Dropshipping has been a popular business model for a few years now, and it doesn't look like it will be going away any time soon.
However, there is one variation of dropshpipping that is growing in popularity: selling high-ticket items without holding in your own inventory (high-ticket dropshipping).
So, what is high-ticket dropshipping? And why should you consider starting a high-ticket dropshipping store?
In this guide, we will answer all of those questions and more!
What is high-ticket dropshipping?
High-ticket dropshipping is an online business model in which you sell high-ticket products that you don't hold in stock yourself. Once you get an order, you forward it to your high-ticket dropshipping supplier, who will ship the product directly to your customer.
The main difference between high-ticket dropshipping and regular dropshipping is that high-ticket dropshippers sell more expensive products (e.g., $100+), while regular dropshippers sell cheaper products (e.g., $20).
In other words, when you are doing high-ticket dropshipping, you will be selling so-called high-ticket products.
Examples of high-ticket dropshipping products can be treadmills, desks, simulator equipment, or 3D printers. We will show you some high-ticket product examples later on in this article!
But when is a dropshipping product a high-ticket dropshipping product?
Well, unfortunately, there is no clear answer for this.
Some people claim that a product is high-ticket when it is sold for more than $50, while others say high-ticket products must have a retail price of at least $2,000.
In our dropshipping pricing strategy guide, we have defined high-ticket products as products that cost at least $30 to buy from your supplier.
Related article: Not sure yet what kind of profit margins dropshippers have? Check out our dropshipping profit margin stats article here!
In the end, the exact price limits for a high-ticket product don’t matter that much. High-ticket dropshipping is a concept regarding the idea of selling products that are more expensive than regular dropshipping products, such as plush toys.
The pros of high-ticket dropshipping
- Higher profits for each sale. As you will be selling products for $100 or more, it's likely that the profit you get per sale is much higher compared to when selling cheaper products. The higher your product's retail price, the higher your profits will be per sale!
- Less competition. You will have less competition when working on your high-ticket dropshipping store because fewer people are doing high-ticket dropshipping compared to regular dropshipping. But remember that getting a sale with a high-ticket dropshipping store is still relatively hard, which is one of the cons of this dropshipping model.
- Orders are more overseeable. High-ticket dropshipping stores don’t get as many orders as regular dropshipping stores. Because of this, tracking orders is more overseeable, and you will potentially encounter fewer customer support queries.
- Good option if you like Google Ads and SEO. High-ticket dropshipping stores don’t rely on impulse purchases. Instead, their goal is to target people who are actively looking for their product. One of the best marketing methods for this is Google Ads and SEO!
The cons of high-ticket dropshipping
- Higher prices equal higher expectations. Selling a $200 product isn’t as easy as a $20 product. Customers will have high expectations for your store and product, making the business model less beginner-friendly. You will need a good sales funnel and a professionally-designed website to convince visitors to buy.
- Higher barriers to entry. Don’t expect to set up a few simple Facebook Ads and get people to buy your high-ticket product. If you want to run a high-ticket dropshipping store, you need to form partnerships with manufacturers, a thorough marketing plan, and a registered company.
- A refund or returns cause bigger setbacks. A refund is a pity when doing regular dropshipping, but it isn’t a big showstopper for your business. For a high-ticket dropshipping business, this can be a different story. For example, if a customer wants to return their treadmill, you might miss out on a profit of over $200.
- More challenging when it comes to shipping. High-ticket items are usually harder to ship because they are large and expensive. Therefore, you might have to start dealing with shipping insurances, customs, and taxes.
The difference between low, medium, and high-ticket dropshipping
Until now, we've talked about high-ticket dropshipping and 'regular' dropshipping.
In reality, there are three types of dropshipping models; low, medium, and high-ticket dropshipping.
The main difference between low, medium, and high-ticket dropshipping is that low- and medium-ticket dropshipping stores sell products that cost between $0 and $30 to buy from a supplier. In contrast, high-ticket dropshipping stores sell products that cost over $30.
In short, the business model stays the same; it's just the kind of products that are different!
So, what's the exact difference? Check it out in the following table:
| Product price range | Product examples | Supplier examples | |
| Low-ticket dropshipping | $0 - $10 | Oil diffuser, water bottle, cat toy | Spocket, CJdropshipping |
| Medium-ticket dropshipping | $10 - $30 | Baby blankets, neck pillows, mosquito traps | Spocket, Syncee |
| High-ticket dropshipping | >$30 | Garden hammocks, SUP boards, cat towers, luxury clothing and accessories | Spocket, Brandsgateway |
How do you choose between low, medium, and high-ticket dropshipping?
If you are looking to make a quick decision on whether to choose low, medium, or high-ticket dropshipping, here are our thoughts:
For beginners, we recommend choosing either low- or medium-ticket dropshipping. These are easier to source from suppliers, sell to customers, and will allow you to learn dropshipping without getting into bigger problems if you make a mistake.
For more experienced dropshippers, high-ticket dropshipping can be a great way to step into a lower-competition market, increase the profit per unit sold, and eventually build an online brand.
In the following table, we will give you an overview of the pros and cons of low, medium, and high-ticket dropshipping.
Take a look at them here:
| Pros | Cons | |
| Low-ticket | Easiest products to sell | A lot of competition and copycats |
| No shipping issues | Low profit per unit sold | |
| Suitable for FB Ads/influencer marketing | Your store could require a lot of customer support | |
| Medium-ticket | A balance between low-ticket and high-ticket | Not as easy to sell as low-ticket products, lower profit per unit compared to high-ticket products |
| High-ticket | Highest profit per unit sold | High customer expectations |
| Low competition | High barriers to entry | |
| Orders are more overseeable | Refunds or returns cause more significant setbacks | |
| Suitable for Google Ads/SEO marketing | Shipping could be more challenging |
As you can see, low- and high-ticket dropshipping each has clear pros and cons, while medium-ticket dropshipping is a bit of a balance between both.
For more information, check out our in-depth comparison guide here!
How do you start a high-ticket dropshipping store?
Are you dedicated to starting a high-ticket dropshipping store now?
If so, that's amazing!
But before you begin, you should know that there are some key differences when it comes to creating a high-ticket store vs. a low- or medium-ticket store.
And that's what the rest of the article will be about!
Here's how you can start a high-ticket dropshipping store in seven steps:
- Decide between a general, niche, or one-product store
- Find the right high-ticket dropshipping supplier and product(s)
- Define your ideal target audience
- Pick your preferred ecommerce platform
- Design and brand your high-ticket dropshipping store
- Set up your payment gateways
- Attract customers through various marketing funnels.
Unfortunately, guiding you through all steps in detail would make this article way too long.
Don't worry, though.
If you are interested in a detailed guide on creating your dropshipping store, check out this article.
Alternatively, you can follow our checklist, which is a step-by-step guide that includes 22 steps you can follow to start your own dropshipping store!
Either way, we understand if you still have some questions!
Particularly about high-ticket dropshipping suppliers and high-ticket dropshipping products, as those are the primary two changes compared to low- and medium-ticket dropshipping.
Let's take a look at these two topics now!
How do you find high-ticket dropshipping suppliers?
One of your first steps of starting a high-ticket dropshipping store is to search for a high-ticket dropshipping supplier.
You may be tempted to use a Chinese supplier like AliExpress, but that may be a mistake.
You see, most high-ticket dropshippers don’t use Chinese suppliers.
Why?
Well, if someone purchases a $200+ item, the last thing they want to do is wait for over two weeks before it arrives.
When doing high-ticket dropshipping, you will often need a local dropshipping supplier to succeed. For example, you can work with a supplier from the US or from Europe. Your high-ticket dropshipping supplier should provide a high-quality product with fast shipping times and great customer service.
When selling just a few products per month, you don’t want to deal with something like coordinating a return to a Chinese supplier for a $200+ product.
With local suppliers, you will often have less trouble communicating, access to a customer support team with extensive knowledge about the product, and a better return policy.
The process of finding high-ticket dropshipping suppliers is probably a lot different than what you are used to.
Regular dropshipping suppliers can easily be found on Google or one of the many supplier overview lists like this one. Then, you could pick any product you like from a supplier’s catalog and easily upload it to your store using an automated integration.
Sadly, finding high-ticket suppliers and products isn’t this simple.
Since high-ticket dropshipping is still pretty much undiscovered compared to regular dropshipping, few companies offer a catalog of high-ticket products with possibilities to easily connect those products with your online store (similar to CJdropshipping or Modalyst for regular dropshipping).
However, don’t think that it is impossible to find high-ticket dropshipping product suppliers.
Below you will find two methods that you can use to find them. Plus, we will give you an overview of ten high-ticket dropshipping suppliers later on as well!
1. Use a 'regular' dropshipping supplier that offers high-ticket products
The first option is using a regular dropshipping supplier that offers high-ticket products.
One example of such a supplier is Spocket.
Spocket is a platform that lets you connect to local dropshipping suppliers and easily upload their products to your online store if you’re using one of these platforms:
- Shopify
- Wix
- WooCommerce
- BigCommerce
Although most people use Spocket for their regular dropshipping stores and it isn’t created explicitly for high-ticket dropshipping, Spocket does offer a lot of products above $50 from US and EU suppliers:
So, in theory, you could say that Spocket is a high-ticket dropshipping supplier!
Note: If you want to learn more about Spocket and its pros & cons, check this out here.
If you’re curious now about what kind of high-ticket products Spocket offers, I’ve got some great news for you:
Spocket allows you to create a free account here and browse through their entire catalog for free.
Who knows, you may find your winning high-ticket dropshipping product there!
2. Find and contact manufacturers of high-ticket products
The second option of finding a high-ticket dropshipping supplier is a lot harder but may potentially be more lucrative.
The advantage of using a dropshipping platform like Spocket is that you get a lot of conveniences.
However, the downside is that Spocket can be seen as a 'middleman,' which means you could lower your costs if you could buy your products directly from the manufacturer.
So, that’s exactly what I will cover here!
To find a manufacturer of a high-ticket dropshipping product, you will first need a general idea of what product you want to sell.
Once you have a product in mind, you can begin scouring the internet for (local) manufacturers of that product.
To find suppliers, you will have to contact various manufacturers by phone or email and tell them that you would like to resell their products.
But before you start contacting those manufacturers, it’s important to have an online store running in the same niche already.
That’s because almost no manufacturer will start working with a dropshipper that doesn’t have a store yet. After all, that could be a risk for their reputation if they manufacture branded products or just a massive waste of time.
A manufacturer will want to check out your store beforehand and check if their product fits in your assortment.
To give you an example of this method, I have searched for 'treadmill manufacturer UK' on Google and found a supplier called Exigo:
Exigo is a gym equipment manufacturer in the UK. If you have a fitness store, you could contact Exigo by phone and ask about the possibilities of reselling their product!
10 high-ticket dropshipping supplier examples
Remember I told you about those 'regular' dropshipping suppliers that also sell high-ticket dropshipping products?
Well, we have a complete list of them for you here!
That way, you can check them out and see if they offer anything you would be interested in:
| Supplier | Pricing | Read Review |
| Spocket | $0 / $24 / $49 / $99 per month | Spocket Review |
| AliExpress | Free | AliExpress Review |
| Alibaba | Free | Alibaba Review |
| TWM | Free | TWM Review |
| Brandsgateway | €295 per month | Brandsgateway Review |
| CJdropshipping | Free | CJdropshipping Review |
| BigBuy | €69 / €99 per month + one-time €90 | BigBuy Review |
| Parkflyers RC | Free | Parkflyers RC Review |
| Rollzone | Free | Rollzone Review |
| iDropship | Free | iDropship Review |
If you're interested in our full guide of high-ticket dropshipping suppliers, you can find it here!
3 high-ticket dropshipping product examples
Don't you believe that the suppliers above also sell high-ticket dropshipping products?
If so, let us give you some high-ticket dropshipping product examples now.
Just like with any dropshipping business, we recommend picking a niche or product that you are genuinely interested in.
This will help you to continue working on your store during difficult times and improve your ability to answer your customers' questions.
Tip: Not sure yet which dropshipping niche to pick? Check out our list of 25 dropshipping niches here!
1. Ultralight camping tent
The first example is one from Spocket!
If you’ve read our article where we took a deep dive into the hiking niche, you will know that hikers who like to go backpacking care about light equipment.
Because all weight counts when hiking, enthusiasts are willing to pay top dollars for lightweight equipment such as this camping tent!
2. Gaming Chair
The next high-ticket dropshipping product can be found at BigBuy for €247.
Gamers spend a lot of time on their chair, so it's crucial to have one that not only looks great but provides the required comfort too.
This 'Sharkoon Elbrus 3' may be the answer to those requirements!
3. Cat tower
And here's the third example. A massive cat tower that you can buy on CJdropshipping for $109!
Looks like a great item to buy for cat owners, right?
Tip: Are you interested in seeing even more high-ticket dropshipping product examples? If so, you can check out 15 more examples in this article!
4 tips for starting a high-ticket dropshipping store
The following four tips will be for those thinking about starting a high-ticket dropshipping store.
They will cover some of the most important aspects of a successful high-ticket dropshipping store.
We hope they will help your store to become more successful too!
Set up an excellent customer service
You probably know that customer service is a crucial factor that partly determines the success of a dropshipping store.
Well, this is especially true for a high-ticket dropshipping store!
Visitors will rethink their potential purchase much more when buying a $300 product compared to purchasing a $20 product.
Therefore, it's also more likely that they will have some questions about your store or product.
Always try to be as polite and understanding as possible when you reply to a customer with questions or demands.
You can also reduce the amount of time you spend on customer service by putting the most asked questions into a FAQs page.
Dealing with your customers promptly and professionally from the start will only bring you a lot of benefits down the line. For instance, you are more likely to get positive reviews, you will gain more loyal customers, and you will have to deal with fewer refund requests (which hurt a lot more on a high-ticket dropshipping store, remember?).
If you want to learn more about offering excellent customer service on your dropshipping store, check out this article!
Collect high-quality product images
The next tip also has to do with the fact that your visitor's expectations are higher as your product's retail price rises.
Nobody will buy a $300 product on a product page that shows low-quality, AliExpress-like product images, right?
Therefore, it's vital to collect high-quality images of your product, as it will definitely improve your conversion rate.
It's a good practice to keep this tip in mind while searching for products and suppliers.
If your supplier already offers high-quality product images, it will save you a lot of work.
However, if your supplier doesn't offer high-quality images, you could still try some alternative solutions.
For instance, Glorify is an app that could help you to improve the conversion rate of your images:
For more tips on getting awesome product images for your high-ticket dropshipping store, click here!
Focus on a branded feel
One of the advantages of branding your product is that it can increase the perceived value of your product.
In other words, your customers may think that the product is worth more compared to when they would see it without your name or logo on it!
This is a great thing for high-ticket dropshipping stores, as they often need every available tool for convincing visitors to buy their product.
You can brand your high-ticket dropshipping store by getting a memorable name or logo, sharing your story, or using branded packaging.
For more details about branding your dropshipping store, we recommend taking a look at this article!
Research the best marketing methods for high-ticket dropshipping
When it comes to promoting a dropshipping store, there are multiple methods you could use.
You can now advertise your products on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or using email marketing through newsletters and push notifications. And there are so many more marketing methods out there!
However, each marketing method has its own pros and cons and is therefore suited for a different goal.
We usually share the following infographic from our 'Marketing for Dropshipping' article, which could help you decide between the best marketing method for your store:
So, which marketing method fits a high-ticket dropshipping store?
Well, let's think about who your customer is.
Is it someone that would buy your (expensive) product after seeing it in an ad on Facebook, or would it be someone that is specifically looking for your product?
For most high-ticket dropshipping stores, it's the second option.
Remember, the more expensive a product, the smaller are the chances that someone will buy it impulsively.
Therefore, Google Ads is often seen as a great marketing method for high-ticket dropshipping stores!
So, if you're doubting now about whether or not to use Google Ads, check out this article!
What pricing strategy should you use for high-ticket dropshipping?
One of the last steps of launching your new high-ticket dropshipping store is determining the right selling price for your product.
One of the best pricing strategies for a high-ticket dropshipping store is the perceived value strategy.
Let's take a look at what it entails!
The perceived value pricing strategy
When using perceived value pricing, the main things that determine how much you charge for the product are your brand and your product's perceived value.
When using this strategy, the main goal will be to present yourself as a genuine brand to your customer.
That means you should have an excellent website, self-made videos and images, a social media following, outstanding after-sales services, and maybe even your logo or brand name on the product.
Doing this will increase your product’s 'perceived value' and allow you to sell it for a higher price!
Here's an example of a high-ticket dropshipping store that increased the perceived value of their product using these strategies:
If you want to learn more details of this pricing strategy, check out our pricing strategy guide here!
Conclusion
High-ticket dropshipping is an awesome business model to try if you feel like it has more potential for you compared to a low- or medium-ticket dropshipping store.
In this guide, we highlighted the pros and cons of high-ticket dropshipping, guided you in the right direction on how to start a high-ticket dropshipping store, and gave you some of our top tips for high-ticket dropshipping.
Hopefully, you find that reading this article was worth your time!
If you did, or if you have any questions about high-ticket dropshipping or dropshipping in general, let us know in the comment section below!
Good luck with everything!
Want to learn more about high-ticket dropshipping?
Ready to move your high-ticket store to the next level? Check out the articles below:
