Finding the best dropshipping platform is one of the necessary steps to establish a functional business from scratch. The platform is the virtual space where we will carry out all our actions, such as managing our orders, prices, products, and more.
If you’re searching for the best dropshipping platform, you’ve already decided to start dropshipping, whether as a side hustle or a long-term projection. Therefore, besides showing you the most reliable platforms in this article, we will review some key aspects you can’t overlook when choosing.
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Consider each platform’s costs and profit margins, balancing initial investments and potential returns.
Evaluate the platform’s compatibility with automation tools to streamline your dropshipping processes.
Align your platform choice with the type of products you sell and your target audience’s preferences.
Utilize effective marketing and promotion strategies to enhance your store’s visibility and attract more customers.
Let’s start from the beginning: you probably already understand this business model, but reviewing our knowledge is always good.
Dropshipping is a low-risk business model with a low initial investment, allowing us to have a store and sell products without the need to produce or store those products. By partnering with a supplier who handles inventory and shipping, what we do as dropshippers is receive orders from our customers and forward them to the supplier.
Of course, our responsibilities remain to market the products, stay competitive against other businesses, and provide customer service. In broad terms, dropshipping involves three main steps:
You probably want to know how to make money dropshipping. For example, in any type of business, it depends on several factors. Finding the best dropshipping platform is just one of them. We also need to learn how to conduct proper product research, take advantage of automation, build our store with everything necessary, and, of course, use a good selling channel.
Selling channels are basically divided into two: marketplaces and customizable eCommerce sites. You gain access to a large and established customer base on marketplaces like Facebook Marketplace, but you have less room for customization and branding. Instead, on customizable eCommerce sites like Shopify, you can fully customize the look and feel of your store, creating a unique brand identity.
Let’s see which one might be more convenient for you according to your needs!
There is a lot of information regarding the criteria for choosing a dropshipping platform that can be overwhelming. While many aspects depend on the type of business you want to set up, the products you intend to sell, or the target audience, focusing on some key aspects is good.
Here are some tips we curated to summarize and highlight what you shouldn’t overlook when choosing the best dropshipping platform for you.
This is one of the main aspects we must focus on, but it all depends on our preferences. Suppose we want to decide on every aesthetic and functional detail of our store, having more decision-making power over its form. In that case, opting for a customizable eCommerce platform is best. These are the main benefits of a customizable eCommerce platform:
However, if we are in a hurry and need to get our store up and running quickly and with minimal effort, a marketplace will be much more convenient than a customizable store. Let’s see some of its main advantages:
When choosing the best dropshipping platform, as with any business-related decision, we must consider the associated costs and the profit margin it allows us to obtain. In this case, marketplaces and customizable sites differ quite a bit, but everything still depends on the type of store you want to run.
Basically, marketplaces charge commission fees and other transaction fees, which can impact your profit margins. For example, Amazon charges a referral fee that ranges from 6% to 45% depending on the category, along with additional fees for fulfillment and storage. eBay generally takes around 10% of the final sale price plus listing fees. Etsy has a $0.20 listing fee per item and takes a 6.5% transaction fee, in addition to payment processing fees. However, these platforms require less initial investment in marketing and promotion, making them more accessible if you have limited funds.
On the other hand, customizable websites offer higher potential profit margins but require upfront investments in domain registration, hosting, and continuous marketing strategies. For instance, Shopify has a monthly subscription fee starting at $39, plus transaction fees unless you use Shopify Payments. WooCommerce, a popular choice for WordPress users, is free but requires payment for hosting and extensions. This option might be more suitable if you have a larger budget to invest in promoting your brand.
To summarize, if you want to maximize your profit margin, a customizable website might be your better choice since it allows you to control the pricing better and reduce dependency on marketplace fees. A general marketplace could be more suitable if you prioritize consistent sales and exposure.
Now, let’s talk about something that can completely change your experience in dropshipping: automation. Automating processes means saving time and money. How? Think of it this way: building an online store from scratch involves managing orders, marketing, page details, dealing with suppliers, and more. The list of tasks in any business becomes almost endless.
However, suppose we integrate our store with an automation tool. In that case, we can access technology that handles routine and tedious tasks, freeing time to focus on the priority aspects of our business.
Beginner’s Tip: For example, by leveraging all the features provided by AutoDS, you can significantly ease the development of your business and get it running smoothly in much less time than you might think. Take advantage of our 14-day trial for $1 to experience all the benefits that automation can offer to lend you a hand!
While it may seem intuitive, when choosing the best dropshipping platform, we must ask ourselves what type of product we want to sell and what type of audience we want to reach with that product.
Suppose your products are high-end or require detailed information for consumers who want to make informed decisions. In that case, a customizable eCommerce site might be more suitable for you, as it allows you to create a tailored and informative shopping experience, providing detailed descriptions, high-quality images, and customer reviews that can help build trust and drive sales.
On the other hand, if you want to sell products that consumers often buy on impulse, such as trendy gadgets or fashion accessories, a general marketplace like eBay or Amazon might be more effective since these platforms attract a large volume of traffic.
Similarly, if your products appeal directly to a specific group of people, such as sports enthusiasts or environmentally conscious individuals, social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram can be very helpful in targeting the audience with your marketing strategies.
Conversely, typical marketplaces are our best option for products that target a broader and less defined audience due to their large base of potential customers mentioned earlier.
Regarding marketing and promotion, marketplaces and customizable eCommerce sites offer distinct advantages catering to different product types.
Marketplaces like Amazon and eBay provide immediate access to a large, established customer base, reducing the need for significant upfront investment in attracting traffic. These platforms have strong SEO and search functionalities, increasing your products’ visibility. For example, Amazon’s A9 algorithm helps products rank well in search results based on relevance and performance, while eBay’s Promoted Listings feature allows you to boost your product visibility within its search results.
Additionally, they offer built-in advertising tools, making it easier to promote your items within the platform. Amazon offers various advertising options, such as Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands, while eBay provides Promoted Listings and eBay Ads. Due to the high traffic volume and streamlined purchasing process, marketplaces are particularly effective for selling hot products like trending gadgets or fashion accessories. They are also suitable for products with broad appeal, as the diverse audience of these platforms can quickly translate into sales.
On the other hand, customizable eCommerce sites like Shopify and WooCommerce offer complete control over your branding and marketing strategies. Shopify integrates with various marketing tools and apps, such as email marketing platforms (e.g., Klaviyo, Mailchimp), social media advertising, and Google Ads. WooCommerce also supports a range of plugins for SEO, email marketing, and analytics. These platforms allow you to create a unique brand identity and leverage various marketing channels, such as social media, email marketing, content marketing, SEO, and paid ads, to drive traffic to your site.
Custom sites provide full access to customer data, enabling personalized marketing campaigns and fostering long-term customer relationships. While you need to invest more time and resources in SEO, you can optimize your site for specific keywords and build domain authority. Customizable eCommerce sites are ideal for high-end or niche products that require detailed information and a tailored shopping experience.
Having reviewed everything above, it’s time to move on to clear examples. We will show you some of the best platforms and explain their different features so that you can choose the best dropshipping platform based on your own criteria.
Remember “the one ring to rule them all” from The Lord of the Rings? Well, AutoDS allows you to manage both marketplace accounts and customizable e-commerce site accounts all from one place. In other words, the best dropshipping platforms below can all connect to AutoDS, enabling true automation and scalability. And that’s just one of its benefits!
One of the best aspects of this dropshipping platform is that it allows us to diversify. Depending on the different niches and audiences we work with, we might need more than one account on more than one site. Having a system that organizes all your accounts and helps you scale by automating processes is a great advantage.
AutoDS streamlines a lot of processes to help you focus. With our $1 trial, you can access and try:
The AutoDS Marketplace allows you to save time and effortlessly discover, source, research, and import winning products from private and retail dropshipping suppliers. There, you can explore products with the best quality, fastest delivery times, and lowest prices. In addition, the Hand-Picked Products feature provides access to items that have gone through an in-depth and complete analysis of AutoDS’ expert team, including how sellers run their campaigns, target audience, potential profit, and more detailed information.
AutoDS offers an automated product importing and listing feature that simplifies the process of adding new products to your e-commerce store. This feature allows you to connect your store to various suppliers and marketplaces and then automatically import product data, including images, descriptions, and pricing. This can save you significant time and effort, as you don’t have to create product listings manually.
AutoDS provides advanced repricing tools that help you optimize the prices of your products. These tools automatically analyze market trends, competitor pricing, and other factors to automatically adjust your prices in real-time. This can help you stay competitive, increase your profit margins, and ensure that your products are priced optimally.
The AutoDS platform includes robust inventory and order management features. These tools allow you to track stock levels, receive notifications when items run low, and automatically update your product listings to reflect current inventory. The order management system also helps you streamline the fulfillment process, including order tracking, shipping, and customer communication.
Another platform to consider is TikTok Shop, an emerging e-commerce platform integrated within the TikTok app, offering unique benefits for sellers:
TikTok Shop is designed to capitalize on TikTok’s popularity and engagement, offering a dynamic platform for sellers to showcase and sell products through engaging and interactive content formats.
Beginner’s Tip: TikTok offers a unique opportunity for sellers, combining its massive reach with innovative shopping features. Here is How To Start Dropshipping On TikTok Shop.
Amazon operates as a widely recognized and trusted marketplace, facilitating secure listings and transactions. With hundreds of millions of active monthly users, Amazon provides unparalleled access to a vast global audience, ensuring high visibility for your products.
It is easy and efficient to list products on Amazon, allowing sellers to start quickly and scale their operations effectively. Also the platform offers tools such as sponsored ads and specific promotions that help highlight products against competition, thereby increasing sales opportunities.
Dropshipping on Amazon is accessible and effective, leveraging its robust infrastructure and advanced advertising capabilities to optimize product visibility and performance. With it you gain access to the following:
Beginner’s Tip: Amazon dropshipping can be highly profitable, but it’s also a competitive marketplace. That’s why we’ve created a comprehensive guide on Dropshipping On Amazon to help you succeed.
Shopify is one of the best options when choosing a customizable eCommerce site. It allows us to customize the hosting platform fully and lets us select every detail of our online store to create and edit it according to what best suits our audience.
Additionally, it is a site that guarantees a secure checkout with multiple payment options and provides unlimited product listings from day one. Also, creating a store on Shopify is very easy and practical, and you don’t need technical or programming skills.
Beginner’s Tip: If you don’t have the time or desire to create your online store on Shopify from scratch, you can always take advantage of our AI Shopify store in less than 2 minutes feature and have your store ready in just a few clicks!
The Facebook Marketplace is part of the social network’s expansion into eCommerce, making it easier for people to buy and sell items from one another. This integration helps establish Facebook as an essential part of daily life. Using Facebook Marketplace as a dropshipping platform offers several benefits:
Since Facebook Marketplace is relatively new, we can start selling products quickly and exploit the low competition. Moreover, if you have a Facebook account, you do not need to sign up or subscribe separately; you can begin listing products immediately.
Additionally, Facebook Marketplace is one of the best platforms for generating organic traffic. With access to its vast audience and reach in more than 70 countries, your business has significant growth potential. Plus, there are no selling limits, allowing us to sell as many products as we wish.
Beginner’s Tip: Not sure how to start selling on Facebook? Check out our How To Dropship On Facebook Marketplace step-by-step guide.
Etsy is one of the premier dropshipping marketplaces, specializing in handmade and vintage goods. Dropshippers benefit from Etsy in the following ways:
In recent years, the growing demand for unique and individualized products has boosted the popularity of handmade goods, vintage items, and craft supplies. Etsy’s focus on these categories provides dropshippers with an excellent opportunity to sell items in these distinctive niches.
Beginner’s Tip: Etsy allows dropshippers to tap into a passionate community of buyers looking for unique products. Want to know how? Learn in our How To Start Dropshipping On Etsy complete guide.
WooCommerce stands out as one of the top dropshipping platforms for several key reasons:
Designed to integrate seamlessly with WordPress, WooCommerce provides store owners and developers with full control over their eCommerce operations. Within minutes, users can launch an online store to sell physical products. Additionally, WooCommerce benefits from a vibrant community of developers, designers, and merchants contributing thousands of free plugins.
Moreover, WooCommerce offers paid extensions that allow easy customization and provide premium features such as speed optimization and integration with payment gateways. This flexibility makes it ideal for tailoring an eCommerce store to specific business needs.
Beginner’s Tip: Learn How To Run A Successful WooCommerce Dropshipping Business in our full guide.
eBay is a highly attractive e-commerce marketplace for new sellers, offering significant business growth potential without requiring upfront investment. Here are the advantages of using eBay as a dropshipping platform:
Dropshipping on eBay is straightforward and doesn’t demand a large initial investment, as setting up a store with a personal account is free.
Moreover, eBay provides a steady traffic flow with over 135 million active buyers, ensuring ample exposure for our listings to drive sales. Additionally, sellers can enhance visibility through features like ‘promoted listings,’ which help listings stand out effectively.
Beginners Tip: Here is Everything You Need To Start Dropshipping On eBay successfully.
Wix is a website-building platform tailored for dropshipping, enabling you to create and host your business website, blog, or portfolio online. It offers dropshippers the following advantages:
As one of the top dropshipping platforms, Wix provides an intuitive method for building a fully customizable business website. It offers a wide array of free, customizable web templates, effortlessly accommodating any level of traffic or project size. Moreover, adding products is straightforward with Wix’s user-friendly interface and robust features.
Beginner’s Tip: Wix is one of the best eCommerce platforms, but it also has its drawbacks. Discover how to start your online business successfully in our Wix Dropshipping guide.
Automating your dropshipping business can help you make money faster by saving time, reducing errors, and allowing you to scale more efficiently. Automated tools can handle repetitive tasks like finding and importing products, processing orders, updating tracking information, and managing inventory. By automating these time-consuming processes, you can focus more on marketing, customer service, and business growth.
AutoDS is not a selling channel but rather an automated dropshipping tool that integrates with your existing e-commerce platform or selling channel. AutoDS helps streamline various aspects of running a dropshipping business, such as finding and importing products, monitoring prices and stock, automatically processing orders, and more.
The best option for dropshipping depends on your specific business goals and target market. A marketplace like Amazon or eBay can provide access to a large customer base and built-in trust, but you’ll face more competition and may have less control over branding and pricing. A dedicated selling channel, such as a Shopify store, allows you to customize your brand fully, offer a unique shopping experience, and potentially earn higher profit margins.
After reading this article, you should have several tools to help you decide which dropshipping platform is best for your store based on the type of product you intend to sell, the audience you are targeting, and your time management criteria.
Both marketplaces and customizable eCommerce sites offer advantages and disadvantages. The choice between one type of platform will again depend on which features are more convenient for your sales.
Marketplaces are more suitable for general, impulse-buy products and for those aiming to reach a large existing audience with minimal marketing investment. Customizable eCommerce sites are better for high-end or niche products, providing complete control over branding and customer experience. They are ideal for cultivating long-term customer relationships through detailed and personalized marketing efforts.
These are some of the aspects you cannot overlook when choosing the best dropshipping platform, along with examples of some of the best sites you can trust for research. Remember that automation makes everything much simpler, allowing you to focus more on the critical aspects of your business.
To continue exploring the world of dropshipping, we recommend diving into the following articles:
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