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Starting a Successful Dropshipping Business in Singapore: Tips and Benefits

10 minute read

If you find yourself wondering whether it’s really that difficult to start a business from scratch, then maybe it’s time to legitimately consider your options.

Did you know that you could market your very own brand and sell products to customers online with only a small amount of money and modest technical skills? The dropshipping model allows you to sell online from the comfort of your home without holding any inventory. As a dropshipper, you are simply the link between the retailer and the customers.

Singapore’s eCommerce market was projected to reach US$8.23 billion by 2023. As one of the fastest growing eCommerce markets, Singapore is expecting between 25% to 35% growth, with a projection to hit US$14 billion by the end of 2027.

If you want in on the booming eCommerce industry, dropshipping in Singapore offers one of the best starts. There’s no better time than now to start an online business. We can show you the right direction with this dropshipping Singapore guide – but it’s up to you whether you’re ready to take the leap.

Overview

 

What is dropshipping, and is it different from eCommerce?

This table summarizes the differences between dropshipping and traditional eCommerce:

Criteria

Dropshipping

Traditional eCommerce

Inventory

No need to hold inventory

Need to purchase, store and manage inventory

Order Fulfillment

Third-party supplier packages and ships

In-house picking, packing, and shipping

Cost

Lower initial cost

Higher cost due to inventory management

Risk

Lower risk since there is no need to hold inventory

Higher risk due to inventory management

Focus

Focus on marketing and customer support

Focus on managing inventory and operations

Scalability

More scalable since inventory is not a limit

Less scalable since inventory can be a limit

 

Start a dropshipping business

After all your research, you might be ready to start your very own dropshipping business in Singapore. So how do you begin? What are the steps involved in registering your dropshipping business?

Don’t worry, we’ll prepare you for starting this business venture confidently and with the right tools. Let’s get started with your new dropshipping guide so you can learn all of the little tips and tricks for anyone who wants to get into the dropshipping business.

Steps to start a dropshipping business in Singapore
1. Consider the business model’s pros and cons
2. Conduct competitor analysis and market research
3. Identify your Singapore dropshipping suppliers
4. Incorporate your dropshipping business
5. Appoint a company secretary
6. Acquire relevant trading licenses
7. Build, launch, and market your dropshipping store
8. Manage your finances

1. Consider the business model’s pros and cons

As tempting as it might be to jump on the dropshipping business model immediately, there are numerous factors you want to consider. Running a successful dropshipping business takes hard work and grit.

It’s important to understand how to incorporate your business, build a store on an online platform, as well as manage costs. This is a prerequisite that you have to answer if you want to know how to do dropshipping in Singapore.

As long as you’re willing to do your research thoroughly and understand the processes and finer details involved, you’ve got a lucrative business idea in your hands.

2. Conduct competitor analysis and market research

What you sell matters. Therefore, you should take your time to hone in on the best dropship product that has high growth potential and a ready market.

Avoid trending products that sell for a short time and if possible, try to predict future trends. Also, consider your pricing, as healthy margins are important in ensuring your business can be profitable. As you continue your research, be sure to steer clear of these items that you might not know are illegal.

Next, stay one step ahead by analyzing your competitors. This will help you come up with a pricing strategy that can compete in this saturated market.

Look at how they are providing customer service and whether their methods work. Find out what successful businesses are doing differently from others, how they drive traffic to their business, and if they run offers to provide incentives to potential customers.

3. Identify your Singapore dropshipping suppliers

Your dropshipping suppliers are integral to success in the dropshipping business model. It’s important to select trustworthy suppliers after careful consideration of all your potential suppliers, and always have alternatives in case one fails you. But if you find reliable suppliers, you shouldn’t have this issue.

If you can get some advantage from your supplier, it will play an important role in your company. When evaluating potential dropshipping suppliers, check that their products are high quality, and explore the available shipping options and how long it takes them to ship and process orders. Some well-known supplier platforms are Alibaba, AliExpress, Taobao, and Shopee.

4. Incorporate your dropshipping business

Once you have settled on your business model and dropshipping suppliers, the next thing to do is register your dropshipping store. This is an important step that you have to take if you want to know how to do dropshipping in Singapore.

This includes naming your company, solidifying your shareholders and directors, as well as deciding on the official business address, among other tasks.

It’s a bit trickier if you’re not a citizen, permanent resident, or EntrePass Visa holder, but foreigners can still make use of Singapore’s tax framework and free trade agreements via nominee directors, virtual mailrooms, and local corporate secretaries.

Although it may seem like an overwhelming task, Sleek has been there, done that, and lived to share the resources. Let us know if you need help incorporating your business and we can help you through every step of the way.

5. Appoint a company secretary

Why should your small business have a corporate secretary/company secretary? Simply put, the Singapore Companies Act states that each business has to have one, even those in the eCommerce market.

Secretaries are expected to help with regulatory compliance, making sure your business upholds each government-mandated duty. They assist the directors to prepare and file all the necessary documents.

Annual general meetings, annual returns, financial statements, and corporate taxes will all be handled by the secretary. You can learn more about the integral role of company secretary here.

6. Acquire relevant trading licenses

Once your business has been registered, you can apply for relevant trading licenses and permits. The licenses will also vary, depending on the sector your business falls under.

If you fail to comply with permit and licensing regulations, you are liable to serious fines and you risk your business’s growth. Here’s a guide to permits and licenses in Singapore if you’re not sure which ones you need.

7. Build, launch, and market your dropshipping store

When you have a name for your business, you can get a matching domain name to build your website with brand credibility and awareness in mind. You can find numerous high-quality domain names online for sale (e.g. on domain.com).

Next would be to build a brand identity that will go with your business name. This would include brand collaterals such as your logo, brand color, and fonts. Establishing a brand identity can be of real help because it will make the process of finding loyal customers much easier.

As soon as you’ve solidified your brand identity, start marketing and building hype around your products. You can do this even before your store is launched by interacting on forums like Reddit and Quora and putting up advertisements on Google Ads, Facebook, and Instagram.

Use web analytics tools such as Clickmeter, Similarweb, and Google Analytics to examine how well your website is doing and test new methods to bring in sales.

8. Manage your finances

The key to growing your business lies in proper financial management, no matter the scale of operation. If this is your first dropshipping company in Singapore, then it is of utmost importance to get your business finance basics right.

You can get started with our 10 tips for excellent financial management. You need to understand your income stream, your sales volume, and what the two figures mean so you can make business adjustments when and where necessary.

Only by understanding the direction of your cash will you be able to determine the profitability of your business. We recommend using accounting services that integrate with your eCommerce software.

Why not try Sleek’s accounting platform, which can link to Shopify and Amazon, among others? Our all-in-one digital platform comes with easy bookkeeping, free business account setup, and an all-star accounting team to help you, too.

9. Keep growing

Once you’ve sold some items and gotten comfortable with your dropshipping routine, you can start focusing on scaling up. How can you scale your business?

  • Find ways to consistently increase your customer base and expand your offering.
  • Advertise your products to various customer segments and on various platforms.
  • Monitor which products are working and which demographics are buying.
  • You can then get a bigger share of the market by targeting those audience segments with content that may interest them.
  • Review your supplier’s delivery time and carrier options to increase business while keeping costs down.

Better anticipation of trends will guide your future decisions and this is key for scaling your dropshipping company in Singapore.

 

Comparative study of eCommerce platforms

Ready to start your dropshipping business?

Here’s a summary table with popular eCommerce platforms you can consider:

Criteria

Shopee

Lazada

Amazon

Users
Source: Statista

15 Million

7.2 Million

4.9 Million

Market Reach

Strong in Southeast Asia, particularly in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines

Strong global presence, with a large customer base in the US and Europe

The largest online marketplace in the world, with a strong presence in the US, Europe, and Asia

Fees

No listing fees, but a commission fee of up to 5% on sales

Listing fees vary by category, but typically range from $0.10 to $2.00 per listing. A final value fee of up to 10% is charged on the total amount of the sale

Monthly subscription fee of $39.99 for professional sellers, plus a referral fee of up to 15% on sales

User Experience

User-friendly interface, with a focus on mobile-first design

User-friendly interface, but can be cluttered with advertisements and irrelevant listings

Streamlined interface, with a focus on customer reviews and product recommendations

Competition

Lower competition compared to eBay and Amazon, but a growing number of sellers

Higher competition compared to Shopee, but still manageable for new sellers

Extremely high competition, with a large number of established sellers

Payment Methods

Accepts a variety of payment methods, including credit/debit cards, bank transfers, and e-wallets

Accepts a variety of payment methods, including PayPal, credit/debit cards, and bank transfers

Accepts a variety of payment methods, including credit/debit cards, Amazon Pay, and PayPal

Shipping

Shipping options vary by seller, with some offering free shipping

Shipping options vary by seller, with some offering free shipping

Offers free shipping for Prime members, as well as various shipping options for sellers

Shopee

eBay

Amazon

Available to anyone looking to dropship products.

Available to anyone looking to dropship products.

Businesses and individuals looking for a marketplace to buy or sell things can access this platform.

Marketplace

eCommerce only

eCommerce

Marketplace

Online support is available.

Online support is available.

Support is available during business hours (online).

No free version/ no free trial

No free version/ no free trial

No free version/ no free trial

No training available (access to documentation is granted)

Access to documentation is granted. Live online training is available.

Documentation access is granted. Live online training is available along with an in-person training option.

Shopee

Shopee, as one of the major e-commerce platforms, has partnered with logistics businesses to make shipping more accessible and economical for both sellers and buyers.

For instance, in Singapore, Shopee has partnered with delivery services such as Speedpost Economy, Ninja Van, J&T Express, and UrbanFox, among others.

With millions of daily visitors, a user-friendly mobile app and website, and campaign promos, Shopee provides a solid online presence that is difficult to replicate if you are just getting started.

Lazada

Lazada’s constantly evolving technology, logistics and payments infrastructure connects this vast and diverse region, and offers Southeast Asia a shopping experience that is safe, seamless and enjoyable. 

With Lazada, any business can scale and become a super eBusiness. They’re also equipped with digital capabilities to enable your ambitions as you grow in the region.

Amazon

Most people, when they think about online shopping, they instantly think about Amazon.

These are the reasons to strongly consider Amazon as your dropshipping platform of choice:

  • With over 300 million active accounts and almost 2 million selling partners, Amazon is the largest online retailer in the world. Despite being just 25 years old, it has revolutionized the way people worldwide purchase every day.
  • As a marketplace platform, Amazon allows you to purchase virtually anything, with vendors from across the world quickly connected to global customers.
  • Amazon has far more regular users than any of its competitors combined. But what’s likely more crucial is that buyers have faith in Amazon.
 

The benefits of starting a dropshipping business

You may be wondering why you should start a drop shipping business over choosing some other business model. You’ll be happy to know that there are some exclusive benefits that only apply to drop shippers who directly ship quality products to their customers.

Benefits

Explanation

No inventory management

Dropshipping allows you to sell products without holding any inventory, which means you won’t lose revenue due to unsold stock.

Easy upselling

Using wholesale prices as your selling price makes it easy to sell more items to customers, increasing your revenue with little effort.

Work from anywhere

As a dropshipper, you can work from anywhere with an internet connection, without the need for a physical office. This allows you to find suppliers, build a customer experience, and manage your website from the comfort of your own home or while traveling.

Low start-up costs

Compared to other businesses, starting a dropshipping business requires minimal investment. You only need a small seed amount to get started, and as you begin to receive orders, you can quickly earn back your initial investment.

Beginner-friendly

Dropshipping is ideal for new entrepreneurs as it requires less effort and can yield high profit margins. With some basic knowledge in supplier sourcing and social media marketing, anyone can start a successful dropshipping business.

Great side hustle

As a flexible and low-maintenance business model, dropshipping is an excellent side hustle or additional revenue stream, perfect for those with a full-time job. It takes some of the pressure off, allowing you to manage your business at your own pace.

Expand internationally

Although establishing international relationships can be challenging, you can start with local retailers to gain experience and gradually expand your customer base. Over time, you can build relationships with international suppliers and expand your business globally.

Wrap up

Dropshipping is a great business opportunity if you’re looking to build an income from the comfort of your home. Even though this is a viable high-growth business model, you still need to be determined and consistent in your efforts to succeed.

If you are ready to turn your business idea into a reality, our expert team is available to incorporate your business and answer any questions you may have on how to start and manage your dropshipping business. So don’t wait around for success to fall into your lap, take charge and become a drop shipper today.

FAQ

Let’s answer frequently asked questions about dropshipping in Singapore.

If you reside in Singapore, it should come as no surprise that you will be required to pay taxes on any dropshipping revenue you receive.

Ensure that you fully understand the criteria for registering your business and revenue, filing tax returns, paying your expenses, and doing everything on time to avoid problems.

There are numerous internet directories for dropshipping vendors; however, the following are among the best:

  1. The best option for Shopify drop shippers is Oberlo.
  2. AliExpress offers the largest selection of items.
  3. Shopee is ideal for drop shippers and clients in Singapore.
  4. Worldwide Brands is ideal for dropshipping overseas products.
  5. ChinaBrands is a great source of a variety of high-quality products.

If you reside in China and you’re wondering if dropshipping is legal in Singapore, you’ll be happy to know that it’s perfectly legal and possible.

Dropshipping is lawful in Singapore so long as you set up your company legally and engage with reliable Singapore dropshipping suppliers.

Dropshipping may appear like an easy method to make money online and get a healthy profit margin, but you’re actually launching a full-fledged business. It’s not something you should take lightly as the amount of work you put in will determine whether or not you find success.

You must ensure that you have covered the fundamentals and have a minimum comprehension of all dropshipping principles. That’s enough for a start, but you have to continually educate yourself if you want to succeed as a drop shipper.

Ready to start your business?

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