How To Start Dropshipping For Free In 2023

Many people believe that starting an online business is an expensive and scary endeavor.

Well, in the business world, everything is scary. Until you get off the sidelines and do it.

That’s why I’m going to show you how to start dropshipping for free in 2023.

You must invest your time, effort, and money to make it work.

You’ll receive so many setbacks you’ll think it will never work and isn’t meant for you, however, the one’s that triumph are the ones that are the most resilient

The only difference in doing it online is that everyone can do it as you don’t need startup capital for a storefront, licensing, employees etc.

That’s where the dropshipping model comes in.

Dropshipping allows anyone to build a business.

It is where the possible owner, like you, can sell your product to your customer without having any inventory on hand.

But how do you start dropshipping for free in 2023? 

In this post, I will share with you the most effective tips for starting a dropshipping business that only requires an idea and effort. Let’s begin!

What Is The Process To Start Dropshipping For Free?

Dropshipping is one of the best side hustles you may want to try to hit that goal of financial independence in 2023.

You can start your online store at no to low risk.

Your customer will purchase your product from you, then you’ll purchase the product from your supplier at a lower price and they’ll ship it directly to your customer. 

Sound simple right?

But if you are really serious about starting an eCommerce business, you need to identify a niche first and find your target customer.  

But if you are unsure about the niche you want to pursue, it’s okay to experiment with different products you want to sell.

You just have to get off the sidelines and start. Stop being a spectator, I’ll guide you through it.

Here’s the step-by-step overview process on how to start dropshipping for free:  

Step 1: Create an eCommerce account and build your free online store

First, you must pick an eCommerce platform and create an account.

Then, build your basic website.

It doesn’t need to be extravagant. Something simple and clean works best. 

Step 2: Find a product to sell and connect it to your store

Find a product you want to sell with local inventory from Aliexpress, eBay, or Amazon stores.

International suppliers may sound enticing, but the shipping process makes it impossible to work, resulting in a large volume of complaints to the point that platforms won’t let you advertise.

So, I recommend staying with the best free dropshipping suppliers that offer local inventory and shipping.

Step 3: List the product on your online store and customize it

Once you find the list of products you want to sell, move them to your online store then organize the creative and description.

Create a product description, add at least 20% product price margin, then categorize each item.

Step 4: Advertise your product to FACEBOOK Marketplace, Gumtree, OR SIMILAR

Posting your chosen product to other marketplaces is a great free advertisement strategy for your eCommerce store.

You can post it to FB marketplace, Gumtree, IG, CraigsList, etc.

There are no fees for this type of advertising and you can use the pictures and description from your store.

Step 5: Answer any inquiries that come in

Have patience in assisting your customer’s inquiries, after all they could be your first ever customer and will make you money.

You have to check the notification button for each marketplace posted constantly.

This will increase your chances of getting a customer when they’re engaged and ready to buy.

Step 6: Redirecting your customer from the marketplace to your store 

In closing thesale, you have to guide your customers and direct them to your online store to make the purchase.

This way, your customer will be on your product page with a means to purchase.

But if you want to attract more customers, it’s best to include the link to your online store in your description box (if the platform allows).

Step 7: Create More Sales

Once you have done everything right and you’ve made your first sale, it’s now timeto add more products and scale your business.

You can get rid of the non-profitable products and change them with others.

Then, it’s a matter of pushing for more sales. 

It may be terrifying at the beginning, but once you finally get the first sales, your confidence that this method works increases and you’ll have the energy to push more products and get more sales.

You simply just need to start and stop going through paralysis by analysis. Remember, progress over perfection.

How to Create a Free Dropshipping Store

1. Create an eCommerce Store 

In creating your dropshipping store, there are several eCommerce platforms that you can use to get you going.

These are Shopify and WooCommerce. And each platform has its own features.

Let’s start with Shopify as this is the simplest to setup and get you started not to mention a free trial. 

• What is Shopify?

Shopify is a prominent E-comm player in the market today.

They are popular and suitable for startup owners because they offer a free trial package to their users.

They also have a $1 for 3 months promotional plan to try their basic Shopify plan for $17 per month,

As you progress you can upgrade your account with Mid Shopify for $44 per month, and advance subs for $266 annually. 

To begin your Shopify free dropshipping business, you need to purchase a domain and website that will cost a $14 minimum annual payment. 

However, if you want to start completely free, we recommend the WooCommerce platform. 

However, Woo Commerce comes with higher complexity

• What is WooCommerce?

WooCommerce is a free plug-in platform that runs through WordPress.

Compared to Shopify, there will be no monthly or annual fee waiting for you. It’s 100% free except for the domain. 

You only need to buy your domain name for your WordPress account.

But if you already have these, you can now start arranging your website. 

Tip: You have to make it as simple as possible. Most business owners fail to begin their free dropshipping store because they get to overwhelmed by organizing their website. Having a clear, simple, and easy-to-access website is enough. REMEMBER: Progress over perfection to start

2. Find Your Products

One of the most important things you need to start a dropshipping business is by finding products.

It could be electronics, beauty, home decor, clothing lines, and more.

It doesn’t really matter about the product, it’s just matters that it can make you money. 

Tips for finding your product: 

• You don’t need to be interested in the product you are selling
• Check how many positive reviews and customers it attracts
• Sell products that are safe and reliable 
• Visit your possible competitor websites and observe how it works
• When in doubt, sell products that are trending or visit trends.google.com

3. Find a trusted supplier 

A dropshipping business is solely based on the quality of products the supplier provides.

Therefore, you have to search as intensively as possible to ensure your products’ safety and gain more customers. 

The following questions can help you determine if a supplier meets your needs:

Tips for finding trusted free dropshipping suppliers: 

• Know their return/damage policy 
• Check how long it takes to deliver the product
• Make sure they have local inventory to where you are selling
• Read online reviews
• The supplier should have protection against fraud

You can find the best free dropshipping suppliers in: 

• AliExpress
• DHgate
• eBay
• Shopify
• 1688.com
• Amazon
  

These best free dropshipping suppliers are the one’s with the best reviews and the best products.

These above five offer the most affordable prices and good shipping terms – a good stepping stone for your business.

4. List The Product On Your Shopify Store

After choosing the eCommerce platform, product, and supplier, the real work begins! 

You have to start listing all the products you want to sell. You can write engaging product descriptions, product categories, and pictures to attract the interest of your buyers.

This is also one of the hacks that would make your online store look as reliable as if it is you own the product. 

Besides that, this is the part where you need to start pricing your items too.

You can start adjusting the price margin of your product by at least 20%. So if it’s $10 on eBay, make sure you sell for at least $12.50.

You can earn $5-50 per product without investing your own hard earnt money. 

5. Advertise your store through a different marketplace

Business owners continue doing the first three processes toward success in dropshipping, and they always continue.

If you want to widen your customer range for bigger sales, use an organic posting strategy without spending any additional money.

You only need to find the right marketplace that works for you. It could be on Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, Amazon, Instagram, and other social media accounts. 

But you don’t need to post all of your content in every marketplace available. You need to focus on one to two marketplaces first, then find where you get the most customers and scale this marketplace. 

The time and effort that you invest in finding the right platform should equal the time and effort you put into pitching your product online.

You need to find photos and write an enticing description to attract customers for it to work.

Tips: You should also be clear with your objectives. You have to include that you only focus on online sales and there are no personal pickups.

ALWAYS offer free shipping

6. Answer Inquiries that come through

After posting several items, it’s almost guaranteed you’ll receive inquiries from your possible customer.

It’s essential to answer all of them, especially for a starter like you. 

This is the only way to build trust between you and the customer.

Make sure you’re polite and informative with your replies, then make the sale without making the sale.

You do this by asking if they’d like the link to your product to check it out.

7.  Close The Sale

If you happen to find a possible buye, make sure to close the sale by redirecting them to visit your online store.

Whether you are talking one-on-one to your possible buyer or simply posting your products only, you need to put the link where they can purchase. 

You are guiding them to make a purchase as well as telling them the importance of your product. 

Congratulations, you’ve made your first sale!

Once you reach this part, there’s a high chance that you will soon be getting multiple sales per day. 

You now have a successful online business that makes money through your own sweat equity.

8. Create more sales

Give your dropshipping store at least a week or a month to monitor the progress you are making.

You will see your best-selling products and the non-performing products you need to get rid of. 

Use this data to start killing products that aren’t performing and scaling products that are performing.

Tip: You should also consider putting in an add-on sale once a month to try and drive more sales.

What is an add-on sale?

Add-on sales is the technique used in other successful online businesses that encourages the customer to purchase more than one product from their website in exchange for a specific percentage off the retail price. It’s proven to be effective in increasing your sales and average order value.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of starting a free dropshipping business? 

Most people asking, “how to start dropshipping for free” last year are now kicking off their business toward success.

They aced each challenge along the way by following the steps above to start a dropshipping business. 

But do you know what else you should consider? Knowing the advantages and disadvantages of handling online business so that you can be prepared for your future too. 

Advantages: 

• It’s safe and has low risk 

Compared to owning a physical business store that requires assets before creating a profit, drop shipping has the lowest risk possible for future business owners like you.

You can earn millions from zero assets if you have the perseverance and dedication to make it happen. 

• Your success is in your hands

A free dropshipping business is a type of business that is solely based on the effort you are making.

You will have 100% control over how far you want your business to reach. You will be in charge of searching, posting, and deciding which product you want to sell.

Something every business owner holds. 

It may be overwhelming at first, considering that you’ll need to do everything alone.

But if you actually do it, nothing will seem scary anymore.

You can even hire more people to work for you.

Your money will work for you

The other advantage of starting a dropshipping business is you can earn money while your sleeping or on vacation.

Because once you set up everything, the money will work for you. 

Your customer will simply buy on your website even during your rest.

Disadvantages:

• High competition

According to the recent eCommerce store statistic, there are 4.7 million websites that are using Shopify and WooCommerc platforms for dropshipping.

Undeniably, the competition to start dropshipping is higher than normal business. However, if you differentiate your site, your offering, and your service, then you’ll move the odds drastically in your favor.

So, you must find the niche and the product you want to sell. Then, connect with your customer needs to make this happen. 

But don’t let the number frighten you. The higher the competition, the higher the number of customers. Plus, it only means that the dropshipping model is a new business trend today. 

Frequently Asked Questions: 

What are the best Shopify apps to start dropshipping for free?

Shopify ranked second for being the best eCommerce business acquiring 1.7 million users worldwide. So if you are considering building your own Shopify store, here are the dropshipping apps that are reliable free dropshipping suppliers: Oberlo, Spocket, AliDropship, AliExpress, and Ecomdash.

What are the other plugins for a WordPress free dropshipping store? 

Conquering first place, the WordPress WooCommerce plugin stays on top for being the best reliable and free dropshipping eCommerce partner. Here are the other free plugins you want to consider using: DropshipMe, Woodropship, Spocket, and Ezusy are the best choices too. 

Which is better? Wholesale business or free dropshipping business?

A wholesale business is a type of business that buys a product in bulk orders. It usually requires inventory storage and wholesale services before starting your business. While dropshipping is free. You don’t need to order the product yourself before you sell them. Instead, you can directly connect your product to your dropshipping supplier, and your supplier will do all the work. 

How would you know if a drop shipping business is for you?

Believe it or not, the only way you will know whether a drop shipping business is for you is by simply giving it a try. 

Most of the owners don’t have a detailed plan and strategy for making their business work at first. They have to experience the trial and test phase to find the right product to sell. 

After all, dropshipping business doesn’t require a high investment. It’s the best opportunity to be your own boss in 2023. You only need to learn how to start a dropshipping business for free, follow the steps above, and wait for the money to work for you. 

Just like Mallika Tripathi said, “success only comes to those who dare to attempt.”