Dropshipping is one of the fastest-growing business models in the world. Business owners are finding economical ways to improve their dropshipping business. One such way is by partnering with dropshipping agents that help with all aspects of the business, from sourcing products to shipping orders to customers.
Before going into full details about the best 8 dropshipping agents you can use, let’s first discuss what they do.
What are DropShipping agents?
Dropshipping agents are like intermediaries between you and your supplier. They connect with suppliers, source for products, and handle inventory of these products. They also package and deliver these products to customers.
They generally ease the stress of running an online store, allowing you to focus on marketing and sales.
Advantages of DropShipping Agents
Here are some benefits of having a dropshipping agent:
- Price Hackling and Better Quality of Products: A dropshipping agent can find better prices for products you sell since they’re in direct contact with many suppliers. They sell lower than other dropshipping websites since they buy bulk from factories. They aim to get the best quality of goods but at the lowest price for their clients.
- Price Consistency: It’s frustrating to deal with unstable price changes of products on dropshipping websites like Aliexpress. If you have a drop shipping agent, they usually offer a fixed price for products in the long run.
- Keeping up with Trends: Dropshipping agents will probably be the first to be in contact with a new product that emerges in an industry. Since they’re in touch with suppliers, it’s more likely that suppliers will introduce a new product to them before it hits the market. You get a competition gap if you’re the first business to sell a nifty new product everyone wants.
- Shipping and packaging: Agents have more experience in shipping products to customers in different locations around the world. They might have cheaper shipping rates and faster delivery times since most have storage facilities close to international airports and other delivery methods.
Packaging is also an advantage of having a drop shipping agent. Agents can give your business a branded look by personalizing your product packages with custom logos and cards to fit your business image.
Disadvantages of DropShipping Agents
Dropshipping agents, just like other business tactics, have disadvantages. These are a few of them:
- Specific Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ): Some agents require you to order a particular MOQ of products in a day. So if you can’t meet the amount, you won’t get orders fulfilled and delivered to customers. It’s not so great for slow business days when orders don’t come in as much as they normally do.
- Agent Fees: Some drop shipping agents’ fees are costly, and they recur monthly or annually. If you’re a growing business with little profit, getting a drop shipping agent might not be your best option. Instead, you can start ordering on drop shipping websites before investing in an agent.
- Competition: you might not be the only drop shipper using an agent company’s services; otherwise, they won’t have any profit. You could be competing with many drop shippers who use the same agent company as you.
- Commission fees: Agents can charge a fee for every order made. For example, if you pay for a $15 product, the agent can add a commission fee of $1. So, for every order made, you spend $16, reducing your calculated profit per sale.
- Trust: Suppliers have trustworthy websites where you can see reviews of their products and services. However, a drop shipping agent might not have an official website, and finding reviews on their services might be difficult. Before you invest in an agent, you have to build trust so you won’t get scammed.
Dropshipping Agents in China
China, the world’s largest manufacturer, is the primary source of products for many businesses. However, it can be hard to navigate this global market as a business owner. Multiple factors, such as communication barriers and location, can make it difficult to source quality products. Agents can breach this gap.
If you’re considering dropshipping from China, having an agent there can make business much smoother. A dropshipping agent can overcome language barriers and communicate appropriately with suppliers, so you get what you want.
Agents inspect products to ensure excellent quality before shipping to customers. They can take images and videos for you to verify the products’ quality. They also handle ordering, packaging, and shipping your products to customers.
Pros and cons of Chinese Dropshipping agents
Below are the pros of having a drop shipping agent:
- Consistent product quality: A good agent in China ensures your customers are getting products with the same consistency in quality because the agent inspects products thoroughly.
- Variety: An agent opens the door to various products at different prices and quality, and you can decide which products suit your business needs.
- Shipping: China deals with massive exports so that shipping costs won’t be too high.
Here are some downsides to Chinese dropshipping agents:
- Communication difficulties: it may not be easy to find an agent in China that you can communicate with. You might need another person, such as a translator, to speak with your agent. Communication time can be pretty slow, too.
- Competition: Many dropshippers use Chinese agents, so there can be high competition in specific product niches.
- Dependency: if you depend on one Chinese agent to source your products, inevitable operational disruptions in their company can affect your business.
How to find a Chinese dropshipping agent
Online Research: you can find Chinese dropshipping agents by researching through various platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook. LinkedIn is a resource for professional contacts with many drop shipping agents. You can look up their professional history and achievements on Linkedin. You can also use Facebook to search for drop shipping agents by joining drop shipping groups and e-commerce communities. They can release details on trusted drop shipping agents.
E-commerce platforms: you can easily find an agent on a drop shipping e-commerce website such as Aliexpress or DHGate. These platforms have so much information on suppliers that may offer this agent’s services.
Physical networking: you can talk to other drop shippers in the same product niche or attend e-commerce events such as trade fairs. You can also meet your agent physically to see if you like their service and to build trust.
Best 8 Chinese Dropshipping Agents
These are the 11 best dropshipping agents in China.
AliExpress
Aliexpress is one of the biggest marketplaces in the world, with millions of products available to your choosing. They have lots of product categories, and their website has different language selections available. AliExpress also has a center specifically designed for drop shippers. However, you need to be careful when choosing products, but some are pretty low quality.
Globallyfulfill
Established in 2015, GloballyFulfill has emerged as a leading force in the realm of clothing order fulfillment services for direct-to-consumer (DTC) clothing e-commerce businesses worldwide. GloballyFulfill shines with core principles like no MOQ policy and a generous 90-day free warehousing option. Moreover, they provide access to an intelligent ERP management system, empowering businesses to streamline their operations effectively. In just eight years, they have garnered over 3,000 loyal clients, establishing themselves as an unbeatable partner in the industry.
SourcinBox
Sourcinbox is a Chinese drop shipping agent established in 2015. They are capable of processing more than 10,000 orders a day. They have account managers fluent in English to assist you with ordering through them. They also offer excellent return services if they deliver damaged or wrong products.
DHgate
DHgate is a business-to-business and business-to-consumer ecommerce marketplace founded in China in 2004. It connects small businesses and consumers directly to manufacturers and wholesalers primarily in China for a wide range of products. DHgate uses technology to make cross-border trade faster and easier by providing product search, online transactions, and shipping services. It has grown to serve over 30 million buyers globally.
Topdser
Topdser allows you to source and inspect any product from 1688 and Aliexpress. The company connects you with over 5,000 dropshipping suppliers with thousands of products. Topdser has a private storage service that is free for 100 days. It integrates with Shopify and can combine orders from multiple suppliers into one package. They also offer brand packaging.
Wiio
Wiio is a drop shipping agent that finds and purchases products cheaper than Aliexpress. Wiio has two large warehouses in China and one in the US for fast shopping in American and European Countries. They offer free storage for 90 days, and they can take custom product photos for your business. They also integrate with e-commerce sites like Woocommerce, Yampi, and Shopify.
EPROLO
Eprolo works with direct factory wholesalers, giving you access to many goods at a super low cost. The website has over 300k users and has a 4.9 rating for its services. They offer branding and print-on-demand services. They provide global shipping of 5-8 days to US countries and 8-12 days to Europe with many delivery options.
CJDropshipping
CJdropshipping is one of the cheapest drop shipping agents in China and has been around since 2014. The company drops ships from Taoboa, 1688, and Tmall by dropping free product sourcing requests. They have 200+ warehouses worldwide, providing express delivery to any location. They support over 30+ languages and integrate with eBay, Shopify, Lazada, Shopee, and more.
How to find a suitable dropshipping agent for your business
To find a convenient dropshipping agent for your business, you have to consider your business goals, its current capacity, and product niche.
If your product niche is fashion, and you’d like an agent focusing on clothing sourcing and fulfillment, GloballyFulfill is an excellent choice.
Globallyfulfill caters to small and medium-sized enterprises and source clothing from large e-commerce sites. They also check local Chinese markets for the best prices. They have custom packaging items like wrinkle paper, handwritten notes, and business cards.
They also offer 90 days of free storage in their warehouse to all their customers, and their shipping rates are very affordable. They also require no MOQ, so you can make small orders and get your profit the same.
Conclusion
Dropshipping is a ‘one size fits all’ business model, and anyone can get a hang of it. Having a drop shipping agent can ease the stress of running an online business, but you have to know how and when to invest in getting a good one so you do not damage your business.
