Finding Dropshipping Companies & Suppliers for Your Ecommerce Store

Are you looking to start an ecommerce business without having to stock inventory yourself?

Or are you wanting to expand your existing ecommerce store by offering new products?

Finding a dropshipping service to sell products may be the way to go.

What is Dropshipping?

 

Dropshipping is an order fulfillment method that allows your business to partner with a supplier to display and sell their products in your online store. In other words, you can sell their goods and it does not require your business to keep the product in stock.

When you sell an item, the dropshipping business (the supplier) will send that purchased item straight to the customer.

The product itself never passes through your hands.

This online business model sounds too good to be true, right? Not exactly.

With the right approach, dropshipping can be a successful fulfillment method, including with trending, worldwide brand name items. That means taking the time to conduct market research and finding the right suppliers.

Of course, low profit margins, a highly competitive market and no control over the supply chain are potential hiccups along the way, but dropshipping products with various wholesalers can have its perks.

How to Find Dropshipping Suppliers

 

Finding the best dropshipping companies for your ecommerce platform is a key component. From California to New York in the United States and from Europe to China abroad, linking with the right dropshippers and inventory source is vital to success. 

That’s easier said than done, however. Many dropshippers are smaller companies and can potentially be harder to find. There are also dropship scammers who might try to swindle you with a big upfront or monthly fee.

That’s why BigCommerce put together a dropship supplier directory:

Best Dropshipping Suppliers

If you’re looking for high-quality products to send to your customers without keeping the product in stock, dropshipping is one solution to several online stores.

Here’s a list of dropshipping companies listed in no particular order.

1. Spocket.

Spocket is a dropshipping marketplace that enables retailers to start and scale their online stores. Sprocket connects retailers to thousands of suppliers across USA and Europe.

2. AliExpress Dropshipping.

AliExpress is a wholesale and dropshipping platform that connects dropshippers to suppliers and products, including consumer electronics and apparel.

3. Modalyst.

An official partner of AliExpress Dropshipping, Modalyst is an automated dropshipping app filled with trending brand names.

4. SaleHoo.

SaleHoo is a wholesale supplier directory that connects dropshippers to suppliers, including suppliers in a variety of different niches. It is a well-known dropshipping marketplace along with others such as Alibaba.

5. Doba.

Doba is a marketplace that compiles manufacturers and suppliers into one place. With Doba, you can search through wholesale products in your industry and consolidate them into custom lists.

6. Wholesale2B.

Wholesale2B is a supplier integration system that allows you to choose more than one million products and sell them on BigCommerce, Amazon and eBay.

7. Worldwide Brands.

Worldwide Brands is a comprehensive directory of dropshippers and bulk distributors. They continually update their list with new suppliers and certify that each is reputable and reliable.

8. Sunrise Wholesale.

From home decor to jewelry and more, Sunrise Wholesale is a general wholesaler with more than 15,000 products.

9. MegaGoods.

MegaGoods is a distributor and dropshipper for wholesale products such as clocks, kitchen items, televisions and more.

10. Inventory Source.

Inventory Source is a dropship network that provides access to more than 180 suppliers and allows you to sync your inventory and auto-upload product data.

Whether you are looking for pet supplies on Wholesale Central, skincare and beauty products or other various product categories on National Dropshippers, the list of dropshipping stores goes on and on. 

While the pricing, shipping costs and shipping times may vary, many of them can connect to Amazon, eBay, BigCommerce or Shopify stores. They may also link to other ecommerce platforms such as Oberlo, Wix and WooCommerce.

However, not all companies are legitimate.

How to Spot a Fake Dropshipping Supplier

When sourcing for a dropshipping supplier, beware of fake wholesalers. And especially since some resellers don’t always use best SEO practices and can be hard to find online in a simple Google search, ways to identify a fake wholesaler might include minimum order sizes, pre-order fees or on-going fees. 

To avoid any hassle, be sure to check out our guide to the right approaches to dropshipping.

Dropshipping Automation

 

Looking to automate your dropshipping? That’s definitely possible.

Take Spark Shipping, for example. They specialize in automating the connection between your ecommerce platform (BigCommerce) and dropshippers.

If the dropshipper supports it, Shark Shipping automates inventory quantities, orders, and tracking data between BigCommerce and the dropshipper.

FAQs About Dropshipping Suppliers

What is the dropshipping supply chain?

The dropshipping supply chain is often long and tedious.

First, the product is produced at the manufacturing level — at which point the product is at its cheapest.

Then, the product is stocked by an initial wholesaler, who typically marks up the price before making it available for dropshipping.

At this point, the product is often transferred to an additional wholesaler, who may mark up the price even further or act if they have received it directly from the manufacturer.

The product is then purchased and stocked by you (the wholesaler) before reaching its final destination: the end consumer.

Note that the delivery time may vary depending on the dropshipping supplier. Some companies offer fast shipping.

Are there free dropshippers?

Yes. There are several free dropshippers in both general and niche categories.

Although some larger dropshippers charge yearly or monthly fees, most only ask that you pay the cost of the products you are shipping to the customer.

Some may charge additional shipping costs or fees.

Is dropshipping legal?

Yes, it is legal. It is also important to familiarize yourself with counterfeit and trademark regulations in your region to ensure that you and your dropshipping supplier avoid crossing any lines, including with various branded products.

Is dropshipping profitable?

Yes, dropshipping can be profitable to merchants. Dropshipping is a low-risk business model that allows you to sell products to your customers without incurring huge running costs like a wholesaler would have. Because of the low-cost, it could be easier to become profitable with dropshipping faster than other business models.

Can I pay dropshipping companies with a credit card?

Yes. In fact, suppliers might even require you to pay by credit card at first.

Can I dropship on Amazon?

Yes, you can dropship on Amazon. However, your business must follow Amazon’s dropshipping policy, which includes: being the seller of record for your products, identifying yourself as the seller of your products on all packing slips, invoices and external packing. You must also be responsible for accepting and processing customer returns of your products.

An alternative to using a dropshipping supplier is the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) program.

Can I dropship on eBay?

Yes, you can also dropship on eBay. However, it is a very competitive space and it’s hard to make a big profit.

How do dropship suppliers handle returns?

To return an item, you will often need to get a return merchandise authorization (RMA) from your supplier, which aids the process of your customer shipping the product back to their address.

Make sure you also have all other item information on hand to help the customer support process go as smoothly as possible. 

Once the item is shipped and received, the supplier will refund you and you refund the customer.

Beware of extra fees from your dropshipper, including a restocking fee.