How to Sell Clothing Online Without Inventory (3 Methods)

Are you a fashionista looking to start your own clothing business?

The good news is that with today's technology and a desire to start something creative, it's easier than ever to launch a clothing line without buying or storing any inventory.

But how does it work exactly?

You guessed it already; that's exactly what we'll show you today!

So stick around, and you'll learn about three methods to sell clothing online without inventory.

3 Best methods to sell clothing online without stock

You can use various strategies to sell T-shirts, hoodies, leggings, or other clothing pieces online without keeping them in stock.

Considering there is no one-fits-all solution here, we've decided to discuss the most popular methods and guide you on the best pick for you!

The three best ways to sell clothing online without inventory are:

• Dropshipping
• Print on demand
• Affiliate marketing

You may have never heard of some of these, but you will surely learn something new even if you did.

Let's start with the first one; dropshipping.

1. Dropshipping

If there is one business model most people immediately think about when someone mentions selling products online without an inventory, it's dropshipping.

That's because it literally fits in our definition of dropshipping:

Dropshipping is an ecommerce business model in which you sell products on an online store without carrying any inventory. Instead, you rely on a dropshipping supplier who stores the products you sell and ships them directly to your customers.

You can dropship products in almost any category, including clothing!

If this sounds confusing, don't worry, it's actually quite simple!

Here's how the dropshipping model works for clothing:

• You start your own online store.
• You find a clothing dropshipping supplier and list their items on your store.
• Once you get an order on your store, you place that same order with your supplier.
• Your supplier ships the clothing items directly to your customer.

And for visual learners, here's an infographic that explains it as well:

Some dropshipping suppliers manufacture the products, but others aren't.

However, there's one thing all dropshipping suppliers have in common. They can store and pack your clothing items and ship them directly to your customer's door.

Moreover, they send out the product in blank packaging, meaning your customers won't know that a third party is involved.

There are even dropshipping apps like Spocket or DSers designed to send any new orders to your supplier automatically. This means that they completely automate your order fulfillment process!

Most people use Shopify as the platform to host their dropshipping stores.

You can use Shopify to start a low-, medium-, or high-ticket dropshipping store and a one-product, niche, or general store.

One of the key benefits of dropshipping is that you can start selling a wide range of clothing items online without investing in inventory.

It allows you to test many different clothing items without any upfront costs!

And for this reason, dropshipping is a popular option for people starting to sell products online. It's simply a relatively low-risk and low-cost way to launch a new online clothing business!

Pro tip: To make your clothing store stand out, you can use the OnModel Shopify app to turn your existing product photos into unique images using AI!

Let's check out the pros and cons of dropshipping:

Pros	Cons
Low startup costs.	The dropshipping mindset.
Quickly test products without an inventory.	High competition.
Your supplier handles shipping and logistics.	Less control over shipping and product quality.
Starting a new store doesn't take long.	Profit margins can be slim.
It's possible to start earning profits in the short term.	Refunds can be complicated.
	Difficult to build a brand identity.

Overall, dropshipping is an excellent option for those looking for an easy way to get started in ecommerce.

If you are interested in starting a dropshipping store, you may want to sign up for our free 7-day challenge. It's a step-by-step guide that will help you create a dropshipping store in just seven days.

Alternatively, you can also check out our dropshipping checklist here!

Dropshipping with local suppliers

You may know that many dropshippers use Chinese suppliers like AliExpress.

Yes, clothing from China is very cheap, which is great for your profit margin. However, there are also many cons associated with dropshipping from China, the main being long delivery times.

And for clothing specifically, there are even more reasons why you shouldn't dropship from China!

That's why local dropshipping suppliers have become very popular lately.

Local dropshipping suppliers manage warehouses in the country of your customers so that you can offer them much faster shipping times!

Some of the most popular local clothing dropshipping suppliers are BrandsGateway and Trendsi.

If you're interested in a full list of the best clothing dropshipping suppliers, check out the article below:

• The 14 Best Clothing Dropshipping Suppliers in 2024

Dropshipping with private agents

If you don't mind your delivery times being a bit longer and you still want access to cheap products, then there is also a third option that may be suited for you; dropshipping with private agents.

A private dropshipping agent is a middleman between you and your dropshipping supplier. They will source, store, pack, and ship your dropshipping products. Furthermore, they ensure you get the best price, quality, and delivery times for your product.

For example, a dropshipping agent can

• Do quality checks for your product.
• Support you with branding, private labeling, and white labeling.
• Select the best shipping methods for your target country.
• Provide help in case of shipping delays or broken products.
• Update you on the latest product and shipping trends.

Sounds pretty good, right?

Here's an infographic of six reasons to use a private dropshipping agent:

Some of the best dropshipping agents in 2024 are Eprolo, HyperSKU, and Wiio. Check them out if you're interested!

2. Print on demand

Have you always dreamed of selling clothing that you've designed yourself?

If so, you can do it with print on demand (POD). And the great part is, you don't need to keep an inventory for it!

Print on demand is a business model where you can design your own clothing, accessories, and more. Once you receive an order on your POD store, you forward it to your POD supplier, who prints your design on the item and ships it directly to the customer.

Here is an infographic on how it works:

As you can see, print on demand is one of the closest alternatives to dropshipping!

Products sold in POD stores are often apparel such as shirts and hoodies. But you can also sell mugs, towels, art prints, phone cases, and even notebooks or mousepads!

Here are the pros and cons of the print on demand business model:

Pros	Cons
A POD store is as easy and low-risk to set up as a dropshipping store.	POD businesses generally struggle with tight profit margins.
Ability to (partly) design products yourself.	It can be more challenging to deal with returns as the product is custom-made. (More info here)
You will never have to deal with any leftover inventory.	Your store is only as good as your designs.
Often, you don't have complete control over the product's look.

When comparing print on demand to dropshipping, we see the following:

The main difference between dropshipping and print on demand is that with dropshipping, your supplier doesn’t make any changes to the product, and the shipping time can be faster. In contrast, with print on demand, your supplier creates the product according to your custom design, and the shipping time can be longer.

Here's an infographic that summarizes all differences:

If you are an artist or graphic designer and would like to learn more about the print on demand business model, take a look at the following articles:

• Is Print on Demand Still Profitable Today in 2024?
• How to Start a Print on Demand Business in 2024 (8 Steps)
• 15 Best Print on Demand Companies and Suppliers in 2024

3. Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is the third way to sell clothing online without inventory.

Have you ever clicked on a link for a clothing item from Instagram, a social network, or a blog?

If so, it could've been an affiliate link!

Affiliate marketing is a business model you can use to generate revenue through affiliate links. These are your own custom links that link to someone else's product or service. When someone clicks on your link and buys that product or service, you receive a part of that revenue.

So, with affiliate marketing, you do the marketing part, and someone else takes care of all the rest!

According to statistics, 38% of marketers think affiliate marketing is one of the top customer acquisition methods, and 81% of brands use affiliate marketing programs!

If you want to get started with affiliate marketing, there are several ways to promote your affiliate links and earn commissions.

One way is to start a blog around a niche you are interested in. For example, you could create a tennis blog, write an article like 'The best tennis rackets to use in 2024,' and add affiliate links to Amazon product pages for each item:

Or, a method that's perhaps more effective in 2024, you can start promoting clothing for ecommerce brands on social media if you've got a significant following.

Pros	Cons
After the initial hard work of setting up your affiliate marketing channels, this business model can turn into a passive income.	You must respect the terms and conditions of the affiliate marketing program you cooperate with.
You don't have to think about customer support.	It may take a while to build up a significant income.
Starting an affiliate marketing business does not require a significant upfront (money) investment.

Tip: If you doubt between this and dropshipping, you can learn about the differences between affiliate marketing and dropshipping here!

The pros and cons of selling clothing without stock

Selling clothing without keeping stock is definitely a feasible way to start an online business.

However, you could also sell products online from your own inventory.

So, how do these two strategies compare?

Let's find out!

Pros of selling online without inventory

• Relatively few startup costs. You don't have to purchase hundreds of clothing items beforehand (when you don't even know if they will sell).
• Sell a wider variety of items. You're not limited by the amount of physical space you have.
• No inventory maintenance or storage fees. Once you buy the clothing items, they are shipped directly to your customer!
• No risk of being stuck with leftover inventory. If you stop selling a particular item, you don't have to worry about getting rid of excess inventory.
• More time to focus on the rest of your business. There's no need to pack, ship, and manage your inventory.

Cons of selling online without inventory

• Lower profit margins. Buying clothing items one by one will always be more expensive than buying them in bulk.
• Potentially longer shipping times. If your supplier is located far away from your customers, you may experience longer shipping times.
• Quality control issues. You will have to trust your supplier that they sell high-quality clothing items and perform quality control before shipping to your customer!

Should you sell clothing online without inventory?

The internet has created a new world of commerce, making it easier than ever to sell clothing online.

But should you start doing it?

As we just discussed, this approach has pros and cons, and it depends on your circumstances whether or not you should do it.

If you're just starting, selling without inventory may be the best approach. It's easy to start, and you won't have to worry about storing, packaging, and shipping the items.

But if you're established and looking for more control over the quality of your clothing, keeping an inventory may be the better option.

FAQs about selling without inventory

Is there something keeping you on edge to start selling clothing online? If so, we hope your question is answered below!

Summary

Before we go to the final verdict, we've created a quick summary of this article for you, so you can easily remember it:

• You can sell clothes online without keeping an inventory using dropshipping, print on demand, or affiliate marketing.
• The main pros of selling without inventory are that you don't have to make a large investment or worry about being left with excess inventory.
• The main cons of selling without inventory are that you may experience lower profit margins and longer shipping times.

Conclusion

To summarize, selling clothing online without inventory is a great way to turn your creative vision into a successful business.

It has many advantages, like low overhead costs and limited fulfillment responsibilities.

But there's always a downside: the lack of control over quality and delivery and the fact that you rely on third-party suppliers who may or may not deliver on time as promised.

Depending on your level of comfort with risk, selling clothing online without inventory can be an incredibly rewarding experience - just make sure you do your research before getting started!

So go forth, and good luck making those closets digital!

Want to learn more about ecommerce?

Ready to move your online store to the next level? Check out the articles below:

• The 14 Best Clothing Dropshipping Suppliers in 2024
• 15 Best Print on Demand Companies and Suppliers in 2024
• The 15 Best Fashion and Beauty Niche Dropshipping Suppliers