I see a lot of people here wanting to get into dropshipping but feeling lost. Some don’t know where to start, some struggle with picking the right products, and others feel stuck working a 9-5 while trying to make this work.

I’ve been there. I get it. So, let me break down what actually works—no fluff, no BS, just real advice.

1. Dropshipping ≠ Easy Money (Think E-commerce, Not Just Dropshipping)
   Most beginners think dropshipping is some magical “get rich quick” model. It’s not. It’s just a business model like any other. You’re not in the “dropshipping” business—you’re in e-commerce. The real game is:
   ✅ Selling the right product (not just any trending product).
   ✅ Building a brand people trust (even if you don’t hold inventory).
   ✅ Understanding marketing (because ads = your lifeline).

2. Where Do You Even Start? (For Complete Beginners)
   If you’re brand new, follow this process:

• Learn the basics: Study dropshipping, but don’t just watch YouTube gurus. Read about e-commerce psychology, buyer behavior, and marketing.
• Pick a niche carefully: Avoid super-saturated niches unless you have a unique angle. Ex: Selling “pet products” is hard, but selling “personalized dog accessories” might work better.
• Find your first product: Use AliExpress, TikTok trends, Amazon best-sellers, or Dropship.io to research. Look for products that solve a clear problem.
• Test quickly, fail fast: Your first product probably won’t be a winner. The key is testing multiple products while learning from each failure.

3. How Do You Find Winning Products?
   A “winning product” is NOT just something that looks cool. It needs to:
   ✔ Solve a real problem (Painkillers sell better than vitamins).
   ✔ Have strong demand but not crazy competition (If you’re competing with big brands, you’ll struggle).
   ✔ Have viral potential (If you can’t imagine someone sharing it on TikTok, it’s probably not great).

Where to find good products?

• TikTok: "TikTok made me buy it" trends.
• Facebook Ad Library: See what other dropshippers are scaling.
• Amazon Movers & Shakers: Find trending products before they blow up.

Where to source?

• Ship from China (AliExpress, CJ Dropshipping) Cheaper, but longer shipping times.
• US-Based Suppliers (Zendrop, USA Warehouses on AliExpress): Faster shipping, higher cost.

4. Working a 9-5 While Doing Dropshipping? Here’s The Smart Way.
   If you’re working a 9-5 while starting out, that’s actually a good thing. Why? Because you’re funding your business instead of being desperate for profits too soon.

👉 How to manage both?

• Use your evenings/weekends to test products.
• Outsource repetitive tasks (like order fulfillment & customer support).
• Automate as much as possible (AutoDS, Zapier, Shopify Flows).

5. The HARDEST Part: Getting Traffic & Converting Sales
   Most beginners fail not because of bad products—but because they don’t get enough quality traffic. Here’s how to fix that:

🔥 If You Have $$$ for Ads:

• Start with Meta (Facebook & Instagram) ads, Best for testing new products.
• Use TikTok Ads if your product is visually appealing.
• Scale successful ads only after testing with a small budget ($10-$20/day).

📈 If You Have $0 for Ads (Organic Strategy):

• Post daily TikTok & Instagram Reels: Dropshipping brands are crushing it with TikTok organic reach.
• Use Twitter (X) to share short, valuable insights.
• SEO & Blogging : Write articles related to your niche and get free Google traffic.

6. Biggest Mistakes to Avoid
   ❌ Thinking the first product will make you rich.
   ❌ Wasting time on logo design instead of testing.
   ❌ Spending $$$ on ads without knowing what you’re doing.
   ❌ Ignoring customer experience (good shipping & support matter).

7. Want a Step-by-Step Guide?
   I’m currently building a marketing training program for e-commerce business owners who are starting from scratch. Got questions about marketing for e-commerce? Drop them in the comments! I want to understand what people struggle with the most so I can provide real solutions—no fluff, no BS. Let’s talk.

If this post helped, drop a 🔥 in the comments. Let’s make 2025 the year you stop thinking and start executing.

Looking to probably get into drop shipping on Shopify and probably EBay.

Is marketing a huge part of dropping shipping on Shopify and or EBay?(Marketing as in things like social media posts) Will you be able to scale to a successful drop shipping business with NO marketing at all?

I’ve watched tons of videos about dropshipping and I’m actually planning to start really soon. I want to know what are your recommendations concerning marketing (a small budget). Will ads be enough?

Hey everyone,

I recently launched my dropshipping store and I’m looking for advice on how to improve marketing and engagement—especially when it comes to driving traffic and conversions.

I’ve built out a clean Shopify site, optimized product listings, and started shops on FB/Instagram. But honestly, I’m still struggling to get consistent engagement and actual purchases. I’m not really comfortable being on camera myself, so most of my content so far is product-focused or text/animation-based.

Here’s what I’m hoping to get help with: • Creative marketing strategies that actually work right now • Tips for getting organic traffic (especially if you’ve done it without a big budget) • Advice on TikTok/Instagram/Meta Ads for dropshipping • Influencer or UGC tactics that drive results • Whether email or SMS marketing is worth it this early

Also if this is soliciting or against the rules please feel free to take it down, but if anyone here has marketing experience or is good at creating engaging content and would be interested in working with me on commission or a small freelance basis, I’d love to talk. I’m open to paid collaborations if it’s a good fit.

Drop any suggestions, success stories, or experiences you’ve had—and feel free to DM me if you’re down to partner!

Thanks in advance. Really appreciate this community.

I only know half of Shopify, I don’t know what to sell, I’m Uncreative with names and I’m just not sure where to start, any tips?

I'm about to turn 19 and have heard a ton of bad things about dropshipping, however, that's the best thing I can do by now so I would really appreciate help from those of y'all who have a successful dropshipping business.

Also, those who could chat with me please let me know, I got many things to ask to those who dropship :)

Getting more sales in 2025 - A basic guide

Hey everyone,

If you have a dropshipping store and want to make more sales in 2025, here are some simple tips that can help. These ideas are beginner-friendly and don’t need a lot of money to get started.

1. Pick the right product.

Choose products that people need or want but can’t easily find in stores. Use tools like TikTok trends, Instagram, and Google Trends to spot what’s popular. A good product solves a problem or is fun and interesting to use.

2. Make great ads.

Short video ads (15–30 seconds) work best. Show how the product works or how it solves a problem. Focus on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, where people are used to shopping online. Don’t forget to test different ads to find the one that performs best.

3. Work with small influencers.

Reach out to smaller creators with 10,000–50,000 followers. They’re affordable, and their audience trusts them more than big influencers. Offer free products or a small payment in exchange for them showing your product.

4. Make your store look good.

A clean, simple website builds trust. Include customer reviews, real photos, and clear descriptions of what the product does and why people need it.

5. Offer deals that grab attention.

Free shipping and small discounts (like “10% off today only”) can make people buy right away. These offers make your store stand out from competitors.

6. Follow up with customers.

Send emails to people who leave items in their cart to remind them to finish their purchase. Offer discounts to returning customers and make them feel special so they’ll shop with you again.

7. Stay active on social media.

Post daily on TikTok and Instagram to show off your product. Respond to comments and messages quickly to build trust. Running giveaways is also a great way to get more attention and followers.

My tool BrandWrite can help with this. It will brand products for you and increase your marketability and sales. So make sure to check it out!

Hey all, this is Chris.

I wanted to share some of my thoughts after chatting with some of you, and give (hopefully) meaningful advice to every single budding entrepreneur out there that might be reading this.

TIME

First off, I'd like to address a common misconception about dropshipping.

Dropshipping is one of the cheapest and fastest way to start a business. That being said, please do remember what a business means.

It is not a way to turn a quick profit, it is not a shortcut to your wildest fantasies. It is simply a mean to reach your fantasy of being financially free.

If you're shelving an hour or so per day to building your dropshipping website, all while hoping that it'll give you a 5-figure monthly income, I would recommend for you to stop trying. Even if you're a genius, it's highly unlikely you'll succeed with that little time invested.

Building a business takes time. Your high school diploma took four years, your college degree took five. A million dollar business can't be built with only a couple hours a week.

To summarize: Invest more time into your business.

Money

Money is obviously not abundant to many of us here.

We entered dropshipping because it's a cheap way to make a buck, but the harsh reality of it is, the more you have, the more likely you are to succeed.

Burning through money is never a good feeling, but it's what every dropshipper worth his salt has experienced.

Many have asked how much is sufficient, and my answer has and always been the same: The more you have, the better.

The amount of money you have is the amount of bullets you have.

Some might have to fire one bullet (unlikely) and hit the target.

Some might empty their whole clip and still missed the target.

Hopefully, you'll hit the target before you run out of bullets.

Also, don't be delusional. A hundred dollars won't change your life. You might have heard miracle stories of people turning their last dollar into a million bucks. You're a business man, not a gambler. Load up on as many bullets as you can, and aim well.

That being said, I personally started with $5000, and wished I started with more.

To summarize: Make sure you have enough money to fund the beginning of the rest of your life.

Skills

Because of the nature of dropshipping, where it's the cheapest and fastest way to start a business, it requires you to be a chameleon.

Web design? Copywriter? Graphic designer? Video editor? Digital marketer? Content creator? Customer support? Supply chain management? Email copywriter?

The unfortunate part is, for most of you, you have to learn everything.

The fortunate part is, there's an abundance of resource for you to learn from.

Don't shy away from learning new skills that'll benefit your business. If you don't, the only person who suffers is you.

To summarize: Learn everything!

ABOUT ME

I'm a retired dropshipper, who made his dreams come true from the very thing you're trying.

So yes, it is possible, but it is not easy.

The reason for me being here is to give back to the community, plain and simple.

So try your best to help each other, and ask stupid questions, and answer stupid questions, even if it seems obvious what's the answer.

All I ask in return is when you're profitable and successful, help those who are trying to escape the rat race.

Cheers to everybody, have an exciting Q4, and I truly recommend you to post questions on this subreddit, but my inbox is always open if you need help!

I want to begin with stating that I already did my research on what dropshipping is + requirements that goes into it and a basic overall understanding. For those who have already opened a dropshipping business that is working, what are your tips and tricks? If you had to start from scratch again what would you do? Lots of advice would be greatly needed!

(plus, what would you suggest starting with? Is $100 a safe option to start working with? Can investing $100 even work?)

• (Shopify can be expensive, what platform would you suggest OR is Shopify the best choice?)