Finding the right suppliers is one of the most important aspects of starting a dropshipping business. Sellers are dependent on third parties, such as wholesalers, suppliers, and distributors, that handle the fulfillment of the orders.

Thus, it is important to realize that the quality and overall reliability of dropshipping suppliers will break a dropshipping eCommerce store. As a bad supplier can destroy all the hard work and credibility that you have achieved, a good one will multiply your shop’s value.

This article will introduce what are good suppliers, how to find dropshipping suppliers, and what to consider when choosing dropshipping suppliers.

What Are Good Suppliers

Good suppliers tend to have many common attributes, as the following says.

1. Dedicated Professional SupportRepresentatives

Good suppliers have knowledgeable sales representatives who really know the industry and their product lines. And they should assign you an individual sales representative who is responsible for taking care of you and any issues you have timely.

CJ Dropshipping has been working in the dropshipping industry since 2014. The professional support and quality of service of CJ Dropshipping are one of the best among various dropshipping platforms.

2. Invested in Technology

Technology has many benefits and good suppliers recognize it and invest in it heavily to help and ease the business. Features such as real-time inventory, a comprehensive online catalog, customizable data feeds, and online searchable order history can help you streamline your operations.

3. Organized and Efficient

Good suppliers have competent staff and great systems that result in efficient and mostly error-free fulfillment. However, without actually using it, it’s difficult to know how competent a supplier is.

If you place an order, you can pay attention to the quality of service, delivery times, packaging, and other supplier-related questions, including the following aspects:

• The process that they handle the order
• The speed that the items ship out
• The speed they follow up with tracking information and an invoice
• The quality of the pack job when the item arrives

How To Find Dropshipping Suppliers

1. Contact the Manufacturer

Contacting the manufacturer is an easy way to find legitimate wholesale suppliers. You can call the leading manufacturer of the products that you want to sell and ask for a list of its wholesale distributors.

Then you can contact these wholesalers to see if they dropship and inquire about setting up an account.

2. Use Google Search

It is obvious that you can use google search to find good suppliers. However, you’d better search extensively for the reason that they may be bad at marketing and promotion.

And you should use various keywords to search, such as “distributor”, “reseller”, “bulk”, “warehouse”, and “supplier”. Furthermore, don’t judge by the website. Some websites with poor design are possible good suppliers as well.

3. Attend a Trade Show

It’s an efficient way to get to know and connect with the manufacturers and suppliers in a market. If conditions permits, you can attend a trade show and make contacts as well as research your products and suppliers all in one place. There may be new and upcoming products that you could add to your dropshipping store.

Tip: Check out the Trade Show News Network to see when and where trade shows are happening.

4. Join Industry Networks and Groups

Industry networks and groups are other effective resources to find suppliers. The people who join industry networks and groups prefer to share, learn, and grow.

You can gain valuable insight from them after you join and become part of the dropshipping community. And you will get suggestions about better suppliers or suppliers to avoid.

5. Search Directories

A supplier directory is a charged database of suppliers that’s organized by market, niche, or product. It is a convenient way to search for and browse a large number of suppliers in one place quickly and is great for brainstorming ideas for products to sell or niches to enter. 

The most popular wholesale and dropshipping supplier directories over the web include WorldWide Brands, Doba, Wholesale Central, etc.

6. Place Order From the Competition

You can find a dropshipping competitor and place a small order in the store. Google the return address to find out who the original shipper was as soon as you receive the package. In some cases, it will be a supplier you can contact.

What To Consider When Choosing Suppliers

1. Be Wary of Fake Suppliers

There are two ways to distinguish fake suppliers. One is that suppliers almost never sell products at wholesale prices to the general public. Another is that experienced and reputable suppliers don’t require potential partners to pay monthly fees just for access to their products. If you encounter suppliers who have the opposite behavior, you should be aware that they may be fake suppliers.

2. Look For Matches

Make sure that your values match with your partners to have a better corporation. You can look for a match in terms of business values, how and why suppliers do business, what their goals are, how they got to this point, and so on.

3. Distance

Knowing your supplier in person is a very good practice. If your suppliers are located nearby, you can get to know them conveniently. Or if your suppliers are located far away but the business is working well, think about taking a trip to get to know where your products are being made.

4. Competitors

If your supplier is the same one as the one supplying other e-commerce businesses in your niche, it’s going to be difficult to differentiate yourself and position your business’ brand.

5. Professionalism

Dropshipping is a professional relationship in which there are several agreements that need to be upheld. It is better to not entrust your business’ credibility to the first person that makes you an offer.

6. Punctuality

Punctuality is important for the reason that it is related to shipping. The shipping times must be established and met.

7. Order Samples for Validation

It is important to order samples for validation to see some important things about a supplier. You can get to experience the quality of the product yourself and see how the supplier handles fulfillment which gives you an indication of what your customers will experience.

Pay attention to the details, such as what shipment packaging is like, whether a separate distributor is involved, and how long shipping and delivery take.