I'm doing Dropshipping but it's not through suppliers

[UPCRAFTED]

I currently have a store that sells products from manufacturers across the U.S. - These are a different bunch of companies, some on Shopify some not, that have agreed to dropship for us. The issue I'm seeing is that as far as scaling, it will be almost impossible for two reasons. 

1. Tracking inventory. - How can I track their inventory to make sure that I have that product when someone is shopping on my site? (I only have two manufacturers that actually send me an Excel sheet every night)

2. Orders - How can I easily process an order and send that info to the manufacturer? (I currently have different methods specifically to each manufacturer. Some want us to email them; others gave us user id/password to their site to do it there, etc..)

Could you help?

[Skye · Accepted solution]

Hi, @UPCRAFTED

Thanks for the post and welcome to the Community Forums! Those are two great questions. Your situation is not the traditional form of dropshipping, therefor the solutions can be a bit trial and error while you learn what works best for your business, as well as your suppliers.

It's great that two of your suppliers are able to send you the inventory data each night. If a business is not on Shopify, that is the best course of action. Another option, that isn’t possible in Shopify natively, but can be done with the help of an app, is to link your Shopify store’s inventory to your supplier’s inventory. A specific app to check out is Multi-Store Sync Power. 

For this to work, however, both store's will need to opt in to the app. This is potentially something worth discussing with your suppliers as this app will update stock in real time. This will also streamline fulfillment as the supplier will see the orders in real time.

If the above option does not work, you will need to touch base with your suppliers each day to ensure you have the correct inventory set up.

When it comes to fulfillment, if the supplier does not wish to use the above app, or are not on Shopify, then you will need to set up email fulfillment. This can be done by setting up Custom Fulfillment on Shopify. If you are needing a resolution  beyond email fulfillment, another option would be to contact a Shopify Expert who could assist building out a custom solution.

In the meantime, I would love to learn more about the products you are selling! There could be further options available, such as switching suppliers and using one of the integrated dropshipping apps.

[UPCRAFTED]

Thank you Skye! Yes, that makes a lot of sense. I think the App will be a hard thing to sell since some of the manufacturers I'm dealing with are Mom & Pop places and they would have to install and use that app. 

But thanks for letting me know about email fulfillment. I can start with that to let them know of the same. 

Best!

[dropship_helps]

Hello @UPCRAFTED 

We recommend using any multi-vendor management app in Shopify. 

[PreBuiltStores]

We recommend checking the following Apps:

Syncio Multi Store Sync by Syncio

Multi‑Store Sync Power by EGNITION

[sg11]

Hello @UPCRAFTED, 

You can track and sync inventory in real time (no spreadsheets required) with your manufacturer's stores using Leap Multi Store Sync. The set-up is a quick one-time process, and prices and order quantities of selected products are then automatically synced in real-time between you and your manufacturers. 

You can also automatically set up order forwarding for your products, so that every time a customer places an order on your Shopify store, it is automatically sent to your manufacturer's store as well.

Please drop an email to support@leapinventory.com for any questions or help regarding the set-up and we'll help you get up and running in no time! 

[delwin_twc]

Hi @UPCRAFTED, I wish I had seen your question earlier! Duoplane can automate both tracking inventory and order management so you can scale your business smoothly.

Tracking Inventory: Duoplane will automatically parse emails from your vendors and update your Shopify's inventory. Even better, it can be customized differently for each vendor as needed.

Orders: When a customer places an order, duoplane will automatically split the order up and send the respective products to each vendor to fulfill. You can also customize the frequency, delivery method, and file format for how each vendor receives their orders.

Best of all, their customer support is excellent and you can get a free trial before making any commitment. Do your research to see what best suits your needs. Don't just take my word for it - check out Duoplane on the Shopify app store and read their reviews.