AMA Recap | Finding suppliers for your dropshipping markets

Zopi · ‎02-18-2025

In our recent AMA, we answered your pressing questions about dropshipping, from ensuring quality control with overseas suppliers to finding competitively priced products. We also discussed Zopi-specific insights and shared tips for boosting sales on TikTok. Check out the recap for all the expert advice you need!

Summary Questions

Finding products
Q: Can you share best practices for ensuring a quality control process when working with overseas suppliers?
Q: How can I find competitive priced dropshipping products to ensure a reasonable profit, as I see many unreasonable retail priced items on many platforms which I can't even purchase?

Suppliers & Shipping
Q: Are there any ways or tools that help to find reliable and safe suppliers for dropship starters?
Q: How can I contact suppliers if issues rise with orders or customers?
Q: Can I use multiple drop-shipping services on my Shopify store, for example, both Spocket and Zopi?
Q: What are the risks of switching to US dropshipping suppliers due to potential tariffs on Chinese products, and do you offer automation fulfillment services? Are there any issues with suppliers like Walmart?
Q: Are there suppliers that can ship to the US in 5-8 days? Most items seem to take longer, even with USPS.

Zopi specific
Q: What are the next steps after pushing products to online stores for dropshipping newbies and how Zopi supports it?
Q: Can we keep using DSers-AliExpress for our sourced products while we set up Zopi?
Q: Do you offer dropshipping and automatic product uploads from your website to Shopify?
Q: How does Zopi stand out from other dropshipping apps in helping beginners like me?
Q: Does Zopi provide products and ship them? What’s the monthly cost and can it integrate with Shopify like DSers?
Q: How many sales channels does Zopi support to integrate for a multi-channel merchant? Can it sync and manage orders across these channels in one place?
Q: Does Zopi provide any solution for Product Research or Handpicked Product to discover winning products for a newbie?
Q: Does Zopi have any suppliers that do private labeling dropshipping?

Other topics
Q: How can I successfully generate sales using TikTok Organics?
Q: Can AI, now trending, help dropshippers solve pain points, especially in finding trusted suppliers?

Finding products

Q: Can you share best practices for ensuring a quality control process when working with overseas suppliers?

A: Try these ways:

Search Google: Search for users’ experience with the supplier on search engines, e.g. searching ‘Aliexpress review’ on Google.
Visit Website: Visit their website for the information about their vendors, products, and distributors.
Order a Sample from Suppliers: Order from the suppliers and track the shipping time, delivery, manufacturers, and distributors.
Contact Suppliers directly: Negotiate a clear return and exchange policy to handle defective products efficiently.

Q: How can I find competitive priced dropshipping products to ensure a reasonable profit, as I see many unreasonable retail priced items on many platforms which I can't even purchase.

A: Here's how to find competitively priced products:

Focus on Niches: Avoid mass-market items where competition is fierce. Instead, target specialized niches with less competition, like handcrafted goods or unique hobby supplies.
Source directly from manufacturers like AliExpress and Zopi Source - a private sourcing service by Zopi. It connects you with top suppliers and global warehouses for high-quality products, competitive prices, fast delivery, and a 30-day refund policy for damaged or incorrect items. Refer to this guide for further information.
Prioritize Unique Products: Products requiring specialized knowledge, expertise, or those that are simply hard to find, justify higher prices and offer less competition.
Bundle for a Higher Price: Offer product sets that are more valuable than the sum of their parts.
Test and Optimize: Experiment to discover which products and strategies yield the best profit margins.

Suppliers & Shipping

Q: Are there any ways or tools that help to find reliable and safe suppliers for dropship starters?

A: Some ways to refer:

Research Reputation: Look for suppliers with a positive online reputation and high ratings. Take the AliExpress example, you can prioritize suppliers with high store ratings (80% or 4 stars), impressive sales (at least 10 products with 1,000 sales each), and high-rated products.

Check Quality: Ensure they provide high-quality products with good packaging. If your budget allows, consider placing 3 to 5 test orders with different suppliers to compare product quality and shipping packaging. These test orders will be the final step in your supplier evaluation process.
Verify Pricing: Compare prices to ensure they offer competitive rates and healthy profit margins. Use the Zopi Hunter extension to find the lowest-priced products based on similar items for better comparison and analysis.

Q: How can I contact suppliers if issues rise with orders or customers?

A: Contact the suppliers directly. With Aliexpress, message them on their website.

Q: Wondering about turnaround times?

A: The delivery times can vary depending on locations of the suppliers, the shipping methods, and the efficiency of the supplier's order processing.

Here’s a breakdown of Aliexpress shipping methods:

Q: Can I use multiple drop-shipping services on my Shopify store, for example, both Spocket and Zopi?

A: Shopify allows you to integrate multiple apps or platforms to source and fulfill products. Something you should be aware of when using both

Order Fulfillment:

Orders for products from Spocket will be handled via their platform.
Orders for products sourced from Zopi will be processed through Zopi.

Shipping Settings:

Clearly communicate shipping times and costs for products from each service to avoid customer confusion. Dropshipping times and policies may vary between Spocket and Zopi
Address any issues from orders with the respective supplier (Spocket or Zopi). Zopi policies, for example, ensure suppliers are responsible for refunds if there are order issues.

Q: What are the risks of switching to US dropshipping suppliers due to potential tariffs on Chinese products, and do you offer automation fulfillment services? Are there any issues with suppliers like Walmart?

A: Here's how we handle your concerns:

U.S. Suppliers: Zopi connects you with a wide variety of suppliers, including many in the U.S., helping avoid tariffs on Chinese imports and potentially get more stable pricing and faster shipping.
Auto-Fulfillment: Zopi offers auto-fulfillment services designed to streamline order processing from all your suppliers efficiently and reliably.
Supplier Quality: Zopi prioritizes working with suppliers who provide reliable fulfillment. While capabilities can vary, we're constantly monitoring and evaluating our partners to minimize any issues you might experience.

We’re also working on integrating Walmart and will provide updates in our Help Center as soon as they’re available. Feel free to explore Zopi with a free trial or demo to browse supplier networks. Our 24/7 support can be reached by both live chat and phone call.

Q: Are there suppliers that can ship to the US in 5-8 days? Most items seem to take longer, even with USPS.

A: You can significantly improve your shipping times by focusing on US-based suppliers, those with warehouses in the US like:

Trendsi: Offers a seamless integration with e-commerce platforms, enabling quick inventory management and order fulfillment.
Wayfair Professional: Provides exclusive access to a wide variety of home goods and furniture with competitive pricing for businesses.

You can use third-party fulfillment partners with US-based operations such as:

Spocket: Specializes in fast shipping from US and EU suppliers, ensuring quick delivery times for your customers.
Prinful: Offers on-demand printing and custom products, with worldwide fulfillment and branding options.
Printify: Features a vast network of print providers, enabling cost-effective and customizable print-on-demand solutions.

Contact your suppliers directly and ask for US-based warehouses or fulfilment options.

Zopi specific

Q: What are the next steps after pushing products to online stores for dropshipping newbies and how Zopi supports it?

A: After you've added your products to your store, here are a few key steps you can focus on following:

Optimize Your Store: Ensure your product listings are attractive and informative. High-quality images, engaging descriptions, and competitive pricing can make a big difference.
Marketing: Use social media, email marketing, and ads to promote your store and attract customers. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Google Ads are popular choices.
Customer Service: Provide excellent customer support to build trust and encourage repeat business. Respond promptly to inquiries and address any issues that arise.
Order Fulfillment: Once you receive orders, ensure timely processing and shipping. Keep track of your inventory and supplier performance. Using Zopi Fulfillment Service to make the order fulfillment process faster and more efficient. Through the new Fulfill by Zopi feature, Zopi allows you to keep away from manual processes while maximizing your profits.

Q: Can we keep using DSers-AliExpress for our sourced products while we set up Zopi?

A: Yes, the data will transfer by syncing your Shopify store with Zopi. Ensure all your product information is accurately reflected in your Shopify store first, and then connect it to Zopi.

Q: Do you offer dropshipping and automatic product uploads from your website to Shopify?

A: With Zopi, you can:

Browse millions of high-quality products.
Access reliable stock from vetted suppliers.
Filter products based on:
- Price
- Number of products sold
- Ratings
- Other criteria
Compare suppliers based on:

Delivery time
Shipping cost

Import chosen products with a single click, saving time and effort.
Added products will go to a waiting list for editing details before pushing them to your store.
Await customer orders once products are live in your store.

Q: How does Zopi stand out from other dropshipping apps in helping beginners like me?

A: Zopi makes it easy to start with beginners or seasoned sellers.

Product Discovery: Access millions of high-quality products with reliable stock from vetted suppliers.
AI Enhancer: Generate captivating product descriptions and optimize competitive pricing to boost sales.
Product Import: Bulk import to Shopify with one click.
Order Automation Fulfillment: Streamline order fulfillment seamlessly.
Order Tracking: Provide real-time global order tracking.
24/7 Support

Q: Does Zopi provide products and ship them? What’s the monthly cost and can it integrate with Shopify like DSers?

A: No, Zopi acts as a bridge between your Shopify store and suppliers, automating order fulfillment and streamlining your dropshipping workflow—similar to DSers. We offer a Free Plan to get you started, with other options to suit growing businesses.

Q: How many sales channels does Zopi support to integrate for a multi-channel merchant? Can it sync and manage orders across these channels in one place?

A: For now, Shopify Market Connect App is a great function to support you in linking the products across all channels. As for the order, if you connect your sales channels (let's say Amazon) with Shopify, Zopi can also sync that order back to our system and fulfill it for you.

Q: Does Zopi provide any solution for Product Research or Handpicked Product to discover winning products for a newbie?

A: You can use the in-app filters to find trending products, free shipping to US, and fastest shipping to US. These can provide insights into what merchants are looking for.

For product research, the Shopify blog's 'Best Dropshipping Products' post is a fantastic resource.

Q: Does Zopi have any suppliers that do private labeling dropshipping?

A: Yes, Zopi Fulfillment service supports private labeling. We're working on both private labeling & POD/ handcrafted products to support customizable branding. The in-app function will be available soon this Summer.

AMA Recap | Finding suppliers for your dropshipping markets