Lesson Six: Suppliers

Use CJ Dropshipping when you’re just starting. They let you: source products fulfill orders ship directly to customers You don’t touch inventory. This is the easiest beginner setup.

Once you find a winning product and want better margins, use Alibaba. Alibaba is for: bulk orders custom packaging lower unit costs Don’t start here. Use it after you validate a product.

Once you have consistent sales: Move to a private supplier. They give you: faster shipping better pricing stable inventory branding options This is how you scale profit.

When using CJ Dropshipping, Alibaba, or a private supplier, look for: Fast response time Clear communication Real product photos/videos Shipping under 10–15 days Consistent stock Always message them first. Ask: Processing time Shipping time Refund policy If they’re slow to reply now, they’ll be slow when problems happen. Skip them.

Once you have sales: Message your supplier regularly Tell them your daily order volume Ask for better pricing Ask for faster shipping lines Good suppliers reward volume. This is how margins improve.