Our guest today is Flo, a truly dropshipper from Australia.
We’ve always been curious about how dropshipping works in Australia, and we’re sure you are too. So, we couldn’t pass up the chance to talk to Flo about her successful business that lets her travel and work online from anywhere in the world!
Disclaimer: All success stories featured on the Sellvia blog are based on written interviews. While the editors may make minor changes to grammar, spelling, and punctuation, the respondents’ writing styles, views, opinions, store screenshots, and personal photos are left unchanged.
Hi, please introduce yourself!
Hi! I’m Flo, an entrepreneur from Melbourne, Australia. I’ve been in the ecommerce business for over 15 years, starting with an eBay store in 2003.
Three years ago, I added a dropshipping store to my portfolio.
Why did you decide to try dropshipping in Australia? How did it all begin?
As an eBay store owner, managing my inventory was challenging, especially with slow-moving products. This made cash flow difficult to handle. With dropshipping, I don’t have to worry about that.
During my online research on dropshipping, I found the Sellvia website and decided to give it a try. I set up a custom store from Sellvia, used the Social Rabbit plugin for easier promotion, and incorporated several tools to encourage quick purchasing decisions, like Abandoned Cart and Countdown Timer. These tools are essential for my business.
I saw positive financial results almost immediately, which motivated me to focus on growing my dropshipping business and exploring new markets.
By the way, dropshipping is a fulfillment model where the seller doesn’t own the products. The customer information is redirected to the supplier, who ships the products on behalf of the seller. The products bypass the seller and go directly to the final customer.
Do you remember your first dropshipping sale?
Yes, it happened six weeks after launching my first website. I was thrilled because it didn’t take much effort to achieve it. I focused on improving my website, polishing product descriptions, editing images, and enhancing the store’s credibility.
How is your business performing now?
I currently manage five dropshipping stores, and they’re doing better than I expected. Here are the stats on the number of orders I had last month:
And here, you can see data on revenue and other store performance metrics:
How do you make business decisions regarding niches and product choices?
To choose niches, I start by considering my personal interests. Then, I conduct further research on the most appealing niches, and proceed from there.
When it comes to selecting items, I research current product trends and follow them closely. Social media plays a significant role in this process, as I use various platforms to stay updated on the hottest trends.
When I see a promising opportunity, I add suitable items to my store. For this, I only cooperate with suppliers who have high ratings and good reviews. To set the right price markups, I simply use the Sellvia formula.
What does your daily dropshipping routine look like?
I can spend up to 3-6 hours a day on store management. There is always room for improvement, although I typically only need about 1 hour a day for essential tasks.
One of the most time-consuming tasks is tidying up new product descriptions. Additionally, staying ahead of the competition is quite challenging. To remain competitive, I need to continuously research the latest marketing tools and strategies.
I wouldn’t say that I have to deal with difficult customers often. I have a very clear returns policy in place to ensure that customers are always satisfied.
With such a positive experience in dropshipping in Australia, how has your life changed?
Dropshipping has allowed me to work from anywhere, so I’ve been traveling more since I started. I’m impressed with the results and plan to create new stores and streamline my current business.
What advice do you have for our readers, both those already running their stores and those who haven’t started yet?
Be patient, work hard, and stay focused on your goals. It’s important to maintain your vision and dedication.
If you’ve ever wanted to start a business that lets you work from anywhere, Flo’s experience might be just what you need! Even if you choose to target a different country than Australia, there’s plenty of valuable feedback here to learn from.
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