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How To Start a Dropshipping Business Using Shopify

Dropshipping is a great option if you’re looking for a business idea that doesn’t require a lot of upfront investment. This article will walk you through how to start a dropshipping business using Shopify. We’ll also share some tips on how to succeed in the dropshipping business. So if you’re ready to get started, keep reading.

 

Decide What You Want to Dropship

The first step in starting a dropshipping business is deciding what you want to sell. This can be tricky, as there are endless products you could dropship. So how do you choose?

Here are some factors to consider when choosing a product:

  • Profit margin. You’ll want to choose a product that has a healthy profit margin so that you can make a good profit.
  • Demand. It’s important to choose a product that people actually want to buy. You can use Google Trends to see if there’s been an increase in searches for the product.
  • Competition. Take a look at other stores selling the same product. If there are a lot of stores, it might be harder to compete. But if there aren’t many stores, you might have an opportunity to stand out.
  • Shipping Time. Customers won’t want to wait too long for their order, so it’s important to choose a product that can be shipped quickly.

 

Create a Shopify Account

Once you’ve decided what you want to sell, it’s time to create a Shopify account. This is where you’ll create your store and add products.

To create a Shopify account:

  1. Go to shopify.com.
  2. Enter your email address and click “Get Started”.
  3. Choose your plan and click “Start Free Trial”.
  4. Enter your store name and click “Create Store”.
  5.  Follow the on-screen instructions to finish creating your account.

 

Choose a Theme for Your Store

After you’ve created your Shopify account, it’s time to choose a theme for your store. This is the design of your store, and it will affect how customers perceive your brand.

There are two ways to choose a theme:

  • You can browse Shopify’s theme store and choose a free or paid theme.
  • You can hire a designer to create a custom theme for you.

If you’re just starting out, we recommend choosing a free theme. This will allow you to get your store up and running without spending any money.

To choose a theme:

  1. Log in to your Shopify account.
  2. In the left-hand menu, click Online Store > Themes.
  3. On the Themes page, click Explore free themes.
  4. Browse the themes and when you find one you like, click Install.

 

Add Products to Your Store

Now that you’ve chosen a theme for your store, it’s time to add products. The process for adding products will vary depending on which theme you’re using. But in general, you’ll need to:

  1. Find the product you want to sell.
  2. Add the product to your Shopify store.
  3. Write a description of the product.
  4. Enter a price for the product.
  5. Add pictures of the product.
  6. Click “Save.”

To find products to sell, we recommend using the Oberlo app. Oberlo allows you to add products from AliExpress, which is a marketplace for manufacturers and suppliers.

To install Oberlo:

  1. Log in to your Shopify account.
  2. In the left-hand menu, click “Apps”.
  3. In the search bar, enter “Oberlo,” and press “Enter”.
  4. Click Oberlo.
  5. On the Oberlo page, click “Add app”.
  6. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish installing the app.

Now that you’ve installed Oberlo, you can start adding products to your store! To add products from Oberlo:

Log in to your Shopify account.

  1. In the left-hand menu, click “Apps.” and then click “Oberlo.”
  2. On the Oberlo homepage, click Find products.
  3. Enter a keyword into the search bar and click Search.
  4. Browse the results and when you find a product you want to sell, click Add to import list.
  5. On the “Import list” page, click Import selected.
  6. On the “Products” page, hover over the product and click Edit.
  7. On the “Edit product” page, enter a title, description, and price for the product.
  8. In the Product images section, click “Add image” and upload pictures of the product.
  9. When you’re finished, click “Save”.

 

Set Up Shipping Rates

The next step is to set up shipping rates for your store. This will let customers know how much they’ll need to pay for shipping when they order from you.

There are two ways to set up shipping rates:

  • You can use Shopify’s built-in shipping calculator.
  • You can use a third-party shipping app.

If you’re just starting out, we recommend using Shopify’s shipping calculator. This is the easiest way to set up shipping rates, and it’s free to use.

To set up shipping rates with Shopify’s shipping calculator:

  1. Log in to your Shopify account.
  2. In the left-hand menu, click “Settings”.
  3. In the General settings section, click “Shipping”.
  4. In the Shipping zones section, click Add shipping zone.
  5. Enter a name for your shipping zone and select the countries that you want to ship to, and click “Save.”
  6. In the Shipping methods section, click Add shipping method.
  7. Select the shipping method you want to offer and enter the details. Then click “Save.”
  8. Your shipping rates will now be visible to customers when they check out.

 

Set Up Payment Methods

The next step is to set up payment methods for your store. This will let customers know how they can pay for their orders.

  • Shopify offers a few different payment methods:
  • Shopify Payments
  • Credit cards
  • PayPal
  • Amazon Pay
  • Apple Pay

The best payment method to use will depend on your country and business. But in general, we recommend using Shopify Payments. This is the easiest way to accept payments, and it’s free to use.

To set up Shopify Payments:

  1.  Log in to your Shopify account.
  2.  In the left-hand menu, click Settings.
  3.  In the General settings section, click Payment providers.
  4. In the Shopify Payments section, click Complete account setup.
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish setting up Shopify Payments.

Now that you’ve set up payment methods, customers will be able to pay for their orders using the method of their choice.

 

Start Marketing Your Store

Now that your store is set up and ready to go, it’s time to start marketing it!

There are a lot of different ways to market your store. But some of the most effective methods include:

  • Search engine optimization (SEO)
  • Social media marketing
  • Email marketing
  • Pay-per-click advertising (PPC)

If you’re not sure where to start, we recommend focusing on SEO and social media marketing. These are both relatively easy to do, and they’re very effective at driving traffic to your store.

To learn more about marketing your store, check out our guide to ecommerce marketing.

 

Conclusion

Starting a dropshipping business is a great way to get started in ecommerce. And using Shopify makes it easy to create and run your store. In this article, we’ve walked you through the process of setting up a Shopify dropshipping store. We’ve also shown you how to add products, set up shipping rates, and start marketing your store. Now it’s time for you to get started.