As a domain owner, I have always had the itch to develop some of my domains. I would say that I am a business owner first, and a domainer second. I have developed many sites over the years on my own and with partners. Some have done well and are still in existence, while others gave it a good run and have quietly retired from existence.
It always seemed to me that dropshipping could be the answer to at least some of those developed domains. Martin Stoimenov is the CEO and co-founder of Dropshipping.com. Not only does he have an excellent domain name, he knows a thing or two about dropshipping.
Mike: What attracted you to dropshipping? Did you have a background in this area?
Martin: The possibility to sell online without manufacturing your product or holding inventory is probably the easiest way to enter the Ecom space. I always have the desire to build stores online, build audiences and advertise good offers. I was introduced to this (probably the easiest) business model to enter as a beginner, and since then I’m going back and forth into different roles in the ecommerce industry. At first, I started as a marketing executive in a ecommerce agency, where I learned the basics. After, I build a few side hustles to experience the entrepreneurship side of the business. And when the opportunity came in, with the company behind this project, we took over and build the biggest resource and content side for everything dropshipping. The domain says it all.
Mike: Your website is far more than a blog about dropshipping. Tell me more about what you offer. Can your site connect site owners with dropshippers?
Martin: That’s correct! We are building this project to cover everything related to the business of dropshipping. Starting from the content, guides courses and free resources, continuing to all the Ecom-related directories, to finally build and manage large community of like-minded online sellers. We connect the supply and the demand in one place. Online sellers or dropshipping enthusiasts get knowledge, tools, product & supplier directory, marketing resources & more. On the other side, all the stakeholders in the Ecom ecosystem are getting exposure for their business (product/services) in front of those online sellers. We review, list and vet dropshipping & wholesale suppliers, software, ecommerce platforms, tools and apps, agencies, creators, and much more. Everyone that’s somehow related and adds value to our readers and community.
Mike: My audience is made up of online businesses and domain name investors. Many of these investors like to develop their domain names as well, which seems like a perfect fit. What types of products work well for dropshipping?
Martin: It’s hard to generalize since this is the hardest question for every online seller and/or creator – what to sell online? We research and produce a lot of content on this topic to make sure our audience gets at least the bare minimum to decide what to sell online, where to start, and how to actually sell that particular product. To make sure your audience gets most of their domains, I will suggest the following pillars: decide what you are passionate about, research your industry landscape, try to narrow down your offer to a specific niche, find or develop a product to meet your niche’s needs, invest in marketing to scale it. It sounds simple and complicated at the same time, but this is the formula to find your place under the big “online selling” umbrella.
Mike: Tell me how you acquired this category-defining domain name – describe the process? Can you share what you paid for the name?
Martin: It’s an interesting story. While working within the industry in different forms and roles, we came up with an idea to build a simple blog with one purpose – to drive organic traffic to our existing business line. We started under DropshipVillage, before we were exposed to the opportunity to work on a premium domain like this one. Since it’s an old premium domain, we partner with the domain owner to build the content and the community together. So, there was no transactional deal in this partnership.
Mike: How can a site owner find a reliable dropship company? What does it mean when your site states that a supplier has been verified?
Martin: To find a manufacturer or supplier for your product means to find a business partner. You have three crucial options to find suppliers divided into 3 parts:
1. Domestic
2. Overseas
3. Online marketplaces
Domestic- sourcing products from domestic (local) manufacturers might be just as easy for you when your goal is to inspect products before ordering them. Although, domestic manufacturers are more limited in product options, meaning that you won’t have as many options to choose from.
Overseas- Many overseas manufacturers are usually located in China. There are much more options available compared to domestic manufacturers. However, product quality at times may be lower and the downside is that you can’t see the product.
Research Online Dropshipping Platforms- You may look into popular dropshipping platforms or marketplaces like:
CJDropshipping
Spocket
Walmart
Etsy
Dropshipping.com Supplier Directory – on our supplier directory you can filter, find and contact the desired supplier in any niche. The verified supplier badge means the supplier claimed his listing on our directory and the content info provided is 100% accurate.
Mike: Is it possible for the little guy to compete with larger online businesses on price when it comes to running a business?
Martin: It’s always hard to compete with big businesses, no matter if it’s online or brick-and-mortar business. But it mostly depends on your niche. We decided to focus on what we can control: our efforts in this project, skills acquired, networking, content quality, the value we provide to the community, and so on.
Mike: What tips would you give to someone new to dropshipping?
Martin: When you start your first dropshipping store, take everything in and use it as a learning experience. Very rarely do first stores ever succeed. Most Entrepreneurs I know fail their first time around, but failing can be a good thing, so embrace it. Each time you get back up and keep trying, you know way more than the previous time. Some of my students find success in their 2nd and 3rd stores.
It’s important to choose a category you have knowledge and experience about. Just because one niche is highly profitable for others, doesn’t mean it will work for you. This is one of the main reasons why people fail their first time, they chase niches for money instead of passion.
Mike: What type of traffic does Dropshipping.com pull in? What are your monthly views?
Martin: We focus 100% on organic traffic. SEO and social media (Q&A sites, FB Groups and Short-form videos) are the main channels for us to share our expertise and acquire new audience on the website. In just one year starting from 0 we managed to get to more than 40k+ unique visitors monthly, all of this completely organically.
Mike: What leverage has owning the keyword domain played in your success?
Martin: In terms of relevancy, trustworthiness, and CRO the domain name helped a lot. In terms of SEO, it came out this is not a significant ranking factor anymore. We have to continue to post frequently and with high quality. The domain name helps in the funnel when it comes to conversions and partnership deals.
