It can work, but like any business it takes a lot of work and the margins are low. If you’ve been convinced that you can build a cheap site, add products and throw FB ads at the problem for a positive ROI think again. If you’re going to spend a year or more of your time developing a store to sell crap from China that no one really wants you may as well spend that energy inventing something, your own brand. Answer from Creatibly on reddit.com
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Shopify
shopify.com › blog › is-dropshipping-worth-it
Is Dropshipping Worth It in 2026? 6 Things To Consider - Shopify
Cole Turner, who made millions through his dropshipping store, says: "The only way to be successful in dropshipping nowadays is to have a real identity as a brand, and have a real legitimate business, even if it's not legit to start with.
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Dropship
dropship.it › home › articles › dropshipping is it a real business or a get-rich scheme in 2025?
Dropshipping Is It A Real Business Or A Get-Rich Scheme in 2025?
May 27, 2025 - Use platforms with escrow or trusted payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe, or Shopify Payments. I also check Trustpilot before committing to any supplier outside of marketplaces. ... In 2025, scammers use AI to build fake but beautiful websites.
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Content Whale
content-whale.com › home › is dropshipping a scam or a legitimate business? (verified sources)
Is Dropshipping A Scam or A Legitimate Business? (Verified Sources) | Content Whale
April 21, 2025 - Dropshipping is definitely not a scam. While it offers a viable path to entrepreneurship, it’s essential to navigate its legal processes carefully. By ensuring compliance with intellectual property laws, consumer protection regulations, tax ...
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TikTok
tiktok.com › discover › dropshipping-bad-review
Dropshipping Bad Review | TikTok
9 hours ago - Dropshipping gets a bad rep because of all the scams and overhyped “get rich quick” courses out there — but the truth is, the business model still works when it’s done right. You don’t need to buy inventory upfront or take on big risks. You simply list products, and when someone orders, your supplier ships it directly to the customer. It’s legit — if you know how to build it the right way.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/dropship › is all dropshipping a scam??
r/dropship on Reddit: Is all Dropshipping a scam??
September 6, 2019 -

Hey I've been recently researching about dropshipping and etc. I've come a across many YouTubers but I've seen so many gurus with all their courses that they wanted to sell me. I once attended one of this free seminars and they weren't even legit. The live chat was just bots saying random stuff and didn't even respond to me and at the end they all just tried selling me something. Can I even trust dropshipping?? Are all YouTubers and stuff to it even legit or are they just all scammers trying to sell me their courses and softwares and whatever?

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BigCommerce
bigcommerce.com › homepage › blog home › how to sell online › growth strategies › the truth about dropshipping: the good, the bad and the misunderstood
Dropshipping: Does It Actually Work? (Pros + Cons)
1 week ago - Most suppliers are legitimate, but not all. Some offer branded or trademarked items without authorization. Others mirror listings from well-known manufacturers and sell imitation products of questionable origin.
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Supdropshipping
supdropshipping.com › home › blog › is dropshipping legit? how to avoid dropshipping scams?
Is Dropshipping Legit? How to Avoid Dropshipping Scams? - Supdropshipping | Help you build up your ecommerce brand
May 21, 2025 - But to answer the question, “Is dropshipping legit?” Yes, dropshipping is a legitimate type of business model. In fact, dropshipping is older than the internet. It has been around since the 1960s and 1970s.
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Let’s be dead honest, is dropshipping, in late 2023/early 2024 viable as a way to make a living? Technically speaking, it's not dead. Lots of people and businesses utilize dropship fulfillment, and many are thriving. Practically speaking however, it's been dead for years and years. The problem here is the mindset that most newbies have, in the way that they approach this whole thing. Many of these newbs watch and follow Youtube "gurus" and "bros", and various quack articles. So they built up this weird idea of "dropshipping", and mentally approach it by believing that it's this fun easy way of potentially earning lots of money, fast, and with nearly no effort needed. Essentially it's some variation of hoisting a store up "real quick", slapping random junk to it, with easy content given by suppliers, and then spend 95% of their time and money playing with ads. That's not a business though, not really. All they're doing is gambling with ads, like a slot machine in Vegas. At best maybe it's an exercise on how to toy with ads, and at worst, it's just plain scammy. Regardless, there's little to no value to what they do, and what they implement. And customers, average everyday people aren't idiots, they see it clearly too. Many have even been burnt by these low-effort stores in the past, with subpar products that broke hours after receiving it, with weeks long deliveries that sometimes never arrives, with a completely different product than what was purchased, all with a complete lack of support following the sale (which of course there is, because many of them are literal kids). Many dropship stores have this same-samey feel about them, which is how customers have learnt to recognize them, and associated them with garbage stores, never to shop in them again. That is precisely why the vast majority of dropship fail. And that is why it's not a viable way to make a living. Specifically, that whole approach isn't a viable way anymore. Once upon a time it may have worked with clueless masses, but not anymore. Those days are long over. Audiences and customers these days are more refined, they know what they want. They're not going to whip out their credit cards to purchase from a low-effort store that doesn't try very hard. If so, what’s the key to stand out and not fail like so many people I’ve seen? And if not, what could be done to make it viable again? It's not that hard. You don't follow strategies and approaches that lead to failure. You don't follow "bro" logic to run a business. You don't follow other dropship stores that are prone to failure. Instead, you follow and get inspiration from actual legit eCommerce stores out there. Established businesses that have been successfully earning profits for years and years and years. But most importantly, you look at the very people who are supposed to be buying from you. Thoroughly understand them. How they think. What they do. Who they are. Every single piece of information needed to run a viable store. This is needed because that's just how the market is these days. After doing thorough research on both your target audience and your competitors, you'll then need to craft an actual image. An impression. Something that greatly appeals to who you want for your customers. Aka, your brand image. You'll need to do in all this effort and homework before putting in a single second and cent into the store. Going in half-cocked will get you fully cooked. And to be clear, dropshipping isn't a business strategy nor a business model. It's not this big thing separate from everything else. All it is, is a fulfillment method. And that's all. You don't hold stock, and your suppliers ship products out for you. That's all it is. It's just a small small part of your overall business venture. Many keep mistaking it as a long-term strategy, overly relying on it, and those who do find success with it, ultimately burn themselves to the ground. If you want your business to survive long-term, minimize your risks as much as possible. Which ideally means moving away from dropshipping via suppliers once you find yourself with consistent sales. Either use 3PL or preferably, fulfill orders yourself.
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Honest question here: why does this question get asked in this subreddit practically every day? Yes, it is still a viable way of making money. Millions of people still don’t know aliexpress exists. Millions of people are still impulse buyers. Just because you can get most things on Amazon with 2 day max shipping, doesn’t mean people aren’t still buying. However, dropshipping is a risk. Always has been, always will. Being the middle man is the best kind of business, minimizes risk and overheard, but it still comes with its fair share of faults. While you might not be stuck with a warehouse lease and inventory if you decide to give it up, you’ll still already pulled in hundreds, if not thousands of dollars before giving it up, not even considering the time. My advice to everyone, if you have the money to lose, do it. I would never recommend it to someone who can’t make their next rent payment. Do not use rent money to start dropshipping. But if you have a few hundred to spare, or can live without takeout for a few months and budget correctly, do it. Worse thing that’ll happen is you’ll spend money to learn supply chain, customer service, cash flow, and more… more than I ever learned getting a finance degree from a top 5 US college. Dropshipping is the easiest way to get your feet wet in owning a business, with the liberty that you get to lose as much, or as little, as you want. But before anyone starts and they ask how much should they plan to invest, I ask how much are you comfortable losing.
Find elsewhere
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Reddit
reddit.com › r › dropship › comments › 1gk1t4b › is_dropshipping_still_a_realistic_choice_in_2025
Is dropshipping still a realistic choice in 2025?
November 5, 2024 - Is dropshipping still an industry worth putting time into? I heard many different things: it's volatile, outdated, too competitive, unstable, and it's no longer something you can do to get rich quickly (however there is still tons of gurus advertising this). I don't need to get rich quickly, but I'd like to earn money and start a business.
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Alidrop
alidrop.co › home › blog › is dropshipping legit or just a scam? full breakdown
Is Dropshipping Legit? Understanding the Business Model and Risks
April 8, 2025 - Here’s the truth: no, dropshipping itself is not a scam. It’s a legitimate business model that has been used successfully by many entrepreneurs around the world. The problem often lies in how it's executed.
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AutoDS
autods.com › blog › dropshipping-tips-strategies › is-dropshipping-legit
Dropshipping Scams: How To Protect Your Online Store In 2026
November 4, 2025 - But the truth is that dropshipping itself is not a scam. It’s a legitimate business model that, when done right, can generate real, sustainable income. In this article, we’ll go over the most common dropshipping scams and how to avoid them.
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Quora
quora.com › Is-dropshipping-a-scam-It-seems-way-too-good-to-be-true-How-can-someone-make-money-without-owning-any-products
Is dropshipping a scam? It seems way too good to be true. How can someone make money without owning any products? - Quora
Answer (1 of 8): Drop shipping in and of itself is not a scam, but most ‘suppliers’ are con artists. The trustworthy ones who aren’t con artists do not sell their products at wholesale price, rather they sell their products at retail price ...
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SendFromChina
sendfromchina.com › NewsCenter › dropshipping-legit.html
Is Dropshipping Legit? A Comprehensive Guide to Dropshipping Risks
Dropshipping is a legitimate and viable e-commerce model when done correctly. By adhering to legal requirements, partnering with reliable suppliers, and focusing on customer satisfaction, you can build a successful dropshipping business.
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Drop Ship Lifestyle
dropshiplifestyle.com › home › is dropshipping worth it in 2025?
Is Dropshipping Worth It in 2025? (Honest Answer from an Expert)
September 18, 2025 - If you’re willing to treat it like a real business, then yes, dropshipping is absolutely worth it this year. ... Start with the right niche – Look for evergreen, in-demand, high-ticket products that people are searching for year-round.
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WiziShop
wizishop.com › blog ecommerce › resources › is dropshipping a scam or a legit job? should you become a dropshipper?
Is Dropshipping a Scam? Everything You Need to Know in 2025
June 25, 2024 - Dropshipping, while legitimate, can sometimes be marred by scams that new entrepreneurs need to be aware of to protect their business.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/dropship › is anyone actually crushing it with droshipping in 2025?
r/dropship on Reddit: Is Anyone Actually Crushing It with Droshipping in 2025?
May 23, 2025 -

Not trying to be negative here — just genuinely skeptical and looking to hear from people who are really making it work in 2025.

A few things I keep running into or wondering about:

  • Payments: How are you reliably receiving payments these days without running into constant issues like holds or bans? Stripe, PayPal, etc. — are they still as risky as ever?

  • Account Limitations: How do you guys deal with accounts getting limited? From ad platforms to payment processors, it seems like you’re walking on eggshells half the time.

  • Store Setup: Are one-product stores still a viable model, or have things shifted toward branded general/niche stores?

  • Shipping: What’s the reality with shipping times now? Still drop shipping from China? Using 3PLs? How are customers reacting?

If you’re actually doing well right now — or even just surviving — I’d love to hear how you’re navigating all this. Appreciate any real talk.

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This question doesn’t really make sense, it’s like asking if anyone’s making money with ecommerce. Dropshipping is just a fulfillment method, that’s all. It’s not a business model. It’s just how you get the product to the customer. I started that way too, tested products, found what worked, and then moved into real inventory and built a proper brand around it. That’s the natural progression. And yeah, it works but not like people think. Everyone’s looking for some viral product or secret niche, but the truth is it takes time, testing, and actual effort. You’re not gonna get rich overnight. What really matters is your offer, your creative, and how you position it. Most people fail not because the product is bad, but because the marketing is weak. It’s not easy. But it’s possible if you treat it like a real business.
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Been in the game since 2007 — full-time since 2011. Bought my 5-bed house (£450K), 3 cars; a Bentley, Porsche, and BMW M6. Holidays, lifestyle — all paid for from dropshipping. But it’s not what people think. No “one-product stores,” no constant chasing of “winning products,” and definitely not paid ads. We built a real brand. Developed own products. Control own supply chain. Sell across multiple platforms — Shopify, Amazon (FBA), eBay, Etsy, TikTok. It’s just me (39) and my wife (32), with a 4-month old, working from home. Simple setup, but a business model that will likely continue to support us until we both retire. I don’t know what the definition of ‘crushing’ it is. But for a lot of people I feel this would be it.
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How-To Geek
howtogeek.com › home › features › what is dropshipping, and is it a scam?
What Is Dropshipping, and Is It a Scam?
April 26, 2020 - A merchant that uses dropshipping is just a middleman. You place an order with that merchant, but another company---a manufacturer, retailer, or wholesaler---ships you the product. The merchant takes his cut and never has to handle the inventory. This technique has been widely used for decades by most legitimate businesses to cut down on storing inventory in multiple locations and ship things to the customer more quickly.
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Sticky
sticky.io › post › is-dropshipping-dead-or-still-profitable-in-2025-with-new-us-tariffs
Is Dropshipping Still Profitable in 2025? Or Is it Dead? | Sticky.io
— Not all products work; competition, supplier reliability, and market demand play crucial roles. ... Notes: General tariffs are accurate as of August 2025 : Tariff rate will depend also on product type: this can be researched by HTS code ...
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Dropship
dropship.io › blog › dropshipping-scams
Dropshipping Scams & How to Avoid Them as a Beginner
Summary: Dropshipping is often perceived as a scam due to unrealistic expectations, shady suppliers, low entry barriers, and the focus on "trendy" products, but it can be a legitimate business with proper due diligence.