Starting a Six-Figure Drop Shipping Business
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- What is Drop Shipping?
- Print on Demand: A Subcategory of Drop Shipping
- Using eBay and Etsy for Print on Demand
- Printify vs. Printful: Which is Better?
- Setting Up Your Printify and Etsy Accounts
- Creating Designs for Your Listings
- Posting Listings on Etsy
- SEO for Your Listings
- The Importance of Listing Quantity
- Results of the First Week
- Scaling Your Business
- Pros and Cons of Drop Shipping
- Frequently Asked Questions
Starting a Drop Shipping Business from Scratch
Are you interested in starting a business from scratch and making six figures within a year? If so, then drop shipping might be the perfect opportunity for you. In this article, we will explore the world of drop shipping and how you can use it to start your own business.
What is Drop Shipping?
Drop shipping is a business model where you sell products without actually holding any inventory. Instead, you partner with a supplier who holds the inventory and ships the products directly to your customers. This means that you don't have to worry about storing, packaging, or shipping any products yourself.
Print on Demand: A Subcategory of Drop Shipping
One subcategory of drop shipping is print on demand. This is where you upload artwork to a generic, unbranded product, and the supplier will print the artwork on the product and ship it directly to your customer. This is a great option for those who are not designers but still want to sell custom products.
Using eBay and Etsy for Print on Demand
While many drop shippers use Shopify to host their website and run their store, using a print-on-demand model unlocks the ability to use eBay and Etsy. Etsy, in particular, is a great option because it only charges a 20 cent listing fee each time you post a new item. This means that you can test a lot more products without having to worry about spending a ton on marketing.
Printify vs. Printful: Which is Better?
There is a big debate on YouTube about whether to use Printful or Printify. While Printful is more expensive, it does offer a wider range of products. However, Printify is a better deal overall because it offers the same products at a lower cost. Plus, Printify has great customer service.
Setting Up Your Printify and Etsy Accounts
To get started with print on demand, you will need to sign up for a Printify account and link it to your Etsy account. Printify is completely free to start, and they also offer a premium option that gives you a discount on all products. However, if you're just starting out, it's best to stick with the free plan.
Creating Designs for Your Listings
If you're not a designer, don't worry. There are plenty of free fonts available on Google Fonts that you can use for your designs. You can also purchase mock-ups on Etsy to make your listings look more professional.
Posting Listings on Etsy
When posting a listing on Etsy, it's important to use good SEO so that your products will rank higher in search results. This means using relevant keywords in your title and tags. It's also a good idea to copy listing details from similar products to save time.
The Importance of Listing Quantity
In the early stages of your business, it's important to post as many listings as possible. This will help Etsy test out which products they want to promote. Once customers start buying your products, Etsy will promote them more and more.
Results of the First Week
During the first week of our drop shipping challenge, we listed our first products and made our first sale. While we were a little bit negative for the week, we consider it a huge success because we got our shop reinstated after being suspended and made a sale despite having no social proof.
Scaling Your Business
As your business grows, you can start to scale by adding more products and expanding to other platforms like eBay and Amazon. You can also start to invest in marketing to drive more traffic to your listings.
Pros and Cons of Drop Shipping
While drop shipping offers many benefits like low startup costs and no inventory management, there are also some downsides like low profit margins and limited control over the shipping process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I need to be a designer to start a print on demand business?
A: No, you can use free fonts and purchase mock-ups to create professional-looking designs.
Q: How many listings should I post on Etsy?
A: In the early stages of your business, it's important to post as many listings as possible to help Etsy test out which products they want to promote.
Q: How long does it take for Etsy to start promoting my products?
A: It can take a few months for Etsy to start promoting your products, but once they do, you'll start to see more sales and traffic to your shop.
