Get started with dropshipping
Use Shopify to connect to suppliers that hold and sell the inventory
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How does dropshipping work?
With dropshipping apps, products ship directly from the supplier to your customer, and you only pay for what you sell. No upfront inventory costs, no hassles with fulfillment.
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![Your customer places an order from your online store]()
Step 1
Your customer places an order from your online store
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![Your store automatically sends the order to your dropshipping supplier]()
Step 2
Your store automatically sends the order to your dropshipping supplier
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![Your dropshipping supplier prepares your customer’s order]()
Step 3
Your dropshipping supplier prepares your customer’s order
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![Your dropshipping supplier ships the order directly to your customer]()
Step 4
Your dropshipping supplier ships the order directly to your customer
How to find products to sell online
Not sure where to start? Read the complete guide to finding, evaluating, validating, and sourcing a product to sell online.
Jumpstart your dropshipping business with Shopify
Launch for less
Start your dropshipping business with minimal costs. Using a dropshipping supplier means saving on inventory space, and not paying for products until you’ve sold them.
Work on what matters
Fulfill and ship orders with only a few clicks. Dropshipping suppliers free up time to perfect your products, optimize your marketing, and talk with your customers.
Test for success
Experiment with new products, suppliers, and sales channels. Dropshipping is a low-risk way to find what works best for you and your business.
Sell globally
Grow your business by selling to customers all over the world. Many dropshipping suppliers offer worldwide warehousing and fulfillment.
Dropshipping success stories
“The first sale was an incredible experience. Even the 100th and 300th sale was fun.”
Karolis | Dropshipping entrepreneur
“Our sales have gone up by over 20X in the past year. And it’s growing continuously month over month.”Meghan Lewis, Skinnydip
“Shopify is 100% the best platform. We have loved our experience with Shopify and will never leave.”Wyatt Thurston, Raging Mammoth
Learn more about dropshipping
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Dropshipping is when you sell products to customers but use a third party to hold your inventory and ship your orders. Dropshipping business owners focus on the branding, marketing, and customer management part of their business while a third party handles their logistics for them.
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Dropshipping has the potential to be profitable. For starters, online shopping continues on an upward trajectory. Further, merchants don’t need to make inventory investments upfront, so this keeps more capital at the ready for other purposes.
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Here’s how to start a dropshipping business:
- Choose a dropshipping business idea
- Do competitive research
- Choose a dropshipping supplier
- Build your ecommerce store
- Decide on a business structure
- Get your finances in order
- Market your dropshipping store
- Analyze and improve your offering
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The best products for dropshipping have high demand and low market competition. For example, some dropshippers chose to sell trendy products like colored LED lights. Dropshippers might also chose more industrial products like heat lamps or car parts. Finding a great dropshipping niche usually includes market research and some experimentation.
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You can browse millions of products on Oberlo, a dropshipping marketplace and toolkit for entrepreneurs all over the world. Oberlo is essentially a virtual warehouse packed with products from thousands of suppliers. It uses analytics to help you find the rising stars, high-potential products, and hidden gems. In just a few clicks, you can select your goods, customize the details, and list them on your site for sale.