Select Niche and Supplier
1 weekChoose defensible niche, vet AliExpress or US suppliers for ship times and samples.
Intermediate2-4 weeks
Dropshipping Guide
Free step-by-step dropshipping for e-commerce beginners. Plan dropshipping with calculators and checklists covering select niche and supplier, calculate.
e-commerce beginnersShopify sellersside hustlers
Workflow
Calculate Landed Margin
4-8 hoursInclude product cost, shipping, ads, refunds, and platform fees in margin.
Build Store and Listings
1 weekCreate Shopify store, import products, rewrite descriptions, set policies.
Test Ads to Break-Even ROAS
2-4 weeksRun small ad tests, measure ROAS against break-even, kill losers fast.
Tools Used
- Margin CalculatorPrimary
Verify gross margin after COGS and shipping.
- Break-Even CalculatorPrimary
Calculate break-even ROAS and daily order count.
- Cost Per Unit CalculatorSupporting
True landed cost per unit including packaging.
- Profit CalculatorSupporting
Net profit after ad spend and refunds.
- ROI CalculatorReference
Compare ad channel ROI before scaling.
Checklist
0 / 6 completedLoading your checklist…
Sourcing
Ops
Finance
Legal
Marketing
Risk
Reference Materials
Dropship Margin ExampleTable
Sample $40 retail item economics.
| Line Item | Amount | % of Price |
|---|---|---|
| Product+ship | $18 | 45% |
| Ads | $10 | 25% |
| Fees | $3 | 7.5% |
| Net profit | $9 | 22.5% |
Break-Even ROASFormula
Break-even ROAS = 1 ÷ Net profit margin (as decimal).
Brand the Unboxing
Branded thank-you card costs $0.15 and cuts refund requests.
Avoid Trademarked Goods
Selling branded items without authorization gets store banned.
Start with 5 SKUs
Focus beats catalog sprawl — master five winners first.
Safety Notes
- FTC requires clear disclosure of material connection and honest shipping times.
- Prop 65 and CPSIA apply to products sold in California and to children.