Dropshipping works by selling products online without holding any inventory. When a customer orders from your store, you purchase the item from a supplier who ships it directly to the customer. You keep the margin between what the customer paid and what the supplier charged.
The appeal: no upfront inventory investment, no storage space, can be started with minimal capital. The reality: margins are thin (often 15-30%), customer service is difficult when the supplier ships late or sends wrong items, and competition is fierce on popular products.
For it to work today, you need either unique product sourcing (working directly with manufacturers rather than generic AliExpress suppliers), or strong branding and marketing that creates a reason to buy from you over competitors. Generic stores selling the same products as everyone else rarely succeed.
Shopify is the most common platform. Start by choosing a niche narrow enough to build expertise in but large enough to have customers. Validate demand with a small advertising spend before investing heavily in building the store.
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