The top tip for starting an online store – use drop-shipping!

Many people want to start an online store, however it can seem far easier said than done. With so much to think about, including branding, stock, shipping, and inventory – many people choose to ignore their ambition before they’ve even begun. There is, however, an easier way to start an online store that bypasses many of those hurdles.

Drop-shipping is constantly growing in popularity, because it allows people to start an online store without drowning themselves in debt or having to turn their property into warehouses full of stock. Partnering with a specialist fulfilment company, such as Printful.com, is the ideal way for you to take the first step to a thriving online business.

What exactly is drop-shipping?

Drop-shipping is one of the easiest and most effective ways for you to start your online business. It can also be much more accessible than trying to go it alone by hosting your own eCommerce website or using marketplaces such as eBay, Amazon, Etsy, and more.

With drop-shipping, you determine what you want to sell first of all. You do this by seeing what your fulfilment partner has to offer, and customising it the way you want to. With that, you establish your online store-front from which customers can browse and buy. All you have to think about is promotion – which you can do through social media, blogs, influencers, etc.

When a customer comes to your website and purchases one of your products, it will be communicated directly to your fulfilment partner. They then fulfil the order by picking the item, packing it with your branded packaging, and then shipping it to the customer – it really is as simple as that.

Selling without inventory

The joy of drop-shipping is that you don’t need any physical inventory – your fulfilment partner will take care of it for you. So, if you work with Printful for example, they will have all of the stock you sell in their distribution centre, they will custom print it for you, and they will package it for shipping. You never actually even see it.

Inventory is expensive, takes up a lot of space, and can be a considerable hassle to negotiate when you’re trying to grow your online business from the ground up. This makes drop-shipping a prime consideration for anyone looking to start an online store. With you paying for the service only through the products you sell, it’s also affordable with no upfront investment.