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Introduction
Blind drop shipping refers to a shipper who ships the product directly, from the supplier to the customer while not showing the identity of the supplier anywhere, including the invoice attached to the product. The bill only shows the name and address of the shipper and does not contain any information about the supplier.
For blind drop ship, the shipper must prepay the blind shipping service as well as the shipment fee before the product pickup. Blind drop shipping is an important shipping method used by millions of shippers. However, many still come up with the question, ‘why?’
What is a blind drop ship packing slip?
A typical packing slip includes the detail about the products you have sold to your customers. It is in the form of a document and pasted on the package to tell the shipper that the package has been released from the inventory and will be arriving at any moment.
However, a blind drop ship packing slip is specifically designed for blind dropshipping. It does not include any information about the supplier or the company that manufactured the product.
To blind drop ship, the first step is to switch to a blind drop ship packing slip. You can ask your wholesaler or the supplier to provide you the service. Usually, it’s not that hard and sometimes, free of cost if you have already paid the shipping fee in advance.
How to start a blind dropship?
The process to start a blind drop ship depends on the drop shipping platforms. However, the first step is to ask your supplier if he can assist in blind dropshipping.
Usually, Shopify shippers have the option to leave a message to the suppliers after they have placed an order with them. You can request to turn the product into a blind drop ship product or advise them to not include the invoice or any details that might lead to the revelation of the original price of the product.
Another way to run a blind dropshipping store is to get help from a third-party shipping service provider. However, you should only opt for this if you have not come to an agreement with your supplier about blind dropshipping products. Paying a third-party shipping company can be costly, sometimes.
All you have to do is provide the shipping company with the company’s operating name or the legal store name. They might also need your Logo in PNG. Or JPG. Format. The information on the original packing slip will go blind and only your information will be provided to your customers.
1. Refine Your Business Idea
The first thing in my dropshipping step-by-step guide is refining your business idea. But what does “refining your business idea” mean? It means that you must get so specific on your idea that you can explain it in only one sentence. You may think I am crazy — your business idea is so much more than that. Let me explain what I mean.
In short, you must organize and visualize all your thoughts before starting your dropshipping business. And once you have done that, get to the very core of your business idea and try to sum it up in a few words. As you are thinking about setting up a dropshipping business, chances are you already know what you want to sell over the Internet or at least the industry you want to work in.
Once you have refined and redefined your great business idea, you should figure out if it is financially workable. To put it another way, you need to find out if people are willing and want to buy your products.
For example, I personally use Google Trends to check if these dropshipping niches that are on my mind are in demand. Thus, let’s say, I want to dropship art products, or more precisely canvas. So, I will simply type in “canvas” in Google Trends, and track the demand and users’ search queries.
2. Do Market Research And Fully Understand Your Market And Competition
Why is market research the second thing on my dropshipping checklist? Before you start dropshipping, you must understand the market you are getting into. Thus, it is crucial to carefully examine the products you want to sell, get insights about competitors, and build a solid strategy to win the market. You want profit, right?
So, since I’ve already explained how you can check product demand using Google Trends, I have other advice for you. Well, the fact that people search for a specific product, does not mean they are going to buy it. Thus, that’s when product research tools, like Minea, or Adserea, come in handy. You can check on each product’s sales, profitability, costs, market prices, and more.
For example, I am personally using the AutoDS product research tool which helps me discover, source, research, and import products with incredible speed.
3. Understand Your Own Strengths and Weaknesses
As a first-time dropshipping entrepreneur, you may be blind to your own weak spots. For this reason, understanding your own strengths and weaknesses is the third thing on our dropshipping checklist.
You must understand your own strengths and weaknesses prior to entering the dropshipping market. To be more specific, simply ask yourself where you want to go as well as how you can get there.
Firstly, make a list of every business skill you think you have, including communication and negotiation, problem-solving, leadership, marketing, financial management, etc.
Secondly, try to be as objective and realistic as possible.
Ultimately, identify whether you can do everything yourself or whether you need to engage a web page designer, lawyer, accountant, or digital marketing specialist.
4. Create a Dropshipping Business Plan
Creating a dropshipping business plan is the first real step you need to take before you start dropshipping. A business plan is the key to success.
Plus, it can give real and tangible answers to important or even challenging questions.
You cannot build a house by simply walking over to an empty lot and nailing boards together. And the same goes for your startup.
5. Pick a Name For Your Dropshipping Store
Sure, this is the most alluring section of our dropshipping checklist because it enables you to be creative. Yeah, you can be creative while picking a name for your dropshipping store! The name of your business is actually the first piece of your brand that people will experience.
Therefore, it is essential to find the right name for your dropshipping store to help it stand out from the crowd and establish a unique identity. Hence, your name needs to describe your business. For example, if you don’t have any ideas, or you are too overwhelmed to come up with one, you can use AI tools like ChatGPT and ask for help. So, simply use a ChatGPT prompt, and you will get ideas.
6. Choose Your Dropshipping Suppliers
The next step of this dropshipping checklist is crucial for me, as I want to avoid dealing with dropshipping scams and losing money. So, I recommend finding reliable suppliers who create the kind of art you want to sell. Once you find them, make partnerships or agreements to ensure a steady supply of inventory.
For instance, I consistently find useful details in the Dropshipping.com supplier directory. They provide a free directory with over 2000 trustworthy suppliers for you to choose from. This directory helps me narrow down my search based on my specific dropshipping niche, supplier location, shipping costs, and other criteria.
Additionally, I can access valuable information about each supplier’s pricing, order processing time, minimum order quantity (MOQ), warehouse location, product range, and more.
7. Build Your Online Store
According to our dropshipping step-by-step guide, the next thing you need to do is to build your online store. And, this is probably one of the most important steps on my dropshipping checklist.
But before you start dropshipping and building your own website, we just want to point out that there are different sales channels out there. As a newcomer to the dropshipping industry, you need to know that the main online sales channels for dropshipping include: social media channels, online marketplaces (AliExpress, eBay, Amazon, etc.), and your own website.
You have probably heard of some online marketplaces so far. Also, you probably know that there are numerous online retailers who sell the same products on these marketplaces.
This means that there is a high level of competition there. And this may stop you from standing out from the crowd and establishing your brand. If you still want to sell on these online marketplaces, then good luck! But now, we will focus on how to build your own e-commerce website and establish your brand.
How to build your own e-commerce website:
There are three main ways to build your own e-commerce website – engaging a web developer; using WordPress, or using an e-commerce website builder/platform.
- Use an Open Source system to build from scratch. If you choose to use WordPress to create your website, you should have certain technical skills and knowledge. Hence, it offers unlimited customization, making it perfect for creating a totally bespoke e-commerce store.
- E-commerce website builders or platforms. On the other hand, e-commerce website builders or platforms are suitable for tech beginners who want to build an e-commerce store fast. Using an e-commerce website builder or platform, like Shopify, BigCommerce, Volusion, WooCommerce, Magento, and Wix, to name a few, is an easy way to create your online store.
- Web developers. If you have never built a website and you really need some professional help with your website and graphics, then hiring a web developer is a good idea. A web developer can build a well-performing e-commerce website from scratch. Just remember that this is definitely the priciest option out there.
Conclusion
Prior to choosing one of these platforms, keep in mind that some of them are hosted, whereas others are self-hosted. For instance, Shopify, BigCommerce, Volusion, and Wix have hosted platforms, whereas Magento and WooCommerce are self-hosted ones.
But what is the difference between these platforms? The main difference between self-hosted and hosted e-commerce platforms is that the hosted ones are more suitable for non-tech people.
But if you are a tech-savvy person, then one of the self-hosted platforms will be the right choice for you because it will give you more freedom.
