But is retail arbitrage as simple as it sounds? No, because it involves many extra costs in the form of time, effort, and the resources required. On top of that, the transport logistics and listing problems. You can easily buy items from small stores for reasonable prices. Later they can be sold on online platforms like Amazon, Etsy, Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, etc.

This sounds exciting, right? So, let us read more about retail arbitrage and all its aspects. After reading this guide, you should be able to pursue it seriously.

What is retail arbitrage?

Before anything, it is vital that we understand what retail arbitrage exactly is. Apart from that, you must know all its nuances.  Retail arbitrage is a process that involves buying a simple product from a retail store and then putting the same product for selling at an online store for a higher price. The difference in the costs multiplied by the number of products sold is the total profit.

Though there are many online stores that you may use for selling, Amazon by far is the best choice. The reason for the same is quite simple. Amazon allows the facility of “Fulfilled by Amazon.” This means that Amazon will tackle the balance completion of the order. You are just supposed to send the product to Amazon. They will tackle the emails, calls, and returns that are involved.

It is easy to consider retail arbitrage the same as online retailing, but there is a minute difference. In regular retailing, the seller buys the products from wholesalers. On the other hand, retail arbitrage involves purchasing products from other retail stores.

How does retail arbitrage operate?

We will now explain the working of retail arbitrage through an example:

You go to Walmart one day and notice that Men’s belts are being sold at a discount. The same belt which used to sell at $30 is now available at $15. If you pick up 20 counts of the same and sell it online for $30, you earn a profit of 20*15$= 300$. 

You could also sell it online for a slightly lower price than the MRP. Suppose you sell it for $27 and list 20 counts of the product, then you earn a profit of 20*12= 240$. This is a decent amount considering the fact that you do not have to deal with transport and other logistic costs.

Now we will study the concept of retail arbitrage through another example:

Suppose you buy an item at a price of $6, and at Amazon, it is selling for $20. When a customer buys the product, Amazon will pay you $15 after deducting shipping and other costs. Now you are making a profit of $20-$6=$14 per item sold.

Why is retail arbitrage still workable?

Maybe you are wondering how retail arbitrage is still working. There are a lot of factors behind it. Have a look at some of them:

• Products are not priced the same– A product may be priced at $15 in one location while $45 at another. Also, the demand for the product may vary from one place to another. One product that is popular in location X may not be selling at location Y. It totally depends on the market dynamics for that product.
• Convenience– A lot of customers are willing to pay extra as long as its delivery is convenient for them. Moreover, many of them do not have the time and patience to go to a store, look for a product and stand in queues. For such people paying a premium for your product is not a problem.
• Supply and demand– The supply and demand parameters of a market keep changing. For example, during the COVID-19 outbreak, sanitizers and masks were in huge demand. People were willing to buy them at an extra price.  During this time, people were selling such products on Amazon at a 100% markup, and still, others were buying.

Pros and cons of retail arbitrage 

We will now talk about the benefits and disadvantages of retail arbitrage. Before you take a leap into its systems, have a look at those.

Pros:

1. Low cost to enter-While the other forms of selling require a substantial initial investment, the same is not true for arbitrage. Here you can start your business with as low as $100. Since you buy your products at a lower price, even if you do not immediately sell them off, you won’t lose much. You will also keep the product count low, thus reducing your losses.

2. Quick earnings- Instead of waiting many months, retail arbitrage allows quick earnings. You are not on the marketplace to build your brand. Your aim is to sell the products, and that is what happens. In the end, you make your profit and get away with it. There is no compulsion to maintain a seller relationship or anything else.

3. Authority of the best eCommerce sites- When you work in association with Amazon, you get its authority as well. When you sell with them, Amazon deducts a portion of that profit. That means you have become a profit-making entity for them. To ensure you stay on their platform Amazon offers a slew of benefits.

4. Private labeling- By selling on Amazon, you can avail of its FBA assurance. It is easy to use and lends a sense of credibility to any new product. In fact, at any time, you can create your own private label and sell the products. 

Cons:

1. Brand registry protection- One problem that could arise while using retail arbitrage is the brand registry protection involved. Amazon may ‘brand gate’ some of the products. Brand gating is when Amazon provides the brands more power over the listings made. 

So if you are selling a brand-restricted product, you may have to request some permissions. If you list your products without taking consent, you might be penalized. To save yourself, check if the product is in the brand registry before you decide to sell it.

2. Low margins- The products you are selling are not yours. Hence there are limits placed on you, and that affects your margins of profit. If you are buying in bulk, you might have to pay the retailers higher margins. You could ask someone to buy the products for you. But that may not be feasible every time. Moreover, you might have to give them a cut.

3. Low customer retention- Obviously, you cannot keep getting the same products at a discount. This implies that every time you might have to sell a different product. The customers you sold to earlier may not be your target audience now. Plus, the product will bear its actual brand name. So, if the product is good, they will get accolades. But, if the product is faulty, your seller’s reputation is damaged.

4. Time spent in finding products- This is probably the biggest disadvantage of retail arbitrage. You have to spend a lot of time looking for products. That is because it is not always you will get a discounted deal. So you end up wasting your time looking for the best deals. Plus, you must sell your products relatively soon, or you will have to pay storage costs.

Is there a lot of competition in retail arbitrage?

Many people who are thinking about how to do retail arbitrage would restrict from opting for retail arbitrage because they believe the market is overfull already. This misconception arises because people see a lot of people posting videos of their success online. They assume that a lot of players are using retail arbitrage to earn money.

The truth is the exact opposite of this. There are not many players in this segment. Only a tiny percentage thinks about attempting to use retail arbitrage. Ones who try usually leave after a week or two as they cannot find new products.

The process of retail arbitrage is not challenging, but it takes time. In the beginning, you might not find the products. But if you are focused enough, you will understand the basic strategies you must adopt. There is enough room for new people to enter, provided you know how to tap products.

How to get started with retail arbitrage on Amazon

After all the essential work, we will talk about how you should start with retail arbitrage on Amazon. This is a multi-step process. Following are the steps that you would have to take. 

1. Register for an Amazon seller account

First of all, you will have to set an Amazon seller account. That is the basic step in the retail arbitrage system.  After you create an account, you can sell your products. To start with, you will have to visit the webpage “services.amazon.com.” You will see a “Start Selling” button there. Click on the same to open a professional seller account with Amazon.

This account costs $39.99 per month, irrespective of hum much you sell. You could also scroll down the page and set up an individual account. This account is free, but you will pay $.99 for every item that you sell. Eventually, you will need a professional account as it offers more benefits. Plus, the professional account proves helpful once you start making a profit.

The professional account entitles you to purchase the buy box. It will also allow you to sell your product in restricted categories as well. So you get to sell a wide variety of products as time passes. You could start with an Individual account and progress to a Professional account once you start reaping profits.

2. Download the Amazon Seller App

Now that you have signed up for the account, you can get access to a free app. You will find many retail arbitrage scanning apps online. But by far, the Amazon app is the best choice for any beginner. It has all the details that you require, and it is free as well.

This app will allow you to use the camera feature and ’scan” barcodes of each product. Post this; you can now see the selling price on Amazon, fees for selling, and other details. With that information in hand, you can calculate your profits in advance. 

3. Visit the local stores 

Obviously, now your next step is to visit the local stores and figure out products. There are many options, to begin with. But mainly you should start with a store close to your home. Some of the best retail arbitrage stores for buying products for retail arbitrage are:

• Walmart
• Shopko
• Kmart
• Target
• Home Depot
• Lowes
• Walgreens
• CVS
• Big Lots
• Rite Aid
• Toys r Us
• Office Depot 
• Staples
• Bed Bath and Beyond

4. Scan the clearance products

It is better to find products that would sell fast. There is no hard and fast rule as to what will click with the buyers. Whichever product you pick, you will have to scan the same on the Amazon seller app. Doing that will show you the taxes you will have to pay. With the final figure in hand, you can calculate your profits. 

When you scan the product, there are a few things you should note. Go to the product details, and you will see its eligibility information. If a green arrow marks this section, it means you can sell it. The product listing will show you the sales rank as well. The lower the sales rank, the higher are the chances of your product selling quickly.

You should try and look for items with sales ranks less like 250,000.  If your item says it is eligible to be sold and its sales rank is less than 250,000, you should proceed ahead.

5. Retail arbitrage what to buy and how much

The decision of how many units you must buy is dependent on how much risk you can tolerate. You will have to find out how many sellers are selling the product and the sales they are getting. For example, if the sales are 5000 per month and 20 sellers are selling it. To find out how many units you should sell, you have to divide 5000 by 20. This is equal to 250 units per month. 

This implies you have the chance to sell around 250 units of the product per month. But this number may vary depending on factors like the entry of new sellers, drop in sales rank, and increase in the price of the buy box. But in the beginning, it is sensible to start with fewer units and increase as you move ahead. *Tip – Look out for red stickered clearance items at the time of big sale in Walmart.

The following criterion should be applied when you are deciding what to buy:

• Min. Profit of $3 per unit
• Max. rank of 200,000 (You will get this data on Amazon seller app)
• Min. 3 Star Ratings
• Atleast 30% ROI

6. Check the ROI and Profit

You must now check the Return on investment and profit you will get after selling the product. Click on the right side of your product listing screen. It will give you a detailed calculation of all the costs involved and the final profit on each product.

Go down and check what the final profit figure looks like. Ideally, do not sell a product where you are making less than $3 profit. You can maintain your own minimum profit threshold as well. But do not go below $3. If you go below that, any potential upside could erase any profits you have made till now.

Now calculate the return on investment or ROI. To do that, you will have to divide the profit by the cost of the item. In the beginning, look for products that offer you an ROI of more than 50%.  Buy at least o counts minimum of the product. You could buy more depending on how much you are willing to invest in retail arbitrage.

After some time you could buy more units, especially when the demand for that product is high. Do not assume over the saleability of a product. Go through the latest trends to avoid buying something which the customers may never buy. Scan as many items as you can to figure out what will click with the users. 

7. List the products for sale

Once you have decided on the products, you will have to list them on Amazon. It is always better to use the FBA facility while doing so. This allows you to ship items in bulk quantities while they handle the shipping to one customer. 

You can sometimes fulfill the orders yourself. For example, in Q4, when you are running short of time. Such orders are mentioned as “Fulfilled by the seller” in the account. However, in most other situations, you should use the FBA assurance. 

Tips to make your retail arbitrage process easy

To help you use retail arbitrage in the best way possible, we will now share some tips.  Follow them in order to proceed smoothly with the entire process.

1. Understand the numbers 

When you scan the products, you get complete detail of all the numbers. This includes the profit, return on investment, etc. Some people may get hassled by Amazon shipping fees. But if you consider the kind of convenience it offers, you will overlook that. Always pick up products which are popular and offer high profits.

2. Avoid making assumptions

When starting with retail arbitrage, avoid making any assumptions. Don’t imagine the saleability of any particular product. Sometimes a product you may think is not worth selling might be hugely popular in the Amazon arena. Similarly, a product you may assume will sell well may not be considered by Amazon as popular. Go by what Amazon mentions to avoid any confusion.

3. Learn the store discount schedules 

Some stores have a particular time when they put their products on discount. A few of them offer discounts when their products are sitting on the shelves for long. Understand how the store operates. It will be helpful as you will know when to expect bulk product availability and discount percentage, 

For example, certain stores start by reducing the price by 15%. Even then, if the product does not fly off the shelves, they keep increasing the discount. Pretty soon, the discount percentage changes to 30%, 50%, and 70%. Wait for them to do so, and then make your purchase.

4. Patiently learn the process 

It will take you some time to understand the entire process thoroughly. Which products are profitable and which not is something that you will not know over a day. Hence being patient is key here. As you buy products and see the economics of each of them, you will start making a decent profit. This understanding of choosing your products may take a few months or more. But, once you are able to make a dent in the process, you will see profit soon.

5. Take sufficient time at each store

Make sure to spend enough time at each store to understand how things work. Go through all the clearance racks. At times the entire processing of the store may be over in 30 minutes. However, on other occasions, you will have to spend hours at one store only. Do not consider this as a waste of time as you can use the knowledge gained for future prospects.

6. See the trends and sell seasonal products

You may go into the store and find products that would sell. On the flip side, you can also anticipate seasonal sales and buy that product in advance. For example, there is a jump in the sales of toys during the holiday season. You could research like which toys are extremely popular. Purchase them when the market is down, and you are getting a huge discount,

During the COVID season, products like hand sanitizer and masks were popular. But the demand for video games etc. also showed a sharp rise. Since people were confined to their homes, they spent it playing video games. Products like sidewalk chalk were popular as kids were now staying at home. Also, with rising in work from home, the demand for printers and webcams showed a hike as well.

7. Sell discontinued products to get maximum profit

Sometimes a company stops producing a product range even though there is still sufficient demand for it. You might think about how to lay your hands on discontinued products. Go around the retail stores, and you will find some of these products on shop shelves. There are, however, some tips that you could use to find them:

• Shop in local stores around you. Big box retailers like Walmart may not have what you are looking for. Such discontinued items will be stored in close-by stores with niche customer bases. 
• Look for items that look old. When you are browsing the shelves, go for things that are dusty or have faded labels. This means that the products are mostly discontinued, and no one is noticing them here.
• Find items that have ‘refills’ labeled on them. Some of the cleaning products have refills associated with them. These products are discontinued, but people still like using the refills for their cleaning. If you find refills for such products, you could store them.
• Look for discontinued products on eBay. This is one website where you can easily find such products. Go and search for ‘discontinued’ and then filter by the ‘sold’ listings. This will then show all the products that are now not made. 

8. Remember prices can change instantly

 In case another seller decides to “tank the price,” the pricing may take a severe cut. That means the product which was profitable till now is not so anymore. Keep checking the price history so that the situation remains in your control. If you see any price fluctuations, modulate your price so that the product sells quickly.

9. Be friendly with the managers

Being friendly to the store managers can prove helpful when you talk of future prospects. You can always tell them what you do. If there are any new products that they are going to mark down, they might just call you to have a look. This situation is profitable for them as the inventory flies off the shelves earlier than they planned. 

Get your business card made and hand it over to the managers. Let them know that this is where they can reach you in case they want to offload any products. Over a period of time, you will build a solid connection base. Your majority of sales would then come from these devoted connections that you made.

10. Opt for store cards

Every store offers membership cards which provide an additional bonus. For example, Target has a Red card which provides a 5% extra discount. By signing up for the card, you ensure that the price at which you buy the product gets reduced further.

11. Keep your receipts

If You are buying high-value items, make sure you keep their store receipts. Sometimes you are asked about these receipts to see if the product is genuine. This usually happens when you sell large quantities of a high-priced item.

12. Read the sales tax rules 

Every state has different state rules. It is better to get an idea of the same before moving further. If you follow the process correctly, you may be exempted from paying the sales tax when you are sourcing the products. Fortunately, doing that is 100% legal, and it increases your ROI and purchasing power.

How you can create your Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) shipment

The last step for you to start selling is to learn how to create your FBA shipment. Follow the below-mentioned steps to do so:

1. Find the product in Manage inventory

On your right, you will see the “Edit” and a drop-down menu. Click on the menu and go to “Send/Replenish Inventory.

2. Choose the inventory you wish to send

Here you will have to edit the packing template. It consists of the template name, number of units per box, dimensions of the box, weight, etc. Now mention how many units you are going to send. You may decide based on the amount of loss you can tolerate.

3. Confirm the shipping

Here you will have to set the shipping date, shipping mode and then confirm the shipping price. You have already added the other details before. So now you do not have much to do. If you decide to use Amazon’s shipping partner, i.e., UPS, the shipping costs take a sharp cut. Even a heavy package could be shipped at a moderate price. Once you agree to these terms, you should click  “Accept charges and confirm shipping.”

4. Print the FBA labels

Your shipment is confirmed now. All that is left is printing the FBA labels. You will find two barcodes on these labels. Ensure that all the labels are visible on the front of the box. The first label is the UPS label. On the other hand, the second label is how Amazon identifies who has sent the product. 

Monitoring the sales 

By now, you would have got a fair idea of what the retail arbitrage process is like. However, you will have to monitor the sales to understand your failings constantly. The Amazon seller app allows you to find your sales, manage the orders and modify the price as per your requirements. If you notice that the product sales are high, you would have to stock more inventory.

On the other hand, if the sales are not picking up, you could reduce the price. You might have to keep making such adjustments until you understand the nuances of selling on Amazon. The key to success is to always be on the lookout for new items to sell. Once you get a fair idea of what clicks with the customer, there is no stopping you.

Conclusion

Retail arbitrage selling is not complicated as such. But it definitely takes time to monitor how it works. A product that you may consider popular may not be liked by Amazon customers. Though this may hamper your prospects, you should not stop yourself. Keep looking out for the right products until you find one that works best.

Always remember that the products have to be delivered in perfect condition. If the package is damaged in transit, it will no longer be useful for anyone. Also, if it is in damaged condition from your side Amazon is never going to accept it. With everything in place, you can start your retail arbitrage journey and achieve great success. 

The post What is Retail Arbitrage & Tips for Beginners to Sell on Amazon appeared first on Platform to Showcase Innovative Startups and Tech News.

In simple terms, Amazon direct shipping is a direct interaction between the seller and buyer. Here sellers send their products to buyers directly without involving Amazon in between. The products are directly shipped from the warehouse to the buyer. 

Since Amazon is not involved, you cannot get products from Amazon as part of the direct shipping. Here we will tell you all about Amazon direct shipping and what all falls under it. 

Need for Amazon Direct shipping

First of all, you must understand why do sellers opt for Amazon direct shipping. The thing is that most of these sellers are based overseas and sell the products in US and UK markets. Wherever the seller is based, Amazon offers them inventory storage, transport, and warehouse facilities. 

All these services come under the Fulfilment by Amazon service. Any business would find this access to warehouse facilities as a valuable asset to their business. But if Amazon is doing the storage and handling, it will charge a humongous fee for the same. If your business is still in the starting stage, the chances of you making a profit are rather slim. This, coupled with Amazon’s fees, makes the going difficult.

The fees that Amazon charges are based on the inventory the seller keeps in the warehouse. Often Amazon charges a long-term storage fee at the end of the financial year. This is apart from the monthly fees. In totality, it is a considerable amount to pay.

So, businesses decide to remove their inventory. That means customers get products for free. The only thing is that customers cannot contact the seller through the Amazon platform.

Difference between Dropshipping and Direct shipping

At present, you might have also heard of the term Dropshipping. Many users are turning it into a profitable business option for themselves. But there is a difference between both of them. For a consumer, maybe both of them are equal, but for a seller, they are quite the opposite to each other:

Dropshipping:  It is when a seller purchases products from a supplier. Later he ships the same products to the buyers acting as a mediator.

Direct shipping: On the other hand, Amazon direct shipping is when the seller sends his own products directly to the customer.

Dropshipping is rather prominent these days. Graphic designers, artists, etc., just upload their art online. The website then prints it and sells as and when they receive orders for the same. Some websites want to sell their branded products online. They upload the same on a drop shipping company like Shopify. Now they don’t have to maintain the inventory yet can make a profit.

How often do customers receive Amazon direct ship freebies

Amazon direct shipping is the seller’s way of avoiding extra storage fees. Hence how often customers will receive their product will depend upon multiple factors like:

• The date on which amazon charges the storage fees- Sellers usually try to clear off the inventory before the last date of fee payment. This way, they can sell as many products and maximize their profit. 
• The number of products they need to remove- Some sellers may have 5000+ products to sell-off. At the same time, there would be some who have a somewhat limited inventory to dispose of. The number of products you receive will be dependent on the same. 
• The number of applicants for Direct shipping- The more the number of applicants to direct shipping, the lesser products you will receive. This is because the seller would equally divide all of them amongst all the customers.
• The time it takes to arrange shipping- The seller will have to arrange the shipping from the Amazon warehouse to your home. Naturally, such an extensive process may take time and decide how often they will send the products.

Is Amazon direct shipping legal?

After reading all this, you would want to know if this process of getting freebies is legal. Don’t worry; there is nothing wrong if you get free products. The sellers would have to pay a hefty fee in lieu of storing their products like this. For them, this is an easy way to get some loyal customers in return. 

But you must still proceed over the same with caution. Avoid offering any extra personal information unless it is required. Also, doubly check the authenticity of each of the offers before you proceed further. The crux of the matter is being careful and protecting yourself from any scams.

Places from where you can get direct shipping offers 

Now that we have aroused your curiosity, you will surely want to know how to proceed. You must look at the right places to get some direct shipping offers. Here are the sites where such offers are regularly posted:

Facebook groups

As a marketing tool, Facebook groups serve an extensive purpose. These groups help you collaborate with like-minded individuals. Plus you also get information about promotions that could be really helpful. If you face any difficulties in signing up for any offers, the group members rush to your help.

If you are entirely new to the Amazon direct shipping offers, start with Facebook groups. Do a quick search in the FB groups, and you will find plenty of options. The sellers post their forms on such groups. Pick up the sellers whose products evince your interest. Apart from sellers, other consumers also share any direct shipping offers they find elsewhere.

Another benefit of using these groups is that you get information on whether an offer for direct ship freebies is reliable or not. Some direct shipping offers are just scams to get your personal information. By being in such groups, you get notified of all such offers. 

While you will get loads of groups offering you freebies, it is better to stick to the top few. Read the group rules before you join up. Such groups are heavily moderated, and your carelessness would lead to you being thrown from the group. 

Freebie websites 

The second-place you may look at is the Freebie website. You just have to type your requirement in Google search and get all the details. Some of the prominent websites offering such freebies are:

Internet Steals and deals– This is probably the biggest site in this category. At a given time, the site shows around 391 offers for you to browse. Apart from the amazon direct ship list, there is a lot of freebies content to have a look at.  Even if you do not get any direct shipping offers, you can still bag other freebies. Basically, the site is a treasure of freebies, whichever way you like them.

Consumer queen– This excellent website has more than 100 offers on display. Once any form is closed, the administrators update the information. This saves you a lot of trouble. The site has been operating since 2008 and offers you tips on saving money online as well.

Gimmie Freebies– Operational for the last ten years, this is another perfect place to grab freebies. For each offer they list, you will get the form link, offer details, and how to join. You will have to go through each link to figure which one you are interested in.

Upfreebie– This website just has the link to many direct shipping offers. You will have to open each one of the forms and register. Once you do that, you will start receiving the freebies. 

Reddit

This is another place where freebies and direct ship amazon offers are shared in abundance. You may search the platform for the kind of offers you are looking for. The best part here is that you do not have to join the website to access the offers. Just browse through and access all the offers. 

Use the search tab and write ‘direct shipping offers, ‘‘freebies, ‘and ‘Amazon direct shipping.‘ This will display all the related links for you to sort from. You could also join sub- Redditt’s, which have similar offers on display. But to do so, you will have to register on the website.

Again each sub-Reddit has a set of rules. Better read them before you associate with any of them. Plus, here, you will also get answers to some of the common queries in this regard. Check through these guides so that you do not end up making any mistakes. You can also save yourself from being scammed by just being a little careful.

How to fill a Direct shipping Google form

Most sellers use the Google form to get more buyers to sign up for their offers. All the seller needs is a Google account to create the form. After filling in all information they expect from buyers, the form is circulated online. Since the form is online, the seller can quickly access all the information you post. Adding your details in the form is relatively easy too.

Open the form and read all the options carefully. Some sellers may even ask for your social media handle details. Provide the same only if you do not mind receiving offers from the seller. You may also have to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Doing that will inform you of any future updates.

Do verify the authenticity of the form before entering your information. If the form has details asking for your banking information, then you must not fill the same. In case you found the form online, go to Facebook groups and ask if anyone else can verify whether it is reliable.

In any situation, do not mention your Social Security number anywhere on the form. If someone is asking you for the same, you must not fall into the trap. Also, avoid offering your credit card details to anyone else.

How to avoid facing any scams while opting for Direct shipping

Despite being careful, the chances of falling prey to an online scam remain relatively high. The number of people affected by identity thefts is rising considerably. If you share your details yourself, then you cannot blame anyone else for this identity stealing. Here are some valuable tips you can use to stay safe from Amazon direct shipping scams:

Give limited information– The most significant precaution you must take is providing only basic information in your form. Just include your name, email address, postal address, and telephone or mobile number. If you do not want to share your home address, you could add the P.O. address instead.

Set up a burner email address– If you provide your primary email address, it will be swarmed with future offers. To avoid that, create a burner email address just to get notifications related to direct shipping. Make sure this email address has none of your essential information linked to it. You could also use a secondary telephone number so as to not receive calls and messages at all times.

Avoid giving credit card information- When you open the form, you can have a look at the information required. In case the form has a row for any financial details like credit card number or bank account details, it is a red signal. This shows that the seller is operating a scam and is not legit at all.

Do your research-There is no sure shot way of knowing if the seller is genuine. You can still check for authenticity through Facebook groups and other forums. If users can vouch for the trustworthiness of the offer, you may fill the form. Even if a few users complain that their security was breached, stay clear from the offer.

What kind of products you can receive 

There is no specific limitation to the type of products you may get. The reason for this is relatively simple. Amazon has lakhs of sellers offering their products for sale. Amazon itself has around 12 million products to sell. If you combine all the marketplace sellers, the amount reaches a staggering 353 million. 

The freebies could be anything ranging from:

• Toys
• Clothes
• Beauty products
• Baby products
• Office items
• Household stuff
• Cleaning items 

But since it is all free to use, you have nothing to complain about.

Why do some sellers want a signature on the delivery of the product

As part of direct shipping amazon, some sellers might actually ask you to sign before taking the product. This is usually a part of Amazon’s policy and is meant for high-value products. Apart from that, some sellers have to deal with certain untoward situations. Customers receive the freebies and claim that they have not. To avoid such fraud, certain sellers may ask you to sign on the delivery form.

Moreover, if a package is not claimed, the seller would have to pay return shipping costs. That is actually another burden for the seller as he is already fending on the shipping. 

Do you have to review these products on Amazon?

Your next question obviously would be if you have to review these products on Amazon. The answer is a big NO. Writing any kind of review in exchange for freebies is clearly a violation of Amazon’s terms and conditions. You would not want Amazon to think that you are getting items in return for your reviews. 

If there is any suspicion of your doing so, Amazon might terminate your account forever. You can, however, share your opinion through a Facebook post and add the Amazon product link there. This way, you may express your gratitude to the seller. Also, the seller may himself ask you to review the product on their website, which you can do.  Amazon, however, should in no way get an idea of your contact with the seller.

Pros and cons of Amazon direct shipping

Amazon direct shipping is an innovative and beneficial concept. It serves a dual purpose and serves both customers and sellers. However, like everything, it also has its advantages and disadvantages. Let us have a quick look at them.

Pros

• You receive products for free. This means even the shipping cost is waived off—a totally beneficial situation for the customer.
• You can try out products before you actually buy them. This is without you having to spend any extra money. 
• If you receive any extra items, you can either gift or resell them. Thus you make extra money without any investment from your side.
• You can always recheck the offers before you fill the form. Many forums provide only legitimate offers. 
• There is no compulsion on you to fulfill any seller’s obligations. Once you receive the product, you are absolved of any responsibilities.

Cons

• You do not get the chance to decide which products you require. The products sent to you are entirely random, and you cannot even offer a recommendation.
• There is no way to know when you will receive the products. Usually, the seller does the shipping just before his fee payment date approaches. But you cannot find that date and be prepared for the items.
• Apart from that, there is no guarantee that you will receive the products or not. Sometimes the sellers are able to finish their inventory and do not have products to dispatch. You may keep waiting but get nothing despite filling the form.
• It is also possible that you get so many items that it is hard for you to manage them. This will usually happen when you sign up for many offers together. To avoid this, stick to a few offers and see how the products are provided to you.
• You should be wary of all the scams that could bother you. Scammers have a way to figure out your details, and therefore, discretion is vital.

Conclusion

For any layman consumer, Amazon direct shipping is an exciting way to grab some freebies. But at no point should you forget that there is always a danger of identity theft. Therefore though there is no harm in applying for such offers, we must be cautious. Apply only at places where you are absolutely sure that you will get the items delivered.

Sellers have to offload their stuff as it is, and adopting direct shipping saves them from paying extra storage fees. Most of them honor their commitment, but there are some who use direct shipping for scamming. It is this group of people you must stay away from.

If you are a newbie, taking suggestions from other FB group members will surely help. Do remember that receiving these freebies is a matter of luck. Sometimes a seller would send you numerous products. Still, there may be occasions when you might not receive anything at all. Keeping this fact in your mind will make it straightforward for you to deal with the direct shipping concept.

FAQ’s

Q 1 What are Amazon Direct shipping freebies?

Often sellers have extra inventory that they have to dispose of. Since they do not want to pay any additional fees, they ship it to interested customers. The only thing that you should remember here is that products come from sellers directly. Amazon does not come into the picture at all.

Q2 Which companies send their products?

It is the sellers on the Amazon marketplace who will ship you their products. The items they ship could include cosmetics, baby products, clothes, etc.

Q3 Are the freebies totally free?

Yes, these freebies are given to you absolutely free. You do not even have to provide the shipping costs. If you get extra items, you can always sell them to someone else. 

Q4. What is the wait time for freebies?

There is no specific time duration in which you will receive your products. Sellers send these items when they have to offload their products quickly. Therefore no one can tell when they will ship your product. It is totally the seller’s call.

Q5. Should I offer any banking details?

In no situation, you should share your banking details in the form. If there is any seller who is asking for such information, avoid that offer. Mainly only sellers intending to spam you will ask for any such information. The only information you must share is your name, email address, address, and phone number.

The post What Is Amazon Direct Shipping And What It Entails  appeared first on Platform to Showcase Innovative Startups and Tech News.

To be truthful, Squarespace was created to build and maintain content-based websites. On the other hand, Shopify was made as a solution to create an online store. In time Squarespace added e-commerce to its features. The number of content creation apps on Shopify increased.

This led to a growing similarity in their purposes. At present, you can use any of these tools to create a content-based website. Here we will analyze the difference between Shopify and Squarespace so you can decide which to choose.

Shopify vs Squarespace 

Comparison on functionality

• Building a content-based website

If you are aiming at creating an informative website, its design and content management features are crucial. In that regard, Squarespace wins the Shopify vs Squarespace battle, hands down. It has excellent templates and is intuitive and easy to use. Apart from that, there are superb photo editing and displaying tools available.

The blogging features of Squarespace are top-notch. However, Squarespace follows a relatively closed-off system. The process of integrating third-party apps is not so simple. Plus, you cannot get full access to your site’s code. 

To conclude, Squarespace helps you create an excellent-looking website rather quickly. But based on this, you cannot prove “is Shopify better than Squarespace”?  Plus, it also gives you multiple and enticing ways to display your content. This holds especially true for blog posts and images.

• Building online store 

Now let’s look at Squarespace eCommerce vs. Shopify. Here Shopify’s past expertise makes it trounce Squarespace easily. Since Shopify was around for longer, its features are pervasive. There are quite a few features that Squarespace does not have yet.

Shopify provides:

• Facility to take payments in many currencies
• Multiple drop shipping options
• Ability to integrate with loads of third-party apps
• Advanced features for reporting your results
• Highly sophisticated options for inventory management
• Lots of point of sale options (allowing you to sell your goods physically with only payment from the website)
• Better tax calculation functionality
• Many options in regards to payment gateway

Shopify vs Squarespace may not have a clear winner. But in the case of building online store functionalities, Shopify gets the upper hand.

• Shopify vs Squarespace pricing

Squarespace plans

Comparing the pricing, Squarespace offers four separate packages. These are 

• Personal — Priced at $16 per month
• Business — Priced at $26 per month
• Basic Commerce — Priced at $30 per month
• Advanced Commerce — Priced at $54 per month

You may even use their two-week trial. Once you get an idea of the features and working of the software, you can continue through any of the above packages. If you choose an annual plan, you may get a discount on the total cost. 

Squarespace has recently launched a new plan, i.e., “Squarespace Select,” which is in the early stages at present. This is aimed at the enterprise users, and you get an account manager, priority support, and design consultant for your help. Some important facets of Squarespace pricing are:

• In the personal plan, you cannot sell anything. It also prevents you from customizing the site with CSS and JavaScript.
• For every sale made using the Business plan, you will have to pay 3% transaction fees.
• If you want other essential features like abandoned cart recovery, real-time carrier shipping, gift cards, and discounts, you will have to choose the ‘Advanced Commerce’ plan.
• On choosing the Business plan and all plans above it, you will get one-year access to Google Workspace.
• In the Basic Commerce and Advanced Commerce plans, you can get e-commerce reporting and point of sale functionality.

Shopify plans 

On the other hand, Shopify also offers five separate plans.

• Shopify Lite — Priced at $9 per month
• Basic Shopify — Priced at $29 per month
• Shopify — Priced at $79 per month
• Advanced Shopify — Priced at $299 per month
• Shopify Plus- Pricing based on your need but approximately around $2000 per month.

Again there is a free trial that you can use to get an idea of the service. You can also get 10% to 20% discounts if you pay for an annual or two-year plan.  Some features of Shopify pricing plans are :

• With the Shopify Lite plan, you cannot build a standalone online store. However, you can sell on your existing website or a Facebook page, or even through a point of sale.
• How many users you may add to your account is dependent on the plan you choose. For example, the Basic Shopify plan allows you to add only two users. However, with the Advanced package, you can add fifteen users.
• There is also a Shopify Plus plan which is focused on enterprise users. 
• You can get professional reporting features only on the $79 Shopify plan and plans above it.

• Credit card fees and transaction fees 

We are moving on to the next Shopify vs Squarespace category; we will talk about credit card fees. Apart from the pricing plans, you have to consider transaction and credit card fees as well. Transaction fees, in simple terms, are a percentage of the sales that the platform charges.

On the other hand, Credit card fees are the percentage fee of the sales that the credit card company charges. In the case of Shopify, you can decide to choose Shopify payments. If you choose Shopify payments, your transaction costs are removed. This is because Shopify does not charge a percentage of your sales.

You will still have to pay the credit card fees. This can be between 2.4 to 2.9% basis the Shopify plan you select. However, if you decide to process payments through a third-party payment gateway, then you will have to pay 0.5-2 %, depending on the plan.

In the case of Squarespace, the transaction fees are applied only in their “Business plan.” The rate in that scenario is a flat 3%. For the credit card fees, Stripe or PayPal decides it. These are the two main options that Squarespace offers for processing credit cards.

But you must remember that Shopify payments are allowed in certain countries only. Shopify users who are in a territory not supported by Shopify payments will have to choose a different payment gateway. The bright spot here is that there are more than 100+ external gateways that you may select from.

• Payment Gateways

You can use Shopify anywhere and with whichever currency you use. It allows you to use 100 payment gateways which is a huge plus point. Squarespace, however, uses four online payment gateways. These are Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay, and After Pay.

These four will cater to any type of credit card transaction. The bone of contention is no support for Google Pay.

Merchants based in the US who use Squarespace’s point of sale feature can use Square too. Overall this implies that when you compare payment processing, Shopify scores in Shopify vs Squarespace. The flexibility it offers gives it an upper hand. 

• Cost-effective 

Let us talk about which is cheaper in the Spotify vs. Squarespace tussle. If you intend to make a content-driven website, Squarespace offers a Personal plan at $16 per month. But if you want more from the website, then this plan is not worthwhile. The drawbacks of the plan are:

• You will be unable to hook Mailchimp to Squarespace data capture forms.
• They do not allow promotional pop ups and announcement bars
• They restrict you from adding JavaScript or CSS to the site

The last restriction means you cannot undertake any design customizations. Thus many users are dropping the personal plan to choose the ‘Business Plan’ at $26 per month. Now this plan also is much cheaper than Shopify’s basic plan. The Shopify Basic plan is priced at $29 a month, more than Squarespace’s Business plan.

But again, Squarespace’s Business plan comes with a transaction fee of 3%. Also, the range of payment options available is less. In such a scenario, Shopify’s basic plan offers a better value to the users.

Comparison based on Features

• Ease of Use and the Interface

Both Shopify and Squarespace have similar interfaces. They offer a menu on the left side of the screen. This could be used to reach different parts of the CMS. On the other hand, the right side could be used to view data, edit content, add products, etc. 

But  Squarespace has a much easy to navigate Interface than Shopify. The manner in which you can set navigation and the layout engine both are user-friendly and thus simple to use. Shopify, on the flip side, does not have a stylish interface. Setting up its pages and adding products is more time-consuming.

• Templates and visuals provided

Again Squarespace’s templates are more attractive than Shopify. You also get more template choices in Squarespace. With limited template options, Shopify loses this Shopify vs Squarespace fight. Squarespace’s templates have a wow feel to them, which makes them stand apart.

But many people feel that Squarespace’s templates are for photography, art, and music bloggers. There are almost 130 templates. Out of them, only a few are generic and dedicated online store themes.

As a bonus, you can enhance all these templates. There are built integrations with Getty Images and Unsplash that provide a boost. It is easy to find images to add to the website. Just use the search box and pick any from these two sources.

Also, you can add video backgrounds to your page. Select any YouTube or Vimeo video and add it to the page. But Shopify also offers some visually enticing templates. There are 9 free templates that you get when you sign up. However, there are 72 paid templates that you may choose as and when required.

These paid themes also have variations which means Shopify has a wide range of templates. But these will come at a price of $100-$180 if you do not mind paying. All templates on both platforms are responsive. They can be used on every kind of device like Mobile, tablet, desktop, etc. The verdict in this category is quite balanced.  Squarespace templates are perfect for content-driven websites. For those who wish to make an online store, Shopify is a better bet.

• Importing and exporting of content

Squarespace

You can easily import content from a Squarespace website. They offer wizards who guide you with importing pages. In the case of exporting, you could export pages, images, and posts to WordPress format as well.  But only physical and service products can be exported. The number of products you could export is also limited to 10,000. So if you have a vast inventory, you ought to consider Shopify.

Shopify 

Here you can export products using CSV. They have not put a restriction on the number of products allowed. If you have to bulk upload, you could use apps like FetchApp. But again, importing and exporting pages and blog posts. However, you can always use its third-party apps to do so. These apps are not free, and you have to pay a fee to use them.

• SEO in both the platforms 

SEO is used by websites to increase your online reach. Shopify’s technical setup makes it simple for you to meet Google’s set requirements. You can modify your site such that it meets Google’s Core Web Vitals. This facility is yet to come up in Squarespace.

If we talk of editing of SEO elements, Shopify scores again in Shopify vs Squarespace. It generates page titles and meta descriptions automatically. This is an essential element of an SEO-compliant webpage. 

Shopify calls all these terms by their technical names like page title, alt text, etc. Whereas Squarespace uses different names like ‘captions’ and ‘descriptions.’ Though now Squarespace is trying to buck up its SEO, many improvements are still needed. You can optimize a Squarespace website for SEO. But the technical setup and tools offered definitely need to improve.

Both of them are still unable to make proper URLs. Neither of them can make totally clean URLs the way Google wants. 

• Point of sale in Shopify vs Squarespace

Point of sale functionality helps you to use card readers etc., at your physical store. For example, you set up a stall in a trade show. Since your POS software is functional, your stock count is automatically synced. Until recently, Squarespace did not offer POS functionality. However, they have now entered the fray and tied up with Square that is already into POS hardware.

The only difference between both the companies is in the selling hardware you can use. Shopify’s POS kit comprises a card reader, barcode scanner, receipt printer, and cash drawer. You can also buy all the items separately if you want. 

On the flip side, Squarespace only allows you to integrate Square e-card reader. So if POS is important to you, then Shopify is the best bet. Shopify also gives other high-profile features like multiple location options, pins, etc., which requires an additional investment.

• Drop-Shipping tactics

Dropshipping is a type of online retailing where you do not have the stocks you are selling. You take the order and share it with the supplier. They then send the goods to the client. The advantage of dropshipping mostly is that you will not have to make any significant investment. But margins are pretty low as the level of competition is higher.

If you are still keen to start a dropshipping business, then choose Shopify. It offers many dropshipping apps that help in organizing the Inventory. Squarespace, on the other hand, loses this Shopify vs Squarespace fight as they provide only the following features:

• Spocket — to dropship only physical goods
• Printful — to print-on-demand products
• Printique — to sell photo-based products.

Though Squarespace is trying to build on its offerings in dropshipping, it will take time. Until then, Shopify is going to enjoy the advantage it already has.

• Selling on other websites 

You can quickly sell products on other websites using both Squarespace and Shopify. With their website builder, you can sell on Facebook and Amazon. Shopify also has a ‘Buy Button’ feature. It allows you to embed your products on any other online website.

So if you ask any bloggers to write about your product, you can add a product card button to the blog. Their readers can click on the card and buy the product quickly; this kind of functionality is still not available on Squarespace.

• Mobile Apps offered

Both Shopify and Squarespace offer Mobile Apps for the user’s benefit. There are four apps that Squarespace offers. 

• Commerce
• Scheduling admin
• Scheduling client
• Squarespace 

This Squarespace app is comparatively new. It provides essential content and order management for the users. But if you want e-commerce facilities, then you should choose the Commerce app. It allows you to accomplish many e-commerce tasks like:

• Organize refunds
• Contact customers
• Scanning labels for shipping

The scheduling app helps manage the appointments with your clients (Scheduling admin). The Scheduling client application allows your clients to book and manage appointments. 

Shopify also offers mobile apps, but two of them hold much importance. First is the main Shopify app, which permits you to edit your website, view stats, and checks orders. For the POS functionality, Shopify has another app. With this app, you can take orders and accept the payment for goods sold. 

Though these two apps are sufficient to help you operate the website, you can choose other apps. There is a customer chat app (Ping), business card maker, and logo maker. Ping is the most useful of all. It makes it easy to manage the questions the customers may have. 

• Tax calculations benefits

With the Shopify platform, you can implement correct tax rules for countries like Canada, the US, the EU, and the UK. This Tax calculation feature is especially useful for the EU sellers. If your business sells a digital product to customers in EU countries, VATMOSS requires you to collect value-added tax. Shopify does these calculations for you and thus saves your time. 

In the case of Squarespace, such features are in the process of development. They provide a Beta integration with TAXLAR, but that is aimed at US users only. Many users will need to set up their taxes manually in the system. Thus in this division of Shopify vs Squarespace, Shopify gets the upper hand.

• SSL security

SSL or secure socket layer is standard security technology. It helps in setting an encrypted link between web browsers and servers. To find if a website has an SSL certificate, you just have to see its link. If your website name starts with “https://” rather than http://, then you can be assured the website is protected.

Another benefit of having an SSL installed is that Google gives your website a high ranking. Both Shopify and Squarespace offer a free SSL certificate. This can be used in any domain.

• Domains used 

One feature of Squarespace that boosts it is that it gives you a free domain when you buy any of the plans. With Shopify also you can register a domain, but there is a charge to it. You can purchase domain names separately also in Squarespace. 

But if you buy a domain from these websites and lose access to your account, your domain and CMS also expire.  You should buy a domain from a reputable third-party provider. Modify your DNS settings later on.

• Customer support service

Both websites offer superior customer support services. Though Shopify here gains an edge as you can reach out through multiple ways. The platform provides 24*7 support through email, live chat, and phone. If you choose their Plus level plan, you also get a dedicated service agent.

As the business grows, you can choose to hire a Shopify expert. On the other hand, Squarespace has limited customer support options. But they have one of the best forums available. They also have live chat support from Monday to Friday, 4 am-8 pm EST. You can also solve your queries here.

Sales features 

• Product types used 

Both Shopify vs Squarespace offers you the facility to sell both digital and physical products. However, to sell digital products on Shopify, you will have to download an app. On the other hand, there is no such requirement in the case of Squarespace. Apart from that, both offer a wide variety of features like 

• Ability to add single or bulk items
• In house revenue reports
• Direct email alerts for low stock

• Product images distinctions

Squarespace handles the product images much better than Shopify does. In the case of Shopify, unless you maintain the required aspect ratio, all your pictures will appear lopsided. To get this correct, you will have to edit all the images manually. 

This can be quite an arduous task to accomplish. You could use a third-party Shopify app like Pixc to resize the image and upload it. 

Squarespace has a better approach to this problem. You can pick an aspect ratio, and the system will crop the image accordingly. If required, you can choose a focal point for all the photos. That part of the photo gets emphasized within the image.

• Product attributes 

Another category In Shopify vs Squarespace where the latter is strong is product attributes. In Shopify, you can create only three options, i.e., color, size, or material. Squarespace has more attributes that you can mention. You can overcome this product attribute limit in Shopify. You just have to pay an additional cost for a third-party app. 

• Selling in different currencies 

You make more sales if you get the convenience of selling in multiple currencies. If you want to sell in different countries, give the customers to pay in their currency. Here Squarespace does not allow you to sell in multiple currencies. But if you use Shopify Payments, you can easily trade in different currencies.

However, this multi-currency feature of Shopify has a significant drawback. It does not come with auto-conversion. Users have to select their country from a drop-down menu. Therefore some merchants would still prefer using a third-party app for their payment processing.

• Shipping options offered 

With Squarespace as well as Shopify, you can set rates on parameters like Flat rates, free shipping rates, weight-based rates, and real-time shipping rates. Shopify also offers price-based weights, which is another win for it. 

When you have to calculate real-time shipping rates, Shopify has two options for you. In case you are based in the US, Australia, and Canada, Shopify offers a tie-up with local postal companies. It will provide you calculated shipping rates and preferential shipping rates.

This service is called ‘Shopify Shipping,’ and provides considerable discounts to the users. If you want to use calculated rates with a carrier of your choice, you will have to pay extra. There will be an additional monthly fee; pay annually for a Shopify plan, or choose their Advanced plan.

Squarespace has teamed with FedEx, USPS, and UPS to provide real-time carrier shipping. You get this service through their Advanced Commerce plan only.

• Analytics

If you want a platform that offers professional reports, then Shopify is a better bet. Though Squarespace has tried to improve its offers, it compares nothing to Shopify. In Squarespace, you can see an overview of site visitors, sales, and traffic sources. 

Shopify’s analytics are more detailed. They give you extensive information on:

• Finance reports
• Sales reports
• Customer details
• Acquisition reports
• Behavior reports

You may even create your own reports if there is something specific you want to see. However, this reporting plan of Shopify is only on their expensive plans. Only standard reports are available on the $79 ‘Shopify’ plan. You could use Google Analytics, but you will have to set it up on your website manually.

Squarespace also has advanced reports in its expensive plans. But they are still not as detailed as Shopify. Thus Shopify wins the Shopify vs Squarespace race in this segment.

• Blogging features

Blogging is pretty crucial when you are running an online store. That is because blogging helps you drive traffic to your website, which translates to sales. Both Squarespace and Shopify offer the blogging advantage. 

Squarespace’s blog still has the edge over what Shopify has to offer. This is because you can do more with your content on Squarespace than Shopify. You may drop your content into any page using their ‘summary blocks’ feature. You can also add all the categories and tags in Squarespace.

Shopify allows you just to add tags to the content. Again if you want more on blogging from Shopify, you ought to choose a third-party app. 

• Email marketing tool integration

Both Shopify and Squarespace allow you to capture the email addresses to any third-party email marketing solution of their choice. In case you use Mailchimp, you will find Squarespace is easier to comprehend. You can easily link your Squarespace forms straight off to Mailchimp.

However, there is a problem in using Mail chimp with Shopify. You can integrate Mailchimp with a Shopify store. To do that, you will have to use a third-party app or embed a mail chimp form on the website.

You can use other platforms like Zapier on Squarespace but setting up requires effort and time. Thus Squarespace is better for integrating Mail chimp and Google Drive. But Shopify offers different email marketing apps integrations for you to choose from.

Conclusion

The question “what is better Shopify or Squarespace” definitely does not have a sure-shot answer. Both the platforms have their own positives and negatives. If you are only looking for an engaging content-based website, you should focus on Squarespace. It is also perfect if you are in a creative profession like artist, musician, etc.

If your prime objective is to create a proper online store, then your bet should be on Shopify. With the Shopify platform, you get features like automatic tax calculations, professional reporting, and much more. Definitely, Shopify has more extensive features, especially in SEO and payment methods. 

Though both the platforms could do better in GDPR, that is not a big issue. Shopify also provides better compliance to GDPR, especially when we are talking of consent to use cookies. Apart from that, Shopify has a vast library of apps that you can use where Squarespace is left far behind. 

The post Shopify Vs Squarespace-Which One To Consider appeared first on Platform to Showcase Innovative Startups and Tech News.

What is dropshipping?

Dropshipping is a fairly recent development in the world of retail. It’s essentially a retail fulfillment method where a store doesn’t keep stock of its products. So, when a consumer places an order for a certain product, the company contacts a third party to fulfill the order. This third-party vendor is now responsible for procuring and delivering the good in question. 

The dropshipping model eliminates the need for companies to store products, meaning that a large amount of capital is no longer necessary to hit the ground up and running with your business. The capital that would be otherwise spent on managing a warehouse, managing deliveries can now be spent on actually growing the business. Scaling also becomes much easier with the dropshipping model.

Why are businesses shifting to dropshipping suppliers in the US?

Relying on an overseas supplier comes with its own share of risks. Assessing product quality becomes difficult, and keeping track of international shipments becomes a logistical nightmare. Here are some reasons why a large number of e-commerce businesses are looking to go local and partner up with dropshipping suppliers in the USA:

Superior product quality

An overseas dropshipping supplier may be working with an inferior grade of raw materials, which will naturally translate to the final product as well. Your consumers are unlikely to be happy with the products they receive and might switch to an alternate company. 

Shifting to a dropshipping supplier in the US is said to work better in the long run, maximizing the number of return customers. Furthermore, “Made in USA” helps to appease the nationalist sentiments of potential customers. 

It’s a common notion that the products made within the country are superior in quality. So, why not capitalize on this idea? You’ll also be doing a service to the economy by creating more employment opportunities. 

Higher margins 

It’s a common misconception that only working with an overseas dropshipping service can ensure a high return on investment. But on the contrary, more and more local dropshipping services are catching up to their foreign counterparts in terms of price point. 

Customers are also more likely to shell a couple of bucks extra for a product “made in the US”. When both these factors are considered, you’ll actually end up making more money working with a dropshipping supplier in the US. 

Quicker shipping times 

This point is fairly self-explanatory. It can take upwards of several weeks for a product to even arrive on US soil. A customer will have to wait a really long time to get their hands on the product. Working with a dropshipping supplier in the US cuts down on this time, delivering the goods in a matter of 1-8 business days.

This also ensures that the supply chains are as short as possible. Disruptions of longer supply chains are likely to hamper fragile goods, affecting the quality of items with a shorter shelf life like food substances. 

Better customer services

It’s a no-brainer that working with dropshipping suppliers in the US is much easier owing to the simple fact that you’re working in the same time zones. Local wholesalers are also more likely to respond quickly in case of a last minute cancellation or a change in the quantity of a shipment. This way, you’re minimizing the dangers of potentially losing customers. 

Contingency plans are better laid out 

Working with multiple suppliers puts you in a better position in cases of an unmitigated natural disaster like a flood or a cyclone. Since you’re delivering out of multiple warehouses, there is a very little disruption in the supply chain. 

Picking the right US dropshipping supplier

Now that you have a good idea about the need to switch to a local supplier, here are some factors to consider while choosing your dropshipping supplier in the US:

Reputation 

Before choosing to work with dropshipping suppliers in the US, try to find out if any business owners that are within your professional circle have previously worked with them. If they have, then look at what they have to say about their experiences working with the supplier. Ask them if they faced any difficulties and whether they’d recommend their services. 

In case you aren’t able to find any, take a look at their website and the services they offer. Ascertain if they’re knowledgeable about the niche that you specialize in. Reading a couple of their write-ups on their blog should help you form an opinion. Be on the lookout for testimonials or any mention of awards and accolades. 

Minimum order requirement 

This value will differ from dropshipping supplier to another. You’d ideally want no minimum order requirements, but in case there’s one, determine if you work around that number. There’s no point if you’re paying a large sum of money upfront. It defeats the purpose of a dropshipping model designed to minimize capital spent on inventory management. 

Shipping times 

You chose to work with dropshipping suppliers in the US because of the shorter delivery times. So, this is a factor that you couldn’t possibly compromise on. Look into their shipping policies and delivery partners. You’d ideally want them to ship goods within 48 hours of purchase so that it gets to the customer as early as possible. 

Online resources

Check if the dropshipping services that you wish to work with snugly fit into the ecosystem of the e-commerce platform you are working out of, i.e. Amazon, eBay, Shopify, etc. Inventory tracking is yet another feature that is an absolute must-have. They help you to stay abreast of the expected dates of arrival of a shipment. This can go a long way in cutting down on confusion. 

Other things to look out for include well-written product descriptions and detailed product catalogs. These features will save a ton of time, in the long run, preventing you from having to devise them all on your own.  

A comprehensive list of the most trustworthy dropshipping suppliers in the US

1. Oberlo 

Oberlo is one of the most popular dropshipping services out there. Having sold more than a whopping 100 million products, they really know their business. Getting started with Oberlo is extremely simple. All you need to do is join their platform for free, find the products you’re looking for and simply add them to your online store. It’s that simple!

Oberlo also lets you customize your listings by selecting photos of your choice and re-writing product descriptions the way you want them to read. Moreover, they do offer extensive customer support, which is all the more important if you’re just starting off as an entrepreneur. 

Coming down to deliveries, they cater to different needs with an assortment of shipping methods like: 

• China Post– Free/meagre shipping costs, but longer shipping times at around 20-50 days 
• ePacket– Generally affordable prices, but deliveries can still take 15-30 days 
• AliExpress Shipping– Relatively inexpensive and deliver are a tad quicker at about 15 days 
• UPS, DHL and FedEx– comparatively expensive, but deliveries are lightning-fast, taking only 5-15 days 

2. SupplyMeDirect

Yet another dropshipping supplier in the US built specifically to lessen your worries about managing inventory. It’s free to use and is easy to integrate into the Shopify ecosystem. What sets SupplyMeDirect apart from its competitors is that almost 60% of its warehouses are stationed in North America. The remainder is distributed among various countries in Europe. So, this should be your first choice if you’re considering selling internationally. 

SupplyMeDirect has a relentless customer service system that promises to help you every step of the way. They sell everything from beauty supplies and fashion accessories to electronic gadgets and automobiles. It really is a one-stop destination for all your product requirements. 

3. Spocket 

Spocket makes it to this list simply on the basis of its extensive screening program that all suppliers are subjected to before they’re certified as a trusted supplier. With an ability to integrate with an existing Shopify account, getting started on this platform should be fairly simple. The margins offered are great too since they offer up to an unprecedented 60% on all purchases. 

Pricing plans:

• Starter pack– $24 per month 

Includes basic email support

• Pro pack– $49 per month 

Includes branded invoicing and chat support 

• Empire pack– $$99 per month

More than 10,000 unique products on offer 

+ Benefits included pro pack

4. SaleHoo

SaleHoo boasts of one of the largest distribution networks in the entire globe. Originally a New Zealand company, they now have suppliers all around the world including the States.  The platform’s design works in a way that makes it easier to locate the product you’re looking for. Items are categorized according to the niche they belong to. 

But, that’s not it! Signing up for SaleHoo gets you in close proximity to seasoned veterans of the trade. You’ll get a chance to interact with them and learn from their experiences. Valuable training guides and informative blogs will also be made available to you. All of this comes at a lifetime membership cost of $67. 

5. Dropified

This dropshipping service might be a new entrant, but they more than make up for it with the various online resources and tools included in your subscription. These benefits include:

• An intensive 60-day training program that will teach you the basics of running an online business and working with a dropshipping service
• Automating your e-commerce site so that you don’t have to worry about the day-to-day functioning of the website

Similar to other platforms, Dropified can sync up with your online store on AliExpress, eBay, and Shopify. Other platforms that can also be integrated include BigCommerce, CommerceHQ, and WooCommerce. 

Pricing plans:

• Build plan– $19 per month

This plan extends to 1 store account and includes basic customer support, the ability to save up to 1,000 products

• Grow plan– $47 per month

This plan extends to 3 store accounts and includes priority support, the ability to save up to 10,000 products and the option to create unlimited product listings for social media platforms like Facebook. 

6. Brybelly

Brybelly is one of the dropshipping suppliers in the US that seems to be enjoying a lot of traction recently. This trend can be attributed to the fact that they carry over 300 SKU’s of large brands and retailers. The sheer range of the inventory is impressive, selling everything from office supplies and sporting goods to camping essentials and children’s toys. 

Here’s how the dropshipping on Brybelly works: 

• List down the products from their extensive product catalogue onto your online store with the appropriate image and description
• Price them according to your needs and start selling 
• When a customer wishes to purchase a specific good, head up to Brybelly and place an order for the same item at a discounted cost
• They can either ship it to you or fulfil the order by themselves
• You get to keep the profit without having to break a sweat 

7. National Dropshippers

National Dropshippers is one of the most trusted dropshipping suppliers in the US, accredited as A+ by the Better Business Bureau. They’re a members-only site that continues to offer the best prices which range from 33 % to 66% below the actual Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP). 

They’ve been able to maintain fruitful and long-lasting relationships with suppliers thanks to their unwavering commitment to excellence. The nominal membership fee that they charge is what helps them keep the business running and offers prices that are unheard of.

Pricing plans: 

• Monthly Wholesale membership– $19.99 per month
• Quarterly Wholesale membership– $44.97 per 3 months
• Semi-annual Wholesale membership– $59.94 per 6 months
• Annual Wholesale membership– $89.98 per year

This nominal membership is what helps them keep the business running and offer margins that are unheard of.

8. Wholesale2b

Wholesale2b is a one-of-a-kind directory that is sure to help you find the perfect dropshipping supplier. Like some of the other platforms mentioned on this list, they can work smoothly on a number of popular e-commerce platforms like eBay, Shopify and Amazon.

The pricing will depend on the platform you choose to work on. Here’s a look at the different pricing plans that Wholesale2b has to offer: 

9. AliDropship

If you’re a frequent user of AliExpress, then this platform is perfect for you. AliDropship functions like a plug-in that makes it easier to import products from AliExpress to your own website on WordPress. 

While AliExpress does predominantly ship Chinese goods, they also happen to have a significant number of products that are “Made in USA”.  A big advantage of working with a global giant like AliExpress is that it gives you a chance to work with multiple suppliers at the same time. 

AliDropship does a decent job of addressing complaints and queries related to the delivery of goods. Another feature that sets AliDropship apart from its competitors is that they have a separate page with reviews and ratings of suppliers. This should naturally make it easier to pick the right wholesale supplier. 

Pricing plan

The AliDropship plug-in costs only $89, while the dropshipping store will set you back by $299. Both of these prices aren’t recurring costs, but instead a single payment. 

These were some of the most popular dropshipping suppliers in the US that have an impeccable track record. While they do offer a wide range of products to choose from, they might not be able to service the needs of every niche. 

This is where specialized but much smaller suppliers come into the picture. So, here’s a list of such services categorized by the specific industry they cater to.

Dropshipping suppliers in the US- Fashion 

1. Tasha Apparel

Tasha Apparel is your one-stop destination for all your trendy clothing needs. They currently offer dropshipping services for both bundled and single-piece items. Like the companies that were earlier, they do offer convenient customer support and promise to offer the best margins on the market. 

2. Sparkle in Pink

An online store that sells durable and stylish kids’ clothes. Though most of their revenue comes in from selling to customers directly, they do offer dropshipping services as well. Sparkle in Pink does charge a small fee on top of each purchase. This is because every shipped out item of their warehouse goes through a rigorous system of checks. 

But, Sparkle in Pink does not allow you to use the pictures on their websites to promote their products. This means that you’ll spend extra time and resources to get the right photos, adding to ever-growing expenses. But, on the flipside, you’ll get to control how a particular product will be perceived by consumers. 

3. My Online Fashion Store

This fashion store lets you pick from more than 5,000 stylish and contemporary designs. Since they’re shipped from their local warehouse in Los Angeles, you need not worry about delivery times. Shipping rates are pretty affordable too. The standard subscription costs a modest $ 29 per month.

US Dropshipping suppliers- Cosmetics

1. Beauty Joint 

Beauty Joint is a wholesale supplier of cosmetic products from various acclaimed brands like L’Oreal, Maybelline, LA Girls, Jordana Cosmetics and much more. Their dropshipping service has a design that fulfills orders while securing decent margins for their clients. More importantly, they’ve also now started shipping Korean beauty products that seem to be selling like hot cakes nowadays. 

2. ISO Beauty 

ISO Beauty claims to be one of the biggest dropshipping suppliers in the US within the beauty products category. They sell everything from hair curls to moisturizing serums. The dropshipping program is pretty straight-forward. 

You place the order for a product and they send it over to your customers in a blind package that has a customization option according to your specification. If you were worried about minimum order requirements, fret not. There are none!

Dropshipping in US- Electronics 

1. Megagoods

Some people call this site a hub of all the latest in technology among all the dropshipping suppliers in the US. They specialize in selling a wide assortment of electronic gadgets. With over 2,000 products to choose from, there’s only a little chance that a customer will run out of options. 

You’re at the liberty of picking from a dozen of popular shipping options like FedEx and UPS. Moreover, they also offer a 30-day free return policy on all their goods in case a paying customer isn’t happy with a certain product. 

2. ASI Partners

Having stayed in business for over three decades, ASI Partners have made a name for themselves in the IT hardware niche. They sell everything from top-end desktops and laptops to powerful servers. Some of their vendors include Samsung, MSI, Micron, and Supermicro. Moreover, they also offer partner programs and webinars to turn your entrepreneurial dreams into reality.

Conclusion 

The dropshipping business model is a novel strategy that lets third-party vendors take care of shipments on your behalf. Due to the fact that there is very little initial investment required, more and more start-ups are starting to rely on this business model. 

E-commerce companies have ignored local suppliers and have traditionally been dependent upon foreign wholesalers for their dropshipping needs. This is due to the assumption that better margins lay with overseas suppliers. 

But, they’re now starting to realize that working with dropshipping suppliers in the US comes with distinct advantages. Consumers are willing to pay more for goods that are “Made in the US”.  

Regulating product quality is less cumbersome and you have complete control over the raw materials that go into the making of the product. Handling returns is no longer a headache as you can keep track of shipments thanks to superior customer services. 

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