5 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
5 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Some Noob Questions...

by AlanCarr
4 replies
  • ECOMMERCE
    • |
Sorry for being too lazy to dig through everything to figure this stuff out..

Some background:

I have a Siteground hosting account, so can easily throw up another site and install Wordpress on it, then point a domain at it. That side is no problem. I have many years of experience helping other people to sell online, but have never dabbled in dropshipping myself. So...

Some Questions:

1. I am allergic to monthly fees just to experiment. Are there ecomm plugins or themes that, once purchased, are then free to use?

2. If so, just how good are they for bringing in products from Alibaba or Aliexpress? Can I easily edit the descriptions and photos, WITHOUT giving my copywriting to Shopify or whoever? That's one of the things that rules out Shopify for me BTW.

3. Any other options than Alibaba/express?

4. Am I too late to this party? Is such dropshipping on the ascent, steady or already a dying business model?

If I were to do this I would have a specific niche, if that helps.


Sez you, WF? Anyone?
#noob #questions
Avatar of Unregistered
  • Profile picture of the author bestAd
    I run a lot of dropshipping stores and Shopify is the best platform to use.

    When it comes to importing from Aliexpress, Oberlo makes it so easy. I do not understand what you mean by giving your copywriting to Shopify?

    There are other options such as seeking out suppliers and creating a dropshipping deal with them. Or other sites I would not recommend.

    Also, you are not too late. The market is very big.

    You could do a trending store or a niche store.

    They both have their pros and cons
    Signature
    https://www.profitnave.com
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11388496].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author AlanCarr
    Cheers for the reply, even if it wasn't the "Yeah, woowoo and wordpress are free!" that I was hoping for

    I do not understand what you mean by giving your copywriting to Shopify?
    When I looked at their terms and conditions they state that anything I put on their platform, including descriptions, becomes their property. Having said that, this link to a PDF says otherwise:

    "https://static1.singtelmybusiness.com/apps/EULA%20(Shopify).pdf"

    So I dunno? Maybe I misread it.

    I am pretty sure that I don't like the idea of paying monthly, just to see what happens with what would essentially be a hobby store. I live in Borneo and do a lot of adventure riding, hiking and camping, so thinking of a review site, reviewing products I've actually used in the Borneo jungle etc.

    That means it would be a slow-growing site, with each product written up and described personally. There's also the fact that simply having a site doesn't mean it will have any traffic, so again I'm not so keen on throwing money at Shopify for a site that's nowhere near finished and could take many months to become ready for prime-time - and even when it is, has no visitors.

    Again I stress it would be a matter of planting a website on top of my hobby, rather than a really serious attempt to make money per se. I already make good money as a copywriter and that's my main business now, has been for years. But copy doesn't bring in passive income, so playing with a hobby site could help me get back into that side.

    I guess it's not that much; at their base rate of $30 per month, 10 months would only be $300... I just really resent renting when I can buy outright. Besides, what's stopping them from cranking the price up whenever they feel like it? Or changing their terms and conditions? Call me an old fart but I grew up with the idea of buying assets and avoiding liabilities - and renting is always a liability.

    The idea of renting my business from some other company? Urgh, makes me shudder just to think of it. Urgh..

    On the other hand, if such a site did work out, then I could custom-build or simply change over to a WP theme or something?

    You say you have a number of sites? Obviously it can vary by niche but would you mind sharing what you typically do to drive traffic?



    APC
    Signature

    This man is living his dream. Are you...?
    www.copywriter-ac.com

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11388598].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author bestAd
      Originally Posted by AlanCarr View Post

      Cheers for the reply, even if it wasn't the "Yeah, woowoo and wordpress are free!" that I was hoping for



      When I looked at their terms and conditions they state that anything I put on their platform, including descriptions, becomes their property. Having said that, this link to a PDF says otherwise:

      "https://static1.singtelmybusiness.com/apps/EULA%20(Shopify).pdf"

      So I dunno? Maybe I misread it.

      I am pretty sure that I don't like the idea of paying monthly, just to see what happens with what would essentially be a hobby store. I live in Borneo and do a lot of adventure riding, hiking and camping, so thinking of a review site, reviewing products I've actually used in the Borneo jungle etc.

      That means it would be a slow-growing site, with each product written up and described personally. There's also the fact that simply having a site doesn't mean it will have any traffic, so again I'm not so keen on throwing money at Shopify for a site that's nowhere near finished and could take many months to become ready for prime-time - and even when it is, has no visitors.

      Again I stress it would be a matter of planting a website on top of my hobby, rather than a really serious attempt to make money per se. I already make good money as a copywriter and that's my main business now, has been for years. But copy doesn't bring in passive income, so playing with a hobby site could help me get back into that side.

      I guess it's not that much; at their base rate of $30 per month, 10 months would only be $300... I just really resent renting when I can buy outright. Besides, what's stopping them from cranking the price up whenever they feel like it? Or changing their terms and conditions? Call me an old fart but I grew up with the idea of buying assets and avoiding liabilities - and renting is always a liability.

      The idea of renting my business from some other company? Urgh, makes me shudder just to think of it. Urgh..

      On the other hand, if such a site did work out, then I could custom-build or simply change over to a WP theme or something?

      You say you have a number of sites? Obviously it can vary by niche but would you mind sharing what you typically do to drive traffic?



      APC
      Yes, probably you misread it.

      As a matter of fact, if you see anyone else using your copy, you can actually contact Shopify and they will send them a copyright infringement.

      You can actually have your Shopify site setup completely within a week if you know exactly what you are doing.

      I have had students do that and also my team.

      With the issue of paying monthly. When you compare the so-called buy outright option which is woocommerce, you will realize you will still spend about the same if not more yearly.

      The only buy outright option that exit is actually developing your own ecom store from scratch. I am sure you have an idea how difficult and expensive, both timewise and moneywise it will be.

      You should always treat every business seriously even if it cost you $1 to set up. If you see it as a hobby, you get hobby results.

      Your niche is a good niche and you actually use the products which makes it better.

      Yes, you could move it, but why do so if it will not make a significant change in your profit.

      When it comes to traffic, everything starts from the design and copy of the store.

      The store needs to have a high trust factor first, to be able to convert the traffic at a good rate.

      Next I setup my Abandoned cart emails and push notifications.

      I start running traffic with PPC such as google adwords and bing ads once I have some sales and data, I add facebook ads and other sources.
      Signature
      https://www.profitnave.com
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11389421].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author AlanCarr
    Cheers

    Yeah, I'm well aware of the way if you treat it as a hobby that's all it will be, but that is indeed all I want really.

    Looks like I probably will go for shopify, if only to learn the platform so I can help others easier with my copywriting. That would be a win-win.

    Thanks again


    APC
    Signature

    This man is living his dream. Are you...?
    www.copywriter-ac.com

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11389520].message }}
Avatar of Unregistered

Trending Topics