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by DigiEggz 690 days ago
Is there a general way to tell if a site is (likely) a dropshipping site?
2 comments

Alibaba has a "search by image" feature. It has been the BEST weapon to catch dropshipping.

As a bonus, if it's on Alibaba, you can either A: order a sample direct cheap or B: find the product on Aliexpress and order that way for cheap, too. I love catching scams and flipping the tables to buy it myself at their own price if I think it's nifty.

I built a homemade hot tub system around one of those "ice plunge" bath tubs that seem to be a thing going around these days. They're a rigid inflatable tub, but anyone selling them alongside a chiller sells the tub alone for $500-1000. I found the direct source (Shenzhen Gateo Sports - https://gateo.en.alibaba.com/) and bought one for $200 direct from the factory and love my unbranded tub. ;)

#1 is the website ships globally with no restrictions. A lot of Chinese businesses ship to any country. A local business with their own stock generally won't handle shipping to every single country around the globe. Sure there are exceptions to this rule, but in general it works well as your first sign.

Read the terms and conditions, privacy policy and other more "obscure" information like that. Dropshipping items always ship from China and returns are received to a warehouse in China.

In their Terms of Sale, Sonic Brush mentions that it is rebranding the following product "We are selling the following brand mark : W-White.". So this would be the dropshipping product they buy from AliExpress.