AMA Recap | Talk Building a Fashion Brand Using Dropshipping with Trendsi

[Trendsi]

Questions List

Getting Started & Sourcing Strategies

Q1. I am new to this ecommerce world selling my own products, and interested in knowing if I am ready to add drop shipping to my new business. 

Q2. Where do you find the dropshipping companies with quality clothing? If you haven't seen or touch the items how are you to know.

Q3. What advice do you have on doing both Dropshipping and also buying/selling wholesale?

Q4: What is the biggest advantage to dropshipping instead of using a POD? 

Q5: I am currently working with one vendor for dropshipping and sell jewelry. I am interested in finding another vendor that has clothing. Is it a good idea to have multiple vendors for drop shipping and how will it impact the shipping cost? 

Scaling & Building Brand Identity

Q6: If a client wanted to create a product that is not in your product line, do you offer any options to design custom pieces? 

Q7: What are the ways for going from general fashion dropshipping to branded products? 

Operational Best Practices
Q8: I’m struggling with long shipping times for products to consumers. Any way to resolve this?
Q9: There are a few vendors Risen being one, that have low or out of stock products most of the time. How do we try to sell these items when they are never available? I love the product, it just saddens me that this is becoming a pattern with a lot of the vendors we have to choose from. 

Branding and Marketing Insights
Q10: I have just started a fashion brand online and struggled to gain organic followers and customers without putting in expensive ad through meta or google. What are the best alternatives for new business with limited budget?

 

 

Getting Started & Sourcing Strategies

Q1: I am new to this ecommerce world selling my own products, and interested in knowing if I am ready to add drop shipping to my new business. 

A: Dropshipping is the perfect way to help you quickly get started. Doing an ecommerce business usually involves 1. marketing and 2. supply chain (shipping, inventory, return). 

Q2: Where do you find the dropshipping companies with quality clothing? If you haven't seen or touched the items, how do you know.

A: There is almost no way to determine the quality of clothing unless you:

1. Know and trust the vendor
2. Buy samples to test and feel the fabric

This is exactly why Trendsi exists. We carefully curate a selection of high-quality vendors from both the USA and overseas, continuously adding new ones and removing those that no longer meet our standards.

Even better, you can purchase samples from any vendor without committing to bulk orders. Plus, we’re soon launching a review feature to help you find the best vendors for your dropshipping needs on Trendsi.

Q3: What advice do you have on doing both Dropshipping and also buying/selling wholesale?

A: Great question! Scaling a fashion brand solely through dropshipping can be challenging. The most successful sellers we’ve seen use a blended approach.

For example, they start with Trendsi dropshipping to test best-selling products without holding inventory. Once they identify top-performing items, they purchase wholesale—either shipping to their own warehouse or storing them at Trendsi’s 3PL warehouse. This strategy enables faster fulfillment, more stable inventory, and lower product costs, making it easier to scale sustainably.

Q4: What is the biggest advantage to dropshipping instead of using a POD? 

A: Dropshipping usually offers these advantages over POD:

1. Wider Product Selection – You can sell anything from clothing to accessories, electronics, and home goods, rather than being limited to customizable products—usually restricted to products like t-shirts, mugs, and phone cases.
2. Potentially Higher Margins – Bulk-manufactured products from suppliers are often cheaper than POD, leading to better profit margins.
3. Faster Shipping (Depending on Supplier) – Many dropshipping suppliers offer faster fulfillment than POD since custom items take longer to produce before shipping.

Q5: I am currently working with one vendor for dropshipping and sell jewelry. I am interested in finding another vendor that has clothing. Is it a good idea to have multiple vendors for drop shipping and how will it impact the shipping cost? 

A: One of the biggest advantages of dropshipping is the ability to test and expand product categories with minimal risk. However, maintaining consistent shipping fees for your customers is crucial, so charging a flat fee or offering free shipping after a certain purchase amount would help if you use different dropshippers. When working with multiple dropshipping vendors, be sure to account for their varying shipping rates when setting your pricing.

Alternatively, you can simplify logistics by partnering with a single dropshipping vendor that offers a wide range of product categories, eliminating concerns about fluctuating shipping costs.

 

Scaling & Building Brand Identity

Q6: If a client wanted to create a product that is not in your product line, do you offer any options to design custom pieces? 

A: Yes we do and it's called made-to-order manufacturing.

You have access to it after you sign up and login to Trendsi

Q7: What are the ways for going from general fashion dropshipping to branded products? 

A: Yes we have usually seen three steps in doing branded products.

• Step 1: Use general fashion dropshipping to test out your marketing strategy and identify potential best sellers
• Step 2: Do branding with Trendsi (custom sewn in label, hang tag, packaging) to add your unique branding to the products. Note that at this step your product is still the same as someone else who dropships the same product, but with extra sewn in label etc.
• Step 3: Start your own design. Work with Trendsi made-to-order manufacturing with MOQ as low as 60 to create your own custom clothing (i.e. add an extra pocket, add a new leopard print) This will make your product truly unique and stand out.

We are here to help you at every step of building your fashion brand.

 

 

Operational Best Practices

Q8: I’m struggling with long shipping times for products to consumers. Any way to resolve this?

A: Shipping from overseas, with a delivery time of 5-10 business days, may feel long for many customers. Here are a few ways to address this:

• Set Clear Expectations – Communicate upfront on your Shopify store about longer shipping times. Managing expectations is key. A smart approach used by many sellers is adding a "Pre-Order" section to their store, helping customers understand that their order may take longer. When labeled as a pre-order, customers are often more willing to wait.

• Use U.S.-Based Vendors – Sourcing from U.S. vendors ensures faster shipping, typically 2-5 business days, making it more reliable for customers who prefer quicker delivery.

• Stock Up in the U.S. with Trendsi 3PL – Dropshipping is a great way to test best-selling products, but it comes with higher costs and fluctuating inventory. Once you identify top-selling items, purchasing wholesale and storing them at Trendsi's 3PL warehouse allows for faster fulfillment and lower costs. We can assist with U.S.-based dropshipping to ensure quicker delivery.

Q9: There are a few vendors, Risen being one, that have low or out of stock products most of the time. How do we try to sell these items when they are never available? I love the product, it just saddens me that this is becoming a pattern with a lot of the vendors we have to choose from. 

A: Yes we understand the frustration. The limitation of dropshipping is that the inventory stock is shared and can be volatile. Overseas vendors are doing better at restocking the products fast compared to US vendors like Risen. Most of the time we rush to Risen for restock and they are also out of stock (we are frustrated too)

There are a few things we are doing to solve the issue:

1. Encourage the sellers to start dropshipping as soon as the product is listed as that is the time when it has the most ample inventory. We will also add a tag to products that have run low on inventory and cannot be restocked. We do not recommend selling those. 
2. We are working with vendors to help them better manage their supply chain so that they can restock faster (this is challenging but looks promising in the long term)
3. Dropshipping is perfect for testing out new products. However, it does have its limitations. The most successful sellers on Trendsi will use dropshipping to test and quickly buy wholesale with private labeling (can store in Trendsi too) to secure the inventory and provide faster shipping to their customers (because it is stored in our US warehouse after you buy bulk)

Out of stock issues are a continuous challenge that we are trying to combat!

 

Branding and Marketing Insights

Q10: I have just started a fashion brand online and struggled to gain organic followers and customers without putting in expensive ads through meta or google. What are the best alternatives for new business with limited budgets?

A: There is no right answer to what channels will have the highest ROI, as a lot of factors come into play.

Here are some budget-friendly alternatives to grow your brand:

1. Leverage TikTok & Instagram Reels – Short-form video content has huge organic reach. Show behind-the-scenes looks, styling tips, or even "pack an order with me" videos to engage potential customers.
2. Collaborate with Micro-Influencers – Instead of expensive influencers, partner with smaller creators who have engaged audiences. Many are open to gifted collaborations or affiliate partnerships.
3. Join Facebook Groups & Online Communities – Engage in fashion-related groups where your target audience hangs out. Offer styling advice and subtly introduce your brand without being overly promotional.
4. Pinterest Marketing – Many fashion brands see great organic traffic by pinning product photos and mood boards. Since Pinterest acts like a search engine, it can drive long-term traffic to your store.
5. SEO & Blogging – Writing fashion-related blog posts (e.g., "How to Style [Your Product]" or "Top Trends for [Season]") helps bring organic traffic through Google search.
6. Referral & Loyalty Programs – Encourage existing customers to spread the word by offering discounts for referrals or a loyalty program for repeat purchases.
7. Email & SMS Marketing – Build an email list with exclusive offers, styling tips, and product launches to convert visitors into customers.

Growth takes time, but consistency and engagement will pay off!