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Beginner's handbook

Posts for Printful beginners

What is dropshipping and how does it work? Your comprehensive guide (2025)
Dropshipping
Ultimate guides

What is dropshipping and how does it work? Your comprehensive guide (2025)

By Andris Mucenieks

14 min read

Dropshipping
Ultimate guides

What is dropshipping, and is it still a smart way to sell online in 2025? This guide breaks down the dropshipping business model, how it works, and what it takes to succeed. Whether you're launching your first ecommerce store or comparing fulfillment options, we’ll cover the pros, cons, and alternatives to decide if dropshipping is right for you. Key takeaways Dropshipping lets you sell without inventory management. You run the storefront while a third-party supplier handles storage, packing, and shipping. Profitability depends on your strategy. Your niche, supplier reliability, pricing, and marketing tactics directly impact success. Brand control is limited. Traditional dropshipping offers less control over packaging, delivery, and product quality, which can affect customer experience. Marketing is key to dropshipping success. To attract customers and drive sales, you need consistent promotion across the right channels, from social media and email flows to SEO and paid ads. Print-on-demand offers more flexibility and profitability than dropshipping. Printful lets you customize products, add branding, and integrate your store for automated fulfillment – an ideal dropshipping alternative.

Aug 22, 2025

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Discover what matters to you

Affiliate marketing
Amazon
Branding
Business
Design ideas
Design Trends
Downloadables
Dropshipping
DTG
eBay
Ecommerce
Email marketing
Embroidery
Etsy
Fashion
How To
Inspiration
Instagram
Integrations
Make Money
Merch
Niche marketing
Niche research
Print on demand
Shopify
Social media
Store setup
Sustainability
TikTok
Trends
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Ecommerce calendar

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