How to Start Dropshipping for Free in 2024: 6 Easy Steps

Dropshipping is a business model where you sell without stock. It provides a low entry barrier and minimizes the potential risk. In recent years, dropshipping has gained increasing popularity among online sellers. According to statistics, the estimated value of the global dropshipping market was $243.42 in 2023 and it will reach $476.10 in 2026.

What is dropshipping?

Dropshipping is an order fulfillment method where you sell products without maintaining physical inventory. When a customer places an order, you forward it to a third-party supplier. The supplier then packs and ships the order directly to the customer’s address. You profit from the difference between the import price you pay the supplier and the retail price you charge the customer.

With dropshipping, you don’t need to invest in inventory, manage stock, or handle shipping logistics. It frees up more time for you to focus on customer acquisition. The other advantages of dropshipping include these,

• Minimal risk
• Easy to test new products
• Flexible to adapt to market trends and changes

Can you start dropshipping for free?

It is tempting to connect starting a business with a huge investment. However, this is not true for dropshipping. In the dropshipping model, you don’t need to maintain inventory. A lot of free resources including eCommerce platforms and suppliers also enable you to get started without money.  

However, while the initial setup can be free, scaling the business and expanding your reach typically require a little investment. For example, you may need to pay for premium features provided by your supplier. In addition, you can incur costs when leveraging third-party apps to improve your store functionality.

How to start dropshipping for free?

You now know that you can start a dropshipping business with no money. But how to do that exactly?

Here are several steps you can take.

1. Choose a niche

Choosing a niche is the first step to starting dropshipping for free. A niche is a small segment of a market. It allows you to focus on a specific category and provides a higher chance to stand out from the competition.
The niche should be an area you are passionate about, as this will keep you motivated in the long journey. Meantime, your niche must strike a balance between the demand and competition. This ensures you can make sales and set yourself apart from others.
When finding a niche, use tools like Google Trends, Answer the Public, and social platforms to facilitate your process.

2. Find winning products

Winning products are products that sell well in the market. They can make a difference between a successful store and a failed one.

Typically, winning products share the following features,

• Solve customers’ problems
• Not easy to access in retail stores
• Provide a decent profit
• With unique appearance or functionality
• Not prohibited on leading ad platforms
• Not infringe the intellectual property rights of other brands

To find winning products, you can take advantage of these free tools.

Amazon Best Seller

Amazon’s Best Sellers page is a list of top-selling products across various categories. Updated hourly, this list shows what’s currently popular among consumers. By browsing through the categories relevant to your niche, you can identify products that are in high demand.

eBay Watch Count

eBay Watch Count allows you to see how many people are viewing a product on eBay. The number gives you an idea of the product’s demand. You can use this free tool to find potential products that fit your store.

Google Trends

Google Trends is an invaluable tool for understanding the interest in a product over time and by region. You can use it to research the popularity of specific search terms related to potential products. This can help you identify trending products or predict seasonal trends, enabling you to offer products at the right time to capitalize on consumer interest.

AliExpress Dropshipping Center

AliExpress Dropshipping Center is a search engine developed by AliExpress specifically for dropshippers. It allows you to find hot-selling products on AliExpress. The “Product analysis” feature can help you analyze a product from the perspective of price, shipping, and sales. Learn about how to use AliExpress Dropshipping Center.

Sup Dropshipping’s Winning Product Center

Sup Dropshipping’s Winning Product Center curates a list of winning products based on our research and market trends. Every week, we recommend trending products with high demand and potential for profit. By leveraging this information, you can find products that are likely to attract customers and generate sales in your dropshipping business.

3. Find reliable suppliers

The supplier manages inventory and ships orders on your behalf. So they can play a key role in the development of your business. However, there are hundreds of thousands of suppliers out there, it is not easy to find a reliable one. When selecting a supplier, consider the supplier’s industry experience, reputation, product range, and reviews from other dropshippers.

There are various ways to locate a dropshipping supplier. The common methods are as follows.

Search on a browser

In this way, you type “your niche + dropshipping suppliers” into the search bar of your browser. Given that you are a clothing store owner, you may search with “clothing dropshipping suppliers”. If you need a local supplier, add your location like “UK” or “US” after the phrase.

Use a directory of suppliers

A supplier directory like Syncee, Alibaba, and Wholesale Central makes it easy to find dropshipping suppliers. Just register for an account and you can get in touch with different suppliers in a few clicks.

Search in a marketplace

Many sellers in a marketplace, such as AliExpress, DHgate, and Banggood, offer dropshipping services. You can contact a seller to fulfill your dropshipping orders.

Work with a dropshipping agent

A dropshipping agent acts as the middleman between your supplier and you. When you receive an order, the agent sends the order to a supplier to be fulfilled. As a professional dropshipping agent like Sup Dropshipping often has connections with lots of suppliers, you are allowed to find a reliable supplier efficiently.

Search in the app store of your selling platform

In the app store of your selling platform, there are usually plenty of apps developed by dropshipping suppliers. You can search for a supplier with the keyword “dropshipping suppliers”.

Ask for referrals from your acquaintance

If you know about some sellers like you in your life, you may ask their referrals to a supplier. They have built a relationship with the supplier so they can give you an honest review of the products or services provided by this supplier. As an option, you can post on social platforms for referrals from other dropshippers.

Attend trade shows in your industry

Attending trade shows is another way to find dropshipping suppliers. A trade show is an event where manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors gather to showcase their latest products and innovations. It provides you with an opportunity to communicate with suppliers face-to-face.

4. Choose a selling platform and create a store

Creating an online store is a crucial step to dropship without money. While many eCommerce platforms charge a fee for starting a store, some are free to use or offer a free trial. If you would like to own a customizable website, you can use Shopify or WooCommerce. Alternatively, you can create a storefront on a marketplace. Popular marketplaces like Amazon and eBay already have a global presence, which provides you with an existing customer base.  

5. Add products to your store

Once you have set your store up, it is time to add products to it. Manually fulfilling this task may give you more control over editing, but it is time-consuming. Instead, you can use a free dropshipping app to streamline the process.

Some dropshipping apps, Sup Dropshipping for instance, integrate with major eCommerce platforms and marketplaces. They permit you to import and list a product in a few clicks. When listing the product, you can also edit its information, such as price, description, images, and variants. If you don’t want to edit such information at once, you can copy that from the supplier and make changes later on. However, you should be aware of infringement issues. Make sure the copied images and description won’t infringe the intellectual property rights of other brands. 

6. Promote your products

Marketing is important to increase the product visibility. Without proper marketing strategies, your items will be hard to be found by potential customers.

While paid ads are expensive, some marketing methods are free and work well if done right. To promote your dropshipping products without money, you can utilize SEO, social media marketing, and email marketing.

SEO

SEO stands for search engine optimization. It involves optimizing your website to rank higher on search engine results pages(SERPs). This may require you to optimize on-page content, and website structure as well as build high-quality backlinks. Through SEO, you can get organic traffic to your site and increase brand awareness. The only drawback is that it may take a long time to yield results. So be patient if you employ this strategy.

Social media marketing

Social media marketing leverages social media platforms to connect with customers and promote products. It capitalizes on the vast user base and diverse demographics present on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. Sticking with the right platform, you can interact with customers effectively and improve your brand awareness. But success on social platforms needs consistency. It might not be several days or months, but years before you come to see benefits.

Email marketing  

Email marketing utilizes the power of personalized communication to engage with a targeted audience. This method involves sending emails to a group of recipients and delivering tailored content, promotions, or updates directly to their inboxes. Its features include segmentation for precise targeting, automation to streamline campaigns, and detailed analytics for assessing performance. The primary advantage lies in its cost-effectiveness and the ability to establish a direct line of communication with potential and existing customers. However, challenges such as email deliverability issues and the need for compelling content to avoid being labeled as spam necessitate a strategic approach. When executed effectively, email marketing proves to be a potent tool for fostering customer relationships, driving conversions, and nurturing brand loyalty.

Conclusion

Dropshipping is a business model that allows you to sell without carrying inventory. It requires low investment upfront and minimizes your risk. Choosing a niche, finding winning products, and using a free eCommerce platform, then you can start dropshipping for free.

If you have no experience in online selling, you may work with Sup Dropshipping to free the hurdles on your journey. Having served thousands of dropshippers, we are confident to give you the best sourcing, branding, and fulfillment services.

Register today to learn more about us!