You surely have read a lot of amazing things about dropshipping… they’re all true! You can finally open your online business in no time, earn a living and make everyone envious by working from any corner of the world.
That said, dropshipping isn’t easy. There are things you will need to evaluate and consider in order to better manage your dropshipping business.
Today we face the tricky issue of shipping.
Although the shipment doesn’t start directly from you as a dropshipper, but from your supplier who owns the goods, you’ll need to know everything about it to evaluate the impact on your online business and to better manage customer service.
In 2022, more and more people will start dropshipping. This means a significant increase in competition and advertising costs, so you need to find an effective way to optimize costs and shipping is an important step in this process.
- What should you look for in a dropshipping supplier?
- What are the doubts about shipping and dropshipping?
- Why choose BDroppy as a supplier?
What should you look for in a dropshipping supplier?
If you’ve followed our guides, you’ll have in mind the characteristics that a supplier must have to be an excellent ally for your online business.
Your dropshipping supplier is in charge of shipping products directly to customers who purchase on your fashion ecommerce. Since you’re not stocking and shipping the products yourself, you need to figure out the best action plan. With dropshipping, the amount you’ll be charged for shipping each product is determined by the supplier, and each supplier is different.
To choose the best dropshipping supplier, you need to take into account each one’s shipping policies. A serious partner usually offers trackable shipments, with certified and reliable couriers and short times for order fulfillment, around 24/48h.
What are the doubts about shipping and dropshipping?
We did a Google search and collected your biggest doubts regarding shipments in the dropshipping business:
- How does dropshipping work?
Your supplier receives the order and ships the product directly to the end customer. On the package there are usually no references to the supplier, in fact he takes care of all the formalities relating to the shipment, customs and distribution costs. - Can I do dropshipping in Europe?
Many suppliers offer the possibility to ship internationally, but unfortunately those based in China have very long shipping times, up to 30/45 days.
The best choice would be to rely on suppliers with warehouses in Europe, so as to avoid unexpected customs fees and a fast shipping that is around 7/10 days at the most. - Do dropshipping suppliers ship internationally?
If you want to expand your business outside your country, you must make sure you have a reliable dropshipping supplier who has the ability to ship all over the world, at an advantageous rate and who, above all, guarantees the traceability of every package. - How do I manage the cost of shipping as a dropshipper?
One aspect that might appeal to your customer is free shipping. This means that you, as a dropshipper, will have to increase the price of the products by adding this cost. This strategy is successful when your goods have a medium-high price, as the addition of shipping will not have a great impact on the customer; if you are selling low-priced products, on the other hand, adding the shipping cost will make your products appear less appealing.
In addition, offering free shipping to customers can be an excellent marketing lever to exploit and can make it more likely that a new customer will place an order. Knowing the full price in advance helps customers be sure that there will be no hidden costs at check-out.
A second hypothesis is to offer a flat rate for shipping, in this way you can offset the shipping costs and you can advertise the fact that all your orders will have a fixed shipping rate, making the customer know so they will therefore not be afraid of sudden costs.
The last way is to differentiate the cost of shipments based on the item, so all shipping costs will be sustainable and you will have accurate rates based on how much and which goods they will buy on your site; you could also consider offering discounted shipping on larger orders.
Why choose BDroppy as a supplier?
Choosing the right supplier for you isn’t easy, and when it comes to shipping costs, things can get complicated. Precisely for this reason we want to be clear and transparent, explaining how shipments are managed if you choose to rely on the BDroppy platform.
Our warehouses are in Italy and we always have the products ready to be shipped; for years we have entered into exclusive contracts with the best shipping companies such as DHL and Fedex, which ship to over 50 destinations worldwide.
Your customers will always have 100% safe and tracked orders and we know how important it is to know where the ordered goods are.
We work hard to prepare orders within 24 hours following the payment confirmation of the order.
You have the possibility to choose between different shipping options directly from the BDroppy dashboard after completing the order.
We have a 6,90 € unified postal rate for most European countries, a super advantageous rate for internationalizing your dropshipping business.
Shipping is one of the biggest challenges a dropshipper faces as you have to rely on suppliers to process orders and deliver products.
But there are huge differences between dropshipping suppliers in terms of cost, reliability, and communication.
So here are 6 actions you can immediately take to better manage shipments to your shop:
- Order your products to experience the shipping process
Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and see firsthand how your suppliers handle the shipment. - Make sure your customers know how long shipping takes
Slow shipping times are much less of a hassle if customers know this before making a purchase. Be transparent and always indicate shipping times and costs. - Make sure you know how long the shipping takes
Dropshipping suppliers aren’t always clear on this subject, so ask explicitly what the shipping times are. - Transform the wait
As a dropshipper, you cannot control the speed of the delivery of orders. But you can make your customers feel better and update them on their order by offering them alternatives to pass the time. - Long shipping times = free shipping
When the shipping times are too long, i.e. 20-40 days, offer free shipping! You will have less profit but people would be much more attracted. - Target the countries with the best shipping options for your marketing campaigns.
Use what you know about shipping times and costs to sell in countries that guarantee you the highest margins.
Start selling today, with BDroppy you can start your dropshipping business starting from just 47,00 € per month.
