Ecommerce Empire Builders

Find Winning 8-Figure Dropshipping Products Today

by Peter PruMay 5, 2021May 3, 2021Product ResearchLeave a Comment

Welcome back, Empire Builders! Recently, Alibaba had a trade show called March Expo, where suppliers showed off their latest products (including many winning 8-figure dropshipping products). It’s a bit like a smaller, online version of the Canton Fair, the biggest trade fair in China. Whether you haven’t begun building your business, you’re just starting out, or you’re already established in a niche, taking advantage of training like these events will benefit your business now or in the future.

Learn how to leverage Alibaba, along with events like the Canton Fair and March Expo, to find high-profit dropshipping products on demand and start making profits today. These events display the hottest up-and-coming products gaining popularity. Many of them won’t be available outside of China for years, if ever. That’s why it’s such a great opportunity to get ahead of the curve, learn the trends, and capitalize on them long before your competitors have any idea these products exist.

Start With Alibaba.com

Go to Alibaba.com. You’ll see tons of promotions for the March Expo or, once the event has passed, trending seasonal items. Based on your niche, click the category you want to explore. When looking through the products, you’ll likely see many you’re familiar with and others you may never have even heard of. Try to identify potential 8-figure products worth selling. (You can also prepare for events and seasonal sales in the latter half of 2021 and even 2022!)

Avoid This Common and Costly Rookie Mistake

Dropshipper contacting the first supplier they find on Alibaba

One of the biggest mistakes that newbies make is finding a product and jumping in with a supplier — without knowing how to tell if they’re reliable or being able to recognize red flags. When people are just beginning, they’re understandably excited. To set your business up for success, however, one of the most important things is finding a reputable supplier.

The biggest limitation of selling physical products is logistics. You have to deal with things like confirming your suppliers ship orders on time, verifying that customers receive tracking numbers, ensuring sufficient inventory, and much more. A lot of this is the supplier’s responsibility. But you have to make sure your suppliers are doing their jobs properly. That’s why it’s so important to work with reputable suppliers.

Luckily, Alibaba shows the leading suppliers for each category and displays trust badges to help you decide who to work with. I always make sure my suppliers have a minimum of three to five years of experience. You’ll see that some have been in business for five years, while others have been around for as many as 18!

How to Pick a Supplier

Let’s focus back on the subcategories; suppose that you want to start selling gardening supplies. Then click on “View More” to see all the products in that category. If you’re still new to e-commerce, you may feel overwhelmed with all the options and confused about how to pick products. That’s completely normal. My first and most important piece of advice about this is: NEVER find a supplier and immediately click “start order.” You’d be surprised how many people do that without thinking it through.

1. Contact the Supplier

Contacting the supplier first allows you to discuss different pricing options and structures. With this simple step, you can get a better price for your 8-figure dropshipping products. If you reach out, they’ll often give you a better deal than the listed price. So, when you find a supplier that sells something of interest, go to their page. Look for indicators that they’re trustworthy. First, check the verification type. If it says “on-site check,” that means Alibaba sent somebody to physically inspect the location to make sure everything’s in order and the business is legitimate.

2. Do Business With a Manufacturer, Not Just a Trading Company

Screen grab of Peter Pru discussing the difference between manufacturers and trading companies

Next, focus on the business type. This is one of the most important things! If you only remember one thing I say today, remember that the ideal business type is a manufacturer, meaning they make the products themselves. If it says, “trading company,” though, they’re basically a middleman who just dropships somebody else’s products to you. Sometimes they’ll be listed as a manufacturer and trading company which is fine. If you can avoid working with a trading company, you generally should. Most of the time, working directly with manufacturers gets you the best deal.

I know people hate to hear, “it depends,” but in this case, that isn’t always a hard and fast rule. You’ll usually get a better deal with a manufacturer. But there will be times when a trading company is cheaper because they’re working with multiple sellers and getting bulk discounts you couldn’t afford. Just do your due diligence first when you’re investing in potential 8-figure dropshipping products. Speaking of due diligence, always make sure that the supplier brings in a decent profit. If they’re selling all those products and only making 100k a year, they might be doing something wrong. Look for companies making at least a couple million dollars.

Make sure any supplier you consider has a quick response time and a high on-time delivery rate so that you know you can count on them. It also helps to use a supplier with multiple products in the same category. This way, if you want to expand into gardening tools or accessories down the road, you already have a supplier instead of having to start over and juggling two different manufacturers.

Verify Your 8-Figure Dropshipping Products

Screen grab of Peter Pru discussing how to verify demand for product lines

Let’s say you see some products you think would work and you found a possible supplier who is reputable. But how do you know if the product(s) you chose is worth selling? Personally, I always like to leverage Amazon. They have powerful tools, millions of users, and so much data available and visible. Why not use it?

Just search your product on Amazon and see how much they’re selling for. Then, compare that price to the cost of buying it from your supplier to see your profit margin. Make sure they’re not dominated by one brand so that you can break into the market. Also, make sure that the product is actually selling by checking their seller rank to see if it’s under #20,000.

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level, sign up for my masterclass for exclusive training to learn how I used a simple 5-page funnel to make full-time money without buying ads or touching a single product. You can also visit my YouTube channel for more insights about 8-figure dropshipping products, finding suppliers, and setting up your sales funnel. Remember, your empire starts now.

2021 Dropshipping Trends That Can Lead to Overnight Success

by Peter PruMarch 17, 2021March 12, 2021Systems & Processes2 Comments

The main reason why many people don’t succeed with their dropshipping business is that they don’t implement the most profitable practices. However, there are certain trends that can lead to overnight profitability when effectively used. Some ecommerce entrepreneurs go into this industry and start making a lot of money. Many others may wonder what they’re doing wrong as they experience disappointment from the start. We’ll go over some of the biggest 2021 dropshipping trends to help your business excel.

The Importance of Subscriptions

One of the key 2021 dropshipping trends is the use of subscriptions. So many dropshippers fail simply because they’re not incorporating subscriptions into their business model. The advantage of a subscription is that it provides consistent, predictable revenue that can compensate for other less reliable sales. If you can get dozens or even hundreds of people subscribing to your business every month, that’s free revenue that you can get right from the start.

The subscription box industry is only going to continue growing: A McKinsey study found that the industry went from $57 million in 2011 to over $2.6 billion in 2016, a tremendous growth within a mere 5 years. Since then, the market has expanded to over $10 billion as of 2019.

One of the clearest 2020 and 2021 dropshipping trends is that subscription boxes are extremely lucrative. The problem that a lot of people have is deciding what to include in their subscriptions. This keeps them from implementing them. The fact is that all you need for a successful subscription is a solid value offer.

In short, as long as the value of the box outweighs what your customers actually pay for it, your subscription will likely succeed.

Start by Googling Your Niche

Many of the top 2021 dropshipping trends are rooted in good research. You can begin building your subscription by searching for similar boxes in your niche. All you need to do is go to Google and type “subscription boxes,” followed by whatever topic you want to cover. For instance, you could search for “subscription boxes survival” to find boxes in the survival niche. These boxes would include various types of survival gear. If there aren’t many options to choose from, you may need to target another niche. But the more results you see for your search, the more lucrative the opportunity will be.

Keep a lookout for PPC ads in the top results for a given niche. This indicates that businesses are making enough money in that niche to spend on high-ranking search ads instead of relying on organic search results.

Once you’ve found other subscriptions in your industry, the next step is to find out what other sellers are doing to succeed with these boxes. Visit their websites and take a look at their products and overarching themes, along with the packaging. You’ll want to find out what kind of value these businesses are bringing to customers, which you can then adapt for your business. You can gain key insight into 2021 dropshipping trends from your competitors.

Highlight the Value Included in Your Physical Subscription and Make That the Focus

When selling any kind of physical subscription box, it’s important to detail the value included with each box. Also, include how much the customer is saving with the subscription.

Ultimately, value supersedes perfection with every subscription box. While many may perceive perfection as worth striving for with every shipment — by optimizing presentation to complement the value of the products — this can actually hinder rather than help your business. Unfortunately, many businesses fail because they spend too much time on making their subscription boxes perfect when they should actually be selling. People care about what’s included in the box, not the box itself, so don’t waste too much time on pretty packaging and other aspects of presentation when contents matter most. Once you’ve gotten to the point where you have over 100 subscribers, you can then strive for the perfect box now that your subscription is off the ground.

Locate Products and Suppliers on AliExpress

Screen grab of Peter Pru discussing how to choose a supplier

With the ideal subscription box chosen, use AliExpress to find specific products and suppliers. Try to find a solitary supplier that can provide you with all of the products you need within your niche. This can help you save some time finding individual products and compiling them in your subscription. A single supplier can also serve as a reliable source.

While on AliExpress, browse different suppliers’ stores and find out what they specifically offer. You’re looking for a supplier that can offer a 50% profit margin. This means that if subscribers are paying around $15 per month, the subscription box should include items that cost you around $7.50 to buy and ship. If needed, you can throw in some digital products to help boost profit margins. For each subscription box, look for around three to four products that you can ship collectively at an affordable price. This can further ensure profitability.

Find Suppliers on Alibaba if You’re More Established

Has your business had a chance to grow, with a bigger budget to work with and a more established brand? Alibaba can give you some more ideas for subscription boxes and enable you to find the perfect supplier. You can then investigate any suppliers you come across until you locate one worth reaching out to. From there, you can send a message to request product catalogs or brochures, which should also indicate pricing.

Once you’ve chosen a supplier, the next step is to develop a calendar. While you can use a six-month calendar, we recommend developing a one-year calendar. Why? Because most customers won’t spend more than a year on a subscription. Using this calendar, you can decide on which products to place into each shipment for a year. Once the year ends, the calendar could restart. Then you can send some of the same products to customers as the start of the previous year, seeing as most of those customers will be newer at that point.

Package Subscription Boxes Yourself at the Start

Dropshipper contacting suppliers to streamline his business

Having selected the right products and suppliers for your subscription, you can begin constructing your boxes and selling them. Until you reach 100 subscribers, we recommend avoiding using fulfillment centers to put your boxes together. Instead, you’ll be able to save a lot of money by building your own subscription boxes. It may take a lot of time and feel like a waste of it, but you’ll be saving a lot of money, and you can always get friends and family to help. You can even turn your boxing sessions into an event, ordering some food and drinks to make it feel less like a hassle for everyone involved.

With over 500 subscribers, a fulfillment center will likely be worth the price. Fulfillment centers may also help organize shipments with suppliers and simplify the entire process.

If you can harness the power of subscriptions from the start of your dropshipping venture, you’ll be able to succeed throughout 2021 and the coming years. If you can locate the ideal niche, products, and suppliers, you’ll be able to develop a winning subscription plan that customers love. In turn, you’ll see consistent, regular income. Do you want to learn more about how to thrive in ecommerce? Then reserve your seat at our free ecommerce masterclass, where we’ll show you how to build a winning dropshipping business in no time. You can also follow these 2021 dropshipping trends on my YouTube channel as they change over the upcoming year.

Tagged : creating subscription boxes / dropshipping business growth / how to find suppliers / subscription boxes / suppliers

Top 2021 Dropshipping Trends to Follow for Overnight Success

by Peter PruFebruary 10, 2021February 3, 2021Product Research / Systems & ProcessesLeave a Comment

A lot of dropshippers start a business and fail because, among other things, they’re not incorporating the latest trends into their business. If you want to ensure your dropshipping business has the chance to succeed, incorporate these 2021 dropshipping trends. By following the right trends and using them to inform your strategies, you can make your store profitable overnight.

Here we’ll review some of the biggest 2021 dropshipping trends so far, which you can use to build a successful business.

Adding Subscriptions

The main reason why so many dropshipping businesses fail is that they neglect to add subscriptions. Subscriptions can make it easy for businesses to maximize customer lifetime value (CLV) and encourage repeat sales while maximizing predictability. That’s why they’re one of the most important 2021 dropshipping trends. If you want to generate a steady and predictable revenue stream on a yearly, monthly, or even weekly basis, subscriptions can be the key. All you need to do to create a successful subscription is to have a good value offer. If the value of what you give to customers outweighs the cost, people will keep coming to you for those products.

According to marketing firm McKinsey, revenue from the subscription box industry increased dramatically from $57 million in 2011 to over $2.6 billion by 2016. Over the next five years, those figures have increased even more into 2021. The love for subscription boxes is far from fading.

Look for Other Subscriptions in Your Niche to Get Ideas

You can start developing your own subscription by finding out what subscription boxes exist in your niche. Simply Google “[your niche] subscription boxes” and see what comes up for that search. If the options are minimal, this may not be the best niche. But if you perform a search and see plenty of results, this means there’s money in that niche. This is especially true if you see ads show up as the first results.

Why is this a clue? Because no business will pay for PPC ads in top results if they’re not making a profit.

The next step is to see what other successful businesses are doing to sell those subscription boxes. Take a look at their websites and find out what products they include, along with themes for each box and packaging. Determine what value they’re bringing to their customers, which can translate to your own subscription.

Always Highlight the Value You Offer With Physical Subscription Boxes

Keep in mind that there is one additional strategy you need to implement when selling physical boxes. Whenever you sell a physical subscription box, you should always detail the value that’s included with each box. Also, include how much they’re saving with a subscription. However, for digital products, you generally don’t need to be as competitive with your pricing.

Focus on Value Over Perfection

At the end of the day, when starting out with your subscription, try to avoid making it as perfect as possible. Many businesses strive for perfection because it makes them feel good to put together the most ideal presentation, but this can hurt your business rather than help it. One of the reasons why so many businesses fail when starting out is because they focus on creating the “perfect” subscription and making things complex instead of selling their products. Instead of directing all your attention to putting together the perfect subscription, focus on the value you bring and simply providing customers with a mix of high-quality products. As your business begins to grow and you reach your first 100 subscribers, then you can work on perfecting subscriptions.

Using AliExpress to Find Subscription Products and Suppliers

Screenshot of Peter Pru checking an AliExpress supplier's store

Once you have a subscription box in mind and you know how to approach it, you can begin looking for products and a supplier on AliExpress. On AliExpress, you’ll want to look for a single supplier that provides a ton of products in your niche. You don’t have to look for individual products and put them together in a subscription. Just find that one supplier, and you’re good to go.

Check out different suppliers’ stores while browsing AliExpress and see what kinds of products they offer. What you need to find is something that you can offer with a 50% profit margin. For example, if your subscribers are paying $20 per month, make sure your box includes products that you can ship to customers for around $10. If you need to, we recommend adding some digital products to those subscriptions when possible to improve your margins.

You should be able to find three to four products that you can ship together at an affordable price that enables you to earn a profit that makes it worthwhile.

For More Established Brands: Finding Suppliers Through Alibaba

When your business has grown and you have a sufficient budget along with a developed brand, head over to Alibaba to get some ideas for a subscription box and to locate a supplier. Find the right supplier, and take some time to review them. Then you can send a message requesting brochures or catalogs of their products and pricing.

With a supplier backing your subscription, you need to put together a calendar. (Organization is also one of the top 2021 dropshipping trends.) You can create a six-month calendar. But we suggest a one-year calendar considering most customers won’t likely stay with any subscription for more than a year. Based on that calendar, you can determine which products to include with each shipment so that you have a specific plan in place. After that calendar period, you can then cycle through your past subscription boxes. You’ll likely be sending them to newer customers as old ones leave.

2021 Dropshipping Trends: DIY Subscription Boxes vs. Fulfillment Centers

After you’ve found and connected with the right supplier, you can begin putting your subscription boxes together and pricing them. If you have under 100 subscribers, you can save some money by putting your subscription boxes together on your own. You can make it a party. Invite some friends or family to join you. Order delivery and turn it into a fun event that makes it feel more worth your time. Ultimately, you can save a lot of money this way when starting out.

Once you’ve reached over 500 subscribers, you can then transfer packaging to a fulfillment warehouse. That service will be able to work out the logistics with suppliers and further simplify things for you.

With a subscription behind your dropshipping business, you can achieve the level of success you want in 2021. Finding the right products and suppliers can help you put together a subscription plan that your customers will love. This will provide predictable, consistent income. Do you want to find out more about how you can succeed as a dropshipper with cutting-edge 2021 dropshipping trends? We’ll teach you everything you need to know when you reserve your free seat at our ecommerce masterclass.

Tagged : creating subscription boxes / dropshipping / dropshipping business growth / how to find suppliers / subscription boxes

How to Use Ecom Cheetah for Unlimited Ecommerce Opportunities

by Peter PruDecember 21, 2020December 11, 2020Digital & Information Products / Facebook Ads For Dropshipping / Product ResearchLeave a Comment

There are a ton of tools for quick and convenient success in dropshipping and selling online. The problem is it can be incredibly overwhelming trying to sell your products with all the same software and tools that every other business in your industry are using. Ecom Cheetah serves to take the hassle out of selling online and give you the edge over competition in your ecommerce business.

Our new service, Ecom Cheetah, aims to make your ecommerce journey that much easier and help you grow your business with exclusive access to unlimited winning products and suppliers, Facebook ad images, offer stack image creation, and digital information products. Check out this quick breakdown and watch our video for more in-depth information on leveraging Ecom Cheetah in your ecommerce business.

1. Find Unlimited Winning Products and Suppliers

First and foremost, we offer unlimited winning products and suppliers. A major issue in dropshipping is that many businesses are buying all the same software to get their hands on winning products. Industry-standard resources can be a great place to start for inspiration. But you run the risk of selling the same products as your competition. Your business will suffer if your customers can get your products from a thousand other businesses.

That’s where Ecom Cheetah comes in and makes a difference for you and your business. We vet the supplier and handpick your products to tailor them specifically to you. Many ecommerce businesses fail because of market saturation and no brand differentiation. They’re trying to sell the same products on the same software as everyone else in the industry without any real differentiating factor that appeals to consumers.

Your business needs to stand out from the crowd and offer unique, winning products consumers can’t get anywhere else. With Ecom Cheetah, we do all the work for you by finding winning products that best suit your business. We also vet the suppliers and send you on your way with products that are proven to sell.

2. Gain Unlimited Facebook Ad Images

Screen grab of Peter Pru talking about Facebook ads

We also give you unlimited Facebook ad images to add variation to your Facebook advertising strategy. Ad images have the potential to be an excellent way to drive traffic from Facebook — as long as you have the right images and do it the right way. When done correctly, our Facebook ad images have a 3-5% click-through rate (CTR), which is well above the average CTR. It’s an amazing rate that will get consumers to wherever you’re driving traffic.

A 3-5% CTR takes away the hassle of getting people to your website. It makes it easier to focus more of your time on your business and your funnel — you’ve already pulled consumers in. All you need to do now is keep them on your page and close the deal.

Ecom Cheetah offers you Facebook ad images with the potential of 3-5% CTR. It also offers an unlimited amount of Facebook ad images to utilize. It may sound excessive, but it is more effective for your business to use a multitude of ad images rather than one or two. The more ad images you have, the better!

The algorithm on Facebook thrives on variation. If you’ve been advertising on Facebook for a while now, you’ve likely figured this out. You need as much variation as possible because not every consumer is alike, and different images entice different people. It can sometimes take multiple ad images before the right one reaches the right consumer and drives them to click on it. It’s a daily test of variations so that you can convert as many Facebook users as possible with your ads.

3. Use Unlimited Offer Stack Image Creation

Dropshipper browsing through digital information product options

Next, we provide you with unlimited offer stack images to enhance your website. In many cases, your products and digital bonuses are incredible deals. But your website lacks perceived value when the consumer lands on it. This can be a huge problem. No matter how much traffic you drive to your page, if they don’t see a significant amount of perceived value, then it was all for nothing. They will leave.

Online shopping already comes with the stigma of mistrust. If your business isn’t one the consumer already knows and has worked with previously, you have to earn that trust. You need a tremendous amount of perceived value the moment they land on your page. They’re going to be a lot less likely to make purchases if they don’t immediately see the benefits and value of what you have to offer.

Our unlimited offer stack images cut out the risk of mistrust and restore credibility. It doesn’t matter if you’re offering one product or bundling it with other great products if you don’t have high-quality offer stack images to showcase it. Poor quality offer stack images are why many businesses see a good amount of their products in consumers’ carts but still aren’t making the sales they should be. You need crisp and clean offer stack images that successfully highlight your offer and elicit trust in your business.

4. Create Unlimited Digital Information Products

Finally, we offer unlimited digital information products. It can’t be stressed enough how vital they will be to the growth and success of your ecommerce business. This is the most important offer we’re going to provide you with. Why? Because it can serve the purpose of adding more value to your products and enticing more customers to purchase. They can be offered as part of a bundle with a physical product or as a free bonus. Not to mention, they’re great for upselling orders, too.

Businesses need to start leveraging digital information products right away. They’re extremely versatile, last forever, and can be updated easily when they fall behind in technological advancements. With Ecom Cheetah’s exclusive access to unlimited digital information products, your consumers will get more perceived value. You can add them as bonuses, bundles, or upsells. With more perceived value, consumers are more attracted to what you have to offer.

Don’t Miss Out

Screen grab of Peter Pru discussing Ecom Cheetah

Here at Ecommerce Empire Builders, we provide you with nothing but the best tools for setting up your ecommerce business for success and tremendous growth. Our dedicated team of experts is ready to upgrade your business from being like the rest to differentiating you from the competition. Are you ready to upgrade your winning products, add more variation to your Facebook ad images, increase perceived value on your landing page, and add a versatile asset to start using for your business right now? Reserve a seat to our exclusive free webinar and check out our YouTube channel for more insights into growing your ecommerce business and increasing profits.

Tagged : ecom cheetah / how to find suppliers / how to make ads / how to start dropshipping / scaling your dropshipping business

Increase Dropshipping Sales Without Paying for Ads

by Peter PruNovember 25, 2020November 17, 2020Systems & ProcessesLeave a Comment

If you want to increase dropshipping sales without running a paid advertising campaign, read on. There are ways to easily multiply your sales by using subscriptions. Many people who go into eCommerce fail because of a lack of one major component: predictability. It’s easy to get excited when you start making those first sales through dropshipping. But then you have to handle shipping, product costs, and other expenses until you have barely any money left over. Without that predictability, you’re less likely to appeal to customers and encourage sales.

Using Subscription Services to Increase Dropshipping Sales With Predictability

One of the best ways to bring predictability to your business is to implement subscription services. If people know what to expect with your business on a regular basis with a repeat subscription — and the same customers keep buying from you on a weekly or monthly basis — you’re much more likely to both attract and retain more customers. Consider how many subscription-based businesses have become successful, from Dollar Shave Club to Disney+. The reason a company like Dollar Shave Club was able to sell for billions of dollars was that it had predictable revenue. People don’t want to invest in businesses that only drive one-time sales.

Keep in mind that you need to do more than simply add a subscription to your business. Think about specifically how you intend to sell the subscription. The following guide will help you start using subscriptions to increase dropshipping sales.

Step 1: Get Inspired

The very first thing you need to do when adding subscriptions to your business is to get inspired. You won’t be able to implement a subscription if you don’t have some ideas to help you get started. Regardless of whether you currently have a dropshipping business, you should take some time to see what people are doing and incorporate some of those ideas into your own business model.

One of the best ways to get some ideas is to visit MySubscriptionAddiction.com, which is a blog that publishes reviews of just about every subscription box out there. While the site consists of reviews, it’s not the reviews themselves you’ll be looking at. Instead, look at what some of these boxes are offering. Get some ideas for products that look like they will help you increase dropshipping sales. Based on the niche you want to target, you can locate a box with relevant products and see if something similar is worth including in yours.

For example, you may find a cool-looking arts and crafts box that’s intended for people of all ages. This can help you develop your own arts and crafts subscription box if you want to target this particular niche.

Step 2: Choose Products for Your Box

After you’ve gotten some ideas for your own subscription box while browsing MySubscriptionAddiction.com or other sources, you can begin looking for some products to sell.

Let’s take the arts and crafts example. Once you’ve decided that you want to cover this niche after seeing an example, check out Alibaba.com. In the search bar at the top of the page, you could conduct a search for arts and crafts. From there, you may see a list of a wide range of products in this niche, such as decorative wood figures that your customers could put together. It’s easy to get lost in the many products available, especially since so many of the options can help you increase dropshipping sales. So feel free to take some time to browse and find the perfect product for your business.

Step 3: Look at the Supplier

Dropshipper calling a supplier in an independent meeting

Even if the product looks good and you’re ready to add it to your subscription, take a close look at the supplier. You can’t increase dropshipping sales without a supplier who can keep up. Your supplier should be reputable and well-liked, as you’re likely to be working with this supplier for years on end. On Alibaba, you can look at the supplier’s star rating. This metric grades suppliers on a 5-star scale based on service, on-time delivery, and product quality. A star rating of 4.5 or higher is generally great.

You should also check to see if the supplier has regular transactions. You can see the total dollar amount of transactions per a certain number of transactions over a period of time.

Finally, look at the supplier’s response rate, which is crucial. If it’s hard to get ahold of your supplier, you’re going to have a difficult time working with them to sell their products through your subscription. A good response rate is around 80% or higher. This indicates that the supplier is very quick to respond and won’t leave you in the dark at any point.

Pay Attention to the Business’s Details

Also, find out how long the supplier has been on Alibaba. You may find that while a supplier looks great, with a high star rating, fast response time, and an ideal location like the United States, the supplier has only been on the website for a year. In most cases, you’ll likely want to avoid suppliers that haven’t been on Alibaba for very long. The website has been around for a long time, and good, well-established suppliers are likely well aware of this platform. So there’s generally not a good reason for them to not be established.

However, you may find a supplier that, while not having been on the site for long, is verified. In these cases, it may be worth trusting a supplier that’s relatively new to the platform.

Look Carefully at Their Alibaba Page

Once you’ve found what looks like a good supplier, visit their company page on Alibaba and learn more about them before reaching out. Keep in mind that when contacting a supplier, don’t rely on Alibaba’s website’s live chat or other on-site communication. Try to get them to contact you via phone, Skype, email, or other third-party channels.

The most important item to look at on their company page before contacting them is Business Type. Here, it should always say Manufacturer. If it only says Trading Company, skip over this supplier. Trading companies essentially act as unnecessary middlemen between you and the manufacturer. Instead, it’s best to work directly with a manufacturer when possible.

You can also see other details such as how long they’ve been in business, the number of employees they have, certifications, and more to help you make your decision.

Step 4: Reach Out to the Supplier

After finding that perfect product and ideal supplier, don’t click that “Start Order” button just yet. You’ll wind up being overcharged. Instead, negotiate with the supplier when you contact them and try to work out the best possible deal.

Also, ask for a product catalog, which the supplier should always be willing to send. You should then receive a massive PDF or another file that could give you an endless number of ideas for products to sell in your subscription.

When contacting a supplier, always stress that you’re looking to establish a long-term relationship with them. This will encourage them to do business with you as a reliable seller.

Step 5: Choose a Fulfillment Center

Screen grab of discussing fulfillment service providers

With a product and supplier chosen, you’ll want to ship products to a fulfillment center. There are several fulfillment centers that you can choose from, including:

Dollar Fulfillment
ShipOffers
ShipZOOM

In some cases, your supplier could also fulfill orders for you. Regardless of how you go about it, the fulfillment center will package and ship your subscription boxes on your behalf.

Step 6: Select Packaging Options

Some fulfillment centers will provide packaging options in addition to fulfillment. Otherwise, you will need to seek other packaging options.

If you want to use custom boxes that feature cool and unique designs for your subscriptions, we recommend you go through Lumi. Simply visit their catalog page from the main navigation menu, and take a look. Their Corrugated Mailer Boxes, for example, are great for most subscription boxes.

If you have under 1,000 subscribers at this point, we don’t recommend getting a custom box. Using a plain box design without any writing on it is often best to start with. Wait until it’s worth the cost to upgrade to a custom design. Most customers will care more about what’s inside of the box instead of the exterior. So don’t spring for a custom box if you don’t need it.

The fulfillment center will also take care of all the logistics for packaging. All you need to do is tell them what you want, and they’ll do the rest.

Step 7: Build a Sales Funnel to Increase Dropshipping Sales

When it comes to actually selling your subscription box, you don’t want to rely on Facebook ads. Why? Because you’ll quickly find that those ads don’t perform the best on their own. People are more likely to see your box as just another monthly bill that they have to pay if you don’t sell it effectively.

Rather than relying on generic ad campaigns, the best way to sell your subscription is to develop a sales funnel. Start by leading people in with an inexpensive one-time product, which gives your customers value. From there, you can upsell them with your subscription box. This way, you’ll be paying social media advertising platforms for a sale rather than for a monthly subscription.

Through an effective sales funnel, you’ll be able to increase dropshipping sales of your main product and your subscriptions. This can boost your revenue without the need to pay for costly ad campaigns or other expenses. To learn more about how to build a winning sales funnel and develop an unstoppable eCommerce business, reserve your seat at our free eCommerce masterclass today.

Tagged : dropshipping business growth / how to find suppliers / how to use a sales funnel / increase dropshipping sales / subscription boxes

How to Find Fast Dropshipping Suppliers in the USA

by Peter PruAugust 12, 2020August 5, 2020Product ResearchLeave a Comment

Have you been struggling to get faster shipping times for your dropshipping business? There are several solutions available to increase shipping speed and make your business more efficient. Here at Ecommerce Empire Builders, we know how important it is to have options. We’ll discuss the top four sources for fast dropshipping suppliers in the USA.

You can source your products from them and expedite the delivery process. Not all of these services guarantee five-day delivery. But they will be able to improve overall manageability and efficiency in the long run. You can also use these suppliers to help further grow your business if you’re already making up to $10,000 or more per month.

1. AliExpress

When you’re looking through AliExpress, check your options. You will see the option to ship from the USA (in addition to shipping from other countries). A supplier may say that products are shipped from the USA. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that products are actually being shipped from the USA. Many fast dropshipping suppliers in the USA may be truthful about where they’re shipping from, but some outliers might be dishonest.

We recommend that you contact the supplier via Skype or another method and request specific sample tracking numbers. You can then use those tracking numbers to determine if packages are actually shipping from the USA — or from somewhere else.

The important thing to remember is that it may take some digging to find the right AliExpress supplier. This can be a time-consuming task. But it will be worth it if you can get faster and more cost-effective shipping while maximizing customer satisfaction in the process. With the right supplier, you may even be able to automate your order fulfillment and your whole business.

If you want to save money by shipping from China or another location and your deliveries are inevitably going to be delayed, we understand this decision. However, we do recommend that you compensate for these delays with top-tier customer service. That includes offers and bonus gifts that keep your customers loyal and happy.

If you want to speed up the shipping process, the following are some reliable alternatives to consider.

2. SaleHoo

screen grab of sorting for manufacturers on SaleHoo

We really like SaleHoo because the platform makes it easy to access a huge directory of manufacturers and dropshippers. You can quickly choose from a list of fast dropshipping suppliers in the USA. Then get in touch with the potential supplier, and discuss your products and the possibility of using them as shippers.

If you’re already making around $10,000 or more per month, we also suggest you look for manufacturers that specialize in dropshipping. If you find the right supplier that doubles as a manufacturer and dropshipper, the company makes the product and delivers it right from their warehouse. This means you never need to touch the product at any point. Otherwise, you might have to take the product from the manufacturer and find a fulfillment center that can handle the product from there. Ultimately, a supplier functioning as both can eliminate some of these logistical hassles.

SaleHoo isn’t expensive, either. You only need to pay around $120 for lifetime access to their extensive directory.

If neither AliExpress nor SaleHoo turns out to be the best solution for you, the next couple of suggestions may be worth pursuing.

3. CJDropshipping

A manufacturing plant manager organizing dropshipping orders

One thing to keep in mind about CJDropshipping is that products may be housed overseas, despite the USA shipping options. However, even if a product is shipped from China, you can benefit from faster and more reliable shipping.

For example, you might only be able to choose a “China Warehouse” option in the “Shipping From” dropdown for a product. But where you will have some choices is in the “Shipping Method” dropdown. You’ll typically see a long list of shipping options with various estimated delivery times and shipping costs that can help you determine which option is best.

Now, you may not find the most appealing delivery times using CJDropshipping. But if your shipping times are particularly slow on AliExpress, you may find a better option using this platform to find a supplier. You might not get shipping guaranteed within five days. But you should still be able to find some reasonable delivery times for your products.

4. eBay

If you’re still dissatisfied with the delivery times and shipping options on AliExpress, SaleHoo, or CJDropshipping, try eBay. They have plenty of fast dropshipping suppliers in the USA. The trick is knowing how to find a trustworthy one.

When looking for a supplier through eBay, check out the number of items sold for a product that’s in your niche. From there, look at the seller information provided for additional details. A good supplier will have plenty of positive feedback. Also, they’ll likely focus on a specific product niche as opposed to a selection of seemingly random products. Ultimately, you would approach shopping for a supplier on eBay in much the same way you would on AliExpress.

Once you find the right supplier on eBay, reach out and initiate a conversation with them. Remember that the endgame is to find a dependable supplier who can help you maximize sales for your front-end products that are most likely to sell. To optimize the process, you’ll need to be resourceful. Shop around to find the ideal partner for your dropshipping business.

Using any of these options can help you pin down the right supplier to work with in the long run. If you manage to find the best suppliers and delivery options, you’ll be able to improve your business’s efficiency. Also, you’ll make sure your customers don’t have to wait too long to receive your products. You’ll also be able to cut down on shipping costs and subsequently boost your ROI.

Consult With the Pros

someone joining a discussion through Ecommerce Empire Builders

Do you want to learn more about how to grow your business and further improve sales with an optimized sales funnel? Reserve your seat at the free ecommerce masterclass from Ecommerce Empire Builders. You’ll discover how to maximize your income with the implementation of an efficient and reliable eCommerce funnel.

Tagged : dropshipping business growth / dropshipping suppliers / how to find products / how to find suppliers / supplier sources

Try These AliExpress Alternatives to Speed Up Your Dropshipping Delivery Times

by Peter PruJuly 13, 2020July 13, 2020One Product Dropshipping / Product ResearchLeave a Comment

Empire builders, you already know that shipping and delivery times have significantly slowed down with the current state of the world. If you’ve been dropshipping through AliExpress, you may have found yourself in quite the dilemma over the last few months because of the slow delivery speed. Everything is still in a state of limbo, so it might be time to find a new source that can get products into your customer’s hands as quickly as possible. If you’ve been searching for a faster or more reliable dropshipping supplier, check out some of the top AliExpress alternatives below.

AliExpress

If you’ve already been using AliExpress to source your funnel products and have been successful with this method, that’s great. I’m not going to be the person to sit here and tell you to stop altogether. However, if you choose to utilize AliExpress as your front-end supplier, you should try to work with AliExpress stores that ship from the United States.

Being able to dropship your products from the United States will significantly cut down on delivery wait times. AliExpress makes it easy to filter out suppliers that ship from the United States from those who don’t.

However, there is a catch. Not all stores on AliExpress that list themselves as U.S. based stores actually ship from the United States.

To find out if a store is shipping from the United States, reach out to the supplier. Once you get in contact with the supplier through email or Skype, ask them for tracking numbers. This will tell you the origin of the packages that they send, letting you know if they are shipping from the U.S. or not. This will require some digging and research, but providing your customers with faster shipping times and excellent customer service will always pay off in the end.

SaleHoo

woman reaching out to manufacturers directly through SalesHoo to find AliExpress alternatives

The first alternative to AliExpress I suggest looking into is SaleHoo. For $120, SaleHoo gives you lifetime access to a massive directory of manufacturers and dropshippers. Having this directory gives you a considerable advantage in the dropshipping industry.

Why?

You have access to a wide variety of suppliers and manufacturers at your fingertips, and you can find your own preferred AliExpress alternatives. This will also allow you to piece together amazing offers on your funnels that customers will not be able to turn down.

My suggestion for those already making 10K a month would be to get in touch with manufacturers on SaleHoo, who also provide dropshipping services. This is what I did to create my supplement company, Untapped Focus. It’s incredible when you find manufacturers that will create your product, house it, and then handle the dropshipping for you. It creates an awesome business opportunity for you and allows you to worry a lot less about the logistics of storing and shipping products.

CJDropshipping

Another one of my preferred AliExpress alternatives is CJDropshipping. If you’re already dropshipping from China, then CJDropshipping is an AliExpress alternative that you need to look into. A lot of the products are sourced from China on CJDropshipping. However, CJDropshipping is a faster and more reliable drop shipping source compared to AliExpress.

The biggest suggestion I have for you with CJDropshipping is to research how the individual product is being shipped. When I use CJDropshipping, I like to use the CJ packet method of shipping. If a product is eligible for the CJ packet shipping, your product will be in the hands of the customer much faster than AliExpress sourced products.

Ultimately, if you’re already using AliExpress, I recommend searching for your products on CJDropshipping. By sourcing through CJDropshipping, rather than through AliExpress, your delivery times will be more bearable for the customer to deal with. However, always keep in mind that dropshipping products from China will never give the customer that 2-3 day shipping experience they have become accustomed to when buying on Amazon. To compensate for these longer shipping times of 7 to 20 days, your customer service must be top-notch.

eBay

The final dropshipping alternative I have for you is eBay. Yes, it may not be the first supplier that comes to mind when you think of a dropshipping source. But eBay actually has a ton of suppliers willing to ship products for you.

Before you try to source products from eBay, you must do your research.

The first step you should take to find out if an eBay store is a good dropshipping supplier is to check out the number of units they have sold on their products. If they have sold a large number of units on a single product, that’s a very good sign. After determining that the store has sold enough units, check out their customer feedback reviews and the different products they sell.

When working with an eBay store as a dropshipping source, you want to make sure of two things:

They have an excellent customer feedback rating.
They specialize in one area, whether it be fitness equipment, pets, clothes, or fishing.

You never want to work with a supplier that has their hand in a little bit of everything. You want to work with stores that are specialized in one area. If you can find the right supplier, eBay is one of the easiest AliExpress alternatives for sourcing your products.

Always Be Resourceful When Looking for AliExpress Alternatives

customer happily opening their delivered package

No matter how you decide to source your front-end products, you’re going to need to be resourceful to generate the most success you can. With the state of the world as it currently is, shipping and delivery times are messed up for everyone. To create amazing offers on your funnels and get products to customers quickly, you’re going to have to piece together products and services from different sources. Being successful in the ecommerce industry will always come down to your willingness and ability to be resourceful in providing the best offers and services to your customers. But if you do it right, you can even capitalize on in-demand products and trendy items.

Consult With the Pros

I hope you will take this information and implement it into your own funnels today. At Ecommerce Empire Builders, we know that more can be achieved together than alone. If you’re interested in becoming a part of a growing ecommerce community, take the time to consult with us today. At Ecommerce Empire Builders, we can help you build, launch, and scale your own profitable dropshipping business. Sign up for access to our exclusive free webinar today. Also, be sure to check our YouTube channel for even more free resources and insights into the dropshipping industry. Remember, your empire starts now.

Tagged : aliexpress / delivery / eBay / how to find products / how to find suppliers / suppliers