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How to Create a Dropshipping Site with WordPress

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How to Create a Dropshipping Business with WordPress

If you’re looking to monetize your WordPress site, you may want to consider starting a dropshipping business with WordPress. While the prospect of starting a new business can be tantalizing, however, knowing where to start can be confusing. This is especially true if you are unfamiliar with the dropshipping business model.

In a nutshell, dropshipping is when you have a third-party company ship products to your customers for you. Fortunately, you can easily extend and create your own online dropshipping business with WordPress. Better still, you can use plugins and other tools to maximize your chances for success.

In this post, we will discuss what dropshipping is, and talk about how to launch your new business using tools like Shopify and WooCommerce. Finally, we’ll introduce you to a couple of plugins to help you get started. Let’s dive in!

An Introduction to Dropshipping

wayfair image

Wayfair is the ultimate dropshipping success story.

Dropshipping enables you to create an online store selling physical products – without having to store or ship the products yourself. It’s a beginner-friendly business model that still requires some time and effort on your part if you want to be successful. However, the startup costs are low and the overhead is minimal.

If you are willing to do the upfront work, dropshipping can be a rewarding business that offers you a lot of flexibility. Before taking it on, however, you should be aware of its pros and cons. Here are few things to consider:

  • While getting into the business is relatively easy, you’ll have little control over product quality and shipping times (factors that can impact customer satisfaction).
  • You have the freedom to work from anywhere in the world, yet will face competition from others looking to achieve the same goals.
  • This model makes it easy to scale your business over time, but customer support will become more demanding as your business grows.

Like any business, there are plenty of advantages and drawbacks. Only you can decide whether the risks are worth the reward. If you’re looking for a flexible business model that will fit into your existing lifestyle without too much adjustment, a dropshipping business with WordPress may be worth considering. Plus, it isn’t too difficult to get started.

How to Create a Website for Your Dropshipping Business with WordPress (2 Methods)

Before you begin your dropshipping business with WordPress, you have to understand that what you are really launching is an e-commerce site. So while it’s important to choose the right dropshipping company to work with, you also need to focus on building your site. This means you will need to pick the right tools.

Shopify, for example, is a feature-rich service you can use to launch your e-commerce site. Unfortunately, as of this writing it no longer offers a plugin to simplify integration with WordPress. However, you can use Shopify’s embed codes on your site to drive traffic to your store. You’ll need an account that involves a monthly fee (but offers a 14-day free trial).

WooCommerce, on the other hand, is a plugin that enables you to extend your existing WordPress site by adding e-commerce functionality. You can also use feature rich e-commerce themes and various extensions to build a storefront and consolidate it with your existing site.

Both of these tools provide the perfect solution for starting a dropshipping business with WordPress. Which one you choose is largely down to personal preference. Let’s discuss how to use both, so you can make an informed decision.

1. Add Shopify Buy Buttons in Posts & Pages

Shopify Website

To get started with Shopify, you’ll need to create an account. The first fourteen days are free, so you can test out the service before you commit.

Shopify embed codes are easy to add to your posts and menus, even if you aren’t an advanced WordPress user. You’ll first need to access your Shopify account and create a Shopify Buy Button. Copy the embed code you’re provided with, then log in to your WordPress dashboard.

Create a new post, or open a post you’ve already saved. You’ll need to switch your view from Visual to Text mode:

Paste the embed code from Shopify into your post, wherever you want the button to appear. Once that’s done, your post will include a purchase button that directs the end user to your Shopify cart and payment options.

2. Use WooCommerce to Start a Dropshipping Business

WooCommerce WordPress plugin

Before you make any changes to your website, it is important that you backup your WordPress site in case you need to restore it for any reason. After that, you can go ahead and install WooCommerce on your site.

WooCommerce Page setup

After you activate the plugin, you will see a setup wizard in your dashboard. Click Run the Setup Wizard, and follow the prompts to set up the pages WooCommerce needs.

WooCommerce Shipping Settings

Once you’ve installed the plugin, you’ll want to review your settings, especially your shipping options. These can be found under WooCommerce > Settings > Shipping and from here you can add or edit the various shipping options you’ve defined.

E-Commerce Plugins to Enhance Your Dropshipping Site

Once you’ve set up your e-commerce site with one of the above tools, there are still a number of premium and free plugins you can use to enhance it. Here are two to consider.

eCommerce Product Catalog Free Plugin for WordPress

eCommerce Product Catalog Plugin for WordPress

After setting up your site, you will want to display your products in an easily accessible way for your customers. Using the eCommerce Product Catalog plugin enables you to fully customize your product pages. Here are a few of its key features:

  • Helps you display your products and set custom parameters, such as whether to show prices or reviews.
  • Lets you organize your products into categories, or show multiple product catalogs.
  • Is fully responsive, so your products display beautifully on mobile devices.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, of course. We encourage you to review the plugin’s documentation to learn more about how you can use it to enhance your dropshipping site.

YouDroop Dropshipping Add-on for WooCommerce (Premium)

YouDroop Dropshipping Add-on for WooCommerce

Want to start a dropshipping business with WordPress but don’t have any supplier connections? No problem – YouDroop is an easy way to connect suppliers with retails for many industries. Just sign up for an account (monthly memberships start at 59 eros for retailers, but suppliers can get started for free), sync their available products with your e-commerce site, then start adding up to 500 new items to your site each day. Here’s a quick summary of how YouDroop works:

  1. Suppliers upload products they have available to YouDroop
  2. Retailers log into their account to export and sync available products on their own e-commerce sites
  3. Customers browse and purchase products from e-commerce sites
  4. Retailers pay suppliers for items sold and provide shipping information
  5. Suppliers ship goods to customers

So suppliers make more sales, retailers make a profit when uncharging over the item base price on their website, and customers get awesome products. Everyone wins!


Building a successful dropshipping business will take time and effort on your part. However, getting started shouldn’t be too difficult. Once you know how to set up and launch your business, you’ll be well on your way to success as long as you are willing to to put in the work required.

Do you have questions about how to build a site for your dropshipping business with WordPress? Let’s discuss them in the comments section below!

create-dropshipping-business-wordpress
Article by WordCandy WPExplorer.com guest author
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8 Comments

  1. jesus

    This is very helpful. If you want to start your own webstore, try the AliDropship Plugin.

    It’s a unique WordPress based solution that lets you set up your own AliExpress drop shipping store and easily import Ali products in just minutes.

    This tool is so easy to manage, that even a kid can launch a drop shipping store!

    Key benefits of AliDropship plugin:

    – Affordable price with no limitations
    – Fully compatible with WooCommerce
    – Simple and user-friendly interface
    – Easy product search and instant upload
    – Live stats and auto updating
    – Built-in themes optimized for high conversions
    – Free lifelong support and updates

    The best part is that you can have your AliDropship plugin forever for just a one-time payment. No monthly fees unless you want hosting.

    • Kyla

      That’s definitely a good alternative to Shopify or WooCommerce – thanks so much for sharing!

  2. Arakel Horov

    Hello! I have a few questions:
    1. first by using shopify, there is no need to register a company?
    2. I have my own domain and wordpress installation, can I use them?
    3. Is it possible to make it look like shopify is a part of my site? Not redirect, but do everything from my site.

    • Kyla

      For question 1, registering and obtaining a business license is a legal requirement separate from setting up your online storefront. For the most part this is according to your location – for example, in Los Angeles, California you need to register your business (and pay fees) with the state and the city. For 2/3 checkout our WP Shopify guide – it’s an easy was to integrate your Shopify store on your WordPress site.

  3. subin babu

    Great content very useful but I think youdrop is no longer available for WordPress. If you want to start your own website, try the AliDropship Plugin, which is a one-time investment you will get a life long support and updates, thank you!

  4. John Campbell

    Hi John,

    Yes wordpress is a good platform to build an ecommerce store, Finding the best dropshipping suppliers is important to your company’s success. I want to know what kind of aspects to find out the best dropshipping suppliers for your online store.

    • Kyla

      I think that’s going to depend on what you’re selling and where. Amazon is a great option in the USA, while Aliexpress I think offers dropshipping options that might be better in Asia (though I think they deliver all over the world, I think the shipping times can be a bit long). But you might also be able to workout individual agreements with small businesses on Etsy or UncommonGoods for handmade or unique products.

  5. Anju choudhary

    This is very helpful quick guide – dropshipping is a great idea to start an easy to manage online store.

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