Drop Surfing Vs Dropshipping – Which is Better?

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If you are well aware of the dropshipping field, then you must have heard the term drop surfing. Drop surfing is a relatively new term than dropshipping and may sound similar, but both of them have a different meaning. Due to almost the same pronunciation, it can get challenging to understand the difference between them. But, don’t worry, we have covered every part to give you a better knowledge about their similarities, differences, how each works, and whether to opt for it or not.

Briefly speaking, dropshipping is a business model, whereas drop surfing is a smart strategy to apply in that model to make more profits. In drop surfing, you find the cheapest seller and sell products from them.

Actually if your interested in learning how to start a store you can check this guide out.

What is Dropsurfing?

To get clear of drop surfing, you need to know about dropshipping first as they are linked to each other. Dropshipping is a major business model to sell products without investing much. Initially, you find out the products your customers love and market them strategically. Once you receive an order, you place an order of that product to your respective seller and their address. Then on your behalf, the supplier packages and ships the product to customers. In this way, you avoid buying any inventory or seeing a product physically.

But product prices mostly fluctuates. Drop surfing says after getting an order in your store, search for a supplier who provides the lowest price for the product as well as shipping. After that, the normal dropshipping process continues. Though you have to work more, you will earn more profits as well.

This product sourcing strategy also helps when your designated supplier has any products out of stock. This marketing term has gained popularity quickly as it makes sense that you don’t need to buy products from one supplier only. Multiple other suppliers are offering the same product but at a much cheaper rate. If you carefully think, you might be dropshipping for years without even knowing you are doing it.

There is another definition for drop surfing, which is to surf the Internet for products trending at that time. But it is not that popular as trends never last for a long time, so you have to keep looking for new trends. Also, it is possible you may never get a trend related to your niche store.

Should you incorporate Dropsurf in the traditional Dropshipping method?

If you have strong determination and are hardworking, you can use drop surfing rather than the regular dropshipping method of sourcing product. But it doesn’t mean you have to forever keep using it. It entirely depends on the situation and your customer needs.

For example, when a particular product is out of stock from your selected supplier or if any supplier offers that product at an insanely cheaper rate, it’s best to use drop surfing then. But using the same supplier also has its perks. You can guarantee they provide the best service and delivers quickly than others. Also, you may have physically seen their products and know they offer good-quality products only.

Furthermore, drop surfing may increase your profit margins, but they take up a lot of your time and effort. Hence determine whether you have the time to invest in this extra work. Overall constantly changing product suppliers to secure the best pricing can become a hectic task.  However, you can buy software to accumulate all data automatically. But make sure purchasing the software doesn’t affect your profits.

Moreover, if you are new to the dropshipping business and only sell a few products incorporating drop surfing is a great idea. But if you sell hundreds and thousands of products per day, avoid drop surfing as it can affect growing your business. But don’t forget, in the end, the fate of your business comes down to the context and niche of your store.

How would you source products?

Now, if you have decided to use drop surfing or dropshipping, you must know where you can find the products or source them. Though there are multiple places to find products, AliExpress holds the top position in this field. The shipping rates here are cost-effective and have lower prices than any domestic suppliers. It is the largest platform and has multiple products of every niche ranging from woman’s clothes to electronics and home decor. Also, it is easy to use, and you will find a large number of suppliers providing quality products at the best pricing.

To start sourcing products, set up an online store and import products from this marketplace to your store using an app like Oberlo. They sync the products from AliExpress to your store and notifies you if there is any price fluctuation. Once a customer places an order to your store, go to AliExpress to order that item within a few clicks.

Many large suppliers and manufacturers are joining AliExpress due to the popularity it has gained in this domain. You don’t need any business license or have to become a registered company to buy from AliExpress. Sign up within minutes for free and sell products from them with no upfront cost. 

There is a huge competition between the suppliers as AliExpress rewards those who have sold maximum products and has positive feedback. This action serves as a huge advantage for dropshippers. The best products come at the top, and quality keeps improving.  It makes it easier for dropshippers in sourcing, finding the best prices along with customer satisfaction.

This platform charge suppliers to put their products on the website and sell. It is a benefit for dropshippers as they can buy as many products as possible. All the products can be shipped globally as their shipping options include over 199 countries. They provide various types of shipping methods, each delivering a different timeline and has different rates. Keep your customers informed by letting them track the orders once they get dispatched.

One of the reasons why dropshippers prefer using AliExpress over any other platform is due to the many benefits they provide. They provide multiple sourcing benefits, including buyer protection, a 30-day money-back guarantee, and safe payment options like PayPal.

But the main advantage is the profit you gain. The product prices on AliExpress is available for at least a third of what you can sell to your customers. The profit margins can increase as high as five times or higher. For instance, if your store sells iPhone cases, you can buy them from AliExpress with as cheap as $2. Dropshippers can then sell this product with $10 or $15.

How would you drop surf?

Now that you know from where you can source products, the next step is to know how to execute the process of drop surfing.

At first, determine the niche of your store. Then build your store on platforms like Shopify and CommerceHQ. Visit your preferred marketplace and take note of suppliers, prices, contact details, and product URLs. Create an excel sheet with all these imperative informative for products you want to sell. Multiple suppliers sell the same products. Your online store should look appealing and have enough information for customers to shop from your website. To do this, put good quality product images and attractive sales copy for every product. Include the product price at healthy profit margins. But it shouldn’t exceed the market value of the product at that time. Then you would market your products on media channels, both free and paid, like on Instagram and Facebook. These platforms are highly popular among dropshippers, as they are cost-effective and lets you easily target your ideal audience. And soon people will start to order from the store.  It is at this point when the process of drop surfing begins. Visit the excel sheet you made and skim through the list of the suppliers and compare the product prices. Now choose the best supplier that offers the lowest price for the product as well as shipping charges. You can continue using that supplier as long as you are receiving orders. With orders of other products come in, you can continue the same process. But keep an eye on the product prices as they keep fluctuating. When you have stable earnings from this business, you can opt for suppliers that compare the product prices on your behalf. Needless to say, it will automate the process and will also cost you. Hence, it is not advisable for people who are new in the business as your motive is to maximize your income.

Dropsurf is applicable for everyone regardless of which product you sell, the niche you are in, and the store you have and run.

Will customers go to AliExpress directly?

 If this type of scenario takes place, the store owner or the middleman would be at a huge loss as they would be cut off from the process. Hence, they won’t be able to make any sales. It is probably one of the major worry dropshippers or dropsurfers go through. It is because if anyone can source their products at such low cost and why a customer won’t go to AliExpress directly.

However, there are two main reasons why customers buy from dropshippers

• The majority of people are not aware of the site AliExpress and don’t know that they can get products at such low cost. People who have a notion of dropshipping only knows. As a result, these customers don’t even know that you are a dropshipper and sourcing products from AliExpress.
• They don’t have enough trust in that platform than they do in your store. Moreover, they feel these platforms are too risky to order or are simply not comfortable using it for whatever reason.

No matter the reason, it gives a huge benefit and opportunity for dropshippers. It gives them the flexibility to source their products at an alarmingly cheap rate and then sell it with a huge profit level. And the interesting fact is the customers won’t even know about it. It can turn into a very lucrative source of income if you put the right strategy at the right time.

However, if you feel it be ethically wrong, just remember many major global brands and retail stores have been doing this for years. And the best example is Amazon. But make sure the price list you set is not too overwhelming for people to buy from you.

How to start a successful Dropsurfing or Dropshipping business?

Starting a dropshipping business is one of the easiest as all you need to do is build an online store and drive as much traffic as possible there. And then start to complete their orders when they come in. Moreover, Shopify and AliExpress have made the job simpler with their intuitive and easy to use platform.

However, being successful in dropshipping can become challenging as there is a lot to know and understand about this business. It is usual for beginners to fail in numerous areas and struggle to overcome it. Hence, it becomes difficult to make it a profitable venture.

And that’s the exact reason why you need to start as soon as possible. Needless to say, nobody wants to own a business that just makes sales. You want something that brings profit to you, and dropshipping can do this perfectly. Many entrepreneurs do this as their full-time income and have made a success from it as well.

Since there is a lot to learn here, you can enroll yourself in a good dropshipping course. It is one of the best investments to make if you want success out of it. They teach you everything about what you should do and what not and gives a proven strategy to implement on your business at the right time. It is better than learning as you go as it prevents you from future mistakes. It will also save you a considerable amount of time, effort, and money too.

 One of the most extensive and affordable dropshipping courses is eCom Elites. Many successful dropshippers recommend this course and have many positive reviews on the Internet. There are also hundreds of them in the market you can choose from but do proper research before signing up as a lot of them are not worth the money they take.

Final thoughts

Even though drop surfing is a relatively new term, they have gained a lot of recognition quickly. However, the dropshipping business model has been for years and is quite a popular one. If you are looking to create an ecommerce store online, dropshipping is a great choice.

 And now that you are aware of the difference between dropshipping and drop surfing, it is up to you whether you want to use it. Either way, you will have a considerable amount of profit with the right strategies. If you want, you can try using drop surfing to figure out whether it is better for you or not. It is basically one of the many ways to source products, improve profit margins, and expand your possibilities.

Dropshipping is one of the few online businesses which doesn’t take much effort to create and also has low startup cost. Of course, as you go higher, you might feel the need to use tools to make your job easier. But initially, you don’t need them. If your interested in doing dropshipping I’d check out my guide on starting your own store here.