I Tried TikTok Dropshipping For 30 Days As A Complete Beginner

Introduction

For the next 30 days, I decided to try dropshipping to see if a complete beginner like me could make over $ 1,000 in their first month. Dropshipping has always intrigued me—it sounds almost too good to be true. I've seen claims of people making significant money online, but I wanted to find out for myself if someone with zero experience could truly make money this way.

The Dropshipping Model

Dropshipping involves selling products at a markup without holding any inventory. You purchase items cheaply, usually from China, and resell them at a higher price by advertising to consumers, primarily in the US or UK. My goal was to utilize TikTok organic traffic—posting videos for free to attract customers to my store.

Research and Strategy

After consuming YouTube tutorials, I decided to focus on TikTok organic method. I shipped products to my house, created videos, and posted them on TikTok to attract views and potential customers. The benefit of TikTok is its algorithm, which can distribute your content to millions.

Product Selection

I followed advice from YouTube to search for terms like "TikTok made me buy it." This strategy helps you discover trending dropshipping products. After engaging with such content, my For You page began recommending products. I selected an Apple CarPlay unit, designed to provide older cars with modern features like GPS, calls, and music streaming. I purchased it for £22 on AliExpress and planned to sell it for £70.

Setting Up

I made a Shopify website, taking advantage of their promotion for a low-cost trial. My strategy was to make the product appealing to a young demographic who own older cars but desire modern functionality.

Content Creation

I created engaging TikTok content, aiming to avoid a "too brady" feel. The goal was relatability and fun to attract a younger audience and boost follower count. We needed at least 1,000 followers to add a link in our TikTok bio, so I focused on making engaging, humorous, and relatable content.

Initial Results

After a few weeks, we gained 80 followers and received our first product inquiry. However, without the ability to add a link, I couldn't convert that interest into a sale. Yet, I noticed multiple messages asking for product links and prices.

Conclusion

Despite not hitting the desired follower count or making a sale within 30 days, I saw potential in the dropshipping model. The product generated significant interest, even without a viral video. I believe with continued effort, viral content is achievable, leading to sales. I intend to extend this experiment and refine the strategy with help from feedback and further research.

Keywords

Dropshipping
TikTok organic traffic
Product selection
Apple CarPlay
Shopify
TikTok content creation
Viral marketing
Beginner dropshipping

FAQ

1. What is dropshipping? Dropshipping is an online business model where you sell products without holding any inventory. You purchase items cheaply from suppliers (often in China) and resell them at a higher price.

2. Why choose TikTok for dropshipping? TikTok's algorithm can distribute your content to millions of users for free, making it a cost-effective way to drive traffic to your store.

3. How do you select a product for dropshipping? Search for trending products using terms like "TikTok made me buy it." Engage with such content to get more recommendations from TikTok. Pick a product that solves a problem and appeals to your target audience.

4. What challenges did you face in this experiment? The main challenge was gaining 1,000 followers to add a link in my TikTok bio. Without this, I couldn't convert interest into sales.

5. Is dropshipping a scam? While dropshipping is not inherently a scam, it requires a significant amount of effort and strategic planning. Success stories online often simplifying complexities involved.

6. What will you do differently in the future? I'll focus on creating even more engaging content and potentially start building the Shopify site earlier in the process to convert initial interest into sales.