The Complete Blueprint: How to Start a Profitable Furniture Dropshipping Business from Home in 12 Easy Steps

While it is true that you can buy anything online, there are products that a customer would think of a hundred times before buying. That includes furniture.

But guess what? Furniture can now be drop shipped and bought online! And you can make money out of selling it without any stock. Your partner drop shipper will be your supplier.

For this topic, we will teach you how to make profits by drop-shipping furniture in the comfort of your home!

1. Introduction:

1) Basics about the Furniture Business

Selling furniture is a good hustle. You will get many buyers if you sell durable products with good design. There are few furniture shops in one area. Even if you look at malls or commercial places, you can only find a few suppliers.

Is it easy to sell furniture? Yes and No. If your products are of excellent quality and your clients recommend you, you can get more customers. You have to establish your brand. Your target customers also determine the products you are selling.

If you are selling pricey, massive, and made of costly materials, you can only sometimes target the above-average buyer. But if you are selling affordable but made of good material, you can sell from the mass market.

Have you heard of IKEA? It is a Swedish furniture company that sells retail home and office pieces. They have put up pop-up stores in many countries and sell online. It is a successful one and gets many customers.

These days, people are mindful of the price of products they buy. They want to get value from the money they spend. Aside from IKEA, they can also find online shops that sell good and cheap furniture!

2) What is furniture dropshipping?

This selling model is when you sell a piece of furniture in your online store, but your supplier ships it to your customer. You do not have the stocks on hand and find a supplier that can partner with you to sell their products. You do the marketing and decide how much to sell it. Once your customer orders, the supplier will fulfill the order for you.

One of the reasons why online sellers succeed in selling furniture is due to the high demand. For example, when the Covid virus hit the world, there were many changes in the work setup. Some workers stayed at home to do work.

Because of working from home, the sale of products like office chairs, tables, consoles, etc. increased. The same goes for home furniture and renovation products. Even if they are products from China, people buy them for their excellent price and material.

The furniture business can be challenging for some shop owners if they need more space to keep them. Their shop must also be commercial so people can see their products. It can be in malls or areas where their clients can reach them. Drop shipping resolves these challenges, and you can earn good profits!

3) Is it Good to Dropship furniture?

Certainly! You can curate your store to sell different items and experiment and see what item sells the most. You do not need to spend before you can sell. But if you want to test the product, you can purchase them to see and observe many things:

• Find out the quality.

• Test how quickly they can send the product to you.

• Experience drop shipping firsthand.

• See if they have good after-sales and customer service.

2. How Does Dropshipping Furniture Work in China?

In China, furniture dropshipping is the same as other type of products. You make a catalog of what you want to sell, post pictures, and put all the descriptions you can copy from your suppliers’ product details. They can also allow you to post images from their store.

The most important part is to find a partner supplier. You can start selling once you have chosen and agree with their drop shipping package or terms.

What furniture can you dropship from China?

Do you know that you can sell any kind of furniture and drop ship from China? You can see anywhere from hundreds to thousands of designs from different types of furniture categories below:

• Home

• Office

• Indoor/Outdoor

• Children

• Commercial

• Cafe or Bar

• Kitchen

• Accessories

• Furniture parts

Advantages and Disadvantages of Dropshipping furniture

Dropshipping Advantages:

• No Need for Inventory

You do not need to buy the product before you can sell it. You can save money and cost to avoid experimenting with what works and what does not. Your supplier handles this.

• High Consumer Demand

The demand for furniture items being sold online grows bigger and bigger each year. Some factors are affordable price, quality, and quick delivery. China furniture suppliers ensure that their partner stores can benefit from their drop ship packages to get more sales for both.

• Flexible and Easy to Curate

Filling your catalog with whatever product you want to sell is easy. You can choose a specific category or sell everything as you please. Curate your shop with the most searchable pieces and add more that customers cannot find in other stores.

• Big Opportunity for Growth

More and more buyers are looking for furniture and buying from online stores. It is a good chance to make a profitable business if you apply SEO skills to make your shop appear in the Google search.

Dropshipping Disadvantages:

• Competition

You will find many competitors online because dropshipping works in many countries. To be on top, you must partner with a good supplier to showcase your products and be confident with your sales.

• Conversion

A very attractive website is not enough to convert a site visit into a sale. Another factor is when a product you are selling is seasonal. You must use marketing and sales funnel strategies to convert them into sales.

• Shipping

Shipping can be hard on large items. Large items can also be costly when shipped. You must plan and find a cost-effective logistic partner to avoid risks and get faster shipping for your customers.

• Customer Trust

Building trust takes time. Ensure you can build trust in every transaction you make with your buyer. Your customers will even market for you if you are a credible seller. Your customer reviews will help buyers decide if your products are worth buying.

Who are the dropship furniture suppliers in China?

The dropship furniture suppliers in China are found in different Chinese selling platforms. They can be manufacturers, wholesalers, or direct suppliers. You can search for them quickly when you type keywords like “dropship furniture” in platforms such as:

• Alibaba

• DHGate

• Made in China

• AliExpress

• Global Sources

• Chinavasion

• CJ Dropshipping

3. The Guide to Dropship Furniture Business

1) How to Select the best dropship furniture suppliers

When looking for a supplier, research is vital. You have two choices when selecting the best supplier:

Get a sourcing agent.

If you are serious about this business but want it sure and quick, getting a sourcing agent can help you in many ways. They can provide you with a list of credible suppliers based on your requirement and they have access to the database of trusted suppliers and drop ship partners.

They can help you check the company and communicate with them on your behalf. A sourcing agent can assist you with everything you need to know to get started in this niche. You can reach out to companies like JustChinaIt.

Find your supplier in a Chinese marketplace.

This part can be complicated as you must research each marketplace. We have simplified the steps for you below:

• Check Chinese platforms like Alibaba and use a keyword to begin your search. e.g., “Furniture Dropship Supplier.”

• Once it lists the result, you can look for a tab at the top to filter your choices. For example, it will display “All Suppliers” or “Verified Manufacturers” in Alibaba.

• Shortlist the companies you like. Reach out to each of them and ask for their Dropship Terms.

• Compare each company. Things to look out for include their years of operation, licenses, location, warehouse, return policies, good client reviews, shipping costs, etc.

• Make your first order and evaluate your buying and shipping experience.

2) How do you start a furniture business online?

Once you have decided what type of furniture to sell, your main task would be to find the supplier you will work with. It is the make or break of your business. Finding an easy-to-work-with supplier with practical drop shipping terms will help you become successful.

After selecting your supplier, you can now set up your online shop.  You can use customizable and ready-to-use platforms like Shopify or Oberlo for drop shipping. When your site is ready and all the tools are set up for your drop shipping features, then you can start selling.

3) What is the best furniture product to dropship?

According to most online sellers, the saleable and most accessible products to drop ship are those that are not too bulky or massive pieces. For example, made-to-order items like sofa or bed frames are not ideal as the lead time is longer, and there are risks involved when shipping.

But small to oversized furniture items not assembled when packed are ideal and safer to drop ship. It could be an office chair, table, cabinet, shoe rack, accent chair, decors, etc., that are ready to assemble by the buyer. It comes with a manual or instructions on how to build it and some essential tools to use for the assembly.

4. Start a Profitable Furniture Dropshipping Business from Home in 12 Easy Steps

We know you are excited to try the dropship furniture business. We want to summarize this into a guideline on how to start and make it successful.

1) Make a plan.

When planning, you put down all your ideas and set your agenda. You carefully research and study the products you will sell and your target customer and make a timeline of your activity so you can start sooner.

You pick suppliers and partners. Having more than two suppliers is good, so it is a backup when your main supplier/partner becomes hard to deal with or runs out of stock. Spend more time finding a credible and reliable drop ship partner.

2) Start with a Minimal Viable Product.

Also known as MVP, it is a development strategy that introduces a basic product with minimal features but enough to pique buyers’ interest. It is a helpful strategy to see how the market will like the idea of what you sell, and their feedback helps you improve on what you can add or pick to sell in your store.

For example, if the home furniture trend you like is Nordic designs, pick a coffee or side table with a minimalist design, two colors available, ready to assemble, and decorative. Check if this product has a high demand from buyers and your supplier’s shop.

3) Register your business domain name.

After deciding on what your brand name or store name will be, register it. Be sure to check the name, and it is still available. Making changes is time-consuming once registered. Come up with a unique name, timeless, and evokes emotion so your customers will become interested and easily remember it.

4) Build your website.

You can build your website or choose a ready-made platform if you want it quick, simple, and easy. E-commerce platforms are beneficial in building good landing pages and designs for you. You can create your product catalog by making categories and collections. This is to make browsing easier for your customers.

If you need to be more knowledgeable on how to do this, you can hire a freelancer to help or watch tutorials from Youtube or your chosen platform guides. Maintaining a simple and easy-to-navigate website with all the needed information is essential.

Set up the shipment process. You can automatically add the shipping amount when you already know the dimension and size of the product. Another thing is how you must deal with the returns. You can create your policy based on what your supplier’s Return Policy has.

Each section of the website should be clear to the buyers. Ask yourself what things you look for when buying from an online store. You can also check on a competitor’s site and create a checklist or section version. DO NOT COPY THEIRS!

5) Integrate a Product Information Management System.

It will be chaotic with too much information and details for each product your suppliers will provide, plus the images, designs, and content! This is the point where you must use a system called Product Information Management System or PIM.

PIM becomes a single source of all product-related information. Its tools and functions can:

• manage the data of all the products

• automate the process for all the assets

• save a vast quantity of information

• incorporate several languages

• keep designs and information for the same product

6) Start selling

Now that your website is ready and you have a good deal with your supplier, you can start selling! We suggest you test your website and make the first order to experience your shop firsthand! This will give you an idea of where to improve and what challenges your buyers may encounter.

Is the shipping time accurate? Is the product delivered in good condition? Can you make a review on the website? These are a few things you can evaluate.

7) Build and market your brand.

Building your brand does not happen overnight. You have to put effort into making sure you can reach your target market. You need to have knowledge of social media marketing and create a strategy that will work.

SEO skills will help you be on top of Google searches. By using keywords on your content and product information, your website will show up on the top pages when your customer searches for a product.

You need to make a noise online to make everyone know your brand exists. If you hire an experienced and professional team to work in this area, you can build your brand sooner than you know.

8) Create advanced visual content.

Have you heard of the saying, “Content is King”? If you want to become a successful dropship furniture seller, you need to create content where your customers will see and visualize more information. You can upload photos of the product’s different angles, parts, colors, etc.

If you have the budget, use 3D photos! You can also use 3D models to make it even more attractive. Visual content helps a customer decide to buy or pass on your product. Another is video content. Videos can bring more value to your store and educate customers on what product you’re selling.

9) Generate more leads.

There are many ways how you can generate more leads for your brand. You can join groups like Facebook and online forums to reach more customers. You can run an ad on different social media platforms.

Other strategies that can generate more leads is by making promotions, discounts, and deals. Enrich your website by writing content or making a guest blog. You can work with social media influencers and grow your followers in all social media streams. Post daily about your content and keep sharing it with your audience. Encourage them to share your content too!

10) Nurture your customers.

Nurturing your customers will build good relationships and trust. It is essential to know what they think about your brand. Always value any feedback. Make bad feedback your motivation to improve your store. Value your customers by giving loyalty discounts or referrals. Take care of them and always make them repeat customers!

11) Do email marketing.

If you want a wider reach and send a message to your previous and future, email marketing is a great advantage! It can help convert more sales. You promote your product by making awareness and sending information when you have promos or sales. People use email every day. Know how to use this strategy to grow your sales effectively.

12) Continue to grow your sales.

As your sales grow, you will find more ways to keep it growing. You also can know what is lacking and what you can improve more. For example, is your mobile view looking sloppy? You can optimize it. Can you answer all customer inquiries in real time? Add a chatbot!

What do customers say in their feedback or testimonial? Is your customer service good? If not, work on that area and do more to show how you care for your customers. Do not stop making improvements even if you are getting sales.

5. FAQ:

1) Are you allowed to dropship anything?

You can dropship anything as long as it is LEGAL. Every country has restrictions on the shipping and entering of products. Rules are set for any business; it is important to abide to get your business going. You can check everything on your Dropshipping Agreement Contract.

2) What are the don’ts when dropshipping furniture?

It helps to know the following when you want to do dropshipping on furniture:

• Do not put a policy that your supplier does not cover. Or else if you have to deal with returns, damages, and costly charges. You sure want to maintain your brand’s reputation.

• Do not put a blank shipping cost. Customers can fairly decide if they know how much they should pay for shipping. Communicate with your supplier and find a good deal for shipping. Do not offer multiple shipping fees.

• Do not set fixed delivery lead times. Always add an allowance, as shipping delays can be uncontrollable sometimes. Do not make a promise you cannot keep. Set estimated delivery times.

• Avoid Copyright Infringement. Never use anyone’s assets without consent. You can be sued for copyright violations.

• Do not expect big profits right away. Without proper strategies and planning, there’s no easy money in a dropshipping business. There are competitions online, and the way you build your brand matters.

3) What is the hardest part of dropshipping furniture?

The challenging part is shipping the product safely and damage-free. Dropship suppliers know there are risks associated with shipping, so they partner with logistic companies that can handle fragile pieces like furniture. They pack the products in secure materials that protect them from breakage or damage.

4) How is furniture shipped from China?

The furniture is shipped from China using two options- via air or sea freight. Air freight is faster but more expensive. Sea freight is slow, but it’s a cheaper alternative. It depends on the size and quantity of orders.

The supplier will inform you if a product needs security and protection insurance added. It is not required for all products but can add to the shipping cost if the order falls under the fragile, sensitive, and high-value category.

5. Conclusion

A dropship furniture business is an excellent opportunity for those who want to venture into online business. You can be successful and earn high profits with the right strategy and process.

Partnering with dropshipping furniture suppliers in China gives you several advantages. You can find reliable and established furniture manufacturers who can present a win-win Drop Shipping Package.

You can rely on the process, as China has been doing drop shipping for over a decade. All you need to do is partner with licensed suppliers and drop ship partners committed to providing high-quality products and excellent customer service.

The good thing about this business is that you don’t need big capital to start selling. You only pay for an item once you place an order. You do not need to maintain a warehouse or worry about fulfillment. Your task is to sell, and your supplier will do the rest.

There is a wide selection of furniture that you can sell online using the drop ship model. There are also E-commerce platforms that can help you build a good website for your brand. You can hire freelancers to work with you and establish a good marketing strategy to boost your sales.

If you are interested in this kind of business but still need more help to start, we will be more than willing to help you! Please send us a message today, and let’s get your plans into action!