Thanks to their many advantages, dropshipping agents are becoming more and more popular with dropshippers. But how do we work with them effectively? And where do we find them?
Dropshipping with an agent is not given to all e-merchants because it requires a certain amount of ordering. However, once you work with an agent, your business can only grow.
In this article, full zoom on dropshipping agents which remain a bit mysterious, but very coveted!
What’s a dropshipping agent?
Working with a dropshipping agent is all about knowing who they are. Being located in China, the agents live in that country and can get in contact with the dropshipping suppliers.
They speak English and Chinese and their main role is to negotiate lower product prices.
You’ve already noticed that it’s very difficult to discuss in English with an AliExpress supplier, either they answer off the cuff or they don’t answer at all? Very few speak perfect English!
But agents aren’t just useful for negotiating, they allow you to do many other things.
3 good reasons to work with a dropshipping agent
1. Take advantage of preferential prices
The main function of a dropshipping agent is to negotiate the prices of your best products so that you can benefit from preferential prices.
It’s like ordering in bulk to earn a few percentages between 5 to 10% per product. This ultimately means reducing your expenses and earning up to several hundred euros per month.
One of the disadvantages, and not the least, is that you have to have a certain number of orders per month to be able to work with an agent. On the order of several thousand euros of turnover, at least 15 to $20,000 per month.
2. Best delivery times
Dropshipping with AliExpress has a lot of advantages, whether in terms of quality/price ratio or variety of products, it is the best platform.
That said, delivery times are far too long, in the order of 2 to 3 weeks, sometimes even longer with bad suppliers.
For this reason it is essential to have a top-notch and very reactive customer service to avoid complaints as much as possible!
With dropshipping agents, you’ll reduce the time it takes for your packages to arrive at the customer’s door. Well it won’t be 4 or 5 days, but the products will take 7 to 20 days at the most.
Why the difference? Because the preparation time is greatly reduced!
Moreover, regarding the delivery, the follow-up is also improved and there are fewer errors than with ePacket and Aliexpress Standard Shipping which sometimes give bad information.
3. The possibility to repackage your parcels
This is one of the reasons why agents are very appreciated by dropshippers as they allow you to change the packaging of your products.
Thanks to this, we can imagine several ways to improve the customer experience:
- Improving and replacing packaging
- Add your brand logo
- Add a promotional code
- A word of thanks to the client
- Tips for use
Without going through the agents, it is not really possible to do repackaging through AliEexpress. Some suppliers allow it, but for large orders on Alibaba.
All these techniques will allow you to improve your brand image, build customer loyalty and ultimately make more sales!
4. Quality control
The role of an agent is also to control the quality of a factory. Indeed, the agent represents your company with Chinese suppliers, so you have to be careful in your choice.
If you work with a good agent, they will check that the imported products meet your company’s requirements and the quality standards you want for your customers.
Once your packages are ready to be shipped, your agent can also check the quality of the products at that time. If you want to change the packaging, he can check afterwards.
He has an essential role, because if there is a problem with a factory, he is the one to contact directly to solve it!
How do dropshipping agents work?
To work with an agent, it’s no longer necessary to place each order manually since you simply send him a CSV file every week containing your customers’ information.
He will then take care of everything for you and you can even ask to stock up in case there is a shortage of your product.
This way, you save a lot of time placing your orders manually via Oberlo if you don’t delegate this repetitive task.
Where to find a dropshipping agent on the internet?
Finding an agent isn’t as hard as it looks. The first thing you can do to find one is to simply use Google with searches such as « dropshipping agent » or « china sourcing agent » to find sites such as nichedropshipping.com and which is a reference!
Alibaba also connects supply agents with traders. The commissions they take are very low, but it will be up to you to check the quality of their expertise. You can find them on this page.
The other solution is to look at Fiverr – I recently found out that some salespeople allow you to get in touch with agents.
Just like UpWork, you have independent agents there, but not all of them are Chinese. You have to be careful and watch out for scams!
Find an agent at a dedicated trade show
If you’re more interested in getting in touch with agents, dedicated trade shows are the solution for you. They are not everywhere, but they do provide a way to get in touch with supply companies.
Trade shows are more suitable for very large importers making several millions a year, otherwise it’s not the best solution, but it’s interesting to know that it exists.
The best are in Hong Kong and Yiwu, as this Chinese city has the largest market in the world!
Should you be working with an agent?
If your turnover allows it, there is no doubt that working hand in hand with a dropshipping agent will be entirely beneficial to your business.
It will allow you to scale your shop and add real value to your e-commerce brand by differentiating it from everything that is currently done in dropshipping.
Of course, it’s going to take some research work to find the right agent, but once you find one that fits your needs, you won’t regret it.
Dropshipping agents are not indispensable but they will improve your shop at a stage where few of your competitors will be!
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