The reason we recommend sourcing products before creating a website is because finding suppliers can take a significant amount of time – there's no point paying for a website if you don't have products to sell.
There are several ways to source products for your store.
- Manufacture your own products
- Order wholesale from suppliers
- Dropshipping products from suppliers
If you plan to manufacture your own products, you will need to find a manufacturer and set up a production line, which can be expensive and time-consuming but may be worth it to create a unique product.
To set up a production line you need:
- Research manufacturers and narrow down your choices
- Choose a reputable manufacturer
- Collaborate with manufacturers to create products
- Get the sample
- Invest in quality control
If you don't plan on manufacturing your own products, you can order products wholesale or sell them through drop shipping. Drop shipping is when you sell products that are shipped directly from a supplier to your customer. This is a good option if you're just starting out because it requires less initial investment. You'll need to find a supplier that offers drop shipping and set up an account.
When selecting a supplier, consider the following:
- reputation
- price
- Shipping Time
- Product quality
Some common sources of suppliers, wholesalers, or manufacturers are DHgate, Alibaba, LA Showroom, Oberlo, Abound, Handshake, FashionGo, etc.
FashionGo is an example of a marketplace for wholesale products.
