{"id":10131,"date":"2021-11-11T12:51:23","date_gmt":"2021-11-11T12:51:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/?p=10131"},"modified":"2022-12-12T16:30:52","modified_gmt":"2022-12-12T16:30:52","slug":"planning-to-start-a-dropshipping-business-dont-do-these-beginner-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/planning-to-start-a-dropshipping-business-dont-do-these-beginner-mistakes\/","title":{"rendered":"Planning To Start A Dropshipping Business? Don&#8217;t Do These Beginner Mistakes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ve been talking a lot on our blog about how easy it can be to start a dropshipping business. And we don\u2019t think it can be easier than now to own an online store. You don\u2019t need a ton of cash, physical stock or warehouses, an actual store or many employees to start selling online.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You just need time to find the right niche for your business, set up an ecommerce site, find the right supplier or manufacturer and then find ways to get your products in front of your audience so you can start selling.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I mean how awesome does this sound?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And yet, despite being so easy and simple to run a dropshipping business, and it truly is, there are many that fail. Why? Well, mostly because they make a few basic mistakes that set them from the start on the wrong path.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, let\u2019s break down some of the most common mistakes you need to avoid when setting up your dropshipping store.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_76 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69d953f29f1a2\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69d953f29f1a2\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/planning-to-start-a-dropshipping-business-dont-do-these-beginner-mistakes\/#1_The_wrong_supplier\" >1. The wrong supplier<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/planning-to-start-a-dropshipping-business-dont-do-these-beginner-mistakes\/#2_Dont_put_all_your_trust_in_a_single_supplier\" >2. Don\u2019t put all your trust in a single supplier<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/planning-to-start-a-dropshipping-business-dont-do-these-beginner-mistakes\/#3_Shipping_fees\" >3. Shipping fees<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/planning-to-start-a-dropshipping-business-dont-do-these-beginner-mistakes\/#4_Order_tracking\" >4. Order tracking<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/planning-to-start-a-dropshipping-business-dont-do-these-beginner-mistakes\/#5_No_clear_return_policy\" >5. No clear return policy<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/planning-to-start-a-dropshipping-business-dont-do-these-beginner-mistakes\/#6_Not_paying_attention_to_customer_reviews_or_complaints\" >6. Not paying attention to customer reviews or complaints<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_The_wrong_supplier\"><\/span><b>1. The wrong supplier<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We think finding the right supplier is just as important as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/how-to-find-the-best-dropshipping-niches\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">finding the best products to sell<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. How reliable your supplier is has a huge impact on the success of your store. From the quality of your products to the long or short delivery times, all of these factors come directly from your supplier.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So pay extra attention to this step when starting a dropshipping business. Check which supplier is the most reliable and can offer the highest quality possible. You can do your research and check what reviews they have from other dropshippers like you. If you want to be extra careful, you can even place a test order, that way you can see for yourself how they handle orders, how the product actually feels and looks, how\u2019s the delivery process, or if they are available when you have a question.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AppScenic works only with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/our-suppliers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">top-tier<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/our-suppliers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> reliable suppliers<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that follow our high-quality standards. At AppScenic we only <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">work with dropshipping suppliers that can deliver your products super fast.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 800px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('video');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-10131-1\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" loop autoplay preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/AppScenic-Dropshipping-Product-Categories.mp4?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/AppScenic-Dropshipping-Product-Categories.mp4\">https:\/\/appscenic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/AppScenic-Dropshipping-Product-Categories.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Dont_put_all_your_trust_in_a_single_supplier\"><\/span><b>2. Don\u2019t put all your trust in a single supplier<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, as we just said above, it\u2019s essential to choose a reliable supplier that can tick all boxes but don\u2019t choose just one. You need to have a backup option in case your first choice runs out of stock, for example. Or worse, what happens if your preferred supplier goes out of business all of a sudden?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s why we recommend not putting all your trust in one supplier, pick at least one more if you have the opportunity. Again, a platform like AppScenic is just what you need, as it has multiple top suppliers that provide the same product category.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having more than one supplier for your online store and knowing that you always have your products in stock and delivered in time also means you can finally put all your efforts into other areas of your business, like advertising or market research.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Shipping_fees\"><\/span><b>3. Shipping fees<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another mistake many beginners can fall into is not checking the actual shipping fees when choosing the suppliers or the Marketplace.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, the first step before adding any information about the shipping on your website is to check what the suppliers offer, how fast they can deliver and what their shipping fees are.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Only then can you add all these fees to your website and communicate them as clearly as possible to your customers. We recommend having the shipping fees in your store even if they are quite high because it\u2019s worse when the customers only find out about them when they pick up their order. Surprise shipping costs will not make a customer happy and they will probably be so angry that they won\u2019t even order again from your store and even give you a negative review.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep your shipping costs from the beginning, and make it easy for them to calculate how much they have to pay extra once they make the order. Some retailers use the same rate for a certain region and give free shipping only after a certain threshold is reached. Others even implemented a &#8220;shipping calculator&#8221; tool to make all this information clear for their customers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We highly recommend having a free shipping option too, as there are many surveys out there stating that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/martech.org\/e-commerce-report-9-10-consumers-say-free-shipping-no-1-incentive-shop-online\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">90% of consumers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> s<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">aid free shipping was the No. 1 incentive when asked what would make them shop online more often.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Order_tracking\"><\/span><b>4. Order tracking<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not caring about what happens after your customers placed an order it\u2019s one of the biggest mistakes you can make as an ecommerce owner.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Customers want to know where their order is and when it will get to their address. So, in our opinion, order tracking is an essential tool for your online store.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Providing your customers a tracking number for their order will reassure them that your business is serious and they will in fact get their product as promised. Be sure to choose a supplier that can offer an easy-to-use order tracking system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AppScenic is again the answer for that, as our App does all of this for you, including<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> importing <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tracking numbers from the suppliers to your store automatically.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-10111 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Complete-Dropshipping-Toolkit-AppScenic.jpg\" alt=\"Complete Dropshipping Toolkit-AppScenic\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Complete-Dropshipping-Toolkit-AppScenic.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Complete-Dropshipping-Toolkit-AppScenic-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Complete-Dropshipping-Toolkit-AppScenic-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Complete-Dropshipping-Toolkit-AppScenic-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Complete-Dropshipping-Toolkit-AppScenic-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What you need to do on your side is to set up some automatic email updates that will let your customers know when the order is confirmed, shipped and delivered.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_No_clear_return_policy\"><\/span><b>5. No clear return policy<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having a clear return policy in place will give your customers the reassurance they need when they decide if they should purchase an item for your store. And this is especially true for clothing and fashion accessories.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, to make sure the return process will go smoothly, you need a supplier that you can trust. Again, it all comes down to the supplier you choose. Make sure to check all these when you decide on the supplier.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your suppliers should have a clear and easy return process and can reply fast to your customer questions (about a refund or a replacement item). Also, we recommend keeping an eye on the whole process so you can be sure your customers are refunded or get their replacements in a short period of time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A great return policy can become an advantage for your store in the long term, as it is well known that customers will prefer stores that make it easy for them to return a jacket than other stores where the whole process is too difficult.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_Not_paying_attention_to_customer_reviews_or_complaints\"><\/span><b>6. Not paying attention to customer reviews or complaints<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another huge mistake is to ignore your customers&#8217; concerns, thinking that has nothing to do with you. It\u2019s true that suppliers are the ones that store and ship the products, but if one item gets damaged or lost, you will be the one to blame in the face of your customers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember that you\u2019re the face of your brand or store, not the supplier, and your customers will turn to you for all their problems and questions. As such, you need to be there for them and find solutions to their issues as fast as possible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, always pay attention to their reviews and requirements. When and if a customer sends you a request make sure you can reach out to your supplier so that they can solve it fast.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To sum up, yes, dropshipping done right can be a great business model for your online store. If you choose the best suppliers and a marketplace like AppScenic that can automate everything, you will definitely stay away from these basic mistakes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-10134 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Ecommerce-like-youve-never-seen-before-AppScenic.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Ecommerce-like-youve-never-seen-before-AppScenic.png 1024w, https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Ecommerce-like-youve-never-seen-before-AppScenic-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Ecommerce-like-youve-never-seen-before-AppScenic-768x432.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pay extra attention when you choose your suppliers and get access to the right dropshipping platform, so that right from the start, you will be able to put together one of the best dropshipping and ecommerce businesses possible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Want to give AppScenic a try? <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/retailer.appscenic.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Then register for free now<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We\u2019ve been talking a lot on our blog about how easy it can be to start a dropshipping business. And we don\u2019t think it can be easier than now to own an online store. You don\u2019t need a ton of cash, physical stock or warehouses, an actual store or many employees to start selling online.\u00a0 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":10132,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,35],"tags":[28],"class_list":["post-10131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dropshipping","category-retailers","tag-dropshipping"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10131\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/appscenic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}