One Week Dropshipping Challenge With NO MONEY ($0-$5,000)

Introduction

This week, I embarked on an ambitious challenge to make five thousand dollars through dropshipping without spending a cent. Curious about how I planned to achieve this? Let me walk you through the process, which is surprisingly straightforward.

Finding a Viral Product

First, I needed to find an interesting and useful product. The typical advice would be to scour Amazon finds or TikTok's "made me buy it" trends. While this approach is valid, for this challenge, I adopted the "burner method." This involved either purchasing another phone or creating a new TikTok account. As I scrolled through TikTok, I engaged with product promos and ads, ensuring to watch them fully, like them, and save them to my favorites. This prompts TikTok’s algorithm to show me more similar product videos.

After an hour of scrolling on my new device, I came across a viral product: a door stopper alarm. It's a simple yet effective security measure that raises an alarm if someone tries to open your door, making it perfect for hotel guests and Airbnb travelers. It was trending on TikTok, and many users were eager to know where to buy it.

Building the Online Store

What’s more, I found that I could source the door stopper for about three dollars on AliExpress, intending to sell it for approximately twenty. The competition on TikTok seemed manageable, which boosted my confidence. Next, I turned to Shopify to build my website. While Shopify typically costs $ 39/month, I secured a partnership that allowed me to offer my readers three months free with a special link. This would give me ample time to profit before incurring costs.

I created a clean, minimalist website—door safe.shop—using a red and white theme that matched the product’s safety focus. With the website set up, my next task was to work on marketing my product.

Marketing Through TikTok

For my TikTok and other social media outlets, I kept the branding focused, utilizing a simple logo and including a bio link to my product page. Since TikTok requires at least a thousand followers to include a link in the bio, I used an older account I had from a prior venture.

To create engaging advertisements, I looked for successful videos from competitors and planned to replicate their content. I ordered the door stopper via Amazon for same-day delivery, which arrived in about two hours. The following days were filled with recreating TikToks based on previously viral content, although the initial results weren't impressive.

Boosting Sales and Going Viral

On the third day, sales began to trickle in—two back-to-back orders! The momentum grew, and my TikTok began gaining views. By the end of day four, I had generated about $ 500 in sales. Though I was falling short of my $ 5,000 target, I knew that a single viral video could turn things around.

However, disaster struck when my door stopper malfunctioned. I quickly ordered another one, determined to continue promoting. By day five, I began re-uploading other successful TikTok videos, which ended with $ 230 in sales, bringing my week total just under $ 800.

I realized that offering a compelling deal could attract more buyers. I found a two-pack of door stoppers on AliExpress for just nine dollars, allowing me to run a “two-for-one” promotion. This deal made it look appealing while still allowing a profitable margin.

Once I implemented the new promotional strategy, my sales surged. Ending day six, I topped up my total sales to nearly $ 2,000.

Final Results

By the end of the week, my hard work culminated in $ 2,536.14 in total sales—decent for a week with no upfront costs. Significantly, my profits were notably solid, with nearly $ 1,400 earned without making significant financial investments upfront.

The keys to success were humor and timing. Leveraging comedy allowed my videos to reach beyond the typical audience interested only in security products. Of course, I could have boost-expedited results with paid ads, but I wanted to keep the venture organic.

It’s worth noting that while dropshipping has evolved, TikTok has emerged as a powerful platform that can generate immense revenue when utilized correctly.

Keyword

• Dropshipping
• TikTok
• Viral product
• Door stopper alarm
• Shopify
• E-commerce
• Marketing
• Free shipping
• Profit

FAQ

1. How did you find a viral product without spending any money?
I used TikTok’s algorithm by engaging with product promotions and ads, which helped me discover trending items like the door stopper alarm.

2. What platform did you use to build your online store?
I built my store using Shopify, which I managed to get for free for three months through a partnership.

3. What methods did you use to promote your product on social media?
I recreated viral TikToks and engaged in comedy-based content related to my product to reach a larger audience.

4. How much did you eventually earn from this dropshipping challenge?
I ended up with a total of $ 2,536.14 in sales throughout the week.

5. How did you manage to get sales despite having no initial investment?
By creatively offering deals and leveraging social media marketing, I created enticing offers that attracted purchasers without needing significant upfront costs.