What are the start-up costs associated with starting a drop shipping business from US?

That depends on a certain number of factors but overall, it is a very low dollar amount. Shopify provides a free 2 week trial, and if you are able to design your store quick enough, there is $0 investment for the first 2 weeks. But even after that, the basic plan is only about $29/month.

Both Google Shopping and Amazon Product Listing Ads come with come with free $100 and $75 credit respectively. Most of the time, that amount spent on advertising will be enough to get your first sale, however in the end that's dependent on your niche.

If you are able to build your store within 2 weeks, and use the free $100 and $75 advertising credit given by Google Shopping and Amazon Product Listing Ads, you can achieve your first sale with $0 in start-up cost.

All though Drop Ship Lifestyle works in almost every country, many of our international students decide to sale to the US market.  

Once you are ready to start your business we recommend you look into creating a sole proprietorship or LLC. The price for this varies based on what state you register in.

Additionally we recommend you sign up for a US bank account and register for a tax ID, both of these are typically free.

If you want to read up on the legal considerations of starting a drop shipping business check out this article on our blog - https://blog.dropshiplifestyle.com/legal-considerations-ecommerce/

While this is a generally a very simple process, we understand that it can be a little confusing for foreign students.  Luckily, Stripe, the company behind Shopify's payment processor has recently started a program to make this process extremely simple. 

https://stripe.com/atlas

This program will incorporate a business in Delaware (no sales tax), register a us tax ID, create you a US bank account, as well as provide general guidance about US law and taxes.   This service is currently in closed beta but is open for new user applications. 

You can have these services done individually for less than the cost Stripe is charging, but their service will help make the process effortless. 

Also, when applying for Stripe Atlas don't say that you're a drop shipper. Instead say that you're an online retailer. Check out this YouTube video to see why - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obiwoAWY6Kk&t=303s 

* Drop Ship Lifestyle has no affiliation with Stripes service.  We have simply used their payment processor for years and have been generally happy with the results.

If you are from outside the US, but want to create a US based store check out this link for the associated costs - https://dropshiplifestyle.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/212121838-How-much-does-it-cost-to-start-a-dropshipping-business-if-I-live-outside-of-the-US-but-want-to-create-a-US-based-store- 

Check out this blog article titled "Drop Shipping Outside the US - How much Does It Cost" - https://blog.dropshiplifestyle.com/drop-shipping-outside-the-us/

We actually had one of our coaches (Jon Warren from Australia) create a new course that's in the members area of Drop Ship Lifestyle that focuses on how to adjust the techniques in the course when selling in smaller markets.  It's called the Doing Business Abroad Course.  Here is a link to an article he wrote that’s on our blog - https://blog.dropshiplifestyle.com/drop-shipping-abroad/

*** FURTHER RESOURCES ***

Our FULL courses include step by step instructions on how to start, maintain and be profitable with your drop ship business. Our advanced packages include access to our online videos, community forums with drop ship professionals and newcomers, our Shopify Design Course, Private Coaching Calls, access to our Supplier Directory and much more! You can see what is included in all of our packages at this link - https://www.dropshiplifestyle.com/ls/sign-up/

If you haven't already I suggest you check out our free resources and our different packages -

10 Module Mini-Course: https://www.dropshiplifestyle.com/lp/mini-course/

Also, go through some sessions we did with some of our most successful members here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA_KE_rP-Xgk3s7onrFgEWyAR9MwNWO-S to see if Drop Ship Lifestyle is right for you.

Check out our Blog - https://blog.dropshiplifestyle.com/

Here’s our YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/dropshiplifestyle

Check out our FAQ page - https://dropshiplifestyle.zendesk.com/hc/en-us

We offer a few different programs.  If you’re interested in getting our premium coaching program (or our done for you service) you can get pricing here: https://www.dropshiplifestyle.com/order/

If you are just looking to get a better understanding of what drop shipping is and the basics you can sign up for our 10 Day Advanced Plan here - https://secure.dropshiplifestyle.com/10-day-advanced-plan-order-form (One time payment with Lifetime Access for $47!)

***The 10 Day Advanced Plan comes with a 100% Money Back Guarantee. You have a full 30 days to preview this course. If you decide during that time that it's not right for you, just let us know and you’ll be issued a full and prompt refund, no questions asked. You either get a great return on your investment, or you get your money back. It's that simple.

If you like what you’ve seen, check out this link for a list of our more in-depth courses: https://www.dropshiplifestyle.com/features/

You can see what is included in all of our packages with pricing at this link -https://dropshiplifestyle.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/sections/115001189568-Bonuses-To-Being-A-Member-.

I hope this is helpful in starting your journey to creating your own eCommerce business! If you have any questions or would like some further options please don’t hesitate to reach out again.

Have a great day!