How to find a reliable dropshipping suppliers: China dropshipping suppliers or US dropshipping suppl
No merchant can deny the significance of suppliers in the success of their dropshipping business. It can be said that supplier selection is a make or break factor, so they need to be extremely careful to do that.
Generally, the following are the most common questions we get asked by our merchants:
- China dropshipping suppliers or US dropshipping suppliers, which one should I go for?
- What are the pros and cons of each option?
- How to find a dropshipping supplier? Where and When?
- Before I head to an official partnership with a supplier, what to consider?
To help our merchants find the right suppliers for their business, we are going to break down all of the questions above.
Let’s go!
1. Sourcing your products from China or the US?China Advantages- Lower costs
Generally speaking, product costs offered by China dropshipping suppliers are much lower than the US ones. This is because the manufacturing cost in China is much lower than in the US because of cheaper labor, rich domestic resources, short supply chains, and so on. In fact, many US companies relocate their production to China to take the cost advantage.
- Product diversity
Sourcing from China benefits merchants in terms of product diversity because the country is home to suppliers working in numerous domains.
In fact, the country produces more than 70% of the world’s DVDs and toys; more than half of bikes, cameras, shoes, and telephones worldwide; more than a third of its air conditioners, color TVs, computer monitors, luggage, and microwave ovens. Therefore, you rarely worry that you can’t find a supplier for your niche market. China supplies products of all types; you just name it!
- Developed logistics network
China is no longer an underdeveloped manufacturing country as it once was. Today, along with the manufacturing industry, its logistics is flourishing faster than ever. China has one of the best logistics networks in the world, which is combined with sea, train, and air transportations facilitating fast delivery worldwide. It is estimated that US-China shipment now only takes just 2-3days.
Disadvantages- Language barrier
Not all Chinese suppliers speak English, so the language becomes a big barrier standing between foreign sellers and local suppliers. However, sellers can get this out of their way by working with large suppliers who do regular business with foreigners.
- Bad impression on products
This sounds cliché but it is actually an issue for every seller sourcing from China. Their items are at risk of not getting welcomed by customers because most of them have a stigma for made-in-China products. They strongly believe that those items have low quality and are not durable.
Besides, those are mainly manufactured with labor exploitation, which makes customers feel bad about owning Chinese products in terms of morality.
However, this is no longer a drawback because of the fast-growing popularity of blind dropshipping, white-label, and dropshipping suppliers . Those types of dropshipping are increasingly preferred by many sellers because they can have the product origin blurred but still source at affordable prices.
The USAdvantages- Better reputation
Made-in-US merchandise is more preferred by customers all over the world because of its good reputation. As a result, they are willing to pay a higher price for that merchandise because of their strong belief that price comes with quality.