Today in the blog post we will discuss dropshipping vs Affiliate marketing and we will also know whether a person should go for Affiliate marketing or should he start a dropshipping business.
When it comes to making money online there are various ways to do it. But when we talk about making serious money. There are two ways
- Dropshipping.
- Affiliate marketing.
I am not saying that only these two ways are the most suitable way to make money online. NO! there are other ways also like freelancing, Blogging, and YouTubers but the problem with them is that they are not ideal for beginners.
That’s why most people prefer to start dropshipping or affiliate marketing. But they get stuck on which one they should go with.
So today in this blog post we will cover what is dropshipping and what are its benefits also what is affiliate marketing and are its benefits. Then we will compare them both to make a conclusion about which one is better, especially in 2022.
Table of Contents
What is dropshipping (Basic concept)
Dropshipping is when someone sells products online without buying the products. In this process, you create an online store, add products to the store, select whatever price you want, and sell to customers.
when someone orders from your store, you have to order the same from the supplier, and your supplier will ship products to your customer. This is the basic concept of dropshipping.
There are various suppliers online you can connect with to start your own dropshipping business.
Some of the best dropshipping suppliers or platforms are:
- Shopify (Worldwide)
- Oberlo (Worldwide)
- Meesho (Only in India)
- Ali Express (Worldwide)
What are the benefits of dropshipping?
1. Start with low or no investment
The best thing is you can start dropshipping without investment. You can sell your products on social media for free by creating a free account. I mean Social media doesn’t charge anything for creating an account (I am sure you are well aware of this fact).
If you want to start dropshipping where you don’t have to do manual things like creating a Social media account, accepting orders, convincing customers through messages, or bargaining. Then you need to do a little investment, I am talking about investment between 30-40 dollars.
If you are willing to do so you can enjoy various benefits such as:
- You will have your own website or store, that will build trust among customers.
- An automation system that will place orders from your supplier and add products to your websites.
- A better infrastructure of products could generate more sales and more revenue.
1. Countless suppliers available
Its super is easy to find suppliers and products at cheap prices from various suppliers such as from AliExpress or Oberlo.
This is the best difference when it comes to dropshipping vs Affiliate marketing.
You don’t need to wait and spend too much time finding suppliers, you can also get an idea about the quality of the product by checking the reviews which will help you to choose a good supplier.
Don’t always run after cheap prices, it could ruin your online dropshipping business. If your supplier is not a good one. Then he will never deliver products on time or sometimes ship damaged goods to your customer, which will lead to a decrease in the customer trust and YOU ARE DOOMED!
3. Innovate products
Dropshipping is all about selling innovative products, it’s also the most popular reason why dropshipping is still in business because when it comes to buying clothes or mobile phones or shoes people always prefer brands.
But when it comes to buying some innovative products like a fidget spinner or mobile holder, you don’t prefer branded products. If you have innovative dropshipping products then you can earn a good profit.
What is affiliate marketing?
People often think affiliate marketing is similar to dropshipping but it’s not even closely related.
Affiliate marketing means promoting products or services of a particular company and when someone purchases your referral link, you get a commission.
You don’t have to handle orders, customers, or even talk to customers, your sole objective is to promote products and the rest is done by the company itself. You can also call it promoting the products.
For Affiliate Marketing you need a blog, YouTube channel, or a social media account with good numbers of Fans.
Benefits of Affiliate Marketing
- No selling, only promoting.
You don’t have to sell products. So, even if there is some problem with the products it’s between the customer and the company. No one can blame you (That’s why it’s important to have a disclosure where you tell people that you are not responsible for their purchase.)
- No need to handle product or customer queries.
You don’t have to answer any questions regarding the product because people are not purchasing from you. You are just promoting the products of the company.
All the questions and answers are handled by the company itself.
- More earning
As I said in affiliate marketing you need to have a follower base, more people means more earnings.
Comparison of Dropshipping vs Affiliate marketing which one is better to start in 2021
| Dropshipping | Points | Affiliate marketing | points |
| You can start without investment | 1 | You cannot start without investing | 0 |
| You have to handle customers | 0 | You don’t need to handle customer quires | 1 |
| Don’t need followers or you can generate traffic by advertising | 1 | You need to have followers otherwise you cannot make revenue, Mostly advertising is not allowed in affiliate marketing | 0 |
| Need to find and build relationships with suppliers | 0 | No need to make any kind of relationship with anyone | 1 |
| You need to find and change your products to find innovative ones. | 0 | No need to change your products. The company is already working to innovate their products | 1 |
| Build customer trust because you are the seller. | 0 | No need to build customer trust, because you are just promoting | 1 |
| Set your own price and earn whatever you like. | 1 | You can’t set your own price and your earnings can be affected if they get chanced | 0 |
| Great start for beginners | 1 | Not good for beginners | 0 |
| No need to register your business | 1 | No need to register | 1 |
| The product can be returned | 0 | The product can be returned, but you will lose your commission | 0 |
| Total points | 5 | Total points | 5 |
Calculation
Now you can see both of them have their negative points and positive points, but both compete with each other when it comes to making money online.
Now you have to check which negative points you don’t like and the positive ones you like and decide for yourself, which one will work for you because they both are good online businesses to earn money.
That’s all for now, hope you like the article on Dropshipping vs Affiliate marketing, and make sure to tell me in the comments which one you think is the best and are there any other +ve or –ve points that I haven’t mentioned.