Hey guys, I've been quiet for almost a year, and now I'm back to share a few things with you.
These are my perspectives after investing time and money into this. These views may or may not be suitable, so please be gentle with each other and don't throw stones at me, it'll only cause frustration.
This year, I haven't had too many achievements, and I haven't earned as much as last year. But I've also gained a lot of experience to share with you guys so you can avoid similar pitfalls from the start.
I've sold on many platforms: Shopify, Etsy, and dropshipping through Vietnamese-owned platforms. My product range is very diverse, from household goods and toys to home decor and gardening... anything I think sells well, I sell. Of course, I sell both clean and black market products 
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1. What's Dropshipping Like in 2025?
I don't know what else to say, but I and many of my colleagues in the same field have clearly seen that this year's earnings aren't as good as in previous years. Buyers are gradually noticing the lack of quality and discrepancies between products and descriptions, so their purchases have decreased significantly compared to previous years. However, with the advantage of advertising budgets, many teams have made a lot of money this year. Recently, Facebook has also released quite a few tutorials on changing houses and cars for ad-marketers.
Some opinions suggest that this year's economic downturn, inflation, unemployment, etc., have led to reduced purchasing power. That's partly true, but personally, I think that if the product quality isn't good enough and customer service isn't good, sales won't go on. Some products I sell in the home decor niche, priced very high ($180 - $225), still sell very well because I meet the quality standards I describe, provide excellent support, and offer discounts on their next purchase...
2. Should I continue dropshipping in 2026?
To break down the elements that make up a dropshipping model, you need:
- Store: Selling products definitely requires a store; without one, where would customers know to buy?
- Product: What are you selling? Who needs the product? What will they use it for? How long will the product last before needing replacement? And most importantly, how many people need the product at the time you're selling it? Answering all these questions will give you a clear picture of what you'll be selling.
- Payment gateway: How will buyers pay you if they buy from your shop? Since you're selling internationally, you can't send them a Vietnamese bank QR code to scan. This might be a bit inconvenient, but you need to do it properly to avoid future disappointments.
- Supplier: After finding the product you want to sell, which factory/workshop will manufacture it for you? There's a lot of information on this topic; you can find everything you need by searching on Google. I won't explain it further.
- Shipper: Now that the finished product is ready, who will deliver it to the consumer? This needs careful planning because sometimes shipments are held pending inspection. If the shipping company doesn't have proper documentation or connections, the chances of confiscation and destruction are very high.
- Ads: This largely determines your success. To make money, you need buyers, and to get buyers, you need to run ads to display your products; they won't come looking for you.
Now, back to the initial question: Should you still do dropshipping in 2026?
In my opinion, it's still possible, even in 2027, 2028, etc., but you need to keep this in mind. Dropshipping sellers are becoming increasingly numerous, so now the game is only for those with an advantage.
To help you understand the advantages, please reread the section on the constituent elements of the dropshipping model and then continue reading what I've written below:
For example, if you and I are both sellers, selling the same product, and targeting the same market, I will have an advantage in the following ways:
- My store is more attractive than yours, I have more products than you, my shop loads incredibly fast, it opens instantly, and jumps to the desired page immediately. My website structure is more logical and concise than yours, making it very comfortable for customers to browse. Your shop, on the other hand, loads slowly; customers who are eager to buy something end up with a website that takes forever to load, getting frustrated and leaving. Therefore, I've gained one more customer than you.
- We have more payment gateways than you guys. If customers want to pay by bank transfer, we have bank transfers; if they want PayPal, we have PayPal; if they want Stripe, we have Stripe... basically, whatever customers want, we have it. We're only afraid that customers won't want to buy from us =)))
- Supplier + Shipper: For example, both you and I dropship from the US, but our products are manufactured in the US and shipped directly by a US company. So, from the time the customer pays until they receive the goods, it's only about 1-3 days. Meanwhile, your supplier is all the way in China, and shipping from China to the US takes at least 7-10 days. So, do you think customers will buy from us or you? It's that simple.
- Ads: This is easy. If I spend 10 dollars on ads, I only pay 2 dollars, while you spend 10 dollars and have to pay the full 10 dollars.
That's the advantage, think about it yourselves. The more you optimize, the more advantageous you'll be compared to others, and you'll thrive even when the market is down.
Reading this is exhausting; my dream of dropshipping is over. There are so many things I need to implement. Is there a way to make money or even a lot of money with minimal effort?
The answer is yes. Check it out here: How to dropship without much effort and still make a profit.
If you've finished reading, come back here; I have a few words of advice for you:
1. Making money isn't easy; there's no model that will instantly generate tons of money. It all requires effort and hard work. Don't be fooled by those glib-tongued gurus who promise super-profitable, zero-cost models. They claim you'll learn the trade and start making money right away.
You've probably heard of people earning millions of dollars a year from dropshipping, and I've personally witnessed it – it's true, I'm not exaggerating. But behind those success, they've all suffered greatly. Some people went into debt countless times because of dropshipping, stayed up all night countless times, and faced creditors' threats countless times before finally gaining experience and achieving success.
2. You should have capital before starting. Most of the people who message me asking for advice are influenced by gurus who believe dropshipping is a zero-cost business. That's not true; you should save up capital before you start. First, the capital is used to cover store construction costs, payment gateway setup costs, advertising costs, etc. Second, when you invest your own capital, you'll be more serious and responsible with your money.
3. Take it one step at a time. You might make a few hundred dollars a month, then a few thousand dollars a month, then tens of thousands of dollars a month, and then hundreds of thousands of dollars a month. It's difficult to go from zero to $10,000 in a short time.
4. Try to find an advantage for yourself, then network to find more.
5. This article is written based on my feelings and conclusions from my experience with this business model. Those with a negative mindset might become even more negative after reading it, while those who are positive will be more motivated. So please understand if I make you feel discouraged.
6. This is for those of you who have already made money from dropshipping: Try to own a product that you can independently produce and control the quality of.
In short: Everything I've said above is meaningless if you don't take action and just sit
there calculating with pen and paper. That's all for today; later, when I have time, I'll share about the different types, advantages, and disadvantages of various platforms for you to consider. The Christmas sale is almost here, so I'm going to go get some sticky rice cakes for Tet. Wishing everyone in the forum good luck, prosperity, and success in their endeavors. <3
