OVERVIEW

When I lost my job last September 2015, I had no idea what else to do. I'm old-ish (36) and have been working online for the past 13 years doing freelance work. But my largest account dropped me, and now I'm looking for a stable online business that's truly my own.

Of course - DROPSHIPPING came to the picture. July 2016 when I came across this bright idea.

PROS:

• Almost no initial investment (except for your website domain - optional),
• No inventory needed! 
• Still own my time

Like most eCom newbies, I thought - this is it! Hundreds of YouTube videos telling me "I can do it!" if I just Subscribe to their Youtube channels, join their Facebook groups, give my email (so they can update me on the oh so latest news!), and in the end, SELL me some monthly membership so I can get access to their MASTERMIND programs, "Life-changing" Webinars, "Hold-my-hand step-by-step videos" or "Over-the-shoulder trainings!"

It was tough, realizing that most of the videos offering "FREE" trainings have actually built their money-making schemes around this concept - Get people to pay monthly member fees or Pay for their training videos. I've joined a bunch of this groups and hundreds of members still struggle to make a profit! Why? Because they really just want your monthly membership fee. 😨

I remember one 'free' webinar I joined gave us some tips and tricks to Facebook ads, then the upsells came. This marketer wants us to join his 'Over-the-shoulder' training for 3 payments of $397. Then he said, everything we know is only 10% of the whole process. We have to join in so we can discover the whole 90% of backend process on how to really run a eCom store!

It makes sense. No one would share complete info without getting paid. And those truly rich people who made real money by dropshipping probably wouldn't even bother creating these 'free videos' which end purpose is to recruit monthly members or one-time pay clients.

When they show screen shots of $8k per day or $900k per month results - we wonder HOW in the world are you making that much money and still hustle to get people for monthly membership fees? Maybe because it's not real? 😰  They always say - You can "duplicate" the process if you buy this program. But all those who do, nobody gets same results! Because perhaps there really are some steps or process that they do not include with the tutorials, even the PAID ones.

Because if you really want to learn HOW they process their eCom pages, you have to get their One-on-One session which can be from $10k to $30k. 👴

Anyway, bitterness aside 😹 , I'll just share some Case Studies I've scoured over the net for these past few months. There are several types of dropshipping stores. Some can be more elaborate than others. I am not selling anything or affiliated with whatever product or site. I'm still struggling to get my 1st buyer in my eCom store (which I'm still tweaking).

I have setup a Shopify account 2x and also cancelled them both because I have no idea how to properly do everything together. 😵  But, thanks to some good samaritan people from Shopify and other Marketers who open their sites and share their experiences, I am trying to map out a structure on how to really make a profitable eCom dropshipping store. With all these free videos and tutorials, I'm sure we can figure out a system to do this, without any paid trainings or memberships. And when I finally get my store making money, I'd be happy to share everything! 😊

Creating this blog is also a way for me to sort the different dropshipping models that would compliment me. I've been reviewing videos after videos, and several training blogs and they all have different approach to eCom. I hope you learn a thing or two with this compilation.

If you're new to dropshipping, we're on the same boat, buddy!

>> DROPSHIPPING CASE STUDIES <<

Dropshipping Model 2

Dropshipping Model #2

SHOPIFY + TEE-SHIRT/MERCHANDISE PRINTING + FACEBOOK ADS

This site is a full-on t-shirt niche site. It's created by a pro marketer, King Pinning, who also gives free and paid trainings to his followers. 

THINGS TO DO:

• Create a general t-shirt/merchandise store with several niches. This site focuses mainly on animals and sports (check their Category)
• If you notice, the shirts have similar quotes or slogans for cows, goats, etc (example: Cow Mama, Goat Mama). It's ok because most buyers come from separate audiences who are interested in a particular topic (like Cows)
• You can also print the same quotes on pillows, mugs, etc..
• Each category has its own Facebook Community Page
• This model requires a lot of effort in updating the FB page daily to increases people engagement. But it also makes FB Ads Targeting easier because people who are part of your FB page are surely interested in your niche.

HOW TO ADVERTISE:

• Facebook Ads
• Watch this Facebook Ads Targeting by Ben Malol (who is also a pro marketer who gives free and paid trainings) - http://bit.ly/2bovLgf

INITIAL COST:

• Shopify Account - free trial for 14-days. $9/month after (Lite Account)
• Printful app - free
• Facebook account - free
• Facebook Ads - start with $2-$3 per day per Ad campaign. After 3-5 days, scale by duplicating ads while increasing budget, or split-test.
• May require hiring VA (virtual assistants) for Facebook Pages management. - $5 per day? (I have no idea how much VAs are paid, check Fiverr).

Watch this Facebook Ads Case Study by King Pinning (Spend Money to Make Money) - http://bit.ly/2flo9Pm

Visit the eCom store and Facebook Page to see how each category is presented and is backed up with their own Facebook pages.

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Please comment below if you have questions, suggestions, or find this page helpful. I am not compensated in any way by these sites. Thank you.

Dropshipping Model 4

Dropshipping Model #4

SHOPIFY + PRIVATE LABEL PRODUCT + DROPSHIPPER 

This model is a case study from Shopify which lets you make your OWN brand. Your labels will be used by the dropshipper as they package the item and send it to customers.

THINGS TO DO:

• Search for a trending item or one single product that you can brand as your own. 
• The goal is to have your own brand name used for the labels and packaging.
• Negotiate with the supplier, which is also your dropshipper, how you want the label and packaging to look.
• Order a sample product item (to check quality, and for product photography for your store)
• Print product labels and send them to the supplier.

• It was not indicated which supplier they used for this. You can tap into Alibaba, they can customize products if you'll order large quantities. Aliexpress doesn't customize products (I think).
• For this case, they shipped the product labels to the supplier (dropshipper), who took care of the packaging and delivery of each items.

HOW TO ADVERTISE:

• Utilize you store Blog - so you can share content at social media
• Facebook - promote organically to friends and family and Paid FB ads
• Producthunt - share your product - if you can
• Reddit - share an informative post
• Diply - share a video
• Instagram - shoutouts
• Pinterest - share informative blog post or buy sponsored post
• Twitter - promo tweets from creators' personal Twitter pages

INITIAL COST:

• Shopify Account - free for first 3 months. $9/month after (Lite Account)
• Order sample product from supplier (depends on your product cost)
• Use fast shipping (around $30) so you can move forward with your research asap
• Facebook Ads - $3 to $5/day per campaign
• Instagram shoutouts - $20 each, depending on your niche

Read the whole Shopify Case Study here, which includes profits/revenue - http://bit.ly/1KDtNlX

• Visit their eCom store. There's only 1 product for sale which you can dedicate your whole advertising efforts to!
• It's very doable especially if you're alone at this and don't have a team.
• Plus, adding your own label just makes the product more personal and taken care of.

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Please comment below if you have questions, suggestions, or find this page helpful. I am not compensated in any way by these sites. Thank you.

Dropshipping Model 5

Dropshipping Model #5

SHOPIFY + ALIEXPRESS + FACEBOOK ADS + FUNNELS

• This model allows you to have just 3-4 products. You will use funnels (pop-up pages) to upsell the other 1-2 products to your customers as they check-out.
• Your products have to be closely related and even aid each other in function. This example is by pro marketer Dan Dasilva, who offers free and paid trainings to his followers. He created this ecom store for teaching purposes, I think. I hope it's still active as you read this.

THINGS TO DO:

• Find good, quality products that go together in Ali Express. These can be accessories to a certain sport, beauty products that are often sold as package, kitchen items that compliment each other, etc..
• Research if these products are top-sellers using WatchCount, Google Trends, Amazon.
• Set-up a Shopify store. You probably don't need Oberlo if you only have 3-4 products.

HOW TO ADVERTISE:

• Launch massive Facebook Ads with proper targeting. Your ads will bring in customers to one of your product pages. 
• After they've set their credit card and details, the pop-up upsell page will appear (funnel) which offers the other product. 
• According to creator Dan, this increases profit like 3x maybe. I forgot what percentage he said.
• Use FishBowl app. It's a marketing tool to get emails as they join your contest (for building your email list). 

INITIAL COST:

• Shopify Account - free 14-day trial. $9/month after (Lite Account)
• Shopify integrated funnel app - ClickFunnels, Linear Funnels, Profit Funnels, Carthook etc - monthly fees for these apps vary. Some are $47/month, others cost $97/month (with 14-day free trial)
• Facebook Ads - $5 to $10/day per campaign

Visit the eCom Store (if still up). The large images look fresh. All-white background and select accent colours make the store very much curated. Although this is only a test store, you can try something like this yourself and go straight to harnessing Facebook Ads and funnels with only 3 products! See if you can make money with this shortcut.

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Please comment below if you have questions, suggestions, or find this page helpful. I am not compensated in any way by these sites. Thank you.

Dropshipping Model 6

Dropshipping Model #6

SHOPIFY + IMPORT PRIVATE LABEL PRODUCT + OWN FULFILLMENT

• Technically, this is not dropshipping. This is one of the standard buy and sell models used by a lot of businesses. You import a product in bulk for cheap price. Then you add your own label and packaging touches to each item. You will also be the one to ship the orders. This one requires a storage or warehouse (for large inventories).
• This case study from Shopify requested for the personalized brand label etched/included in the product itself.

THINGS TO DO:

• Search a single product that sells. Use WatchCount, Google Trends, Amazon, Ebay. This is important because you will be stocking these items in your place and you need to be able to really sell them.
• Furnish up a logo or brand label.
• Find suppliers in Alibaba. Compare MOQ (minimum order quantity), store certificates, store reviews, pricing, how they respond to inquiries, and their willingness to add your logo/label into the product.
• Calculate how many items you need to sell to break even, so you can figure if it's doable or you'll lose money.
• Now that you will be selling a physical product and shipping it from your place, sort the places first where you are planning to sell. It can help lower your overhead cost if you start selling some items as soon as you can.
• Place your order to Alibaba. Shipping time can be stretched to about a month.
• For this case, the creator ordered other items to vamp and personalize the glasses. These included glass cases, microfiber cloths, stickers and tags. 
• All these before opening a Shopify store.
• When your product arrives, take professional-looking photographs for your store.
• Start setting up social media accounts.
• Networking and advertising
• Fulfilling orders and shipping

HOW TO ADVERTISE:

• Twitter
• Instagram
• Product Hunt
• Reddit
• Setting up an Affiliate Program
• Get influencers to promote your product: Twitch, YouTube, Instagram
• Facebook Retargeting Ads
• Google Product Ad Listing
• Try to get featured on a popular site

INITIAL COST:

• Shopify Account - free for first 3 months. $9/month after (Lite Account)
• Order products in bulk from Alibaba - often it's 100pcs to 200pcs minimum
• Order product accessories - depends on item price
• Facebook Ads - $20/day per campaign (since this is a test which needs quick results)

Read the whole process of creating this eCom store - http://bit.ly/1VBKHc3

• This one requires a ton of effort, because this is somewhat how a real business looks like. 
• Some popular brands of soaps, clothes, watches are in fact ordered in bulk from China or other local manufacturers. 
• The products come without labels. Often just a transparent plastic. 
• They're stored in a warehouse or garage, then labeled with a brand's logo, packaged nicely, and the marketing team will make it look more expensive than it really is. How? By sleek packaging, awesome website, great promotions, and active social media accounts.

Also, read this very insightful post from a Redditor about his experience buying from China and selling to USA - http://bit.ly/2fLhb8I

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Please comment below if you have questions, suggestions, or find this page helpful. I am not compensated in any way by these sites. Thank you.