UPDATED for Drop Ship Lifestyle version 4.0!
This Drop Ship Lifestyle review has been updated since the release of version 4.0 of the course. Just bear in mind that many other reviews out there are now outdated as the course has changed quite significantly.
With that in mind, here we go:
If you’ve come across the Drop Ship Lifestyle online training course by Anton Kraly, you’re probably wondering how it stacks up. The premise of learning how to build a “real” business that can be run from anywhere in the world with very little startup costs, is a tasty proposition.
So, how good is it? Is the business model legit and is this course a good resource for learning how to launch your own online store of this nature?
Table of Contents
Why Listen to Me?
First up, just a little background on why I think I’m in quite a good position to make a thorough Drop Ship Lifestyle review.
I’d actually been involved in ecommerce for a few years prior to signing up to Anton’s course. I’m by no means an expert, nor am I a millionaire, but I’ve got a couple of successes under my belt (and a few less so) and most importantly, I’ve learned a lot. I bring this up because I feel like I can compare Anton’s method to other training that I have been through and can offer some actual useful insights and potential shortcomings of the course, based on my experience.
Don’t you hate it when you read a generic review from someone that has clearly not even gone through the course, yet will tell you how amazing it is in almost sales-pitch fashion and that you should just buy, buy, buy it!
That’s not one of those reviews. I want to actually offer some useful insights if you’re thinking about investing in this course, as I appreciate the cost is significant. And I feel I have some interesting insights that I’ve not seen mentioned elsewhere that will help you decide whether or not Drop Ship Lifestyle is for you.
What is Drop Ship Lifestyle?
DSL is a step-by-step, 7 module course teaching you how to go from nothing, all the way to having a successfully operating, profitable niche online store. The program is delivered in digital format (i.e. you view everything online) and I would describe it as a video course with supplemental text, rather than the other way round.
Along with the “core” program, you also get access to a private members forum, a Shopify web design course, a comprehensive Adwords PPC course, and an invitation to future live, 4-day DSL retreats. The Drop Ship Lifestyle Retreat is an annual event (held in Southeast Asia so far) that typically includes expert talks, co-working, networking opportunities and “lifestyle” activities in the afternoon and evenings. Only DSL members can attend this event.
What is Drop Shipping?
If you’re not familiar with the drop shipping business model, I’ll explain. First off, you’ll be selling “real”, physical products as opposed to digital products, software etc. You’ll be building an ecommerce store like Amazon (only much smaller) rather than a static site or a blog etc.
The term drop shipping simply describes the order fulfilment process. Rather than buying in bulk, physically stocking the products and sending them out to customers yourself, as a drop shipper you work directly with a manufacturer or wholesaler who delivers the products to your customers on your behalf.
You receive sales on your website at retail cost, then forward the order to your supplier who delivers the item direct to your customer. The difference between the retail cost that your customer pays and the wholesale cost that you pay your supplier is your profit. Simple.
As mentioned, drop shipping avoids you having to order large quantities of stock upfront, keeping it in storage and sending it out to customers yourself. There’s no need to physically handle items in any way and avoids all the headaches of that side of ecommerce.
My Drop Ship Lifestyle Review
Now you know what you get and what Drop Ship Lifestyle is all about, let’s get to the nitty-gritty. Is this course any good?
What I Like About It
The Method Works: Most importantly, the method taught in this course works. I myself have built businesses of this nature and there are countless success stories from DSL students that I’m sure you’ve seen. The course does a good job of showing you the process required for starting a drop ship business: deciding on a niche, finding suppliers, building your website, getting traffic then optimizing and automating your store. It’s a logical process when you think about it and this course does a great job of showing you how to go about each step.
I cringe when I see people on forums say “You don’t need a course to learn this stuff; it’s all available for free online”. Well, certain information might be, but there’s a lot to be said about following a step-by-step course of some kind. Even if the information is out there on blogs and forums, good luck trying to piece it all together and sift through bad and outdated advice. Literally every time I see someone make that above statement, I also witness people asking numerous questions that a course like Drop Ship Lifestyle can answer in minutes, and see replies from inexperienced people that in many cases give straight up bad advice. The cost of avoiding all that noise and misinformation by following a good course? Priceless.
Video Tutorials: I like the fact that Drop Ship Lifestyle is video based, so very visual. Anton literally has a video for each module where he does slideshow presentations and a screen recording of him going through the process of what he’s telling you to do himself. It’s always easier when you actually watch someone do something, rather than having them simply describe the process to you. This helps a lot.
Private Members Forum: Aside from the core training modules, a key resource in DSL is the private members forum. This is incredibly valuable. You will no doubt have questions and run into roadblocks on your path to building a drop ship business, but with access to a forum like this, there are always members that can offer help and advice. Many people also like to create “progress threads” which they keep updated with the progress they’re making on their store as well as what they need to do. This can be a great way to keep you accountable and get involved with the community.
I always prefer forums like this that are private for course members only as you know that everyone inside has the same goals as you and are following the same methods. As opposed to public forums where you can receive all sorts of contradicting opinions and straight up bad advice.
Access to Live Events: This is pretty awesome. As part of your membership of Drop Ship Lifestyle, you can attend the annual “DLS Retreat”. So far this live event has been held in Chiang Mai and Krabi, Thailand, both STUNNING parts of the world that really showcase the “lifestyle” aspect of Drop Ship Lifestyle and the sort of locations you can visit when you own a location independent business.
The retreat typically includes expert presentations, co-working, one on one help and other “business” focused activities during the first half of each day, with the latter part of the day giving way to fun activities, sight seeing, meals together and general socializing and networking.
While this may not appeal to everyone, if it’s the sort of thing you would like to attend, it’s a huge perk to being a member of DSL. You could even use it as motivation to have your own drop ship store earning enough money to pay for your trip out to the event. That’s absolutely, 100% doable.
Good Shopping Cart Choice: Another thing I like about Anton’s approach to building an ecommerce store is his choice of shopping cart: Shopify. This is quite significant as much of the course material on building out your store is specific to this shopping cart platform.
Shopify is a 3rd party hosted shopping cart software that, for $29 a month, includes everything you need get started.
I’ve used several shopping cart platforms over the years and, while it isn’t perfect, I do lean towards Shopify, at least for those just starting out. It’s very easy to get to grips with and build a beautiful, functional store. (It’s also the clear winner when compared to Bigcommerce, which you can read about here.
You may have heard of WordPress and the Woocommerce ecommerce plugin, and wondered if that was a better solution since it’s free, but I would be much more in favor of a service like Shopify. By the time you add in modules for accepting payments in Woocommerce (an added cost) and purchase a half decent theme, it’s far from free. I’m not against Woocommerce, but I think for someone just starting out, Shopify is a better option.
“Shopify Payments”, Shopify’s own payment processor, makes it very quick and easy to start accepting credit cards on your store.
There are certainly pros and cons to the various shopping cart providers but for someone starting out on their first store, Shopify is perfect. With DSL, various parts of the course will reference Shopify, everyone in the forum will be using it so it’s easy to get help and there’s even a Shopify web design course included with the program.
Comprehensive Adwords Training Course: New to DSL since I first wrote this review, is the addition of a very extensive training course about Google Adwords PPC and Google Shopping, by Michael Erickson of SearchScientists.com. This is a HUGE addition!
Michael was a presenter at the 2015 DSL retreat, giving an awesome presentation on Google Shopping campaign optimization (a recording of which is available inside DSL) and he clearly knows his stuff.
The addition of this training is VERY valuable and a fantastic enhancement of DSL. It’s fair to say you will know more about PPC advertising on Google that 99% of people (and your competitors) after going through this material!
Other New Additions in DSL 4.0: The latest version of the course has seen quite a few other additions and enhancements too.
First of all, the course now has a much better structure and is presented on a better platform. Each module is broken up into separate step-by-step sections, which you can mark as completed as you make your way through the course.
Each section of the course also now has the ability for users to add comments. If you need clarification or want to ask a question about a particular section, you can leave a comment inside that part of the course. People are taking advantage of this and Anton is proactive in answering these comments, allowing you to benefit from other member’s questions.
There’s also now a “Drop Ship Labs” section which includes checklists, standard operating procedures (SOP’s) and scripts for contacting suppliers, a DSL Shopify App designed to automate parts of the process (I haven’t used this) and also a customizable Shopify theme which is pretty cool.
What I Don’t Like About Drop Ship Lifestyle
Niche Selection Criteria: Honestly, I thought this part of the course could be better. Niche selection i.e. deciding what you’re going to sell, is without a doubt the most important part of the process in my opinion and what largely dictates the potential of your store.
Now look, the criteria Anton does give is good and is clearly what has worked for him, I just think it could be better. I came up with several niche ideas that met Anton’s niche selection criteria that, in my experienced opinion, would still have poor success due to other reasons.
To his credit, as part of the course, he does offer Niche Selection Verification whereby he will “validate your idea before you get started”. My advice: take advantage of this and get his professional opinion before proceeding further! You need to get this part right.
No SEO Strategy: This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as you don’t have to learn or practice SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to make money with drop ship stores but if you were expecting advice on this, you won’t get it here. Anton simply gives the traffic generation methods that work for him, and apparently SEO isn’t one of them.
No Comprehensive Guides: I would have liked him to go into more detail in certain parts of the course, with clearer instructions…
DSL 4.0 appears to have addressed this issue. Instructions throughout the course are a lot more comprehensive than they were and, in the case of the PPC course, very much so!
Long, Continuous Videos: Finally, as much as I like the videos and visual aspect of learning, I do think it would be better if the videos were separated into each individual topic, for easy reference. For each core module in DSL, Anton tends to have a single video that covers all aspects of that module. A minor inconvenience, but nevertheless noticeable.
This has also been addressed in version 4.0. Each module within the course is broken down further into step-by-step sections with separate videos and instructions for each. This makes for a much better way to go through the course in my opinion, and makes it easier to find specific parts of the course that you want to go back to.
Maybe Anton read my original review? 😉
Alternatives to Drop Ship Lifestyle
You may have come across other drop ship training courses and wondered how DSL fairs in comparison. I obviously haven’t tried every program under the Sun but I can offer a few insights.
First off, if you’ve encountered products by the name of DS Domination or Elite Dropshippers or have experience with them, be aware that Drop Ship Lifestyle is completely different. These particular products may have tainted your opinion on drop shipping when in fact they are not legitimate courses at all. They involve you purchasing products off Amazon at retail price and selling them on outlets such as eBay for a higher price. It’s drop shipping in terms of the order fulfillment process (i.e. having products shipped direct to your customers) but doing it this way is not a sustainable business model, and I’m pretty sure it even breaches Amazon’s terms and conditions.
If you refer to my definition of drop shipping above, you’ll see I explained that you work with a manufacturer or dealer directly who supply to you at wholesale cost. If you do this the right way, you become an authorized retailer of your chosen products; you’re not paying retail price at sites like Amazon.
The closest course to DSL in terms of the business model and what it teaches would probably be Store Coach.
Store Coach vs. Dropship Lifestyle
Store Coach and Drop Ship Lifestyle have similarities but are also very different in key areas. You can read my full Store Coach review.
They’re similar in terms of the step-by-step process they each follow (they even both have 7 modules) and they obviously both have the same end goal in mind: niche specific, drop ship stores.
Other than that, they’re actually quite different. Here I’ll give an overview of the main differences between these two courses.
Presentation: Both courses incorporate text and video but for the sake of simplicity, I would say Drop Ship Lifestyle is video based with supplemental text whereas Store Coach is predominantly text based with supplemental videos. I think that’s fair.
Shopping Cart Platforms: Each course recommends a different hosted shopping cart provider and tailors much of their content to that specific software. Drop Ship Lifestyle uses Shopify; Store Coach uses BigCommerce.
Shopify and BigCommerce are also very similar with a few key differences. I have experience with both of them and, as I said above, I lean more towards Shopify in preference, especially for beginners.
Niche Selection Process: This is where the first key difference between the courses lies. There is some overlap in the niche selection criteria of each course but some factors are vastly different. Store Coach puts a lot of weight into search volumes of keywords on search engines and SEO competition i.e. keyword research, whereas Drop Ship Lifestyle doesn’t use this as criteria for choosing a niche at all.
Attention to SEO: Following on from the above point, a key difference between the courses is in the promotion of your store. After basing much of their niche selection process on SEO analysis, Store Coach then has a huge section devoted to promoting your store though SEO. On the contrary, as discussed above, Drop Ship Lifestyle has minimal SEO advice and instead focuses more heavily on paid traffic.
These are actually pretty big differences between each course and play quite a big role in how you’ll be building out and promoting your store.
Both courses are good but you’ll have to decide what appeals to you more.
With the release of Drop Ship Lifestyle 4.0, I’m inclined to lean more in favor of DSL. I think you’ll find it easier and faster to get setup and see results quicker.
SEO can always be implemented at a later stage.
So, Would I Recommend the Anton Method?
Yes, I think Drop Ship Lifestyle is a great course for beginners new to online business.
Most importantly, the training is legit and you get the necessary support to succeed. Follow the advice and you will build an online store.
I’d say Drop Ship Lifestyle is ideal if you’re brand new to building websites (or at least e-commerce sites).
If you’re averse to learning SEO, have had bad experiences with it in the past or simply don’t want to spend time on it as a traffic generation method, DSL will definitely be suited to you.
If you’re very much a visual learner that prefers video presentations and walk-throughs to text-based instructions, DSL is for you.
If the idea of attending a live “retreat” in Southeast Asia and the getting the chance to meet fellow course members in person appeals to you, get Drop Ship Lifestyle!
To Conclude
Hopefully this review of Drop Ship Lifestyle has given you a good idea of what to expect from this course as well as offered a few insights that other reviews don’t touch on.
Anton Kraly is a smart guy so you’re certainly in good hands. The real value in a course like this, aside from the clear step-by-step process, is undoubtedly the support you can receive both direct from Anton and in the private forums from other members. I would highly encourage you to take advantage of these things – do not be afraid to ask questions!
If you can stay committed to following the process but also have initiative and are prepared to learn a lot, Drop Ship Lifestyle will prove to be an excellent resource for building a profitable, location-independent “real” online business. A business you can even sell in the future.
Everything is there for you; it’s up to you to make it happen.
Click Here to Visit Drop Ship Lifestyle
I hope this helps! I’m sure I’ve missed some things out to feel free to ask questions below regarding this course or the business model in general, and I’ll be happy to help…
Bill Booth says
Hopefully I am not being naive but this seemed like an honest review of DSL. There seemed to be quite a few “shills” that seem like an extension of the DSL marketing strategy.
Thanks. Leaning towards DSL.
Bill
admin says
Hi Bill, thanks for your comment.
You’re right. With a lot of digital products, you always get affiliates with no experience of the product telling you how good it is, in hopes of making a quick buck. They can appear like “shills”, for sure.
I’ve tried to be different with this review in that it’s actually a review! I have direct experience with this course and am sharing my honest thoughts and opinions. Good luck.
Ron says
Thanks for the review. I just happen to plan on moving to Chiang Mai, nothing to do with DS Life Style. When does the event take place in Chiang Mai?
admin says
Hey Ron, the 2016 DSL Retreat is actually taking place in Hawaii. Full details haven’t been released yet.
There’s still a big “digital nomad” scene in Chiang Mai and many people are familiar with this course. Best of luck.
Lady says
Hi. Thanks for this review, the most informative out of all I’ve read. I have one question, am I right in my assumption that DSL lessons can be applied even if you’re not an American citizen?
Thanks.
admin says
Hey, thanks for your comment. The lessons can indeed be applied even if you’re not an American citizen. You can either build a store targeting your home country or build a store targeting the US market even if you don’t live there/aren’t a US citizen.
I’m from the UK and I’ve done both. You may run into roadblocks and certain things might be “easier” as a US citizen but it is absolutely possible. I’m actually going to write an article about this subject soon and give some of my thoughts on whether a non-US citizen should target their home country or target the US. I think if possible, target your home country…
But yes, the lessons and principles can absolutely be applied if you’re not a US citizen.
Sizz says
Please do, especially for a European country.
I’ve been interested in drop shipping to my home country in Europe and I’ve been having trouble with customs (Chinese supplier).
I would be very grateful for your advice! (article or not)
Thank you
SIRIYA says
Does DSL provide a supplier information directory?
admin says
Hi Siriya, it’s actually a misconception that you need a supplier directory when starting a drop ship store. Generally the best advice, and what’s taught in DSL, is to search for and contact manufacturers/suppliers directly. Directories can be helpful but suppliers are usually easy enough to find online yourself.
You don’t need a directory so DSL doesn’t include one. That said, I believe Anton is creating his own directory as DSmoz.com but it’s certainly not a requirement.
SIRIYA says
hi. that was a quick response. Thankyou.
Josh says
Do you know if your SEO concerns are being addressed in DSL 4.0? I understand they are attempting to add additional value to the existing material.
Thanks in advance
admin says
Hi Josh, thanks for your comment.
I’ve just received access to the updated course content and have been checking it out. I will update this review shortly.
The SEO advice is still very limited as it’s just not a traffic generation method that Anton uses; more emphasis is placed on Adwords/PLAs. I think that’s fine, its just worth knowing that there’s no advanced SEO training here.
The updated content regarding SEO is better than it was previously and gives some good on-page SEO advice specific to Shopify.
The updated course looks very good. A couple of my other criticisms of this course appear to be addressed (videos have been broken down into sections now and there are some more comprehensive tutorials). Maybe he read this review 😉
There’s an advanced course on Adwords/Product Listing Ads (PLA’s) in the course which arguably makes up for any lack of advanced SEO advice.
Dan says
Hello,
Does either DSL or SC include a web site builder with their packages? Thanks.
admin says
Hello Dan, thanks for your question. Neither course includes a website builder per se, instead they both use 3rd party e-commerce shopping cart software. DSL recommends Shopify and SC recommends Bigcommerce. This is typically your best option for an online store of this nature.
Each course provides extensive material for creating your store with each respective platform.
Shopify and Bigcommerce are quite similar and both have their pros and cons. I would simply recommend using the software recommended by the course you choose to follow as all the material in that course will be geared around that shopping cart.
Ben says
Hi, just wondered if you could give a rough guide as to how long it would take to start seeing any profit come back. I have about 2-3 hours per day to invest in an online business, would it be reasonable to expect some return within 6 months? How much would be a conservative amount to aim for? Thanks
admin says
Hi Ben, thanks for your comment. I’d obviously be very hesitant to make any promises on how long it could take you and any income estimates as there are numerous factors at play.
That said, I believe 2-3 hours per day is definitely enough time if you are committed and it is certainly reasonable to expect see a return within 6 months.
You can start making some estimates on potential profit of a store when you have an idea of what to sell, what your profit margins are and a realistic idea of how many you might sell in a month.
Treat this as a real business and the potential is there.
ben says
great, thanks for the advice 🙂
Mike says
Thanks for the detailed review. I’m not experienced in the ecommerce market but looking to enter into it and trying to decide on which coaching direction to go with.
A couple of questions based on your review to help me decide:
1. You mentioned that Store Coach puts a lot of emphasis on SEO for niche selection and that DSL doesn’t, and that … “Drop Ship Lifestyle has minimal SEO advice.” … I would have thought (based on my inexperience) that this would be an important way to source out a niche. What method does DSL use for niche selection and traffic generation and how effective is it?
2. I am Canadian and as large a land mass as we have, the population is only 1 /10 of the United States and I would like to be able target both US and Canada. I know you mentioned in your review that Store Coach uses Pro keyword search tool that only targets the US … are there other ways to target both countries or for that matter globally?
Thanks again for the review, look forward to your reply in helping me decide which route would suite me best.
Take care,
Mike
admin says
Hi Mike, thanks for your comment. I’ll do my best.
1. Analyzing SEO competition can be one factor when choosing a niche, certainly if you intend on doing SEO, but there are other criteria. With Drop Ship Lifestyle, Anton doesn’t focus heavily on SEO for generating traffic so it’s understandable that he doesn’t focus on the search engines when choosing a niche. DSL focuses more on paid traffic, in particular Product Listing Ads (Google Shopping) which are very effective.
2. I believe you are asking how to analyze search engine competition (i.e Google’s results) outside the US (i.e this doesn’t relate to Drop Ship Lifestyle at all). Yes, there are manual methods of doing what the Store Coach keyword tool does, and they are taught within Store Coach. It’s just incredibly time consuming.
If you’re inclined to do SEO, then go with Store Coach.
On the other hand, you don’t have to do SEO to see success with drop shipping, as per Drop Ship Lifestyle, and some people prefer that. And you can always learn and apply SEO at a later stage, of course.
I think DSL is a great course, I just point out the fact that it doesn’t teach SEO.
Let me know if you have any more questions.
Corey says
Thank You for this detailed review!
Besides the initial cost to join DSL, are there any hidden costs or upsales after you join? Or better yet, what is the ideal amount of invest I should prepare for when joining?
admin says
Hi Corey, thanks for your comment. There aren’t any hidden costs or upsells (at least there weren’t when I purchased and I’m not aware of any). You certainly don’t need anything else.
You’ll need to pay for the shopping cart software ($29 per month with a free trial), a logo (Fiverr is recommended so that’s $5.50) and any paid traffic sources. You get some free credit to use for Adwords (Google Shopping) and it’s honestly very possible to see a sale before that credit runs out. That said, I would recommend at least a couple hundred $$ for ads going in.
It’s still an extraordinarily small investment for such huge potential! Treat this as a real business (anything will require some sort of investment) and you’ll have the right mindset.
Anthony says
Is there personal coaching available.. Feels like alot of info…. Would be nice to get on the phone every once in a while
admin says
Hi Anthony, thanks for your comment.
There is actually. New for this year DSL have started offering a monthly coaching program. There are 5 approved coaches with different areas of expertise and in one month you can have 4 30-minute phone calls, either all with the same coach or a different one each time.
The course itself and the forum will be adequate for most people but apparently some people have asked for personal coaching like this and many people, such as yourself, may find the extra one-on-one help very valuable.
Alex says
Hi, nice review.
You mention that “Niche selection criteria” of Anton’s course could be better.
Which source/link/idea’s do you think would be the best for that?
If you say something can be better, I assume you already have an idea of what can be better and where to find that information.
Thanks.
admin says
Hi Alex, good question.
I think I’m going to put together a supplemental report as sort of a “Drop Ship Lifestyle bonus” where I’ll go into more detail on that as well as give some other helpful resources.
Let me be clear that the DSL niche selection criteria isn’t bad as such, it does give good criteria; I would just strongly recommend to get Anton’s opinion on your niche before fully investing anything into it. That’s the value with a course like this, so get your money’s worth. 😉
One such way Anton’s criteria could be better would be by factoring in search volume to get an idea of the demand within a niche. I’ve spoken to people where everything in their niche had “checked out” but when it came to getting traffic, the market just wasn’t big enough to get a worthwhile amount of clicks.
I personally take that sort of thing into account and have a few ideas on how to interpret it. I hope this helps.
Paul Goldman says
I see there are several levels of membership. Of course, my preference is to go with the least expensive. But in your opinion, would I be missing anything critical that is offered only in the other levels of membership?
admin says
Hi Paul, thanks for your comment.
The different levels offered are actually new since I joined the course. In my opinion, the various levels do add value but you won’t be missing anything critical with the Basic option.
That has everything you need to learn how to build a profitable store. 🙂
Sandro says
By far the best review I found, thank you!
I have a few questions though…
1. How much importance would you put on 12 weeks of one on one coaching that is offered in the mentorship program?
2. How important are DSL labs, private apps and dropshipping software they are offering and does not having that poses a problem when starting out?
3. What exactly are the 55 advanced training modules and how much importance do you put on them?
4. Are there any things you would outsource to your virtual assistant when starting this course/business?
5. You mentioned you will put together an article for more ‘advanced’ niche selection.. have you done that? If not, are there any other resources you would recommend?
Thanks a bunch! I appreciate it.
admin says
Hi Sandro, thanks for your comment. I’ll do my best to answer your questions.
1. The importance of one-on-one coaching will completely come down to personal preference. I haven’t used it and most successful students up until now haven’t used it (because it’s only just recently been offered). Most people won’t need it and it’s certainly not a requirement. That said, some people have requested such coaching because they want the extra guidance. I think only an individual will know whether or not they need that extra help. It’s certainly not critical.
2. I think the DSL labs, private apps and drop shipping software represent added value but not having them will not pose any problems when starting out.
3. I don’t actually have access to the 55 advanced training modules; those are a new addition. With that in mind, they’re not important.
I understand with the above questions you’re really trying to ascertain whether or not the Basic option has everything you need. As I said in the above comment, the Basic option has everything you need to learn how to build a successful store.
4. When starting your first business of this nature, I would recommending outsourcing very little. A logo is the main thing which is cheap and easy enough to outsource. Aside from that, do everything yourself: writing product descriptions, uploading products, settting up Adwords etc. is all part of learning the process and will allow you to learn more about the products you are selling.
5. OK, I’ll put it on my “to do” list to create a supplemental report on “advanced” niche selection, it seems people would be keen for it. I will offer it as a bonus for purchasing DSL through this site.
Don’t get hung up on that – the course is still good – but it will help, for sure.
Thanks for your comment 🙂
Bernie B. says
If I decide to go with DSL, what can I expect my first years costs to be? Are there any hidden costs to urge you to spend more with the plan? I know much of that will depend on me setting guidelines for what I consider success and what I want to have as income each month. I would be happy at the start (over a 3 month period) to begin making only $1000 a month. With that said, I still want to be cautious before investing more, which I will do once I have a reasonable income each month. It sounds like this would work for me. What is your take on this?
admin says
Hi Bernie, thanks for your comment. You sound like you have the right expectations.
There are no hidden costs. Your first month’s costs will comprise of a Shopify subscription ($29), a domain name ($9.99), a logo ($5.50) and any advertising costs. You receive $75 Adwords credit. The cost of Shopify can obviously be extrapolated to get the full years cost.
It’s good to be cautious and calculated. With the paid advertising teachings, the aim is to start small and increase spending as you see what’s working and are generating a return on investment. I think your expectations are realistic and certainly possible. Treat this like a real business.
Kris latuch says
Best review I’ve read so far. My question is, would someone brand new to online business be successful in turning over a profit? I don’t have very much experience when it comes to online sales but I’m very curious to learn, especially when I have twins on the way, so working from home would be more ideal. So would trying my hand at this be worth it?
admin says
Hi Kris, thanks for your comment.
There are no guarantees with anything like this but the Drop Ship Lifestyle course is aimed at beginners. There’s a learning curve involved, as with anything, but if you’re curious to learn and have the right expectations, there’s no reason you can’t see success with this. There are plenty of people that have taken the course that were completely new to online business.
DiverJenny says
Hi and thank you for this very honest and thorough review! I came across it just today, after I accidentally cleared out all my Bookmarks (that I did not back up for 6 months) and had saved a ton of info on Dropshipping and eCommerce. Brilliant! So, here I am!
I haven’t seen much mention about secondary account management companies, like companies that manage and constantly update your inventory. This seems to me to be rather crucial if you are using several suppliers and have several thousand items worth of inventory. Are their any companies you recommend? I have seen a few that look surprisingly affordable. I would think that being “out of stock” on many items could be the kiss of death to your business!
Also, what about security? Do you find that most people are comfortable using Shopify? What about Etsy? Should I bother?
Thanking you in advance for your advice! I am excited to jump in!
PS. By the way, I am an American living in a tropical location in Mexico and my dream is, once I get my store up and running, to have the same exact store set up in Spanish for my Mexican market. I would be marketing items that I know are fairly easy to ship to Mexico (now that Amazon Mexico has launched). I’ve had a house here for 7 years and moved to Mexico permanently 4 years ago. Which is ideal because my cost of living is sooo much less than in the States!
Poco a poco. (Little by little)
Gracias!
admin says
Hi Jenny, thanks for your comment. It sounds like you’ve got a nice setup in Mexico.
To answer your questions:
I don’t have experience with any secondary account management companies, nor Etsy (yet). These are hurdles you can cross and experiment with as the need arises, in my opinion.
Customers are perfectly comfortable using stores on Shopify. And this year Shopify actually rolled out free storewide SSL for all stores hosted with them which I think is really cool.
Good luck with all your ventures!
sg says
A month ago, I purchased from someone else a a drop-shipping store using Shopify. Would I likely gain enough knowledge from this course to make it worth it for me, as I already know some things? Thanks.
admin says
Hello, I think you would most probably learn a few things but I don’t know your prior knowledge, so it’s hard to say if it would be worth it for you in particular. I know a lot of people buy up-and-running drop ship stores as an investment, sometimes with very little prior knowledge and experience ever building and running a store, so someone is that position would probably benefit greatly from a course of some kind.
The Shopify web design course, Adwords course and community would probably still represent quite good value for money for someone with an existing store and experience.
Thanks for your comment.
Will says
Hi, what a great review – and even more importantly, thorough and helpful feedback to each comment! I am a professional Amazon FBA seller doing Private Label however like many dealing with the giant, am fed up with not being able to control the game, and being at Amazon’s mercy every time they decide to change a policy. Everyone says you should own the asset, which is only possible not being reliant on such platforms.
Whilst no novice to e-commerce, and admittedly still a little hesitant to fork out more money for fear of it being a Bright Shiny Object, I am seriously considering purchasing this course based on your thorough and balanced review.
admin says
Thank you for your feedback Will.
Mark Moran says
The fact that you’re an affiliate of DSL and the entire article is peppered with affiliate links to DSL makes this entire page worthless. Grow a brain man.
I know you won’t publish this and I’ll be back to check that you haven’t. That would be all the proof I’d need that your “review” is biased.
admin says
lol, thanks for your comment.
I don’t hide the fact that I am an affiliate for products talked about on this site and I believe I am fair and critical with my reviews.