How To Find A Dropshipping Supplier In 2023? (Updated)

Want to know How To Find A Dropshipping Supplier? Then you are at the right place. To run a successful online business, you need a reliable Dropshipping supplier you can trust with product quality and price. Your ultimate goal is to make a profit and to achieve that, you need a supplier who can fulfil your demands. 

Dropshipping is one of the fastest-growing business models simply because of the scalability and the low-risk factor. But finding the right supplier is essential in order to make any advances in this field. 

The market is full of suppliers, including manufacturers, dropshipping agents, and wholesalers, offering tonnes of products at competitive prices. But which one is right for you? 

So if you are starting your dropshipping business or just looking to change your existing supplier for some reason, this guide will help you start your research. I will discuss the best ways to find the best dropshipping suppliers with some key factors to differentiate between fake and genuine ones. 

Let’s see How To Find A Dropshipping Supplier in detail.

Find Your Dropshipping Supplier – How To Find A Dropshipping Supplier

Identifying the genuine supplier is crucial as you might come across a handful that is marketing themselves as Dropshipping suppliers but aren’t one in real. Their prices might attract you, but in the long run, it won’t be a smart choice to make. We will discuss this further but first, let’s see How To Find A Dropshipping Supplier. 

1. Direct Contact With the Manufacturer

The best way to locate a reliable supplier is to contact the manufacturers of the product directly. Usually, manufacturers work with a number of suppliers from various locations to make the product available. 

By contacting the manufacturers, you will get a number of genuine suppliers for your product. Check the supplier that’s working with more than 2-3 manufacturers and compare their prices. 

2. Attend Trade Show

Going to a trade show is a good idea to directly meet a number of dropshipping suppliers. It may be hard to find a tradeshow around you, but if you can, don’t miss the opportunity. You might even get a chance to see the products in person.

3. Use Google Search

Don’t underestimate our good old Google search. Use the keywords best dropshipping suppliers or best dropshipping agents near me (if you are looking for local suppliers). Modify the search as per your requirement and check at least the first 10 results. 

Don’t go after their websites or marketing strategies, as those things are not very relevant. Dropshipping/wholesale suppliers aren’t good at marketing, so it’s possible you might find what you are looking for on the second page of Google search results. 

Make a list of suppliers you find convincing and contact them.

4. Check the competitor’s Supplier

Another smart way to hunt for suppliers is by buying the same product from your competitor or the top drop shippers. Check for the return address on the label, and you will find the direct address to the supplier. 

While this is a great way to find the popular supplier, it also gives you a chance to analyze your competitors’ product quality and price.  

5. Use A Product Research Tool

Some product research tools help you find the winning product to sell along with its top suppliers from various locations. If you are still hunting for your dream product to sell, I suggest you use a product research tool, as it solves both purposes at once. You will get exclusive product data such as past pricing and sales history, top competitors for the product, current demand, profit margin, and much more.

6. Contacting Suppliers

In Today’s world you will can everything and anything on the internet. You might end up finding a long list on the internet but not all are gonna be trustworthy. To face this you can sign up with a Supplier Directory. There are third party organization which will help you get the record of different kind of suppliers and their locations. So you can narrow it down accordingly with your preference. These are paid third party organization which can be a little expensive.

Here are some popular product research tools you can try out:

• Niche Scraper – Free/$49 per month
• AliShark – Free 7-day trial/ $39 per month
• Ecomhunt – Free/ $39 per month
• AliExpress Dropshipping Center
• Dropship Spy – $15/month

How to Identify A Fake/Poor Supplier? – How To Find A Dropshipping Supplier

Before you contact a supplier, there are a few things to keep on your checklist to ensure you are dealing with a trustworthy and genuine one. 

1. Selling to common buyers

If you find a supplier selling to common people, this is a red flag for you. The top dropshipping suppliers never sell to individual buyers. Most of them even have a verification mechanism to ensure that the person buying from them is a business, not an ordinary shopper. 

2. Monthly Fees

Another crucial factor to remember is that a genuine supplier will never charge you any sort of monthly fee. So, if you come across one that’s asking you for a fixed monthly payment, you can avoid it even though the product prices are attractive. 

3. Pre-order Fee

This is a tricky one. When you order from a dropshipping supplier, you are most likely to pay a small amount of money as a pre-order fee. This money is later covered at the time of final payment. Most drop shippers do it to ensure you will not back out from the deal. 

So, you might be tempted to pick the supplier that’s not charging a pre-order fee, but this is a sign that you are not dealing with a genuine dropshipping supplier. 

4. Minimum Order Size

This is the easiest way of identifying fake suppliers. Real dropshipping suppliers have a minimum order quantity, and you can’t order less than that. It may be the number of products or the amount of money that you have to go with. Fake suppliers or normal retailers don’t bother about the order quantity and can deliver even a single unit of the item. 

5. Lack of Information/Knowledge

Finally, avoid any suppliers you feel are fishy or trying to scam you. Try to pay attention to their way of doing business, response time, product knowledge, market expertise, etc. 

Best Dropshipping Supplier Websites 2023 – How To Find A Dropshipping Supplier

If you are struggling to find a good supplier, you can turn to Supplier directories. To ensure authenticity, some of these directories run an extensive screening before listing any supplier on their websites. 

You can easily locate the suppliers based on the niche and check their reviews before making your decision. 

Here are some popular supplier directories:

1. Dropshipping

This is a 100% free supplier directory that you can use to locate the best ones. There are various filters to use so that you can search according to your preferences.  Based on the niche and product, you can look for the top suppliers easily. 

2. Worldwide Brands

Although it will cost you a whopping $299 to use this directory, it will give you a list of thousands of credible dropshipping suppliers.

3. Inventory Source

Another name on the list is Inventory Source. This US-based company has more than 200 genuine suppliers from the US, China, and Europe. 

4. TopTenWholesale

If you are looking to find US-based suppliers, then TopTenWholesale is the perfect place to start your search. This website lists hundreds of reliable suppliers. The company asks each of them to prove their authenticity before adding them to the directory

Things You Can Try while Searching for the Suppliers – How To Find A Dropshipping Supplier

Here are some other things you can try to ensure that Dropshipping supplier is trustworthy or not:

• Check all the free supplier directories and see if the name appears in any of those.
  
• Contact a few manufacturers of the product and find out if the supplier is associated with them.
  
• Run a Google search using the supplier name followed by terms like review, fake, scam, etc. This will tell you if the supplier was involved in any sort of dishonest business activity.
  
• The Better Business Bureau website is a good way to find fraudulent suppliers.
  
• Find the sellers’ reviews in the Supplier directory.
  
• Pay attention to their behaviour while talking to them. Notice how they try to persuade you to make a deal.
  
• Check for warranty/guarantee, payment terms, refund policy, etc. 

Related Read:

• Best Amazon Keyword Research Tools
• How Much Do Amazon Sellers Make
• Excellent Dropshipping Training Programs
• How To Start An Ecommerce Business
• Best Dropshipping Suppliers In The USA
• Best Furniture Dropshipping Suppliers To Consider
• Discover High-Quality Dropshipping Stores Available For Purchase

Final Word: How To Find A Dropshipping Supplier In (2023)

Before you contact a supplier, prepare a list of questions to ask. Good suppliers may also want to verify that you are a business owner and not an individual buyer, so before you call, keep all your business information handy.

Finding the right supplier will be the first step in the right direction for your business. So make sure you go through all the checks before you pick the supplier. Use all the resources available, and make an informed decision.