u/Extension-Thing-4779

Hi guys, i want to start dropshipping in the pet niche. so ive done a lot of research and im stuck at finding the right supplier. sorry for maybe sounding dumb but some things dont add up to me.

1. so i hear everywhere that in 2026 its about creating a brand and not selling cheap stuff from ali express. so for me i have to create a shop with a lot of product variations, right? for example a lot of dog leashes or harness in different styles. So how excatly would an agent help me here? I read that if i get some orders i should switch to an agent but i mean for a normal shop it should be unimportant if i sell 1 or 10 pieces of the same product? So i dont want to look for "winners" but just have a lot of good products in my shop. Am i wrong thinking like this?
2. how do suppliers handle returns. i read that for example zendrop doesnt "care" about refunds but in europe the costumers can give anything back in 14 days without reason? So how am i supposed to have a shop when its almost impossible to guarantee refund especially for expensive products.

thanks in advance