Dropshipping: How to Find Reliable Suppliers

SupplyMeDirect — is a wholesale supplier that will help your business expand. The app offers custom labeling and finding reliable suppliers to sell branded products under your own brand. The app has a free plan with a support service that is available 24/7.

Locations and Shipping Options: SupplyMeDirect is unique in that nearly 60% of its inventory is stored in warehouses located in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Europe. This makes shipping fast and reliable to these countries. Average shipping times are between 4 and 7 days.

Product Types: A variety of products ranging from clothing to kitchenware, toys, accessories and more.

Recommended: For those who plan to sell products internationally and aim for fast delivery.

CROV

Directory of reliable dropshipping suppliers for sellers working with multiple sales channels.

CROV connects retailers with a wide range of products from a verified list of US suppliers.

Shipping locations and options: Shipping to 42 countries. Costs vary by supplier and shipping method. Detailed information can be found on each product page in the catalog. CROV has a warehouse in the United States for faster shipping across the country.

Product Types: CROV offers over 35,000 products in 20 different categories from top suppliers.

Recommended for: E-commerce entrepreneurs who want to sell unique products on Shopify, Amazon, and eBay.

Modalyst

US clothing supplier for dropshipping.

Modalyst is an automated dropshipping app for online stores. It is popular for offering products from brands like Calvin Klein, DSquare, Dolce & Gabbana, and other well-known brands that are in demand by customers. Modalyst also offers a list of other independent and fashion brands for any target audience.

The platform has an official partnership with AliExpress, thereby giving you access to a huge number of products that you can add to your store with one click via the Google Chrome extension.

Locations and shipping options: Modalyst has its own marketplace of suppliers and brands in the US that can ship orders within 6-8 days for free across the country. UK and Australian dropshippers are also available. The order is shipped to over eighty countries worldwide, excluding only countries in South America and Africa.

Product Types: General merchandise with a focus on luxury and fashion brands. Modalyst is also a member of the AliExpress Booster Program, which gives dropshippers access to a product catalog.

Recommended for: Shopify users who want to add unique products to their store. You can also sell your own branded products using the Modalyst Private Label Program . If you choose the Pro plan, you can take advantage of all the premium brands and suppliers Modalyst has to offer.

DropnShop

Reliable supplier of French goods for dropshipping.

DropnShop is a dropshipping app for Shopify that offers French products for sale online. Products are supplied from the best French factories. Thanks to connections with thousands of manufacturers, it allows you to diversify your product catalog and promote business development. A free plan is available.

Location and Shipping: DropnShop works with a variety of different suppliers to provide worldwide shipping at an affordable price. Each item has individual shipping information that you can find in the app.

Types of products: If you want to sell the best beauty products from France in your store, DropnShop makes it possible. The supplier also offers thousands of products in other different categories, from children's toys to hair and skin care products, all made in France.

Recommended: for e-commerce stores that want to add French products to their catalog.

How to Find Dropshipping Suppliers

Like many things in life, suppliers come in all shapes and sizes. In the world of dropshipping, where the supplier is a very important part of the dropshipping process, it is important to make sure you are working with a reliable and honest supplier.

Before contacting the supplier

So, if you have found a few reliable suppliers and are ready to move on - great! But before you start working with companies, you need to be sure that everything is in order on your end.

Everything must be legal

Most legitimate wholesale companies will require proof that you are a legitimate business before accepting your application for a dropshipping account. Many wholesale companies only provide their price list to approved customers, so you will need to be legally registered before you can find out what prices you can get your product for.

The takeaway? Make sure you're legally registered before you approach suppliers! But if you just want to ask a wholesaler a few questions (like "Are you a dropshipper? " or "Do you carry brand X? "), you don't need to provide any documentation. But don't expect to launch your business without the proper paperwork.

Negotiate with your supplier correctly

Wholesalers are constantly bombarded by people with "great business plans" who bombard them with questions, take up a lot of their time, and then never order anything. So if you are starting a new business, be aware that many suppliers will not go out of their way to help you.

Most of them are happy to set up a dropshipping account for you if it's within their capabilities. But don't ask for discounts or spend hours on the phone with sales reps before making a single sale. Otherwise, you risk earning a bad reputation and damaging your relationship with the supplier.

If you need to make a special request (like trying to convince a supplier to dropship when they usually don't), you'll need to gain their trust first. Be specific in your business plans (e.g., " We'll launch this site on January 20th ") rather than using vague rhetoric (" I'm thinking about starting my own business soon "). Be sure to highlight any professional successes you've had in the past (especially in sales and marketing) and how they'll help you with your new venture.

You have to convince suppliers that all the inconvenience of fulfilling your special requests will pay off in the future when you become a successful dropshipping company and start bringing them tons of profit.

Don't be afraid to talk on the phone

One of the biggest fears people have when it comes to suppliers is simply picking up the phone and calling. For many, it's a paralyzing thing. For some things, you can send emails, but most of the time, you'll have to pick up the phone to get the information you need.

It’s not as scary as it might seem. Suppliers are used to people calling them, including new entrepreneurs. Chances are, you’ll get a friendly representative who’ll be happy to answer your questions. Here’s a tip to help: write down your questions in advance. It’s surprising how much easier it is to make a call when you have a list of questions you want to ask, prepared in advance.

Traits of the Best Dropshipping Suppliers

Typically, the best dropshipping suppliers have the following characteristics:

Expert staff and deep industry knowledge

Top-notch suppliers have knowledgeable sales reps who really know the industry and their product line. Being able to ask a rep a question is invaluable, especially if you're opening a store in a niche you're not too familiar with.

Personal Sales Representative

Professional dropshippers should assign you a dedicated sales representative who will look after you and handle any issues that arise along the way. We have had experiences with wholesalers who did not assign dedicated representatives and we did not like it. It took much longer to resolve issues, which meant having to coax people to sort out some of the issues that came up. Having a dedicated supplier representative who is responsible for handling your issues is of the utmost importance.

Investing in new technologies

While there are plenty of good suppliers with outdated websites, a supplier that understands the benefits of technology and invests heavily in it is a much better experience to work with. Features like real-time inventory, customizable data feeds, and searchable order history online are a welcome luxury for online sellers and help you streamline your operations.

Processing orders via email

This may seem like a small issue, but calling every order or manually placing it online will significantly increase order processing time. So being able to place an order via email is a great perk that a supplier can offer you.

Convenient location

If you are in a large country like the United States, it is advantageous to use a dropshipper with a central location , since due to the large territory of the country, delivery can be carried out within two to three business days. If the supplier is located on one of the coasts, then delivery of orders across the country can take more than a week. As a result, suppliers located in the center of the country deliver in a shorter time frame, which in the long run allows you to save on shipping costs.

Organization and efficiency

Reputable suppliers have competent staff and a well-established system, which results in efficient and error-free fulfillment of orders. Others fail every fourth order and leave you tearing your hair out. The problem is that until you use the services of a supplier, it is difficult to determine their level of competence.

While it doesn't give you a complete guarantee, placing a few small test orders can help you determine how a supplier performs. With test orders, you can determine:

• How the order processing process works.
• How quickly are items shipped?
• How quickly is information about order progress and invoices provided?
• Quality of packaging after goods arrive.

Before you start looking for suppliers, it is important to know how to distinguish real wholesale suppliers from retail stores posing as wholesale suppliers. A real wholesale supplier buys goods directly from the manufacturer and can usually offer you better prices.

7 Best Dropshipping Supplier Directories From Around the World

Worldwide Brands

Popular directory of wholesale dropshipping suppliers.

Worldwide Brands, established in 1999, is one of the oldest and most well-known supplier directories. It only lists suppliers that meet certain reliability criteria to ensure that they are legitimate and professional. We have used this directory to find legitimate wholesalers and new store ideas, and it has been very helpful to us.

Locations and Shipping Options: Worldwide Brands serves retailers all over the world. The company is a supplier directory, so shipping costs and locations vary depending on the individual wholesale dropshipping supplier you find through this platform.

Product Types: While the directory is missing some of the suppliers we worked with, it does include a large collection of genuine wholesalers. There are over 16 million certified wholesale products to choose from in niches such as pet supplies, jewelry and watches, consumer electronics, home decor, apparel, and more.

Recommended: For those who want constant access to a quality catalog and are not afraid of a large one-time payment, Worldwide Brands is a reliable choice.

SaleHoo

Directory of dropshipping suppliers on Amazon and eBay.

The SaleHoo supplier directory lists over 8,000 suppliers who do wholesale and dropshipping. It primarily targets eBay and Amazon sellers. Although we've never used SaleHoo to find products, its price of $67 per year is one of the most competitive among other supplier directories. The subscription includes a 60-day money-back guarantee.

Location and Shipping: SaleHoo serves the US, UK and Australian markets.

Product Types: SaleHoo's source is AliExpress. You can pre-find verified suppliers from a variety of in-demand and profitable niches, then import those products directly into your Shopify store.

Recommended: For those who are comfortable paying for yearly access, but for short-term use of the catalog and research tools, SaleHoo is also great.

Doba

Popular dropshipping supplier directory for eBay.

Instead of just listing suppliers, Doba integrates with dropshippers (which is why it only has 165 suppliers), allowing you to order from multiple warehouses through a centralized interface. The catalog also includes a Push-to-Marketplace tool that automates the process of listing items on eBay.

Doba's centralized system offers more convenience than other directories, so the fee ($60 per month) is significantly higher than other directories. If you attach great importance to the comfort and convenience of finding suppliers, then the Doba interface will be an indispensable assistant in this.

Location and Shipping: Ships worldwide, rates vary depending on specific suppliers and pricing.

Product types: more than two million products with good profit percentage.

Recommended: For those with more than a few key suppliers in their chosen niche, Doba will make it easier for you to coordinate with them. But if you can find professional suppliers yourself and don't mind working with them directly, you can save about $700 a year by skipping Doba.

Wholesale Central

Free dropshipping supplier directory.

Unlike many other directories, finding suppliers on Wholesale Central is free because the company charges suppliers to list them and to display ads on its site. The company also claims to review and vet all suppliers to ensure they are legitimate and trustworthy.

Location and shipping: US based suppliers, shipping depends on which supplier you work with.

Product Types: 1400+ dropshipping suppliers with 700K+ products.

Recommended: For informational purposes. The free trial is a huge plus and there is nothing wrong with browsing the listings on Wholesale Central, but you should be careful. Some of the suppliers we found were retailers selling at "wholesale" prices. So while we are sure there are legitimate wholesale suppliers listed, you may want to be a little more careful when using this directory.

AliExpress

Popular dropshipping company from China.

AliExpress is a wholesale and dropshipping platform that connects e-commerce stores with suppliers and products. Most sellers selling on AliExpress are based in China and source their products from there. The platform is open to people from all over the world, absolutely free of charge.

Location and Shipping: AliExpress ships to 254 countries worldwide. Delivery times for packages sent via standard shipping can vary from 15 to 45 business days. If you purchase premium shipping, the estimated delivery time is 7 to 15 business days.

Product Types: AliExpress has over 100 million products in categories including fashion, toys, consumer electronics, personal care, cosmetics, jewelry, furniture, and even cars and motorcycles.

Recommended: For both beginners and experienced dropshippers. AliExpress can be used for bulk orders, finding trending products, implementing marketing strategies, and building relationships with suppliers.

AliBaba

Dropshipping company for B2B wholesale trade.

AliBaba is a B2B marketplace that connects buyers and sellers. This platform is designed for wholesalers rather than individual entrepreneurs. It facilitates transactions directly with manufacturers. Suppliers provide wholesale products and can fulfill orders for your dropshipping business.

Location and shipping: Dropshipping from Alibaba can take a long time depending on where you live. Shipping can take up to 6 weeks . To reduce costs, you can choose to ship via cargo or air. However, you should still do market research and create a business plan before starting your company.

Product Types: AliBaba has over 2.8 million supplier online stores and over 5,900 categories.

Recommended for: Advanced dropshippers who prefer to operate under their own brand and want to acquire popular products at the distribution level to sell them to consumers.

CDS (formerly Bluember)

Popular dropshipping supplier in India.

CDS is one of the best dropshipping companies in India. It was the first supplier in the country and became popular for its automated dropshipping services. It is an easy way for Indian dropshippers to get started, choosing from hundreds of thousands of products. CDS ships worldwide and offers free registration.

How to spot fake dropshipping suppliers

No matter where you look for suppliers for your dropshipping business, there is always a risk of encountering fake wholesalers. Unfortunately, real wholesalers are not very good at marketing, so they are harder to find. This means that fake wholesalers (usually just middlemen) are more likely to appear in your search queries.

The following dropshipping tips will help you determine if a wholesale supplier is genuine.

The need for constant payments

Genuine wholesalers do not charge their customers a monthly fee to run their business or place orders with them. If a supplier asks for a monthly service fee, they are most likely not genuine.

It's important to note the distinction between suppliers and supplier directories. Supplier directories are companies that provide you with a variety of suppliers that are organized into a list by product type or market, and have been vetted to ensure they are legitimate. Most directories charge a fee, either a one-time fee or an ongoing fee, so don't take this as a sign that the directory itself is not real.

They sell goods to anyone.

To get real wholesale prices from a real wholesaler, you will usually need to apply for a seller account and provide proof that you are a legitimate business. Only after approval will you be able to place your first order with the supplier. Any other wholesaler that offers products to anyone at " wholesale prices " is most likely just a retailer selling products at a higher price.

What Do Wholesale Dropshipping Suppliers Charge For?

There are several types of payments that wholesale suppliers may require from you if you want to run your dropshipping business through them.

Fee for each order

Many suppliers charge a fee for each dropshipping order, which can range from $2 to $5 or more, depending on the size and complexity of the items being shipped. This is standard practice in the industry, as some orders cost much more to pack and ship than a bulk order.

Minimum order quantities

Some wholesalers set a minimum initial order value, i.e. a threshold amount that you must purchase the item(s) for your first order. They do this to weed out unserious sellers who will waste time on questions and small orders, which does not lead to productive business.

If you're using dropshipping, this can be a bit tricky. For example, what if the supplier's minimum order is $500, but your average order size is around $100? You don't want to pre-order $500 worth of product just to be able to open a dropshipping account.

In this situation, it's best to offer the supplier a $500 deposit that can be used toward future dropshipping orders. This will allow you to meet the supplier's minimum purchase requirement (since you're committing to buying at least $500 worth of products) without having to place one large order.

Tips for Finding and Working with Wholesale Dropshipping Suppliers

Now that you can tell a scammer from a legitimate supplier, it’s time to start searching! There are several different strategies you can use, some of which may be more useful than others. The methods below are listed in order of effectiveness, with our favorites listed first.

Contact the manufacturer

This is our favorite way to easily find real wholesale suppliers. If you know the product you want to ship, call the manufacturer and ask for a list of their wholesale distributors. You can then contact these wholesale distributors to see if they do dropshipping and ask about setting up an account with them.

Search with Google

Using Google to find suitable suppliers may seem like the easiest way, but there are a few rules to keep in mind:

1. The search must be broad. Wholesalers are not great at marketing and promotion, and they certainly do not top the search results for " wholesale suppliers of product X ". This means that you will have to dig through many search results (possibly even hundreds!) to find the wholesaler's website listed at number 65 .
   
   
2. Don't judge by the appearance of the site. Wholesalers are also known for having poorly designed, 90's style websites in most cases. Although sometimes a quality website can indicate a good supplier, many real wholesalers have a home page that does not look very attractive. But don't get hung up on the poor design of the supplier's site, it is not the most important thing for your business.
   
   
3. Use different keywords. Wholesalers don't do SEO to get you to find their sites, so you'll have to try different search terms. Don't just stop at "product X wholesaler". Try using modifiers like "distributor", "reseller", "stockist", "supplier".

Place a small order with competitors

If you’re having trouble finding the right supplier, you can always use the old trick of ordering from competitors. Here’s how it works: Find a competitor you think is dropshipping, then place a small order with them. When you receive the package, Google the return address on the package to find out who the original sender was. In some cases, this will be a supplier you can contact.

We have heard this tactic from professionals, but have not used it ourselves. But if you were unable to find a supplier using other methods suggested above, then there is probably a good reason for this (for example, the market is too small, demand is insufficient, etc.). Therefore, you can use this method to find what you need.

Don't neglect sales presentations

A trade show allows you to connect with all the major manufacturers and wholesalers in your niche. It is a great way to network and research products and suppliers in one place. This only works if you have already chosen your niche and product type. If you have the time and money to attend a trade show, it is a great way to meet manufacturers and suppliers in the market.

Popular payment methods for suppliers and dropshipping companies

The vast majority of suppliers accept payment in one of two ways:

• Credit Card. When you first start out, most suppliers will require you to pay by credit card. Even after your business starts to flourish, credit cards are still a good option. Not only is it convenient (no need to write checks regularly), but it also allows you to accumulate a large number of rewards points for frequent orders. Since you are buying for a customer who has already paid for it on your site, this payment method allows you to make a large number of purchases without actually spending any money.
  
  
• Clear Terms Deal. Another common way to pay suppliers is with a "clear terms" invoice. This means that you have a certain number of days to pay the supplier for the goods purchased. For example, if you work on a "net 30" deal, you have 30 days from the purchase date to pay the supplier by check or bank transfer for the goods.
  
  Usually the supplier will ask you for credit references before offering "transparent terms " as they are essentially lending you money. This is common practice, so don't be alarmed if you are asked to provide some documents when paying on such terms.

Start dropshipping today with Shopify!

Whether you're a new e-commerce business owner or a professional dropshipper, knowing your suppliers and all the ins and outs of dropshipping will help you get high-quality products at a low price and significantly increase your business profitability.

With the growth of global online sales and shipping efficiency, online dropshipping will ensure that your customers receive their order as quickly as possible.

By using this dropshipping guide to further improve your online business and find your way to financial independence, you can live the life you've always dreamed of while making good money.

Next Chapter: Dropshipping: 11 Shopify Apps for Product Search

Author: Corey Ferreira
Translation from English. Original article.