Summary
Highlights
Many dropshippers choose suppliers based on convenience, but the speaker, with seven years of experience, reveals that many popular platforms are scams due to hidden fees and slow shipping. He developed a systematic process to find the perfect supplier for any product, focusing on low cost and fast shipping, acknowledging that the 'best' supplier changes based on the product. The video will source two different products live and compare quotes from top suppliers.
The initial step is to source products on AliExpress, as private agents and the best suppliers often require this preliminary step. AliExpress can offer low costs and reasonable shipping times. The speaker demonstrates how to use the 'search by image' function on AliExpress. To vet an AliExpress supplier, check if they've been in business for at least two years, have ratings above 4.5 in three categories, and a minimum of 95% positive feedback. The speaker found a neck firming cream for $12 and a dress for $18, both with two to three-week shipping times on AliExpress.
The next step is to use a private sourcing agent for better deals. The speaker highly recommends Commerce, which for $30 a month, offers access to a private agent via Discord. You send them the AliExpress link, and they typically provide quotes 30-50% cheaper than AliExpress with better shipping lines. For the neck firming cream, Commerce quoted $8 with 8-12 day shipping, and for the dress, $13 with 8-12 day shipping. Commerce supports scaling from low to high order volumes, allowing for branding and transitioning to a legit e-commerce brand.
The speaker suggests getting quotes from other suppliers to compare. Epro is introduced as another option. For the dress, Epro quoted $9 for the product and $9 for shipping, totaling $18, which is less competitive. However, for the neck firming cream, Epro offered a product price of $1.30 and shipping of $4.82, totaling $6.13 with 8-15 day shipping, making it slightly cheaper than Commerce for this specific product.
CJ Dropshipping is another supplier the speaker has extensive experience with. Like others, you can upload an image or product link for sourcing. If a product isn't readily available, you can submit a sourcing request by providing the AliExpress link and a target price. A pro tip for private agents and large platforms is to always choose 'Yune Express' for the fastest shipping. On CJ Dropshipping, the dress was $17, better than AliExpress but still not as good as Commerce. The neck firming cream was $9 with various shipping options, with Epro still being superior for this item.
The speaker strongly advises against using AutoDS, despite its promotion by many gurus who are paid to endorse it. AutoDS is criticized for numerous hidden costs, requiring credits to fulfill orders, rising subscription costs with more orders, and generally higher product prices than other mainstream suppliers. The speaker emphasizes that AutoDS is objectively a poor choice for dropshippers.
For the best sourcing, having your own private sourcing agent is ideal. These agents typically require a referral from someone already using them. The speaker introduces his private agent, Kaylee, who has processed millions of orders for him and his students. He offers access to her through his one-on-one mentorship program, which also includes feedback on products, websites, ads, templates, and weekly group calls, guaranteeing success or continued coaching.
As a bonus, the speaker mentions Zenrop. However, for the tested products, Zenrop's quotes were not competitive, with the cost for the best shipping line being around $11, making it less favorable than other options discussed.