Choosing the right dropshipping product is the most important part if you are looking to have a bigger audience and to make sure your item is being sold. By definition, this process consists of finding third-party suppliers and selling their things in an online store. So, if you are thinking about opening this kind of store, then you should invest some time in researching what you should sell, to make sure you are going to make profits.
In this article, we are going to give you some tips on how to choose the right items to sell, and what you should consider before you find the right supplier.
1. Talk to your friends
Even though this does not sound like something that will help you, it is actually small-scale research. Talk to them and ask them what they buy from online stores. Why do they do that and what the store needs to have to make them choose it.
Talk to as many people as you can, without putting a limit to gender, age, or social background. You want to find products that will make everyone happy and something that most people will buy. If they don’t have an answer for you on the spot, you can research the latest trends beforehand, and give them a couple of possibilities. That way, they will tell you if they would buy one of the items you are considering, several or all of them.
2. Popular items
There are some types of items that are more popular than others. It seems like people from all over the world are looking to get them, and you are probably wondering if it is smart to get them in your store as well.
The short answer is yes. When you have high-profit articles in your store, then people are more likely to visit it. For example, there are some beauty products that women of all ages are looking to buy them, but not every store has them.
And even if they do, you’ve probably noticed that the usual sign on those stores is “out of stock”. This means that customers are looking to get those items so much, that the supplier cannot order as many products as the people want.
Search for these items, and look at what is out of stock all the time. It means that when you open your online store, customers will be happy you have those items there and they will order them right away.
3. Look what others have to offer
If you want to find out which the right items are, get an inspiration from the biggest dropshipping companies. Try to compare them with one another and see why people are choosing them and those products.
According to GoTen, a leading dropshipping platform that offers thousands of quality dropshipping products at wholesale prices, the top sellers in most platforms include Amazon, eBay, and Wish and they all offer similar, but different products. AliExpress is becoming more popular by the day, so you can sit down and find out why people are choosing them. You can also make a survey and ask people which items would they buy from these sites.
You can also see why people choose specific items, and what impacts the end decision. Find out if these stores offer products that are more or less expansive, and how much money they probably make for each of them.
4. Price
If you want your items to be interesting for people and if you want them to choose your store before your competitors’ place, then you should think about the price.
How much profit do you want to make? Remember that the cheaper the product, the less profit you are going to make from one item only. However, inexpensive things get sold right away, and even if you make 0.1% profit on one item only, if you sell thousands of the same items, that means you will be able to earn thousands of dollars.
On the other hand, you can make a lot of profit when you sell more expensive items, but they won’t get sold right away. On the same note, you should check what your competitors offer and see if you can match their offer.
If you see that they are going as low as possible on one item, and if you cannot match it, then maybe you should look for something else to get to your store.
5. Bad Dropshipping
There are items that are bad for this kind of store, and they are labeled as bad. If you decide to go with them, you may get in trouble with the law, other companies, brands, or even the customers may sue you. So, you should steer away from them.
Some of these products include sharp items that are relatively hard to pack and ship without any issues. The same goes for things that can catch fire easily, and items that may explode.
Don’t choose products that can easily get broken or damaged during transport. You will never be sure how things are packed and how they are transported, so if they get broken, you are going to be blamed for it. Steer away from brands and branded items. No matter if it is clothes, electronics, or even home décor if you know the name, and if it is a big company name, you should not sell it, unless you have an agreement with the original brand. High-end fashion products are a no-no as well, and experts suggest that you should not sell fitted clothing, as they are more likely to get returned.
Another thing that is in the bad dropshipping list is heavy items. They are really hard to transport and they usually cost more to be delivered. So, try to look for light-weight products that are going to be easy and safe for delivery. Try to set a limit, for example, not selling items that weight more than a pound or two.
These are some of the things that can help you out when choosing the right items for your online store. Think of the targeted audience first, and depending on that, choose your products. If you want to target younger people, then conduct a survey with that audience and see what they would like to buy. The same goes if you want to sell things for women or for men only.
When you start selling your items, try not to order too many of them, and give the store a chance to get recognized. If you notice that your audience does not like something you offer, remove it from the list. Constantly do research, follow your competitors, and listen to your customers.
Nina Smith 
Nicola Holder