How to Find a Dropshipping Supplier on Amazon

Mary Fedkovich, Client Manager in Multi-Programming Solutions  •  6 min read

With incredible e-commerce growth, it’s no longer a complicated challenge to become a dropshipper. But, as you probably know, this business model success highly depends on a reliable partnership between sellers and their suppliers. With the marketing efforts of the first one and the excellent customer service of another, such an enterprise can gain clients' propensity and scale even facing a saturated market and growing demand.

We dedicated this article to a trustworthy partnership issue. Soon, you’ll know some tricks to find a legitimate supplier and build a solid foundation for a profitable Amazon dropshipping business.

Table of Contents

All you need to know about vendors

Tips and tricks for working with wholesalers

How to distinguish a fake company

Conclusion

All you need to know about vendors

Many different POD or dropshipping vendors are listed on the marketplace, but it doesn’t mean they are reliable by default. A direct-to-customer business model means your suppliers can be located far enough, and you most likely will avoid personal meetings and analyzing deal details face to face. So then, how to find suppliers for dropshipping on Amazon? Fortunately, many entrepreneurs have established solid partnerships with trustworthy vendors without even seeing them.

Double-check

Every decision requires preliminary research. So it is a good idea to do a background check on the Amazon dropshipping suppliers to determine if they are a real deal. A simple Google search is the first step to digging out some useful information on the company's work. 

When you have a list of products to sell in mind, start searching for them in Amazon stores. You will find hundreds of results from vendors all around the US and overseas. What will be the best dropshipping supplier for your case? The following checklist will help you to find the answers:

• Sellers with a rating of 4+ are definitely worth taking a look at.
• Product prices should be adequate to make you a good margin from managing Amazon vendors.
• Customer reviews will show more pros and cons of cooperating with an appropriate distributor.
• Best suppliers for Amazon dropshipping offer free shipping (mainly for US clients), which allows you to save money.
• The delivery time may vary from one vendor to another, depending on the frequency of the order fulfillment, the carrier they work with, and other factors.

You may contact the manufacturer to ask for more nuances when you clarify these issues. As an additional option, it’s worth asking whether suppliers use some dropshipping integrations to optimize the workflow and manage processes. 

How the product is made

High-quality eco-friendly stuff is the key to a long and productive business. If customers would be able to enjoy safe and durable items, they will keep purchasing from your online store and leaving positive reviews. As you are not involved in the manufacturing process, you should try your best to test how Amazon dropshipping suppliers in the USA do their part of the work.

It’s easier to examine clothes, home decor, or printed stuff. You can order samples and ensure their quality by yourself before placing listings online. Some manufacturers send them for free as the first step in a long-term partnership. But when you decide to sell electronics or home appliances, you better rely on customers’ feedback. Ask vendors whether they have warranties to cover product breakdowns or possible defects.

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Tips and tricks for working with wholesalers

Sellers can dropship using Amazon as a supplier in the face of a small manufacturer or a wholesaler. The difference is that some production lines don’t provide a direct-to-customer scheme but sell in bulk to other entrepreneurs. Those middlemen are your target assistants in this case. So let’s figure out how you can find the right companion.

Ask the manufacturer

Suppose you wonder how to obtain Amazon dropshipping, selling some unique stuff made by a large corporation. First, you can contact them to know the list of wholesalers they collaborate with. Then you should examine a vendor as we described earlier and make a deal.

You may also set up a Shopify account, make it the best site for Amazon suppliers with the right promotional campaign, and widen your zone of influence. Thus, both entrepreneurs will reach more buyers and grow traffic. 

It would also be beneficial for partners to use one of the Amazon dropshipping apps to automate product imports and price updates. Again, some initial investment in software integration will help you to save time and money and reach more business goals.

Don't be too quick to judge

While auditing the wholesaler, you may find that they aren’t in the top positions of Google search for product A. It doesn’t necessarily mean they are not reliable vendors or sell poor-quality stuff. It only shows they are bad at marketing and promotion. In fact, advertising and increasing the customer base will become a store owner’s priority. This time wholesalers for dropshipping on Amazon will focus on the interactions with a manufacturer.

Cringe-worthy vendors' sites also shouldn’t scare you while searching for an Amazon dropshipping partner. Behind the 90’s style homepages, you may find a sustainable vendor with the best shipping policy ever. So just take some time to examine deeper.

Try to make different search queries like “distributor,” “bulk,” “warehouse,” and “reseller.” You will be surprised how you widen the list of possible vendors with a few words for Google engine.

Use the competitor

There is one more tip for figuring out whom you can use as a dropshipping supplier on Amazon you may not have even heard of earlier. Order a product you like to sell in the future from a rival seller. Packages and labels may contain information about their manufacturer. You will kill two (or even three) birds in one shot: learn the producer's name and test the quality and delivery time. This method can be a tricky alternative to searching Amazon vendors if you fail to find a suitable partner on the internet.

Trade show rocks

Don’t miss the opportunity to visit such an event if it appears in your location. Trade shows gather dozens of suppliers and wholesalers that allow dropshipping. They bring the product samples as well. So the same way as ordering from the competition, you can examine the stuff and establish contact with future partners. You know that a face-to-face meeting can give you a lot of information about the partners' personal qualities, which play a significant role in how they work.

How to distinguish a fake company

Slightly annoying fact, but you can face illegitimate Amazon dropshipping suppliers in the USA and other countries while doing online research. We wish your business prosperity, so we gathered some advice on how to avoid online fraud. Typically, fake companies repeat the standard scheme. Here are some traps they can obtain.

Charging fees

If a wholesaler wants money on a monthly or another basis, that must be a red flag for you. Vendors don’t charge fees for partnership or a privilege to dropship an appropriate product.

Here you should differentiate such a term as “directory” for finding dropshipping suppliers. It’s a virtual place where the sellers are audited and prove their legitimacy. Such services can take money for a subscription. However, they do really useful work to ensure the company's reliability and take fees for it.

Minimum size orders

Some wholesale Amazon dropshipping suppliers will ask you to buy 5 or 10 stock keeping units (SKU) ahead of time. They may substantiate such suggestions by difficulties in setting up equipment (if we talk about screen printing, for example). Indeed, this business model exists. But it’s not the right choice for you. As a dropshipper, you are interested in sales on demand. But there is no guarantee that already produced and paid stuff will be bought. Of course, dropship suppliers for Amazon may lower costs for producing goods with the same design, and you’ll get more profit. But such a scheme may work once and become unprofitable next month.

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Conclusion

Finding vendors to sell on Amazon is not a matter of one day for dropshippers that want to build a profitable and competitive online business. Quality, fast delivery, and good margins are crucial for long-view development and storefront growth. There are many ways you can search and examine future assistants, like sellers’ ratings, customers’ reviews, and wholesaler lists from direct manufacturers. 

Also, you should check the products you will upload to your digital shop in reality. Order samples directly from the Amazon dropshipping supplier or buy the same stuff from competitors. If you have opportunities to attend trade shows, use them. Nothing is better than meeting your partner personally and discussing the contact points. 

Although most sellers are worth attention, there can still be fake companies, which can harm your rising business. We hope our tips will help you to become a successful entrepreneur and avoid pains in partnership with the best dropshipping suppliers.