If you want to engage in gua sha sales, there are two options available: gua sha wholesale and gua sha dropshipping. The choice between them depends on your specific needs and current situation. These two different trading models yield different results and risks. Today, we will compare the advantages and disadvantages of these two models, allowing you to decide whether to choose gua sha wholesale or gua sha dropshipping to kickstart your business.
Comparison Between Gua Sha Dropshipping and Wholesale
Before making a decision, it’s essential to assess different options. We will evaluate gua sha dropshipping and wholesale models from various aspects.
1. Initial Investment Costs
Initial investment costs include:
- Product costs
- Shipping costs
- Warehousing costs
- Labor costs
- Time costs
For both business models, they incur different investment costs. Even at the same initial investment, they lead to different cost standards.
Gua Sha Dropshipping:
- Labor costs
- Time costs
Gua Sha Wholesale:
- Product costs
- Shipping costs
- Warehousing costs
- Labor costs
- Time costs
Clearly, in terms of initial investment, gua sha wholesale incurs significantly higher costs compared to gua sha dropshipping.
Gua sha dropshipping’s characteristic allows you to avoid paying for products and shipping costs for orders that haven’t been placed yet. You only pay the supplier a portion of the received payment from the customer after a purchase is made in your store. As for warehousing costs, since goods are typically directly shipped from the supplier to your final customer, you don’t need extra space for stocking.
2. Profit Margin
The profit margin depends on two variables: costs and selling price. The formula can be visualized as:
Profit = Selling Price – Cost
When the selling price remains constant, the purchasing cost is the primary factor determining your profit margin. Although gua sha dropshipping has lower initial investment costs compared to gua sha wholesale, actual costs don’t equal initial investment costs.
Actual Cost = Supplier’s Quote + Additional Fees
These additional fees include warehousing costs, customs duties, etc. When these fees are distributed among each product, they don’t cause significant price fluctuations. The major factor determining your selling price and profit remains the supplier’s quote.
For gua sha wholesale business, you can purchase at factory wholesale prices. In contrast, for dropshipping, you might be paying retail prices, leading to a price difference of up to 50-100%.
So, in terms of profit margins, gua sha wholesale offers higher and more flexible profits.
3. Shipping Speed
Regarding shipping speed, gua sha wholesale generally provides faster shipping. Since the goods have already arrived at your warehouse before actual sales, all your orders are directly shipped from your warehouse to customers. For gua sha dropshipping, goods are shipped from China, which often takes longer due to regional differences and transit processes.
Typically, overseas shipping can be delivered within five days. However, shipping from China often takes ten days or even longer due to various factors.
Despite this, dropshipping has its advantage in saving your time. All shipping processes are handled by your supplier; you only need to provide your customer’s shipping address.
4. Sales Stability
In terms of sales stability, gua sha wholesale is more stable. You can manage your website’s product availability based on your actual stock. For dropshipping, the product’s stock status is determined by your supplier. Unless your website’s product availability stays in sync with your supplier’s, there might be issues with timely delivery.
In case of urgent stock shortages, gua sha wholesale allows you to quickly replenish your stock.
Gua sha dropshipping also has a solution: collaborate with multiple suppliers and be well-prepared.
Which Gua Sha Procurement Model Should You Choose?
There is no fixed rule on which model you must choose. It depends on different situations; either gua sha wholesale or dropshipping might be more suitable for you.
From the above analysis, we can see that gua sha dropshipping has low initial investment and low time costs. Therefore, for small sellers without sufficient financial support, gua sha dropshipping is more suitable. Or if you are considering gua sha as a future goal and currently testing the waters, gua sha dropshipping is also a suitable choice.
Under what circumstances is gua sha wholesale suitable? First, you have a certain level of financial support—enough space for subsequent promotion, operation, etc., after purchasing gua sha tools. Second, you are certain that gua sha products will be your future sales products, not just for testing. Therefore, gua sha wholesale is more suitable for small and medium-sized sellers and various large-scale sellers with clear goals and a certain budget.
Gua Sha Dropshipping Process
Step 1: Find a gua sha dropshipping supplier. You can search for keywords like “gua sha dropshipping” directly on Google and filter the search results. Alternatively, you can search through various social media platforms. The challenge lies in how to filter.
Step 2: Reach a cooperation agreement with the supplier. This allows you to use the product images and stock information provided by the supplier and set the product prices.
Step 3: Upload products. Some platforms offer a one-click import feature for dropshipping, supporting the direct import of supplier products into your website or store. If the supplier does not support this feature, you can upload products based on the information provided by the supplier.
Step 4: Send order information and make payment. For merchants supporting the one-click import feature, your website’s sales status will be updated synchronously with the supplier’s website. You don’t need to manually send order information, just keep an eye on the supplier’s stock status. For those not supporting one-click import, you need to manually send order information and pay for the goods.
Step 5: After-sales service. When problems occur with the goods, you need to act as a communication bridge between your customer and the supplier. Provide the information to the supplier and seek a solution.
Gua Sha Wholesale Process
Step 1: Find a gua sha supplier. The principle is the same: enter keywords and filter the search results.
Step 2: Reach a contract with the gua sha supplier, specifying details such as price, product quantity, quality standards, shipping methods, etc.
Step 3: Obtain logistics information. After the order is shipped, ask the supplier for logistics tracking information. Keep an eye on your logistics status to avoid situations like goods being returned or destroyed due to missing the delivery time.
Step 4: Customs clearance. In some cases, you need to handle customs clearance procedures manually and pay the corresponding tariffs. Check the logistics status and prepare for customs clearance. Otherwise, goods may be returned or destroyed.
Step 5: After-sales service. If you find that the goods do not meet the contract requirements or there are damages or shortages, keep relevant images and textual evidence and apply for after-sales service from the supplier.
Remember, regardless of the model, communication is key. Good communication can reduce a lot of time costs and unnecessary troubles.
