A Comprehensive Guide to Start Dropshipping from Scratch

Author

TLDR: This video offers a detailed walkthrough of how to start a dropshipping business from scratch, with zero investment, and scale it to a six-figure business.

Insights

Understanding Dropshipping

πŸ’» Dropshipping is a beginner-friendly side hustle where you act as a middleman between a supplier and a buyer.
🌐 This business model does not require handling inventory or shipping.

Starting a Business

βœ… Research and find products through social media platforms like TikTok.
🧲 Pick a niche that will appeal to a specific target audience to ensure you stand out.

Building a Professional Looking Website

πŸ›  Use a free web host like ‘Equid’ to create your online store.
🎨 Customize your site with your brand colors, logo, etc.
πŸ” Set up your payments with Stripe.

Advertising and Marketing Strategy

πŸ€‘ Use platforms like ‘AutoDS’ to automate your dropshipping journey.
πŸŽ‰ Leverage the power of social media to create appealing content.
πŸ“¦ Highlight the unique features and benefits of your product.

Legal Aspects

βš– You can start dropshipping even without an LLC.
πŸ“ If you are concerned about the legal aspects, consult with a legal professional.

Managing Returns and Exchanges

πŸ”„ Handle exchanges and returns by messaging the supplier.
πŸ’― When necessary, suppliers typically send a new product free of charge.

Generating Sales

πŸ’Έ Make content for TikTok and repost it to Instagram and Pinterest for maximum visibility.
πŸ“£ Remember to connect your product directly to the pin on Pinterest.

Video Summary

00:00: πŸ“¦ The free course offered on the YouTube channel is about starting drop shipping with no initial investment. The speaker mentions his journey of starting drop shipping with no money for advertising or platforms such as Shopify, and shares his alternative methods that helped him earn a six-figure income from two online businesses. The course covers several aspects of drop shipping, like finding a winning product, building a professional-looking website for free, advertising with no costs, and handling legal issues, taxes, returns, exchanges, and refunds in drop shipping. The speaker also explains what drop shipping is and why it’s a good business opportunity, especially for beginners. However, it’s mentioned that nothing in the video is actual advice, but only what has worked for the speaker.

Key ideas:

  • The speaker started drop shipping as a side hustle when he was 16 years old.
  • The course discusses drop shipping basics and operations, including finding products, setting up a website, and marketing strategies.
  • The presented method does not involve any costs for advertising or Shopify.
  • The speaker has built two online businesses earning six figures using the discussed strategies.
  • Drop shipping is a beginner-friendly business model where one acts as a middleman between the supplier and the buyer.
  • The course also covers the legal aspects of drop shipping, dealing with taxes, returns, exchanges, and refunds.
  • The speaker researches potential products to sell by browsing trending items on TikTok.

03:23: πŸ’Έ The text discusses how productive scrolling on social media can help you find trending products to sell. It emphasizes the importance of choosing a specific niche for your business and knowing your target audience. The text also suggests using AliExpress for finding products, although it acknowledges that shipping times can be long. It introduces autod DS, a tool for finding successful products, automating the Drop Shipping process and obtaining data about competition and profitability. One feature, the Tik Tok ad spy, gives insights about the ads running on Tik Tok, helping to find trending products.

Key ideas:

  • Productive scrolling on social media can help find trending products to sell.
  • Choosing a specific niche and knowing your target audience is important in business.
  • AliExpress can be used to find products, although shipping times can be long.
  • Autod DS is a tool for finding successful products, automating the Drop Shipping process, and obtaining competition and profitability data.
  • The Tik Tok ad spy feature can help find what products are trending on Tik Tok.

07:14: πŸ’Ό The speaker is promoting an online program for beginners interested in starting a Drop Shipping business. They have also created a free course guiding users on how to use the program effectively. The speaker finds a product, a necklace with an ‘Everlasting rose’ from AliExpress, that they believe could be marketed well on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. They highlight the importance of high profit margins and scalability. Furthermore, they also suggest using a business name generator for finding a unique and suitable name before creating an online store.

Key ideas:

  • The speaker recommends an online program designed for dropshipping beginners
  • A free course is provided to get the most out of the program
  • A necklace from AliExpress is suggested as a potential product to sell
  • The importance of high profit margins and scalability in a product choice is highlighted
  • A business name generator is suggested for naming an online store

10:54: πŸ’» The text provides a step by step guide to starting an e-commerce business. It recommends creating a logo using zara.com and developing an online store with a host like Equid, which offers a free plan. It suggests starting with dropshipping and using supplier’s product photos with their permission. There is also mention of a promotional offer on Shopify for three months at $1 per month.

Key ideas:

  • Zara.com is a useful site for creating logos for a business.
  • The text recommends Equid as a good online store host with a free plan.
  • Dropshipping is a suggested method for beginners in e-commerce.
  • Supplier product photos can be used for your online store, with most suppliers being agreeable to this.
  • There’s a promotional offer for Shopify at $1 per month for three months.

14:29: πŸ’» The text provides instructions on how to list an item on a store, highlighting the importance of a ‘Buy Now’ button for quick purchases. It introduces AutoDS, a tool that simplifies product additions and fulfillment. It advises setting shipping as free or incorporating the cost into the item price to avoid losses in case of refunds. Payment via Stripe is recommended, and the importance of a good website design with a catchy phrase and a reliable domain are stressed.

Key ideas:

  • AutoDS simplifies the product addition and fulfillment process.
  • Adding a ‘Buy Now’ button can boost immediate sales.
  • Shipping can be set as free or incorporated into the product price, providing a safety net against refund losses.
  • Stripe is a recommended payment processor and is free to set up.
  • A good website design and a catchy phrase are beneficial for attracting customers.

18:05: πŸ’» The speaker provides instructions on how to create an online store for custom orders, highlighting the importance of layout and customer ease. Furthermore, the speaker suggests alternatives for obtaining product reviews and gives advice on handling exchanges, returns, and refunds as a drop shipper. The speaker also advises connecting your social media accounts to the store and ensuring everything is optimized for mobile use as 90% of the store’s visitors will be on mobile devices.

Key ideas:

  • The given template lays out the website well for an online store, with featured products under the cover header for easy navigation.
  • Business contact details, particularly an email, and social media profiles should be included.
  • A section for delivery and returns policies should be part of the website, usually on its own page.
  • Drop shippers often use supplier or product listing reviews when they don’t have their own.
  • Most visits to the online store will be via mobile, so the site needs to be mobile-friendly.
  • Adding a terms and conditions page to outline policies for exchanges, returns, and refunds is recommended.
  • For drop shippers, all sales can be treated as final with no returns accepted.

21:34: πŸ’Ό The text discusses the strategies to boost sales for an online business. The author stresses the significance of social media and advises to use platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest for promotion, especially focusing on short-form vertical video content. The author also emphasizes the importance of branding and suggests using tools like AutoDS for this purpose. Additionally, the author recommends making content eye-catching with a slight twist of humor, and asserts that product videos can be effective and can often be obtained for free from suppliers. The author also mentions a strategy of offering free replacements instead of exchanges.

Key ideas:

  • The author grew two six-figure earning online businesses in less than a year using social media.
  • Short-form vertical video content can help quickly grow a business.
  • Branding products can greatly increase their value, and tools like AutoDS can assist with this.
  • Suppliers often provide videos of their products for free.
  • Social media platforms TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest are preferred for business promotion.
  • Content with humor can make marketing more effective.
  • Product replacement instead of exchange can make transactions less troublesome for buyers.

25:37: πŸ’Ό The text describes the speaker’s personal journey in Drop Shipping business started without an LLC as they were just experimenting. The speaker emphasizes that they are not providing any legal or taxation advice, but suggests seeking consultation from professionals in those areas. They stress about being thankful to pay taxes as a business owner due to various benefits unlike when they were an employee. The speaker encourages viewers to like and subscribe to their Youtube channel, warning them about potential scammers in the comment sections and expresses their commitment to providing free courses and information.

Key ideas:

  • The speaker started their business without an LLC as they were unsure about its long-term success.
  • The speaker suggests seeking professional help for legal and taxation concerns.
  • Paying taxes as a business owner presents more benefits compared to being an employee according to the speaker.
  • The speaker encourages viewers to like, subscribe, and comment on their YouTube videos.
  • Scammers may frequent the comment sections of the speaker’s videos.

Q&A

What is Dropshipping?

A beginner-friendly e-commerce model where one acts as a middleman between a supplier and a buyer. The owner of the business is not required to handle inventory or shipping.

How to start a Dropshipping business?

Begin by researching popular products on social media platforms. Pick a specific niche and target audience. Use free web hosts to create your online store and customize it according to your brand.

How to handle exchanges and returns?

Most exchanges and returns can be handled by messaging the supplier and requesting a replacement. They often send a new product free of charge.

How to generate sales?

Leverage the power of social media to advertise your product. Also, use platforms like ‘AutoDS’ to automate your Dropshipping journey.

Comments

TLDR: Commenters are discussing the validity, features and cost-efficiency of various online selling platforms, with a special interest in dropshipping from AliExpress. They are seeking advice on how these platforms work, especially about order notification, shipping, verification of suppliers and setting up an online store. A large number of them appreciated the instructional content of the video while a few express their confusion and disappointment.

Negative: Some viewers were especially confused about how certain features of the platforms work, specifically shipping and verifying suppliers. A few were disappointed that some services (like AUTO-DS) weren’t free as suggested and expressed difficulty in selling online.

Positive: Viewers found the video to be educational and insightful, with a lot of them expressing gratitude for the presenter’s free course. They appreciate the shared personal experience, consider it inspiring, and are hoping to learn more from future videos.

Top comments:

@shfdn

Does the customer get a notification from aliexpress or how does this work when they buy a product ?

Posted:
Votes:

@aliyarana8715

Is autods is an paid app

Posted:
Votes:

@anitaogbogbo1083

Thanks a lot it’s was well Educating.

Posted:
Votes:

@user-rc7pw3cv1m

I WANT TO MULTI SELL ON ECWID BUT DONT KNOW HOW

Posted:
Votes:

Previous Post
Defining Dropshipping and How to Get Started
Next Post
Drop Shipping Success without Advertisement: TikTok Strategy

Related articles