际上卖得不好，因为它很容易腐烂，或者市场上已经有很多竞争，您的电子商务业务将无法生存. 如果是这种情况，只需考虑其他产品创意并再次进行评估过程。

不要让您的产品创意中的一个、两个或几个弱点阻止您一起追求它，只需意识到存在的弱点，以便您为将来做好准备。 没有任何产品创意是完美的，因此请批判性地思考您的直销产品创意及其潜力。

最后，选择代销产品在线销售时最重要的考虑因素之一是产品的零售价位。 这很重要，因为直接发货产品的利润微薄，很难获得可观的利润。 如果您销售 5 到 20 美元的产品并且每次销售只赚几美元，这可能会变得非常困难。 考虑选择价格至少为 50 美元及以上的产品。 这些有时在直销市场上很难找到——尤其是因为供应商对直销产品进行了加价，因为他们处理过程的制造、采购、库存管理和运输方面——但它们非常值得搜索。

与直销供应商合作的要求

要进行直销，您需要设置一些重要的项目。 在美国，您需要一个 EIN 号码和经销商证书才能与合法的代销商合作。 EIN 号码就像您企业的社会保险号码，因此您还需要建立适当的企业。 成立公司后，获取 EIN 号码是一个快速的过程。

经销商证书（也称为转售许可证、经销商许可证、转售许可证、销售税许可证或销售税 ID）也适用于计划代发货的美国人。

如果您是美国卖家，此证书可免除您为转售给他人的产品支付销售税。 您的客户在购买产品时将支付此销售税。 您将收取这笔钱并将其按常规时间表发送给州。

什么是最好的直接运输供应商？

我们很遗憾地通知您，没有一个适合所有企业使用的最佳代发货供应商——这完全取决于您想要开展的业务类型以及您想要销售的产品类型！ 但是，在寻找优秀的代销供应商时，您可以遵循一些指导方针，为您提供成功的最佳机会。

代发货供应商使用

• 自动化流程：可以直接与您的电子商务商店集成的 Dropshippers 是理想的选择，因此订单可以自动从您的电子商务平台传递给您的代发货供应商。 以这种方式自动化您的商店可以让您以更加不干涉的方式工作，并使订单实时无缝地流向您的供应商。 许多代发货供应商都与 Shopify 等电子商务平台进行了集成，因此请查看他们的应用商店，了解具有这种能力的供应商。
• 低最小起订量： 最低订购量低（或最好没有）的直接运输供应商是理想的选择，因此您不必预先购买库存。 在代发货时，通常不需要预先购买库存。
• 良好的沟通和支持：一件代发供应商可以回复您的电子邮件，并让您在产品有货或缺货时及时了解产品状态，这一点至关重要。 您想与一件代发供应商合作，让您的生活更轻松。
• 丰富的产品选择：当您与拥有丰富产品选择的供应商合作时，您可以为客户提供更多产品，这意味着您有更多的潜在销售额！
• 优质产品：您希望客户喜欢您的产品，因此必须与提供优质产品的代销商合作。
• 快速可靠的运输：客户不希望他们的订单到达等待太长时间，如果他们对您的品牌有积极的体验，他们将更有可能再次向您订购，这可能会受到运输的显着影响等待时间。
• 位于您的目标区域：位于您的目标市场附近的代运供应商意味着您的客户更有可能更快地收到他们的订单，甚至可能意味着他们的订单可能不需要缴纳关税和税款。
• 真正的直销商而不是中间人：与真正的直销商合作，而不是直销产品的中间人、聚合商或分销商，这意味着您可以获得最大的利润率。
• 健康的利润率：赚取利润很重要，即使一件代发产品的利润率远低于其他类型的商业模式，您还是希望与一件代发服务供应商合作，他们可以为您提供尽可能高的产品利润率。
• 退货政策：提供某种退货政策的代发货供应商很重要。 在与一件代发供应商合作之前，请确保您知道他们的退货政策是什么，以及他们是否以及如何处理退货，或者他们是否希望您这样做。
• 产品样品：亲自查看产品对您来说很重要，因此您可能希望与代运供应商合作，他们可以为您提供他们提供的产品样品。 您可能需要为样品付费，无论是折扣价还是全价，但请尝试与愿意为您提供样品产品的代运服务提供商合作。
• 扩大产品选择：直接向其产品中添加新产品的代发货供应商为您提供了更多的产品选择来销售给您的客户，这有助于您的业务变得更好！
• 具有竞争力的运输成本：优秀的代销商很可能会与运输公司达成协议，以便他们可以提供更低的运输成本，因此寻找可以提供这种服务的代运供应商，这样您就可以节省运输费用。
• 品牌选项：提供某些类型的品牌选项的代发货供应商在您的客户收到订单时为您的产品提供额外的触感，即使它只是像您在装运箱或收据上的徽标这样的小东西。 询问任何您想与他们合作的潜在代发货供应商，他们可以为您提供哪些品牌选项。
• 独特的产品：提供独特产品的代运供应商为您提供了脱颖而出的最佳机会。 由于一件代发是一种非常容易上手的商业模式，因此尽一切努力脱颖而出非常重要。

避免放弃运输供应商

• 过时的网站：拥有过时网站的代运供应商可以让您在最终完成更多工作。 这可能意味着他们不提供直接集成，订单自动化可能无法实现，并且与他们取得联系可能更加困难。 寻找具有易于导航的网站的代发货供应商。
• 普通产品：独特的产品将使您的商店在竞争中脱颖而出，因此销售客户可以在任何旧商店购买的任何旧产品的代发货供应商不会削减它。
• 最小起订量：如果一件代发供应商要求您购买最低订购数量的产品才能与他们开展业务，那么他们可能不是代销商。 Drop Shippers 通常不按 MOQ 业务模式运营，因此除非您想要一些库存，否则无需预先购买任何库存。
• 聚合商或分销商：尝试直接找到源头，找到直接从工厂直接发货的制造商或供应商。 这意味着您不会通过中间商（如聚合商或分销商）开展业务，他们将以加价向您销售产品，从而导致您的利润空间缩小。
• 低质量产品：高质量产品将成为客户不断回到您商店的原因，因此请确保您的代发货供应商的产品符合您的标准。
• 沟通不畅或支持不佳：您的一件代发供应商就像您的业务合作伙伴，因此您希望能够轻松有效地联系他们。 如果托运人沟通不畅或对客户支持票的响应缓慢，那么他们可能不是最佳选择。
• 不可靠的运输：运输是一件代发过程的关键部分，如果您的一件代发供应商无法始终如一地向您的客户提供产品，那么当您的客户开始泛滥时，他们将打开一堆蠕虫供您处理你有怨言。 寻找一家将运输放在首位的代发货供应商。
• 位置不方便：如果您的代运供应商从海外或大陆发货，那么包裹到达客户家门口的时间可能会更长，这也可能意味着他们可能需要在包裹到达时支付关税或税款。 考虑这会如何影响客户对您品牌的体验。
• 低利润率：利润对每项业务都很重要，因此请与为您提供合理利润率赚取潜力的代发货供应商合作。
• 无退货政策：并非每个代发货供应商都有退货政策，即一旦客户退货，他们就会接受退货，但有些确实如此。 无论哪种方式，至少要提前查看您的一件代发供应商的退货政策，以便您知道与他们合作时会发生什么。
• 不提供品牌选项：同样，并非所有代发货供应商都会提供品牌选项，但找到一个可以提供的选项，无论多小，都符合您的最大利益。 即使他们只是在装运箱或收据上打印您的徽标，它也会更积极地反映您的品牌。

如何找到直销供应商

一旦您了解直销，了解您想要销售的直销产品类型，您已经评估了您的直销产品创意以确保它们可以在线销售给客户，并且您准备好提交所有必要的文书工作到时候联系您的直销供应商，是时候为您想要在线销售的直销产品寻找直销供应商了！

There are a number of ways to find dropship suppliers, but generally, there are 3-4 main ways. In this section, we'll cover the most common approaches for finding a dropship supplier.

• Contact the Manufacturer Directly:
  • If you already know which type of products or brands you want to sell, the best approach is to contact the manufacturer directly. As mentioned previously, this is the best way to cut out middlemen and get the best possible pricing.
  • For this sourcing tip to work, you'll need to know the manufacturer of the product you want to dropship. If you don't know who the manufacturer is, see if you can figure it out! Sleuth around online to see what you can dig up, and remember that the manufacturer may not have the same brand name as their trading name, so you may want to search via their trading name as well.
  • The manufacturer may or may not have a drop shipping program in place, however, if they don't, they should be able to point you to any of their authorized distributors that have dropshipping programs established.
• Search on Google:
  • As you probably can imagine, searching Google is your best bet for finding drop shipping suppliers if you're willing to work hard to find them.
  • The most important thing to keep in mind when searching Google for suppliers is that it's not easy to find them. Suppliers notoriously have outdated websites and don't keep up with modern search engine optimization tactics which means that for the first time, you likely won't find your answer on the first or second page of Google. In fact, it's not uncommon to have to dive into page 10+ before anything relevant starts to show.
  • When searching, you'll always want to use a variety of terms like: “Dropshipper,” “Dropship Supplier,” “Dropshipping Supplier,” “Drop Shipping Supplier,” “Dropshipping Reseller,” “Dropshipping Product Supplier,” “Wholesale Dropshipper,” etc.
  • Also, try to use targeted keywords in your search to find dropshipping suppliers that are directly relevant to your product idea. For example, try: “Clothing Dropship Supplier,” “Pet Supplies Dropshipping Supplier,” “Hiking Gear Drop Shipper,” “Yoga Mat Dropship Shipping Supplier,” etc.
• Purchase a Supplier Directory:
  • Some of the best sources of dropshipping suppliers can be to use online dropshipping supplier directories. Online dropshipping supplier directories usually have profiles for hundreds or thousands of different dropshipping suppliers, depending on the directory, and they're usually updated pretty frequently.
  • Dropshipping Supplier Directories are also one of the best places to search for dropshipping product inspiration because you can see what kind of dropshipping products already exist on the market and once you do find a dropshipping product you're interested in selling, there's already a supplier for it!
  • A word of warning when it comes to finding dropshipping directories online: Conduct your own due diligence to make sure the directory is legitimate and kept up-to-date. While there are a lot of great dropshipping directories online, many can be low-quality and provide little value. Be as sure as you possibly can be about the directory before you use one or purchase one.
  • We've curated our own premium Dropshipping Suppliers Directory to help entrepreneurs find dropshipping products for their dropshipping businesses. Have a look at the free preview of our dropshipping directory to get started.
• Get Referrals:
  • Throughout your search to find the perfect dropshipping supplier, you might find suppliers that aren't the right fit for your brand or business. If this is the case, ask them to refer you to another supplier that might be a better fit! Since they won't be getting your business anyway, they usually will have no problem referring you to another relevant supplier in the industry. Being in the industry means they will likely have great contacts and a vast network of other suppliers, and many are likely be more than happy to refer you to a different supplier that might be a better fit.
  • Additionally, some of the best leads can come from referrals by friends, family, colleagues or peers. Social networks have also made it much easier to get the word out about great dropshipping suppliers so make sure to use channels like Facebook Groups, Reddit, Twitter, Slack and others to get referrals on dropshipping suppliers for your ecommerce business.

Can You Dropship on Amazon, Etsy & eBay?

The short answer to this question is yes — you can dropship products on multi-seller marketplaces like Amazon and eBay, however, some conditions may apply when it comes to drop shipping products on Etsy.

Selling Dropshipping Products on Etsy

Etsy has specific rules and standards that they hold their sellers to which may impact your ability to sell dropship products through their platform. For example, the Etsy Seller Policy states:

• All handmade items must be made or designed by you. If you work with a production partner, you must disclose that production partner in your relevant listings.
• You must accurately describe every person involved in the making of an item in your shop in your About section.
• You must use your own photographs — not stock photos, artistic renderings, or photos used by other sellers or sites.
• Reselling is not allowed in the handmade category on Etsy. Reselling refers to listing an item as handmade when you were not involved in designing or making that item.

Generally, if you source your products through drop shipping it's likely that you will not meet Etsy's Seller Policies and, therefore, will not be able to dropship your products on their platform. However if, for some reason, you're working with a particularly unique drop shipping supplier which happens to satisfy Etsy's Seller Policies, then you will be able to dropship products on their platforms. This generally isn't the case, however, so unless you know that you're sourcing products from a drop shipping supplier who definitely meets Etsy's criteria then we would not suggest trying to sell drop shipping products on Etsy.

Selling Dropshipping Products on Amazon

Amazon and eBay, however, have much different seller policies compared to Etsy and it's much more likely that you can sell dropship products from their platforms. Amazon's Drop Shipping Policy, for example, states the following:

Drop shipping, or allowing a third-party to fulfill orders to customers on your behalf, is generally acceptable. If you intend to fulfill orders using a drop shipper, you must always:

• Be the seller of record of your products;
• Identify yourself as the seller of your products on all packing slips, invoices, external packaging, and other information included or provided in connection with them;
• Remove any packing slips, invoices, external packaging, or other information identifying a third-party drop shipper prior to shipping the order;
• Be responsible for accepting and processing customer returns of your products; 和
• Comply with all other terms of your seller agreement and applicable Amazon policies.

Examples of drop shipping that is not permitted:

• Purchasing products from another online retailer and having that retailer ship directly to customers; or
• Shipping orders with packing slips, invoices, external packaging, or other information indicating a seller name or contact information other than your own.

Failure to comply with these requirements may result in the suspension or removal of your selling privileges.

Amazon seemingly just wants it to be as foolproof as possible for the customers receiving the products. If customers start receiving products they ordered on Amazon from a supplier they didn't think they ordered from it can become confusing and can possibly damage the customer's view of Amazon. This is likely why Amazon requires all drop shipping on their platform to meet the above criteria so it's as seamless and straightforward for their customers as possible.

Selling Dropshipping Products on eBay

eBay also explicitly states in their policies that they allow drop shipping on their platform. Here's an excerpt from eBay's Drop Shipping & Product Sourcing page:

Drop shipping, where you fulfill orders directly from a wholesale supplier, is allowed on eBay. Remember though, if you use drop shipping, you're still responsible for the safe delivery of the item within the time frame you stated in your listing, and the buyer's overall satisfaction with their purchase.

However, listing an item on eBay and then purchasing the item from another retailer or marketplace that ships directly to your customer is not allowed on eBay. In such cases, we may remove your listings from search, display them lower in search results, or remove them completely from the site. We may also limit, restrict or suspend your ability to buy, sell, or use site features on eBay, and you could lose any special status and/or discounts associated with your account.

If you're planning on selling drop shipping products on ecommerce marketplaces such as Amazon, Etsy and eBay we encourage you to ensure that you meet each platform's specific policies and regulations before you start selling on their marketplace. This will ensure that you have the best chance at successfully selling to customers on each platform.

How to Manage Dropshipping Inventory & Multiple Drop Shipping Suppliers

The best part about drop shipping — you don't have to manage any inventory!

But seriously, this is one of the major perks about drop shipping and it's one of the main reasons that so many new entrepreneurs choose to use the drop shipping business model. Not only is it very accessible because it doesn't require a lot of experience or capital to get started, but there's no need to bulk buy inventory upfront, or ever, so you're not left with a warehouse full of products to organize and keep track of. Can we get a hallelujah!

However, if you are working with multiple drop shipping suppliers or if you get a fair amount of product returns, then there might be some inventory management to take care of. Here are our tips:

Tips for Managing Inventory

Work with drop shipping suppliers who handle the returns process for you. If you can find them, this is a huge advantage that will take weight off of your shoulders. Some drop shipping suppliers might not accept returns though, which doesn't make them bad drop shipping suppliers, it just might mean you have some more logistics to take care of on your end. If this is the case for you, then find a way to repurpose the returns, send them back to your supplier so they can be resold, or for the cost of returns to be cushioned by your profit margins.

Tips for Working with Multiple Drop Shipping Suppliers

If you're choosing to source drop shipping products from multiple suppliers, our top tip is to make sure the ordering process is as automated as it can possibly be. This likely means that you'll want to make sure that each drop shipping supplier can integrate directly with your ecommerce store so you don't have to place orders manually. Most drop shipping suppliers that integrate directly with ecommerce stores do so through apps provided through ecommerce platforms, so check out the app store for your ecommerce platform to see which drop shipping suppliers offer integrations.

When your drop shipping suppliers can integrate directly with your online store this means that not only will customer orders automatically forward straight from your store to your suppliers but whenever an item goes out of stock on their end, they can automatically edit the stock levels so it updates the item as being out of stock on your website, too. This means you won't have to constantly be on the lookout for inventory updates from each supplier or manually updating stock changes on your site. Keeping things as automated as possible will help you stay organized which is essential when working with multiple drop shipping suppliers.

Free Dropshippers vs. Paid Dropshippers

In your search to find the perfect dropshipping supplier for your ecommerce business, you might find that some drop shipping suppliers are free to work with, while others require you to pay a recurring or flat-rate fee. 为什么是这样？

This free vs. paid structure totally depends on each droshipper's individual business model and the way they operate their company. As a dropshipping supplier, when working with merchants who operate dropshipping ecommerce stores, it can be a volatile industry to exist within as they service many different types of merchants. Some merchants are seasoned entrepreneurs with a high volume of orders per month, which means the dropshipping supplier is guaranteed business and they're guaranteed to make sales and profit. Other merchants, however, could just be starting their first online business and they might have very little orders at first while they grow their traffic. Since their order volume is so low, the dropshipping supplier likely won't make much in sales and profit from the merchant, which means they may not be able to cover the cost of their operations simply just off the price of the products. Since the landscape of merchants can be so varied when it comes to dropshipping, this could be a reason why some drop shipping suppliers require a monthly or flat-rate fee on top of their normal product prices.

Drop shipping suppliers also might charge upfront fees to weed out any tire-kickers that might potentially waste their valuable time and resources. Only serious merchants who are 100% interested in building, launching and growing a successful dropshipping business are likely to opt into paying a fee to work with a dropshipping supplier and so this helps the dropshipping supplier protect themselves from merchants who may otherwise take advantage of their services.

Some suppliers, like Printful, who we used in our How to Start a T-Shirt Business in 24 Hours article, don't require merchants to pay a recurring monthly or flat-rate fee in order to use their dropshipping service, even though they do handle all the same behind-the-scenes aspects of fulfilling dropshipping orders. This is likely because they've worked all the costs of fulfillment into their prices, and they likely have a recurring volume of orders from all different types of entrepreneurs every month that helps them keep their prices low.

So, ultimately there's no type of dropshipping supplier that's better to work with, it all depends on the dropshipper and on the type of dropshipping supplier that you want to work with. Just be aware that while you're in the process of finding drop shipping suppliers online, you might find that some dropshippers require monthly or flat-rate fees while others do not so consider how that will factor into your business' costs.

Free Drop Shipping Suppliers Directory

If you're just starting to test the waters in ecommerce and not sure if starting a dropshipping business is the right step for you, then checking out a free dropshipping directory might be the best place for you to find dropshipping suppliers online. This way, you can check out the kind of suppliers that are available on the market without having to commit to a paid dropshipping suppliers directory.

Have a look at our Free Dropshipping Suppliers Directory here. It's a preview version of our Premium Dropshipping Suppliers Directory so it contains actual dropshipping suppliers that exist in the dropshipping industry, and you can get a glimpse into what to expect from the Premium Dropshipping Suppliers Directory. Try it out for free with no commitment to purchase the full directory.

Explore Our Premium Drop Shipping Suppliers Directory

If you're interested in going one step further, our Premium Dropshipping Suppliers Directory is a curated and comprehensive list of drop shipping suppliers specializing in many different types of products and goods. The dropshipping suppliers in our premium directory are based all around the world and supply products to clients everywhere.

The drop shipping suppliers in our dropshipping directory are professionals at what they do, and their experience lends itself well to providing a positive experience for new entrepreneurs and veteran business owners alike. No matter whether you're just starting your first dropshipping business or you're adding new dropshipping products to your current offerings, the drop shipping suppliers in our premium dropshipping directory have something to offer you.

These are the categories our premium dropshipping directory covers:

• Apparel & Shoes
• Assorted Merchandise & Miscellaneous
• 成人用品
• Automotive Parts & Supplies
• Beauty & Fragrances
• Child & Baby
• Computers & Electronics
• Food, Consumables & Supplies
• Gifts & Novelty
• Health, Fitness & Wellness
• Hobby & R/C Toys
• Home & Office Decor & Fixtures
• Jewelry & Accessories
• Outdoor & Tactical Gear
• Pet & Farm Supplies
• Sports Merchandise & Collectables
• Dropshipping Directories
• Printing & 3D Printing

Our Premium Drop Shipping Suppliers Directory also includes suppliers located in these countries:

• 澳大利亚
• 巴西
• 加拿大
• 中国
• 丹麦
• 英国
• 芬兰
• 德国
• 匈牙利
• 印度
• 意大利
• 韩国
• The Netherlands
• 新西兰
• 秘鲁
• 波兰
• 新加坡
• 南非
• 西班牙
• 泰国
• 火鸡
• 英国
• 美国

As you can see, our Premium Dropshipping Suppliers Directory offers a wide selection of dropshipping products and a vast range of suppliers located around the world. It's one of the most curated and comprehensive dropshipping supplier directories on the market and we update it frequently to ensure that the suppliers are held to a high standard.

How to Contact Dropshipping Suppliers

Once you've found dropshipping suppliers to source your dropshipping products from, it's time to reach out to those suppliers so you can get the ball rolling! Some dropshippers will have an online application you can submit to get started, other dropshipping suppliers you'll have to get in touch with directly to find out how to actually begin sourcing products from them. The process will vary from dropshipper to dropshipper, so evaluate each situation on a case-by-case basis.

Look for a page on the dropshipping supplier's website that's specifically dedicated to their dropshipping process. They'll likely disclose all the information there you need to know about how to get started sourcing products from them, or the next steps you need to follow in order to contact them.

Best Practices for Contacting Dropshipping Suppliers

• See what information you can find on their website first before contacting them about their dropshipping processes. They may have already answered your questions on their website.
• If they don't have a specific dropshipping page on their website, check for a page on wholesaling, sourcing, supplying, or any other similar keywords. As we've mentioned before, some suppliers offer a dropshipping service but they just don't call it “dropshipping.”
• If there are no set instructions on their website detailing how to get started dropshipping with them, contact the supplier directly via their preferred method of contact. When you contact them, inquire whether they're accepting new dropshipping clients, how to get started sourcing dropshipping with them, and any documents or information they might need from you to work with them.
• Once the supplier has messaged you back responding to your questions and has made it clear that they're accepting new dropshipping clients and they're interested in working with you, then ask them more questions you might need to know to get your dropshipping business started. These questions could be about their pricing, their dropshipping process, how you forward orders to them, how they handle returns, and the shipping methods they use for the products.

When you're corresponding with dropshipping suppliers, be sure to take notice of how the supplier responds to you. If they're taking a long time to get back to you, or if they're not communicating with you in a way that works best for you, then they might not be the right supplier to work with. Suppliers are the heartbeat of your online business — without them, your business wouldn't be able to survive — so you need a supplier that can work within your time frame and is conscious that you need to communicate efficiently with them in order to get business done.

Keep in mind, however, that suppliers are busy and they're typically juggling many different clients so they can't be at your beck and call — but a supplier that respects your time and responds within appropriate time frames is important to look out for. How they communicate with you at the beginning of your relationship as business partners sets the tone for what to expect from them throughout your time working together.

How to Get Your Dropshipping Business Started

Finally, once you've settled on a dropshipping supplier to work with, you'll have to take the next steps to get your dropshipping business up and running.

If you're starting a t-shirt dropshipping business, we highly recommend checking out our How to Start a T-Shirt Business Webinar as it goes through the process step-by-step and you can walk through the entire process of starting a dropshipping business online from scratch.

You can also check out our One Page Ecommerce Business Plan to help you work through your business ideas and get a plan laid out for how you want to bring the vision of your business to life. This is a great tool to use if you're starting your very first online business, a dropshipping business or not, because it helps you walk through every element of a business step-by-step so that you don't forget anything as you're getting your online business ready for launch time.

Once your business is getting ready to be launched, download our Launch Checklist to make sure you don't miss a single thing. Launches can be stressful, it's a busy time ensuring that everything with the business is in order, and this checklist has been formulated so entrepreneurs have all the information they need to pull of a business launch without forgetting the crucial steps.

结论

Now that you have all this information in mind, you should be able to search for, select and approach dropshipping suppliers with ease. Take your time finding the right supplier for your dropshipping business as they'll be one of your main business partners and they'll make all the difference when it comes to your store's day-to-day operations. 祝你好运！

Learn More About Dropshipping