Dropshipping furniture
If you want to start an online store, selling large products like furniture is probably not your first instinct. But if you use dropshipping suppliers who deliver these products to your customers directly, it becomes pretty use to run an online store that sells furniture.
Content:
- Selling furniture online
- Finding a supplier
- Pick a niche
- Disadvantages of dropshipping furniture
- Your own brand
Selling furniture online
The online sales of furniture is becoming increasingly popular. Do you like trendy or are you into vintage furniture? Do you browse Pinterest and Instagram often, looking for interior decorating ideas or styles? Then maybe you already know a lot about furniture.
By selling furniture via dropshipping, you can easily test which product sells best with relatively little risk. You only need to find a wholesaler and create the dropshipping online store yourself. There is no need for a warehouse because you do not have to purchase inventory. Your supplier delivers orders directly to the consumer.
Find suppliers quickly through Orderchamp or dropshippingXL. These suppliers have warehouses in Europe (the Netherlands) and offers a large product range with fast delivery to your customers.
Furniture is an ideal dropshipping product
If you sell products via dropshipping, you do not need to take care of the logistics. Your dropshipping supplier does that for you. And since you do not need to purchase inventory upfront, or pay storage costs: dropshipping ensures that you do not need to invest a lot to start an online store.
Those are the well-known benefits of selling via dropshipping, but there are also specific benefits to dropshipping furniture. For example, there is a year-round demand for tables, sofas and chairs. With the right marketing, you can make money selling furniture all year.
Your supplier knows how to transport furniture
Most furniture is large and heavy. Because of that, shipping and packaging materials are often more expensive for these products than for small items. A big advantage of dropshipping furniture is that you do not have to pack and ship the products.
Your supplier knows each piece of furniture like no other, and therefore knows best how to transport it. Many dropshipping suppliers do include these costs in the price, which means that they might be more expensive than smaller items. But at least this way you can be sure that shipping is done right.
Finding a dropshipping supplier that sells furniture
Platforms that allow you to quickly discover European wholesalers that dropship furniture are:
This b2b platform connects retailers with wholesalers with low purchasing thresholds and minimum purchases. Perfect for finding extra items or suppliers. With the dropshipping subscription you have no storage risks or fulfilment hassle: suppliers send items directly to your customers.
- dropshipping and wholesale in one platform
- true European brands
- local storage: fast delivery times
- options for exclusive partnerships
Strong in large home and garden products, such as garden furniture, beds, cabinets, and fitness equipment. With 90,000 items, it also offers many products in other categories. Fast delivery across Europe, without inventory management, shipping, and returns.
- European warehouses and fulfillment
- local return addresses per country
- extensive product data
- integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, Shopware and Wix
Large platform that offers over 100M+ products from European and United States suppliers, including fashion, beauty, and lifestyle products. You get fast delivery, branded packaging, private label options and unique print-on-demand solutions. Suitable for both dropshipping and wholesale.
- beginner-friendly
- suppliers from Europe and the United States
- branded packaging and private label options
- offers a strong Shopify integration
- strong product research tools
One stop supply chain solution with product sourcing, order fulfillment, tracking, and after sales for dropshipping Chinese products. Strong in apparel, consumer electronics, health and beauty, and outdoor categories.
- integrations with TikTok, Shopify, Wix, and WooCommerce
- database with more than 670,000 items
- partnerships with local manufacturers
- daily shipping volume of 25,000 to 50,000 orders
Pick a niche
The furniture market is a big one, there are many different types. Because of that, it is smart to pick a niche. A niche could be a focus on just one type of item you want to sell. For example, start an online store in:
- Chairs: dining chairs, office chairs, armchairs, children’s chairs
- Tables: dining tables, coffee tables, side tables, desks
- Cabinets: bookcases, wall cabinets, shoe racks, dressers
- Beds: double beds, bunk beds, children’s beds, beds with storage
- Outdoor furniture: garden chairs, garden tables, lounge sets, sun beds
- Seating: sofas, corner sofas, beanbags, recliners
- Storage units: chests, drawers, storage boxes, TV cabinets, display cabinets
- Children’s furniture: play tables, children’s desks, beds, toy chests
- Accessories and small furniture: stools, poufs, plant stands, bedside tables
- Work and office furniture: adjustable desks, monitor stands, office chairs
Focus on one style or target audience
In addition to the type of furniture, you can also choose to focus on one style, or a certain price or target audience. An online store selling office furniture will have a very different look than one offering outdoor tables. The more you focus, the more specialized your store will be. This will make it easier to target certain audiences.
If you sell via dropshipping, you never have to worry about remaining stock. This gives you the option to change your product selection quickly. That way, you can quickly respond to the seasons and trends. If your supplier also ships internationally, you could even look at opportunities to expand your online store abroad.
Find suppliers quickly through Orderchamp or dropshippingXL. These suppliers have warehouses in Europe (the Netherlands) and offers a large product range with fast delivery to your customers.
Disadvantages of dropshipping furniture
There are some drawbacks to dropshipping furniture, like the fact that some customers prefer seeing furniture before buying it. You could set up your own showroom, where customers can see the items for themselves. But that would mean that you need to buy a lot of inventory. And you might need to disappoint customers as picking up products at the showroom is not possible.
Because of that, it is important that your online store offers sufficient information. Customers also need to be able to contact you. They might need to reach you because of damages during shipping. You should be aware that because of the weight and size of furniture, there is a higher chance of damages during shipping. Shipping costs are also higher, which makes the tight profit margin even smaller.
Because furniture is in a higher price range, it is difficult to sell these items in high quantities. However, you can often make up for a low amount of orders with a high price margin per order. You could also look into adding low-cost products to your range, like pillows or other home decorations.
What should you pay attention to?
When you sell products online, you are going to have to deal with returns. No matter what kind of online store you run. Make sure that you have clear agreements with your dropshipping supplier about return policies. Do they take care of the costs, or will you?
You also need to pay attention to how high the return costs are if your supplier is not situated in Europe. If you often have to pay expensive these shipping costs, it can be more convenient to look for a supplier that is closer and has better return conditions.
Once you start building a customer base, you may find that your order numbers suddenly increase strongly. In that case, you need to make sure that your dropshipping supplier can deliver. It is useful to find out in advance how your supplier keeps their inventory up to date.
Additionally, pay attention to how your stock is updated in your online store. Sometimes suppliers offer plug-ins that allow you to synchronize stocks automatically. If this is not the case, you will need to keep tracks of which products are still in stock yourself.
Creating your own brand
Many dropshipping suppliers give you the option to sell their products under your own brand name. This helps to set you apart from competitors. Your product offer is more unique, though it can be difficult to create brand awareness if you do not have any customers yet.
You can also reach out to influencers with your products. When they promote your furniture to their audience, you will quickly reach more people. Influencers are often also interested in selling their own brand. Maybe you can launch a brand together through your suppliers, which will then be sold in your online store.
