Many people often look into the dropshipping model when starting out a business, but are afraid to jump right into it. There are many benefits that you can get from dropshipping, so in this article, we will be looking at the most frequently asked questions regarding the dropship business model.
Q: Can dropshipping make you a millionaire?
A: Yes! Dropshipping can potentially make you a millionaire. As long as you put in the hard work and get it done the right way, any business can work just perfectly for you. The question is, “How do I know if I’m doing it right?”
First of all, look for the proper products that you want to sell, the market you are targeting, and the proper tools you are to use to operate your business right whether be it free or with minimal costs. Any business can make you a millionaire as long as there’s a market for it. Dropshipping is easily one of the most profitable business models out there due to the unbelievably low cost of entry and the time it saves you.
Q: Is dropshipping profitable?
A: Again, YES! Many people often think that dropshipping has a very low margin and the marketing and store maintenance will take up most of your profits. Honestly, this question depends on the individual itself and how driven and hungry that person is to succeed. Dropshipping can be profitable without a doubt if done right.
Q: How do you handle returns and also refunds when it comes to dropshipping?
A: To answer this question, you will first have to understand a few aspects. The first thing that comes to mind for most people is that they would have to dropship from China because the products are cheap and easily accessible. This is wrong.
Although dropshipping from China is what most people are doing, there’s a whole lot of competition from the US and EU as well. For certain services, your margins will better, or worse because of US and EU suppliers but it also depends on where your target market is so it’s always best to do some research before hand and planning everything right. If your customer base is mostly in US, dropshipping from US or Europe with a good supplier will make your returns and any issues with refunds so much easier to manage.
Not only that, but you would also reduce the number of refunds because of the better customer experience that you would be providing to your customers. If your customer base is from the US, and you’re dropshipping from China, you would have to pay duties to the customs officer, which they will call your customer to confirm their package is coming from China, and that’s already a shitty experience for your customers.
As a customer, you would want to order the products and expect it at your doorstep, nothing more. Not only that, dropshipping from China to the US takes about 2-3 weeks which enhances the bad customer experience for your customers.
In summary, find a local dropshipping supplier to give you less of a headache when you’re dealing with returns and refunds.
Q: Will dropshipping die off one day?
A: Probably not. Dropshipping has been one of the best business models out there where everyone and anyone can start a dropshipping store in a day for less than 250 USD. Besides, eCommerce is on the path of rapid growth, with no sight of a decline of any sort. About 70% of the global population that uses the internet on a daily basis, so eCommerce would definitely not die. In terms of inventory and warehousing, there’s little to no commitment because you don’t have a physical inventory.
Q: How do I start dropshipping?
A: You can easily set up a Shopify account and a store in an hour or two and it just goes on from there. You can also easily get access to suppliers from different websites such as Alibaba and many more.
Check out our article on the top 10 dropshipping apps.
Jeremy has been running several online businesses behind his laptop for the past 5 years and he has worked as a freelance web developer previously. A trained marketer by profession, he also has Ruby on Rails and web development knowledge. His forte lies in eCommerce, SEO and content marketing. He’s been featured on Vice, Thrive Global, YFS Magazine, Forbes and several other publications. He prefers to connect with people on LinkedIn.
