How to Dropship on Amazon WIthout Money

How to Dropship on Amazon WIthout Money: Beginner's Guide

By
Michelle Chia
|
April 9, 2024

Want to learn how to dropship on Amazon without money? You've come to the right place! New online entrepreneurs often feel overwhelmed by the prospect of starting an ecommerce business from scratch. From choosing a product to sourcing and stocking inventory, there are too many costs and risks in between. What if you could skip all that hassle and start making money today with dropshipping?

Dropshipping is a powerful way to sell products online without having to invest in inventory, and it has given sellers 50% more profit than their counterparts who hold inventory in-house.

This comprehensive guide on Amazon dropshipping for beginners will discuss how to start dropshipping for free on Amazon and how to sell on Amazon without buying products. We will also share how to find Amazon dropshipping suppliers and provide some insight into Amazon dropshipping policies.

What is Dropshipping?

To learn how to dropship on Amazon without money, you have to understand the basic dropshipping concepts. Dropshipping is a booming ecommerce business model and a retail fulfillment technique that involves shipping products directly from a supplier to the customer. This business model is appealing for many reasons, but the main reason is that it helps reduce costs and risk by eliminating the need to invest in inventory, handle product storage and fulfillment, and manage returns.

So how does dropshipping work? Well, let’s say you have an online store that sells skincare products, but you can’t stock products from as many skincare brands as you would have liked. Instead of only having limited products in your store, you could find dropshipping suppliers on Amazon who deal in skincare and reach an agreement with these suppliers where when your customer places an order on your website, the supplier will ship directly to your customer. This way, you do not need to purchase and store inventory, saving on costs and headaches.

Setting up a Dropshipping Store

The Benefits of Dropshipping on Amazon

Is Amazon dropshipping profitable? Absolutely! The Amazon website receives the 7th highest traffic in the United States, according to Semrush. As an Amazon dropshipper, this means that you can reach millions of prospective buyers from the comfort of your home.

Here are some more benefits of dropshipping on Amazon:

Logistics Speed

Amazon’s logistics system is one of the most efficient in the world, meaning that customers receive their orders quickly and reliably.

Low Overhead Costs

Dropshipping on Amazon eliminates the need for warehouse storage, inventory management, and other costs associated with stocking products.

Flexible Returns 

Amazon offers customers 30-day returns on most of the products it sells. This is beneficial to drop shippers as they don’t have to worry about managing return logistics and can instead focus on selling more products.

Diverse Product Offering 

Amazon has various products, from electronics and toys to clothes and home goods. This makes it easier for drop shippers to find products that will have a high demand from customers.

Easy Integration With Other Services 

Amazon has integrated its platform with other services, such as Amazon Seller Central and Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA). This makes it easy for sellers to connect their stores with external service providers and manage their sales more effectively.

Common Misconceptions About Dropshipping Business

While dropshipping is a great way to start an online business, some misconceptions remain, and the major one is that dropshipping is impossible without financial investments. Although dropshipping requires some amount of monetary investments in most cases, it is still possible to start dropshipping with no money. However, you still need to invest your time and efforts to make it work for you.

Research and Finding a Profitable Niche

You need to find a profitable niche to dropship on Amazon without money. A niche is a specific product or category of items; in this case, you want to find a niche with high demand. To do this, research the market and analyze the competition.

Conducting Market Research

Market research examines industry and marketing trends, customer demand, and competitors’ products. During market research, try checking for products or niches with high demand but only a few players in the market, such as home office décor, pet toys, eco-friendly products, and health supplements. Another thing you can do is to use tools such as Amazon’s Best Sellers List to find the best items to dropship on Amazon that are also in high demand. But high demand is not enough; you must also ensure that the products in your chosen niche are profitable.

Identifying Profitable Niches

Profitable niches combine a high demand for products and a low supply of them to capitalize on your product’s uniqueness. These niches often have higher profit margins and lower competition than more saturated categories. An example is selling custom items like personalized mugs and t-shirts, as these niches have higher margins than other products due to their intrinsic value.

How to Choose a Niche that is Profitable and Sustainable

Many high-profit niches are often not sustainable in the long run as their demand can quickly drop, or the niche may become too saturated. This is why choosing a niche that will remain profitable and sustainable in the long run is important. Follow these five easy steps to choose a dropshipping niche that is profitable and sustainable:

  • Identify potential niches with high demand.
  • Analyze the competition in your chosenniche.
  • Evaluate the potential return on investment
  • Create a business plan.
  • Do a business risk analysis.
Monitoring Dropshipping Sales Data

Build an Online Store without Investment

An online store is an essential part of a dropshipping business. Since you don’t want to invest any money in your store, there are two main options for building an online store without investment (using a free ecommerce platform and WordPress). Whichever one you choose must provide features such as product pages, a shopping cart, and payment systems without any additional cost.

Choose An eCommerce Platform

If you're wondering how to start dropshipping on Amazon with no money, we recommend starting with an eCommerce platform. eCommerce platforms like Amazon are great options for setting up an online store without investing money. These platforms offer free plans allowing you to start your store quickly. They also provide tools and features like product catalogs, payment systems, and analytics.

Creating An Online Store Without Money

To create an online store for free, you need to leverage free ecommerce platforms or, at least, those with a free plan for small businesses. After choosing one, you should do the following.

  • Choose a template
  • Set up your domain (online website address)
  • Add products
  • Set up payment and order fulfillment.

Most platforms offer a library of templates that you can choose from. Alternatively, you can create your template using HTML and CSS if you have the skills. eCommerce platforms also provide free domains and built-in payment gateways to businesses who wish to sell on the platform, so you can take advantage of these to create a free online store.

Tips for Designing an Attractive Online Store

Your online store’s design can make or break your business. To design an attractive online store, you should consider the following tips:

  • Use a clean and simple design that is easy to navigate.
  • Choose a color scheme that matches your brand.
  • Use high-quality images that showcase your products.
  • Make sure your online store is responsive and optimized for mobile devices.
  • Use clear and concise language to communicate with your customers.
Monitoring Dropshipping Sales Data

Identify Reliable Dropshipping Suppliers

Dropshipping suppliers are the link between you and the products that you are selling. On Amazon, dropshipping suppliers provide you with the inventory needed to sell products, but they often need clarification with the Amazon Marketplace Sellers, who list and sell products on Amazon.

Understanding the Role of a Dropshipping Supplier

A dropshipping supplier is a company that supplies products to you for resale on your online store. The supplier stocks and ships the product directly to the customer. This lets you focus on promoting and running your business without managing inventory or shipping orders. The roles of a dropshipping supplier may include sourcing products, storing them, and shipping them out to customers.

How to Find Reliable Dropshipping Suppliers without Money

There are several ways to find reliable dropshipping suppliers for your Amazon dropshipping business without spending much money. One way is to use online directories that provide vetted lists of suppliers.  

These directories allow you to filter suppliers based on product category, country of origin, and price range. Another option is to attend trade shows to meet potential suppliers and gain insight into their products, pricing, and service. Lastly, you can contact local stores and negotiate terms for working together as a dropshipping supplier.

Tips for Evaluating Potential Dropshipping Suppliers

It’s important to carefully assess your Amazon dropship suppliers to ensure you make the right business decision. To help you make an informed choice, here are 5 tips for evaluating potential dropshipping suppliers:

  • Check their online reviews
  • Verify their pricing
  • Request samples
  • Inspect their shipping process
  • Evaluate their customer service

Promote your Products on Amazon

Product promotion and advertising keep your product top of mind for your target audience. On a marketplace like Amazon, with visitors north of 3 million, this may mean millions of people will see your products and possibly buy from you. Product promotion on Amazon starts with your product listing.

The Importance of Product Listings

Product listings are the first thing a customer sees when they search for products on Amazon. These listings are important for the following reasons:

  • Providing customers with detailed product information.
  • Increasing visibility and helping products rank higher in search results.
  • Building trust and credibility.
  • Converting visitors into customers.
  • Generating sales

How to Optimize Product Listings for Better Visibility

Product listings provide key information about the product and should be optimized to ensure that they are visible in relevant searches. Optimizing product listings can help you increase visibility, generate more traffic, and boost sales.

Research and use targeted keywords in your title, description, and other important fields to optimize your Amazon product listings for better visibility. For example, instead of generic terms like “phone case,” you should use more specific keywords like “iPhone 14 pro phone case.”

It is also important to write persuasive descriptions highlighting the product’s features and benefits to encourage customers to click on your listing and make a purchase, such as “This iPhone 14 pro case offers maximum protection for your device and a stylish design.”

Tips for Promoting Products Without Spending Money

You don’t need to spend money on advertising or promotions to get the word out about your products. Instead, you can leverage social media, customer reviews, content marketing, and influencer marketing. Here’s how to do it:

  • Create shareable content to engage customers.
  • Learn SEO and implement it for your online store.
  • Collaborate with niche influencers for free promotion.
  • Encourage customers to review and rate products.
  • Share user-generated content featuring your products.
  • Stay active on social media to increase your online presence.
Product Packaging Process

Fulfill Orders and Provide Great Customer Service

To deliver optimal customer experience and increase return customers, your order fulfillment process needs to be seamless. Below, we share ways to accomplish this:

How to Handle Orders with Dropshipping

Handling orders with dropshipping requires a systematic approach to ensure that customers receive their orders promptly and satisfactorily. Having a reliable supplier goes a long way toward ensuring order fulfillment efficiency.

However, you still need to integrate your online store with the supplier. For this, you can use a dropshipping plugin to connect your online store to the supplier’s inventory and shipping system. This will allow you to import product information, pricing, availability, process orders, and track shipments automatically.

While managing and tracking customer orders, there may be instances where the customer will be unsatisfied and request a refund from you. In this case, you must work with the supplier to arrange the return and refund process. Make sure to have a clear return policy and communicate it to the customer.

The Importance of Customer Service in Dropshipping

There is a saying that goes "the customer is always right". When it comes to dropshipping on Amazon, this couldn't be more true. You'll want to make sure your customers feel valued and taken care of so they keep coming back for more.

This means offering support on queries, handling returns/refunds quickly, providing accurate tracking information, and being available for other customer needs. Doing this will not only leave customers satisfied with their purchase, but it can even help build trust and drive repeat purchases.

Tips for Providing Great Customer Service

Because customer service is very important in drop shipping, you want to ensure that you provide the best possible customer service that you can. Here are 5 things that you can do:

  • Promptly address customer complaints.
  • Provide accurate and updated product information.
  • Ensure timely order processing and shipping.
  • Provide clear return policies.
  • Respond quickly to customer inquiries.

Conclusion

Quit "thinking" about how to start a dropshipping business and start dropshipping on Amazon today!. By following our guide on how to dropship on Amazon without money, you can create product listings, promote them, manage orders efficiently, and provide excellent customer service seamlessly.

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