DROPSHIPPING - Do most dropshippers still work with Chinese factories and take 3 weeks delivery?

[mrka]

Just researching some possible dropshipping ideas.

100% of the videos online who are trying to explain it never go into the most important details, the factories!

Are most dropshippers still working with factories in china and taking 3 weeks to post a single order, leaving the customer to pay possible import and fees?

I can't imagine this is possible in 2022 with Amazon Prime and next day this and that?

What is going on in dropship? Banging my head on a wall t get the most basic of information!

 

[fisicx]

Amazon have huge warehouses in the UK. If you want that level of services you need a supplier in the UK. Videos are not the best source of information. Most of them are complete rubbish.

 

[mrka]

Amazon have huge warehouses in the UK. If you want that level of services you need a supplier in the UK. Videos are not the best source of information. Most of them are complete rubbish.

Agreed, but Amazon FBA costs 30% or more, ridiculous. I am only using videos online to see if I can get a few nuggets of information. I am hardly going to pay £2000 for a course. This is what we do, we source our information from a variety of streams.

 

[fisicx]

You don’t have to use Amazon FBA, there are plenty of other fulfilment providers.

But this doesn’t change the fact that if you want to run a decent dropshipping services you need stock in the UK.

Furthermore, many have discovered the quality of products supplied direct from Chinese factories to be of poor standard resulting in you having to process a high number of returns. With a UK supplier you have a better chance of some quality control.

 

[mrka]

You don’t have to use Amazon FBA, there are plenty of other fulfilment providers.

But this doesn’t change the fact that if you want to run a decent dropshipping services you need stock in the UK.

Furthermore, many have discovered the quality of products supplied direct from Chinese factories to be of poor standard resulting in you having to process a high number of returns. With a UK supplier you have a better chance of some quality control.

Do these UK suppliers have 'trending' products? And surely even products supplied by these UK suppliers are made in China? Or do you mean they do the QC? I can only imagine how low your profit margins would be using another middle man?

 

[fisicx]

What you sell is up to you. You decide what’s trending. The products may be made in china but they will be sourced by agents who manage the supply chain.

Your profit margins are always going to be tight. And they can evaporate in seconds if you get a bad batch of products.

Dropshipping isn’t easy. Just because someone else is doing the picking and packing you still need to manage all the marketing, returns, customer queries and site administration.

Ron @MOIC can tell you all about the pitfalls of dealing directly with suppliers in China.

 

[mrka]

What you sell is up to you. You decide what’s trending. The products may be made in china but they will be sourced by agents who manage the supply chain.

Your profit margins are always going to be tight. And they can evaporate in seconds if you get a bad batch of products.

Dropshipping isn’t easy. Just because someone else is doing the picking and packing you still need to manage all the marketing, returns, customer queries and site administration.

Ron @MOIC can tell you all about the pitfalls of dealing directly with suppliers in China.

Thanks, who is MOIC? I mean I can send him a message but not sure he would want to talk, unless @MOIC cares to share some info here?

I just can't imagine making many happy customers making them wait for 3 weeks, only to have to pay import fees.

It is my belief that companies like Shopify pay young kids to go on Youtube and 'TikTok' to sell Shopify and the belief that you can "here's how I make £20,000 in one week dropshipping on [insert online marketplace]".

 

[fisicx]

@MOIC is a member here and a expert in dealing with China.

As I keep saying, if you want to run a dropshipping business you need a supplier in the UK.

Shopify doesn’t need to pay kids to promote their platform. They do it for free. Doesn’t mean what they say is true. Much like most of the videos saying how you can get rich dropshipping anything. There will be some making lots of money but 99% won’t be.

 

[antropy]

Are most dropshippers still working with factories in china and taking 3 weeks to post a single order, leaving the customer to pay possible import and fees?

Obviously not, they'd never compete.

You can find a load of wholesalers here: https://www.inventorysource.com/

Paul.

 

[MOIC]

We do not get involved in dropshipping.

As @fisicx has mentioned, you really need to work with a UK supplier, or one that can deliver the goods quickly, especially if it's a normal consumer product.

 

[japancool]

Agreed, but Amazon FBA costs 30% or more, ridiculous.

Shipping your own stock via Amazon FBA will still result in higher margins than dropshipping.

Some dropshippers are making under 2%. Only takes one order to go wrong if you're shipping higher value items like furniture for the whole thing to fall down.

 

[WaveJumper]

Thanks, who is MOIC? I mean I can send him a message but not sure he would want to talk, unless @MOIC cares to share some info here?

I just can't imagine making many happy customers making them wait for 3 weeks, only to have to pay import fees.

It is my belief that companies like Shopify pay young kids to go on Youtube and 'TikTok' to sell Shopify and the belief that you can "here's how I make £20,000 in one week dropshipping on [insert online marketplace]".

Agree with @fisicx Shopify and others don't need to pay kids to make Youtube videos. What the kids are hoping is they will sucker people in to watch their particular pitch and monetise their channel

 

[mrka]

We do not get involved in dropshipping.

As @fisicx has mentioned, you really need to work with a UK supplier, or one that can deliver the goods quickly, especially if it's a normal consumer product.

Is there a good list of suppliers anywhere I can access?

 

[AlanJ1]

Is there a good list of suppliers anywhere I can access?

I don't want to sound rude but it will come across it.

Do some work yourself. Any good supplier isn't going to be on a list and if it is, it won't be good anymore as everyone and there dog will be buying those products.

 

[wayzgoose]

@mrka To answer your question, in 20 years, we have never used a supplier outside the UK and also have never used Shopify.

 

[antropy]

Is there a good list of suppliers anywhere I can access?

Yes, at the link I provided above.

Paul.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Maybe look here:

UK Business Forums

Welcome to UK Business Forums, the UK's biggest community for small business owners. At UKBF, we know that running a business can be liberating, but we also...

www.thesuppliercentral.com

 

[Deleted member 348872]

All these american dropshipping videos make it look so easy. But they get packet option on shipping which makes a big difference.