The issue of choosing a dropshipping provider well has several aspects. In an online store, one of the fundamental tasks is to discover the products in greatest demand. But it is even more important if it is possible to find good dropshipping providers that guarantee the success of your online store.
On the one hand, it is necessary to find wholesalers that offer you reasonable cost prices, so that when you calculate the sale price of your products you can ensure an acceptable utility or profit margin.
Dropshipping wholesalers are also essential for the transaction to be carried out satisfactorily since they are the ones in charge of sending the product to the final customer, once he has paid for it.
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Therefore, in this article, we are going to show you not only the best techniques to make a selection of appropriate dropshipping providers, but you will also have a list of the best dropshipping companies to do business with.
Top 6 Dropshipping Suppliers in 2022
Before we show you how to locate dropshipping providers, we are going to walk you through our list of the best dropshipping companies in Europe.
1. Oberlo
First of all, we want to show you our own platform, where you will find the best dropshipping providers in the sector.
Oberlo is also ideal because it makes it much easier to find the products you want to sell online . In addition, Oberlo allows you to access a huge variety of different products with great potential for generating profits.
Thanks to this tool geared towards Shopify store owners, you can find dropshipping providers located anywhere in the world and start working with them in just a few clicks.
2. Printful
Among the top dropshipping providers, we find Printful particularly interesting.
It is a print-on-demand or print-on-demand service that allows you to sell personalized products to all types of customers.
Thanks to its way of working, if you are creative, you can design, for example, mugs, t-shirts, or pens, and sell them in your own online store.
The process is simple: your customers choose the product they want, and Printful vendors take care of customizing the product and shipping it directly to your customers.
Another very interesting option is that Printful allows product shipments labeled with your own brand, which allows you to better convey your own corporate identity in the packages that your customers receive.
3. DropnShop
If you dropship fashion, perfumes, or products characterized by their high quality, you can use this Shopify app specialized in products made in France.
The manufacturing quality of French producers is indisputable, so working with this type of wholesaler is a good idea if you want to stand out for quality compared to your competitors.
The fact that these suppliers comply with strict measures —both in the production process and in storage— means that your online store can level up a lot if you decide to sell their products. Especially since you are going to market durable and high-quality products.
4. GlowRoad
This Shopify application allows you to work with dropshipping providers located in India, which can help you differentiate yourself from your competition with unusual products in Spanish-speaking markets.
The dropshipping wholesalers you’ll find on GlowRoad mostly ship products to the UK, Australia, and Canada. But the application allows you to operate with 30 other countries.
In addition to having a large catalog —with more than 10,000 products—, GlowRoad is in charge of inspecting and directly distributing the products from India, with which the safety and guarantee bonus is even greater.
Other strengths of GlowRoad are:
- Possibility of tracking the package since it leaves the warehouse, to know where it is at all times.
- Single shipment of all the products purchased in a single package , with the aim that the customer receives all the merchandise at one time.
5. PlusBuyer
If you dropship computers or electronics, PlusBuyer is a dropshipping wholesaler specializing in these types of products.
In its catalog, you can find great ideas to give away digital products, consumer electronics…
And the best thing is that the cost prices are quite competitive —without this affecting the quality of the product—, with which it is possible to obtain good returns without fear of suffering complaints from dissatisfied customers.
The main manufacturers in China are responsible for directly sending the products purchased by your customers, without any commercial reference or invoices other than your appearance. That way, you can use your own labels, so that customers think that it is you directly who sends the order.
6. Megagoods
This dropshipping platform located in California is mainly oriented to the sale of electronic products.
Therefore, if you are going to do dropshipping in computers and electronics, Megagoods is a very interesting option to get low-cost products with the certainty that your customers will be completely satisfied.
To give you an idea, brands as powerful as Revlon or Boss use this platform to market their products.
How to find dropshipping suppliers for your store
Although many successful entrepreneurs start dropshipping and print on demand thinking that it is a comfortable business model – in which you hardly have to work to earn money – things are not as easy as they seem at first glance.
Yes, it is true that by carrying out good management it is possible to lower sales costs and obtain good profits without risking much capital. But to achieve this you have to work hard. Especially at the beginning.
We have already seen in the introduction that one of the key elements that you must take into account when setting up your business is choosing a good dropshipping provider.
The problem is that it is not easy to locate the best dropshipping providers. In addition, none of them explains —on their website or in the marketplace in which they operate— that there are things that they do not do or that they are lousy in certain aspects of the business.
This makes it essential to investigate a lot before making a big decision. You have no choice but to spend a lot of time and effort to find that dropshipping wholesaler with whom you can do business reliably.
To make things a little easier for you, in this article you will find a lot of actionable tips to get you started with some help. But the dirty work will have to be done by you… 😉.
Phase 1: Research
We already know that it is important to market only products that have a consistent and stable demand. And that is why market research is still relevant.
But just as important as that is finding a dropshipping provider that can serve you those products in the best conditions.
The good thing is that with tools like Oberlo this task is easier.
You just have to enter the application search engine and set the filters that you consider necessary.
But if you don’t want to import from China directly, you will have to search for your dropshipping suppliers manually.
Despite this, all these criteria when investigating that we are going to see below are valid whether you are going to dropship on AliExpress or if you are going to work with independent dropshipping wholesalers.
1. Delivery times and shipping methods
We already know that when you are setting up a business, what worries you the most is implementing a correct pricing strategy. But in electronic commerce almost as important as the price is the delivery time. In fact, no one would buy from a store that is a little cheaper than the rest, if the delivery times are much longer.
Therefore, the first factor to study is that the delivery time is not excessively long.
If a particular dropshipping provider looks good but is unable to ship products in less than 40 or 50 days, the best thing to do is to discard it.
For this reason, our recommendation is that you only take into account suppliers whose terms are less than 20 days (this depends a lot on the product you want to sell since there are sectors in which buyers accept longer waits).
In this topic, there is another important point: shipping methods.
It would be best if you rule out those dropshipping wholesalers that do not use ePacket shipping. In this way, you will obtain a plus of safety and speed in transport, without the price suffering.
Another criterion —in case you want to work with providers that do not work with ePacket— would be that the providers allow customers to track the status of their order at any time.
This question is important because buyers pay in advance for the product and want the peace of mind that their order will arrive when promised. And if the shipping process is long, they are very reassured to see that their package is getting closer and closer.
2. Feedback from other dropshippers
Since there is no way of knowing what each dropshipping provider’s way of working is, there is no other way but to trust the previous experiences of other entrepreneurs who have already worked with a specific dropshipping company.
Depending on your level of demand, you can focus only on dropshipping providers that get the highest score.
But keep in mind that getting a score of 10 out of 10 is practically impossible. So our recommendation is that you be demanding, but also consider other outstanding scores close to 10 as good.
Being reasonable, you can set a criterion of a high score, as long as the specific provider also has good reviews from other users.
In fact, reviews are a very useful indication of a wholesaler’s professionalism, as they often provide details that are missed in the ratings.
So consider both factors together, so as not to excessively narrow the range of possible suppliers.
3. Number of orders processed
Another essential reference is that of the orders they manage globally.
That way you can get an idea of their turnover and experience.
However, when weighing these figures, you should not consider them absolute, since a dropshipping wholesaler that handles 1,000 orders is not necessarily better than one that handles 700.
4. Stock available
One of the big problems, when you do dropship, is that a buyer places an order in your online store and then there is not enough stock.
To avoid this, it is best to rule out dropshipping providers that have few units of the products you want to sell.
Or, at least, look only at those that keep an acceptable number of units in their warehouses.
What does “acceptable” mean in this case? Well, it depends on your expectations.
If you plan to make 10,000 sales per month on headphones, you need to find an electronics dropshipping company that can supply your demand. If you are starting small, and only expect to have 50 tennis ball orders, for example, a sports dropshipping wholesaler with less stock may suffice.
5. That the dropshipping wholesaler allows you to do branding
Ideally, everything that reaches your customers should be labeled following the branding criteria and brand strategy of your own store.
Or, failing that, only your name and contact information appear on the packages. But this is not always possible.
To give you an idea, AliExpress suppliers generally do not offer custom tagging support for dropshipping stores. However, if you can show them that you are able to generate consistent income from the sale of their unique products, you are more likely to be able to strike a deal with them.
This element can become an easy-to-use selection criterion. Especially in case of doubts regarding several dropshipping providers that are very similar in the rest of the factors.
At least, at a minimum, it is best to rule out those providers that are dedicated to sending their advertising to your own clients, since that is something that, although it is not spam, is very frowned upon by everyone.
Phase 2: contact the dropshipping providers that you like the most
Once you have made the first screening, it is time to contact them so that you can learn in detail what their work processes are and their way of working, especially from the point of view of customer service.
In this way, you will avoid any future problems and you will be able to resolve any doubts that may have arisen during the investigation phase.
This contact with your possible dropshipping providers is going to be crucial for many reasons:
- You will be able to form an opinion about your future relationship with them, based on their way of responding to you.
- The sensations that they transmit to you greatly facilitate the final decision making.
- You will leave doubts about his professionalism by analyzing the way he expresses himself and how he solves problems.
And if after the initial contact you still have doubts, you can ask them for the contact details of some of their clients with whom they are already working, so that they can tell you about their first-hand experiences and check their satisfaction with that specific wholesaler.
If you maintain a good relationship with your dropshipping suppliers from the beginning, the chances of success increase. Also, disputes, if any, will be resolved more quickly. Which is key to offering good customer service.
Phase 3: place test orders
Once you’ve chosen your top two or three dropshipping providers, ask them for samples of their products. Thanks to that, you will be able to check the quality of the service, the delivery times, the packaging, and everything that concerns you.
Ordering samples from a dropshipping provider is an essential part of selecting wholesalers, as you can get an idea of what your future customers’ shopping experience will be like.
Understanding the experience your customers are going to have will help you identify ways your dropshipping providers can improve the service they provide to your online store.
Something that is even more important if you sell products from different dropshipping providers since the service and quality can vary slightly from one another.
Phase 4: Eliminate dropshipping providers that do not meet your expectations
Although the choice is complicated in itself, there are also a few signs that can make us suspicious of certain dropshipping providers.
Our recommendation is that you rule out providers that:
- They charge monthly fees : A dropshipping wholesaler who charges you monthly fees—or any other kind—for selling their products is not a good travel companion, as that will increase your fixed costs unnecessarily.
- They require minimum orders – Some dropshipping providers find it especially convenient to sell many products in one fell swoop. They usually offer better rates, as long as you agree to make a minimum order quantity , which you will have to pay in advance (even if the wholesaler is the one in charge of sending the products to the final customers). The problem is that this custom goes against the main advantage of dropshipping, which is precisely that you do not have to decapitalize yourself by paying for the products in advance.
- That they sell excessively cheap : choose suppliers that provide high quality products. So in principle, be wary of those that are much cheaper than the rest, because those dropshipping providers may not be offering the highest quality products.
- Being forced to work exclusively : Another advantage of dropshipping is that you can work with several suppliers at the same time. In this way you expand your catalog and also offer a better service to your customers (in case of out of stock ). If a dropshipping wholesaler demands exclusivity from you, you will be losing one of the main competitive advantages.
Do you already know how to choose your dropshipping suppliers?
With all this information we think that now it will be much easier for you to make the right decision.
In any case, if you still have doubts about the selection process of dropshipping wholesalers, it is best that you share them with us in the comments section. I am sure that together we can help you satisfactorily.
