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Product or Site First

by crediblezephyre
8 replies
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Hello, totally new to the site but I've been reading a lot of very interesting threads here lately.

I've been looking into starting a dropshipping site (business?).

I'm at the point now that I think I've decided on a niche and will begin looking into suppliers. I've run into an interesting conundrum though. Since i haven't started my site, I don't have much leverage to reach out to suppliers nor do I have a concrete timeline as to when I would actually be processing orders.

This would suggest that i make the site first. But without the product, there's not much of a site to make.

I feel like I"m trying to decide between the chicken and the egg here. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to proceed? Experiences?
#product #site
  • Profile picture of the author LeatherDropshipping
    I think it depends on your niche selection and vendors. Many drop shippers will want to see that you have an established outlet before they will even approve your account. Some are more flexible, and work with you as you grow your business.

    At a minimum I would start a FB page, and register your domain. Possible pay someone to design you at least a quick landing page if you can. I am certain that there are tons of people on this board who can help build you a site very reasonably.

    Personally, I love Wordpress for its flexibility or bigcommerce / shopify if you plan to have alot of SKUs. There is at least 3-4 threads about this going currently if you want to delve into more detail on ecommerce platform selection -
    http://www.warriorforum.com/ecommerc...platforms.html

    Hope that helps and best of luck!
    Leather Drop Shipping
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    • Profile picture of the author crediblezephyre
      Originally Posted by LeatherDropshipping View Post

      I think it depends on your niche selection and vendors. Many drop shippers will want to see that you have an established outlet before they will even approve your account. Some are more flexible, and work with you as you grow your business.

      At a minimum I would start a FB page, and register your domain. Possible pay someone to design you at least a quick landing page if you can. I am certain that there are tons of people on this board who can help build you a site very reasonably.

      Personally, I love Wordpress for its flexibility or bigcommerce / shopify if you plan to have alot of SKUs. There is at least 3-4 threads about this going currently if you want to delve into more detail on ecommerce platform selection -
      http://www.warriorforum.com/ecommerc...platforms.html

      Hope that helps and best of luck!
      Leather Drop Shipping
      This helps a ton thank you.

      I know how to build sites and have been doing agency marketing for a while, just want to do my own thing as well. I had pretty much already decided on wordpress and woocommerce. I know some people have their hesitations about it but it's just the platform I know best.

      Based on what you and looseink said, it sounds like I should build the site first so I at least have something to go to suppliers with.

      Thanks for your input both of you!
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  • Profile picture of the author dave_hermansen
    There's several things you can do to up the odds of starting a good relationship with a supplier. Building the website first is a good idea. Having a specific time table you can tell them is also important.

    If you're concerned you're going to run into some particularly hard sells you can do a number of things to really show that you're a professional. I put together a blog post last year with some of these tips: https://storecoach.com/getting-ducks...tial-suppliers.
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    • Profile picture of the author LeatherDropshipping
      Great, glad to help! That is a great post from you too Dave, that really lays out a clear plan for new startups.
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    • Profile picture of the author crediblezephyre
      Originally Posted by dave_hermansen View Post

      There's several things you can do to up the odds of starting a good relationship with a supplier. Building the website first is a good idea. Having a specific time table you can tell them is also important.

      If you're concerned you're going to run into some particularly hard sells you can do a number of things to really show that you're a professional. I put together a blog post last year with some of these tips: https://storecoach.com/getting-ducks...tial-suppliers.
      Thank you for this article, that really explained things for me well and was a great article. I will most definitely be reading more of them on your site.
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      • Profile picture of the author dave_hermansen
        Originally Posted by crediblezephyre View Post

        Thank you for this article, that really explained things for me well and was a great article. I will most definitely be reading more of them on your site.
        Happy to lend a hand. Good luck on lining up your suppliers.
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        We help sellers get the MAXIMUM amount for their websites and all buyers know that these sites are 100% vetted.
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  • Profile picture of the author johndee2015
    i think the most important point before starting online business is your product. SO if you have proper product supply and your product level is high, the next step is creation of good site.
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  • Profile picture of the author Oziboomer
    Originally Posted by crediblezephyre View Post

    This would suggest that i make the site first. But without the product, there's not much of a site to make.
    I'd say make the "sale" first ahead of the "site"

    Sure you need a site to sell but make sure what you are selling has a market and the cost of acquisition is lower than your cost to supply.

    In my experience the prototyping of the concept and testing to get sales has been the catalyst to take any venture further.

    Yes...you do need a source or supply for your business but you don't necessarily have to have an established relationship although it helps.

    I've had people approach me now that I have established sites and a client base but really it comes down to making the sale and having the ability to supply that product efficiently at the end of the day.

    You may have to survive on a small margin just to get going but once you have got a positive ROI and volume then you will be able to negotiate more competitive buying.

    Like any business model it requires dedication and work to get things off the ground.
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