Is Drop Shipping still a Viable Home Business?

The other day, a reader sent me an email asking if I thought Drop Shipping was still a viable home based business given the current state of the economy. The short answer: yes, it can be. Recently I was clearing out some old files and ran across a list of about 120 drop vendors (with web addresses) that I had researched way back in 2003 when I was starting out in drop shipping. I decided to see how many of those supplier websites were still active.

Surprisingly, about 80% of those sites are still around today. I didn't spend any time investigating the other 20% that had disappeared (some of them may have just moved since 2003). 2003 is a lifetime ago in web years and I think the fact most of those suppliers are still around says a lot about them. Most of these suppliers tend to deal in fringe / niche markets. Some will go out of business due to market shifts, but many other products lines endure in spite of economic conditions.

So while drop shipping may not be the 'slam dunk' it once was, there are still under-served markets to be found. Interestingly, the way I obtained that list in 2003 was from Worldwide Brands and they're still around! Their online supplier database continues to be the best single resource for finding drop ship suppliers.

So back to the question at hand: yes it is viable as long as you do your research and spend some time considering your choices.