The #1 Dropshipping NIGHTMARE Nobody Tells You... Until It's Too Late
Hey chump,
Let me save you from the single dumbest mistake almost every Shopify dropshipper makes in their first few runs.
You know what it is?
It’s not bad ads.
It’s not a clunky website.
It’s not even a saturated niche.
It’s your supplier.
(Or rather, your “so-called” supplier.)
See, when you’re just getting started, you’ll probably do what everyone else does. You find some random guy on AliExpress with a few good reviews and hope for the best.
Maybe you’ll DM a couple agents.
Maybe you’ll click around for hours until your eyeballs bleed, then pray you found a “good one.”
But here’s the truth:
Your business is only as strong as your supply chain.
You screw this up, you’re finished before you ship your first package.
How to Tell If Your Supplier Is a Ticking Time Bomb
Let me lay it out, simple as I can. Every single supplier you consider needs to pass all six of these tests, or you’re setting yourself up for pain (and chargebacks, and angry emails at 2AM… ask me how I know):
1. Communication
If you can’t get straight answers (and fast!), you’re dead in the water.
You want to work with people who get back to you quick, and in words you can actually understand. If they reply like a robot or leave you hanging? Next.
2. Trust
Would you wire $2,500 to a total stranger and just… hope? Neither would I.
Order samples. Test them. Build the relationship. Watch for honesty.
Everybody wants the easy, quick-fix.
Surely it doesn’t matter that much, right?
WRONG!
Pick the first supplier who says yes, and you’re basically building your business on a Jenga tower. Sure, it stands up for now… until one little wobble and the whole thing crashes down. Trust me, you’ll wish you spent an extra ten minutes stacking real bricks instead of gambling on quicksand.
I knew a guy in this space who had a supplier overcharge him slightly by mistake, then send the money back before he even noticed. THAT’S TRUST.
Or a gimmick to keep him paying them money.
Well, either way, it worked.
3. Quality
You must test every single product before you sell it.
I tried dropshipping an oil spray tool before. It looked perfect in the product images and for a while I had no complaints.
Then all of a sudden I was getting disputes.
Turns out the supplier was sending out plastic instead of glass.
Not only did I feel like a piece of crap for false advertising, but my bank account hurt quite a bit after I refunded payments. Not to mention the PayPal headache I had to deal with!
Even if it’s from the same supplier you’ve used before, just test it.
Shipped the wrong item? Damaged? Junky packaging? Just imagine your customers posting about it in a viral Reddit thread. Fun times.
If you’re here for the long-game, reputation is everything. Don’t be cutting corners.
4. Adaptability
If your supplier can’t handle you suddenly blowing up to 100 orders a day, they’re going to ruin your big break.
Can they source new products if you pivot? Can they keep up? If not, say goodbye to scale.
The most painful experience in the world (trust me), is finally being able to scale your creatives and watching your site convert better than a loner who met his first Mormon girl, only to have your supplier ghost you harder than your crush after you sent her a picture of your Clash Royale deck.
Think ahead. Be prepared. Check if they can handle volume in advance.
5. Experience
Newbies make mistakes. Don’t trust rookies with your business.
I like to go for five years minimum. Don’t take that out of context, please.
If your supplier doesn’t know the ropes, you’ll be the guinea pig.
I could go on and on for a while and maybe I will in a future post but for now this is really all you need to keep in mind for experience.
6. Partnership
A supplier who treats you like a number is a supplier you’ll outgrow.
You want them sending you new product ideas, offering deals, giving you bulk discounts, showing you how to make more money together. If they only care about today’s order, ditch them.
Now of course, when you’re the small fry they aren’t going to give you a crazy amount of attention. But at least they should be communicating regularly with you and not sidelining you or leaving you on read.
Don’t settle for bad treatment. If only I could tell my younger self that…
I got one more point for you. Here’s the “hidden rule” I wish someone had told me:
7. Written Terms For Refunds & Disputes
Don’t leave this to chance.
Before you ever send money, get their policy for lost, damaged, or delayed orders IN WRITING (yes, even just in chat or email).
Ask: “If my customer doesn’t get their package, do you refund or replace? How fast?”
If they won’t put it in writing, walk away.
This tiny move will save your skin when (not if) something goes wrong.
What Kind of Supplier Should You Even Look For?
Quick rundown:
Manufacturers:
Cheap, but shipping takes forever, packaging is a joke, and you’ll hate the communication.
Forwarders/Agents:
The sweet spot for most. They get you better deals, better packaging, handle headaches for you.
3PLs:
Ignore until you’re running a real brand with big inventory. You’re probably not there yet. Don’t worry, you’ll get there one day. Maybe.
How To Actually Find a Good One
Here’s the part where everyone wants the sauce. Who should I go with? AutoDS? Zendrop (def not)? CJ?
I’m not going to answer that question in this post. Most videos promoting one or the other do it for money. Do your due diligence.
This entire post is about putting in the work instead of taking the easy way out. So here’s a challenge.
Research the options yourself and decide what’s right for you.
Build your house on rock, not quicksand.
And if you actually get all this right, guess what happens?
Your customers get their stuff fast, in one piece, with a smile.
Your chargebacks vanish.
Your profits rise.
And you can focus on growing instead of babysitting your inbox.
Most dropshippers never get this right. They pick the easy quick-fix and suffer for it.
That’s why most dropshippers are out of business in 3 months.
You want to be different? You want the unfair advantage?
Here’s Your Next Step:
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See you on the inside,
-S