How to Find a Dropshipping Agent (FAST in 2023)
Learning how to find a dropshipping agent is a question of learning where to look.
Some of the options available to you include searching in Facebook groups, searching on AliExpress or Alibaba, or searching on freelance platforms such as Fiverr or Upwork.
If you don’t know what a dropshipping agent is, see this article first: What is a Dropshipping Agent?
You’ll also want to know how to spot a high quality dropshipping agent in order to avoid any bad experiences down the line.
As it happens, I’m a dropshipping agent myself (you’ve stumbled onto the right website), so I’ll be able to tell you exactly what to look out for.
You might be wondering why a dropshipping agent would share information on how to find other dropshipping agents, but the truth is I understand not every dropshipper is going to be the right fit for us at this point in time, and vice versa.
For those of you who find this information useful, we’ll get more traction on the website, and for those who are interested in our services, you can click here :)
With that out of the way, this post will outline how to find a dropshipping agent who is based in China, and key things to consider when selecting the right one for you.
How to Find a Dropshipping Agent
Finding a high quality dropshipping agent can be a challenging process for which you’ll need a good selection criteria, but before that, you need to know where to actually find them.
Where to Find a Dropshipping Agent
Here are a few places where you can find a dropshipping agent.
Freelancing Platforms
You can try searching for an agent or posting a job on Fiverr or Upwork. There are highly rated agents out there, be sure to take the time to choose the right one for you.
If you’re unsure of what criteria to look for in a dropshipping agent, keep reading until the end.
Facebook groups
There are lots of dropshipping groups that you can find on Facebook. Simply search dropshipping agent or join a known dropshipping community with lots of members.
You can post a question asking for an agent and mention how many orders you’re doing per day, or find agents who advertise themselves.
Just be aware that there may be some people disguised as agents in an attempt to take your winning product(s). Make sure you go through the checklist later in this post to find one that suits you.
Alibaba
Alibaba is mostly used by ecommerce businesses to order products in bulk, but you can still find a few suppliers that provide dropshipping agent services hanging about.
Search for dropshipping agents on Alibaba and see if you can find one that suits your business.
YouTubers
There are quite a few YouTubers who teach dropshipping. If they are dropshipping themselves then they’ll often be working with an agent who they may share with their audience.
Some YouTubers also work as affiliates for dropshipping agents. Do your due diligence, and if you want to support your favorite YouTuber then make sure to use their link!
Leverage your network
You’ve probably thought of this one but if you haven’t already, ask your friends or colleagues working in the same space if they’d recommend their agent to you.
Work with Ecommerce Companion
Last (but not least), as you’re already here, you might as well work with us!
Had to shoot my (2nd) shot lol.
Oh, and I should mention that Google is another one, but that’s probably how you found this article in the first place, which would make my mentioning it a bit of a circular reference (for you excel wizards).
Anyway, if you’re wondering how to get a dropshipping agent to work with you, then it’s simply a matter of reaching out to them. On our site you simply fill out a quote form, which is standard for most private agents.
But before you do that, you may want to decide if you want to work with them.
Now that you know how to find a dropshipping agent, the next step is figuring out whether they provide a high quality service or not.
How to Choose a Dropshipping Agent
Once you’ve found them, you need to know how to choose the best dropshipping agent for your business.
There are multiple factors to consider, which if neglected could be the difference between ending up working with a reliable high-quality dropshipping agent or an unreliable low-quality one.
You can use the checklist below to help you think about each aspect and consider all your options.
Price
The first thing most new business owners will consider is price, which is a good place to start. However, while price is important it is not the be-all-end-all.
When comparing two fulfillment options, you’ll want to consider the balance between service quality and price. If they are super cheap but offer a slow, unresponsive service, then you may save yourself future headache by going with a slightly more expensive, higher quality fulfillment option.
On the other hand, if the fulfillment company/agent is quite expensive then you’ll want to consider if working with them is truly manageable for your business, or if the margins are too thin and will hamper future growth.
Sourcing & Quality Control
Most dropshipping agents will source your product for free as long as you meet the minimum daily order volume they require to work with them.
Be sure to communicate exactly what you expect of the product to your agent regarding its quality or any imperfections you’re not willing to accept. You’ll also want to understand the factory’s process for products that don’t meet your standards, and if your agent can send products back for replacement free of charge.
Additionally your agent should be ordering samples before committing to a bulk order to ensure the product quality is up to standard. The sample(s) ordered should be tested by your agent as rigorously as possible to avoid any future shocks or surprises.
There will always be some risk when ordering a product in bulk, especially when working with a factory or supplier for the first time. In some cases the product you receive in bulk may not match the product samples your agent was sent. It’s important you understand the risks, and what your agent’s process is, if this should happen.
Once you’ve moved past the beginning stages of working with your dropshipping agent, it’s important that there is still an on-going quality control process in place. Ask your agent what this process is ahead of time. In many cases the manufacturer will test each new batch of products, either by random selection or the entire batch, depending on the product.
Your agent may randomly test products from a new bulk order themselves, and will usually be able to check each individual product for aesthetic imperfections such as cracks, dirt or obvious breaks.
Inventory storage, Fulfillment & Shipping
The above diagram is a simplified overview of the process from production to customer delivery.
Once your product arrives at your dropshipping agent’s warehouse, it will either go through a quality control check straight away or into storage for later inspection.
Storage will usually be free of charge as long as you keep receiving orders over time, but you may be charged after the first couple of months if the product isn’t selling at all.
The quality control process will either take place when the product first arrives, just before its packed, or sometime in between. If any products are spotted that don’t match your requirement then your agent should be able to send them back for replacements at a later stage.
Once your customer orders come in, the dropshipping agent should be able to fulfill the orders within 24 hours, as they already have the product and the couriers they are working with should be coming to pick up customer packages at least once a day. You can ask your agent what their processing times are.
Last but not least, be sure to find out what shipping lines your agent is using and what the shipping times are to each country your customers are in. I highly recommend YunExpress, but your agent will often use a combination of shipping lines as some have better service to different countries than others. It’s also worth clarifying if the shipping times are in business days or not.
Branding
Branding your product and packaging can completely change the way your customer sees the product. As such, you’ll want to make the switch over to branded dropshipping as soon as possible.
Ask your agent if there are any pre-requisites for branding your product and/or packaging. In some cases there may be an MOQ from the manufacturer for branding the product, which will mean having to order higher quantities.
If you’re not ready to take that step yet, then at the very least try to get your packaging branded; while there still may be an MOQ to brand the packaging itself, it will often be a minor financial commitment in comparison.
You can also use cheaper alternatives to brand your product if applicable, such as getting branded stickers. The effectiveness of these alternative branding methods will depend on the product, so there is no one solution that can be applied to every product. Work with your agent to brainstorm ideas that meet the needs of your business.
If you don’t know what branded dropshipping is yet, see this article: What is Branded Dropshipping?
Aftersales Support
It’s important to know what your prospective agent’s aftersales support will look like. Make sure to ask specifically in which cases your agent will send reshipments free of charge to your customers, and in which cases they won’t.
Below are some examples of cases in which they may offer you guarantees and cases in which they may not.
Reshipments Offered Free of Charge
Broken product
Shipping damage
Lost in transit
Reshipments Not Offered Free of Charge
Customer address input error
Recipient refused delivery
Failed delivery after multiple attempts
Product becomes defective over time
Packages that are delayed but not lost
Location
Although it may not be the first question that comes to mind, your agent or fulfillment company’s location in China is actually quite important.
Most of the fast shipping lines are located in and around Shenzhen, which is in Guangdong Province, Southeast China. Being located close to the fastest shipping lines will mean less of a delay between passing packages onto the courier, and those packages being shipped out the country.
Take a moment to ask the dropshipping agent you’re considering where they are located, to save you and your customers valuable processing and shipping time.
Communication
You’re going to be working very closely with your dropshipping agent to overcome challenges, resolve issues, and scale your business. So, it’s important that you are able to communicate with each other clearly and effectively.
You’ll be able to determine whether you and your prospective dropshipping agent are able to understand each other pretty early on. Just keep in mind that if they are unable to understand anything in your preliminary conversations, or you’re unable to understand them, this could become a potential issue in the future as you attempt to communicate more complex ideas or challenges with each other as time goes on.
Not only is a minimum level of language fluency important, but so is the responsiveness and frequency of your dropshipping agent’s communication with you. This is hard to determine from the get-go, but if you’re getting responses every few days during initial talks, then that may be a sign that the agent is not particularly responsive and that things may only deteriorate in the future.
In summary you’ll want a dropshipping agent that:
- understands your requirements/issues
- can express themselves clearly to you
- contacts you as frequently as necessary
- has a quick response and resolution time
Scaling Potential
Last but not least, you’ll want to know if your dropshipping agent is going to be able to handle the volume of orders that you hope to achieve in the future.
Ask them how many orders they can handle per day.
And more importantly, let them know in advance when you plan to scale your advertisements so they can plan ahead and avoid any processing delays.
That’s it!
You now know how to find a dropshipping agent and how to choose one to work with!
For more info see: Dropshipping Agent Service