u/languidness

Hey all, new to dropshipping and trying to figure out the details of setting up my first store. Something I'm unclear on is the initial fulfillment pipeline for beginners. I understand once you have some steady sales on a product, you look to set up a relationship with a 3PL, but starting out am I limited to only what I can find on one of the auto-fulfillment platforms? So if I find some product that looks good on Aliexpress or Temu for example, I can't sell that product if I can't find it on something like CJ?

Also, I keep seeing something like 3x COGS target recommended, but browsing through CJ, shipping seems to be so expensive that I've got no idea how I could sell these products at a 3x price point.

I'm fairly new to the concept of dropshipping, and have not yet launched my first attempt. I do plan to do so once I've done sufficient research, if for nothing else than to at least expose myself to the process and develop my personal understanding/skillset. But I want to know if I am working toward something that is still potentially sustainable and lucrative.

I have read through every one of u/Mindshaped's posts, as well as watched through a number of videos from various gurus and smaller creators to try to understand different methodologies and perspectives, whether grounded and well-meaning or clearly scammy. The extreme gaps in the pictures being painted by the gurus and scammers, the actual posters, and the realists/pessimists have left me pretty uncertain as to the actual upside of dropshipping/ecom as a path to pursue.

I believe I am well-situated in understanding that dropshipping in the current year is an extremely competitive endeavor that involves a ton of time, research, trial-and-error, business acumen, and failure, in order to chase fairly slim margins within narrow windows. But at the end of that chase, is there still a worthwhile payoff?

I would love to hear from anyone experienced and actively dropshipping. How much are you actually making? Or how little? How much time do you spend on it per day, per week? After the initial pain and grind and learning, can dropshipping still level out to a point where it provides strong semi-passive income? Or is this a full-time job that ultimately leads to no more financial freedom than working toward a salaried job?

I'm fairly new to the concept of dropshipping, and have not yet launched my first attempt. I do plan to do so once I've done sufficient research, if for nothing else than to at least expose myself to the process and develop my personal understanding/skillset. But I want to know if I am working toward something that is still potentially sustainable and lucrative.

I have read through every one of u/Mindshaped's posts, as well as watched through a number of videos from various gurus and smaller creators to try to understand different methodologies and perspectives, whether grounded and well-meaning or clearly scammy. The extreme gaps in the pictures being painted by the gurus and scammers, the actual posters, and the realists/pessimists have left me pretty uncertain as to the actual upside of dropshipping/ecom as a path to pursue.

I believe I am well-situated in understanding that dropshipping in the current year is an extremely competitive endeavor that involves a ton of time, research, trial-and-error, business acumen, and failure, in order to chase fairly slim margins within narrow windows. But at the end of that chase, is there still a worthwhile payoff?

I would love to hear from anyone experienced and actively dropshipping. How much are you actually making? Or how little? How much time do you spend on it per day, per week? After the initial pain and grind and learning, can dropshipping still level out to a point where it provides strong semi-passive income? Or is this a full-time job that ultimately leads to no more financial freedom than working toward a salaried job?