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Getting Started with dropshipping... again. =/

A detailed account of a Fastlane process...

Crisdamien

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So... I've decided to go back to dropshipping. Difference between this attempt and last years, toilet bowl full of shit set a blaze in the middle of a dumpster fire last year is my mindset. After reading MJ's book, my mindset is on creating value, not just $$ based off some "gooroos" show off screenshot.

Of course, I've had more false starts on my FTM then a deaf offensive lineman. But, it was gradual, I read up on Charles Duhigg's habits and instituted them to my life and...voila! Massive changes, if I fall off the wagon? No sweat, I'll go back to my routine.

Anyway, I was always petrified on doing these sorts of thread entries because... well, to be honest, I am a recovering sidewalker, lazy a$$, whiner. Like an alcholic, that vice is still there, but it is managed and mindfully monitored to ensure no wagon falling occurs.

The niche I found are for items manufactured here in the US, are much higher in terms of cost. Hence, providing more information and alot of coercing in terms of blogs and marketing to leverage that to make my prospective buyer press BUY. These items are sold in amazon, walmart and other online retailers. However, I checked with friends and family and even forums and the consensus is.. they're ok, but not enough choices in regards to variety and brands.

The need I will fulfill is excellent customer service, this I have a background in, white glove service.. aka, i dont just kiss a$$, i french kiss it. lol..jk.. sort of. Also, the choice and content that relates to this particular niche in educating the buyer. These are all of course, ideas. I dont know yet... (last year writing that, I would've wanted to throw up. The word uncertainty was always terrifying to me before. But I am ok with it now)

So here is my progress so far.

-Created my shopify
-Logo design is 80% done..

But here is my question..

Should i already be considering my company's image and brand, in terms of planning? No money is spent, just my own time crafting my why (vision, mission, values). Should I wait until the sales come in? Or is this smart so that I am laying the foundation for this store moving forward. I don't mean to be cheesy, but the WHY this store exists and WHY i created it should matter. I just want to get your opinions whether this is me ACTION FAKING.

Thank you if you read through this whole thread. I will add to this every Monday from here on out.
 
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The Abundant Man

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Stop asking questions, "Should I? Will I? Could I? May I?" Just go make your logo and brand. Just go for it. Otherwise thing will never get done
 

Crisdamien

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Stop asking questions, "Should I? Will I? Could I? May I?" Just go make your logo and brand. Just go for it. Otherwise thing will never get done

Thank you, true. However, I already am in the midst of the process of finishing the website and the logo will be done by tonight. My question was more about, the branding should it wait? Or should I include that in priorities, I have forward momentum. It was me asking peoples opinion whether it's more of an action fake. The worst action faking I've seen is hidden in plain sight, that's why I asked.

I do appreciate the feedback tho and you are right.
 

sparechange

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You read the book and are still drop shipping?

0 value creation

Customer service? BULL ****

Rethink things over, creating value and ''fastlane'' is not plug and play
 

The Abundant Man

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You read the book and are still drop shipping?

0 value creation

Customer service? BULL ****

Rethink things over, creating value and ''fastlane'' is not plug and play
What would you suggest?
 

sparechange

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The Abundant Man

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reading the book again
Well dropshiping violates the Commandments of entry and control. It seems that dropshiping is starting to become saturated hence entry is violated. Control is violated because Shopify or Amazon could kill your ecommerce store at any time.
 

ChrisV

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I’m not trying to knock your hustle at all but.. I don’t know how drop shipping can really be that Fastlane..

Like to me the biggest thing about fastlane is simply this: PROVIDE EPIC SERVICE

Make your customers so happy they shit themselves

Dropshipping.. I’m not sure how you can make your customers lives so awesome they explode

you don’t have enough control over the business

i mean if you’ve done will with it, then shit... do it up but i dunno

Edit: okay.. i just read your post about providing amazing service and certain products not having enough selection so maybe you’re on to something .. do it up.. i dunno though
 

ChrisV

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And I don’t think it’s action faking.. i just think dropshipping is so oversaturated that it’s not worth your time
 
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KingChuck211

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You read the book and are still drop shipping?

0 value creation

Customer service? BULL ****

Rethink things over, creating value and ''fastlane'' is not plug and play

I second this!

I personally stopped drop shipping because I didn't like providing such awful customer service. It felt amazing hearing the cash register notification on my phone from shopify but straight after a wave of anxiety would always hit me.

I would start panicking wondering if the supplier was going to meet the delivery time and if the item would arrive presented in a manner I deemed acceptable. I felt like I was duping people.

Having no control was the deal breaker for me! When a customer complained regarding non-delivery it was such a hassle having to liaise with the supplier. For me, never again.
 

Crisdamien

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I appreciate everyones feedback on this, I really do. At this point in time, ill be very transparent, I came into the entrepreneurship space via e-commerce. As I said, my background has always been customer service and as we speak I work for a company that is known for providing white glove service. Dropshipping as a business lately has had the shitty reputation it deserves due to facebook and these gooroos who sling the crap from aliexpress. Not to mention no tracking and horrible shipping times.

My suppliers are all domestic and they are the actual manufacturers, my barrier of entry is not easy as ordering from aliexpress. I've worked for a manufacturer and the process of being a dealer/reseller is pretty tedious as your presentation has to be done right and you have to know what the hell you're talking about. I will re-read the book the brush up, but as a business this is all I have as an idea for now. Like I said, I go into this with a certain level of uncertainty and I'm willing to learn.
 
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Well I'm going to play devil's advocate here. What if you start with dropshipping (which is a shipping method, not necessarily a product choice), and plan to fix any product problems that come up once you're going? You can always drop the dropshipping if that becomes unreliable?

For the people who are really against this in principle, aren't we just talking about a shipping method here? Personally, I might choose to inventory my own stuff too, and then fulfill orders myself (I do this with books and info-products). But not having to touch the physical goods for every order could also have advantages, like if you're shipping branded/modified air compressors from a studio apartment... am I wrong?

You mentioned customer service. That reminds me a little of the value added reseller (VAR) model. Maybe you sell someone else's stuff, but you also support it or integrate it or do something that makes it more valuable to buy from you. Add white labeling to that, and maybe some product customizations of your own, and I don't see why it's not a business. If the market likes the product as much as you think, start taking control of elements of the business that present risk -- shipping, manufacturing, etc. If you can't break through to that level, you have a little income stream. No harm right?

One more thing. There are cases where the product can be 100% my intellectual property, yet I can have it manufactured and "dropshipped." Yes I know that's not what the "Instant dropshipping with Doba" button in your Bluehost control panel does. But we can do it, can we not? I submit by way of example, Shapeways - Create Your Product. Build Your Business which will let me upload my designs, and they will manufacture and ship instances of my product. (And I'm not saying they're the best example, just kindof cool and easy to work with).
 

ChrisV

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You did all that just to mock me? Lol
Nah lol..

I’ve been meaning to write a PSA against drop-shipping for a bit now

so no, i did not write that to mock you

if anything i wrote it all just to drop my new rickroll link
 
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ChrisV

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But no, I didn’t and if it came off that way I apologize. I wouldn’t do that to a new(ish) member here. Everyone here just wants to learn and I admire you getting up and doing it. Many members come on here with 10000 ideas and don’t do jack and argue theory. You’re gonna be the guy posting threads “i tried this and failed” and people might toot their nose up at you while they sit on the same laptop they had when they signed up to this site and don’t take action. You’re gonna be the guy who sits there chipping away at it, posts up threads, then all of a sudden you’re gonna hit it. And you’ll realize how all those failures paid off.

Well I'm going to play devil's advocate here. What if you start with dropshipping (which is a shipping method, not necessarily a product choice), and plan to fix any product problems that come up once you're going?

That’s a really interesting business strategy. That could work. So you basically eat the dick on the drop shipped products, offer them at rockbottom prices, gain a reputation, and then promote your actual product after people trust you.

Shiiiiiiiitttttt. That’s pretty good.

Although are you gonna do it on Amazon? Most people just get everything from them (See: FEATURED! - Has Amazon become a monopoly? )

But if you do it, there’s gotta be a way to automate the dropshipping too so you don’t even have to bother with that
 

Rabby

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Thanks... the beginning is a test, like a science experiment, followed by engineering mode, troubleshooting, and de-risking. It's a decent way to start in my experience, because you can't do everything at once.

Although are you gonna do it on Amazon? Most people just get everything from them (See: FEATURED! - Has Amazon become a monopoly? )

There’s gotta be a way to automate the dropshipping so you don’t even have to bother with that

You can definitely automate dropshipping and fulfillment. Companies like Amazon have APIs for it. With other companies, you just talk to them about how they get orders, and you automate that. Doesn't matter if it's email, clicking on a web page, sending a fax, or calling the guy at the order desk. Talk to the company, and you can work out how to automate it.

Most people get everything from Amazon - nah, I don't think so. I order a lot from them, but there's a lot I don't get from them too. You posted about nootropics... have you noticed that Amazon is about the worst market for those you can find?

Personally, I have around 2000 customers per year ordering books, other print materials, and classes from my site directly. They don't order any of it through Amazon. Amazon is a great marketplace and they have some nice services, but it's not everything.
 

Zcott

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Hi,

You said the product you are talking about selling lacks variety, and you identify that you can delve in to that. That is good, but instead of talking about that you actually say you are meeting the need of providing good customer service. Starting a business on the basis of customer service is not really a thing, everyone goes in to business wanting to provide great customer service.

I think you need to talk more about what you intend to create and any issues you are having. That is the core of your business and the nitty gritty stuff; this forum is a great resource for help. You only really talk about customer service and a logo, which are not really a primary concern right now. Focus on your core and build outwards.

Dropshipping does violate commandments of entry and control. You can probably circumnavigate this if the product you sell has high profit margins. Does it? If not and you are selling things for a few dollars here and there, is that going to get you in to the fastlane?

Hope this provides food for thought.
 
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ChrisV

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You can definitely automate dropshipping and fulfillment. Companies like Amazon have APIs for it. With other companies, you just talk to them about how they get orders, and you automate that. Doesn't matter if it's email, clicking on a web page, sending a fax, or calling the guy at the order desk. Talk to the company, and you can work out how to automate it.

Most people get everything from Amazon - nah, I don't think so. I order a lot from them, but there's a lot I don't get from them too. You posted about nootropics... have you noticed that Amazon is about the worst market for those you can find?

Personally, I have around 2000 customers per year ordering books, other print materials, and classes from my site directly. They don't order any of it through Amazon. Amazon is a great marketplace and they have some nice services, but it's not everything.
Worst comes to worse you can get some indian kid off Fiverr who can write a Python script that takes the order and puts it in the right format for sellers.

You posted about nootropics... have you noticed that Amazon is about the worst market for those you can find?

True, they defintely shy away from those. Too ‘grey market’ for them.

Personally, I have around 2000 customers per year ordering books, other print materials, and classes from my site directly. They don't order any of it through Amazon. Amazon is a great marketplace and they have some nice services, but it's not everything

Okay okay, touche. Appologies, my expertise on commerce is limited.
 

xxlfire

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Im just wondering how wish got so big, i mean their app on the google playstore has over 100 million downloads. It is insane and it looks like dropshipping too.

Good luck on your new attempt btw.
 

ChrisV

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Im just wondering how wish got so big, i mean their app on the google playstore has over 100 million downloads. It is insane and it looks like dropshipping too.

Good luck on your new attempt btw.
is that what Wish does? They’re dropshipping?
 
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xxlfire

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is that what Wish does? They’re dropshipping?

It looks like a dropshipping store but please correct me if i am wrong. I also saw a youtuber basically showing how they sold a 256GB SD card or something like that which wasn't actually a "real" 256GB SD card.

 
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MHP368

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I appreciate everyones feedback on this, I really do. At this point in time, ill be very transparent, I came into the entrepreneurship space via e-commerce. As I said, my background has always been customer service and as we speak I work for a company that is known for providing white glove service. Dropshipping as a business lately has had the shitty reputation it deserves due to facebook and these gooroos who sling the crap from aliexpress. Not to mention no tracking and horrible shipping times.

My suppliers are all domestic and they are the actual manufacturers, my barrier of entry is not easy as ordering from aliexpress. I've worked for a manufacturer and the process of being a dealer/reseller is pretty tedious as your presentation has to be done right and you have to know what the hell you're talking about. I will re-read the book the brush up, but as a business this is all I have as an idea for now. Like I said, I go into this with a certain level of uncertainty and I'm willing to learn.

Well if you've already studied the product why not buy some wholesale? Surely it will be easier to offer "white glove service" when the first interaction with the customer isn't an angry return?

I see the benefit in not holding inventory but in a world full of ups /usps storefronts and dozens of non Amazon full blown fulfillment warehouses it sort of lists its appeal.

Just my opinion , are you doing dropshipping again because of a lack of starting capital? . Really just curious as to what benefit , what value you add to the equation for the consumer by being a middleman. The product already exists and is sold by big retailers , so you'll have to expend the extra energy of driving them to a shopify storefront and getting a sale? I dont get it
 

MHP368

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Im just wondering how wish got so big, i mean their app on the google playstore has over 100 million downloads. It is insane and it looks like dropshipping too.

Good luck on your new attempt btw.

I think that was the business model from day 1 , get all the traders from alibaba / express onto a mobile platform. It isn't like the end consumers dont realize whats happening , shipping times are right in the descriptions.

Good marketing and timing , ive heard wish brought up on more than one occasion at my last two jobs. Its sort of like , I could go to a big box retailer and buy chinese junk , why not just roll the dice and buy direct? It makes it easy and cheap and you dont care when a few 2 or 3 dollar purchases end up total misses.
 
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Merging Left

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Oldie but a goodie. This guy dropships his way to 7-8 figures.

Dropshipping is a shipping and fulfillment method. Being a "dropshipper" in how it's talked about here is basically a marketer. You're marketing a product that you don't own or manufacture, and you essentially collect a fee for finding the buyer. You just mask that fact to the buyer, who thinks they're dealing with someone who holds inventory. Not that it makes a huge difference...

If your manufacturers are domestic, and difficult to get partnerships with, then that does present a good barrier to entry. You do lack virtually all control - you don't control the quality, the speed of shipping, the warranties (unless you offer your own and bare the risk), or the major risk of the manufacturer deciding to discontinue that product.

That doesn't mean you can't build a successful business or, at the very least, use this as a way to generate capital to invest into a project that you do have more control over.

I think that excellent content (education, reviews, etc.) paired with top-tier customer service (if your product lends itself to that) can make for a very successful dropship-based business.

If it is successful, there's nothing stopping you from negotiating bulk prices and carrying inventory in the future.
 

ChrisV

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When the pimp’s in the crib ma
DROP-SHIP it like it’s HOTTTTTTTTTT
DROP-SHIP it like it’s HOTTTTTTTTTT

trolling is a art-2.gif
 

Real Deal Denver

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Just my opinion , are you doing dropshipping again because of a lack of starting capital? . Really just curious as to what benefit , what value you add to the equation for the consumer by being a middleman. The product already exists and is sold by big retailers , so you'll have to expend the extra energy of driving them to a shopify storefront and getting a sale? I dont get it

Stand by.

One more thing. There are cases where the product can be 100% my intellectual property, yet I can have it manufactured and "dropshipped." Yes I know that's not what the "Instant dropshipping with Doba" button in your Bluehost control panel does. But we can do it, can we not? I submit by way of example, Shapeways - Create Your Product. Build Your Business which will let me upload my designs, and they will manufacture and ship instances of my product. (And I'm not saying they're the best example, just kindof cool and easy to work with).

My plan exactly.

Thanks... the beginning is a test, like a science experiment, followed by engineering mode, troubleshooting, and de-risking. It's a decent way to start in my experience, because you can't do everything at once.

Exactly. For those that want total control, and in doing so will package, print labels, and ship, well then - you're worth that extra two bucks. Have at it.

Most business plans don't WANT to do everything. The smart ones contract out the "overhead services" like payroll, shipping, cleaning, even hiring.

I'm not in business to spend hours figuring out payroll - I'll pay someone to do that. I am not wanting to save a buck by shipping things myself. I'll pay for that too. And I'm SURE not wanting to inventory stuff in my garage, or worse yet, pay for storage/office space.

It's the internet thingy. Work smarter.

Be like me, or compete against someone like me.

electric man.gif
 
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Crisdamien

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Oldie but a goodie. This guy dropships his way to 7-8 figures.

Dropshipping is a shipping and fulfillment method. Being a "dropshipper" in how it's talked about here is basically a marketer. You're marketing a product that you don't own or manufacture, and you essentially collect a fee for finding the buyer. You just mask that fact to the buyer, who thinks they're dealing with someone who holds inventory. Not that it makes a huge difference...

If your manufacturers are domestic, and difficult to get partnerships with, then that does present a good barrier to entry. You do lack virtually all control - you don't control the quality, the speed of shipping, the warranties (unless you offer your own and bare the risk), or the major risk of the manufacturer deciding to discontinue that product.

That doesn't mean you can't build a successful business or, at the very least, use this as a way to generate capital to invest into a project that you do have more control over.

I think that excellent content (education, reviews, etc.) paired with top-tier customer service (if your product lends itself to that) can make for a very successful dropship-based business.

If it is successful, there's nothing stopping you from negotiating bulk prices and carrying inventory in the future.


Hi, thank you very much for this reply, apologies for the SUPER late response on my part. I got sidetracked with stupid shit... But, you are right, it took me this long to get to my F*ck this moment.. But definitely learned alot more in the months since.
 

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