7 Facts About Dropshipping In Nigeria
This article is dedicated to our clients who want to start dropshipping in Nigeria! Typically, they have the same questions about this business, so I’ll try to cover all of them here.
Lots of AliDropship clients are the residents of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In this country, there are some regional factors that may influence the operation of a dropshipping store. Don’t worry, though – here’s everything you need to know about dropshipping in Nigeria!
#1 Dropshipping in Nigeria is a profitable business
To illustrate my point, I will use the example of one of our clients, Olusola David – you can read his full interview here.
Long story short, this guy participates in several affiliate programs, and runs his own dropshipping store. In total, these activities bring him more than $9,000 every month!
And no, his Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science wasn’t the secret ingredient that destined his success. Actually, he admits that he had a zero experience when he started his ventures!
#2 Dropshipping in Nigeria is simple from the legal point of view
In his own dropshipping review, Olusola David, as the resident of Nigeria, explains the local legal aspects of this business.
More specifically, he says:
- If you do dropshipping with AliExpress in Nigeria, you don’t need to pay any taxes as a business owner.
- If you target the local market, you don’t need to pay a tax duty when the packages arrive to Nigeria.
- It’s not strictly necessary to register your business officially. At the beginning of your business journey, you can work perfectly without any legal record. As your business grows and brings you more money, you might want to register it, but it’s up to you to decide.
So, as you can see, if you live in Nigeria and import dropshipping products there, you don’t need to worry about taxes and legal papers. That’s a nice thing to know!
#3 There are at least 4 ways to start dropshipping in Nigeria
In order to start dropshipping, you need to get a specific website.
It should look like an online store filled with the images and descriptions of actually existing items (AliExpress is the perfect product database). Naturally, it should be a fully functional online store with all the necessary elements: proper product pages, shopping cart, payment system, etc.
If you want to get such a website, we can offer you 2 options:
- Get AliDropship plugin that can turn any WordPress website into a ready-to-go online store. If you already have the plugin, follow these instructions to build a dropshipping store with its help.
- Order a ready-made custom store that is also based on AliDropship plugin, but already has all the products, settings, and other important elements. Read this article to learn more about this easy way to start a dropshipping business right away.
- Get an exact copy of a successful online store and operate this website as an independent business: go here for more details.
- Buy an already operating business that makes steady profits and has a proven track record – check out the details here!
These instructions apply not only to people in Nigeria, but to all the other entrepreneurs across the globe. It doesn’t matter where you live – you can run this business from any country in the world!
#4 AliExpress sellers can ship their items to Nigeria
As you probably know, AliExpress is not a ‘store’ itself. It is a platform where sellers demonstrate their products.
All these suppliers have their own specific terms of sale and shipment – but, most typically, they can deliver their products to Nigeria. You can easily check it yourself!
To do that, go on AliExpress and see whether it is displaying your country correctly.
If it doesn’t, change the country manually. In the top right corner of the page, click on the ‘Ship to’ field, and choose Nigeria in the dropdown window.
Now, you will be able to view more relevant information about purchasing and delivering items to Nigeria – I will explain it below!
#5 Various shipping companies can deliver AliExpress items to Nigeria
Let’s suppose you’ve picked Nigeria as your destination country, and your regional settings are correct. Now, you want to know how quick the delivery will be.
Again, it all depends on the particular seller. So, to estimate the delivery time, simply go on the product page of an item you liked.
Here, in the ‘Shipping’ line, you see the suggested shipping method (China Post Registered Air Mail), its estimated delivery time (23-42 days), and the shipping fee ($2.37).
Quite often, AliExpress sellers support more than 1 postal service. To check them, click on the tiny arrow in the end of the ‘Shipping’ line, and choose the method that you like more. Here is a guide on AliExpress shipment methods if you need it!
#6 You are not limited with a Nigerian market
If you live in Nigeria, does it mean that you can only sell dropshipping products within your home country?
Absolutely not!
You can work with any target audience in any point on the globe.
Nothing can stop you from selling dropshipping products to people in Brazil, or in Poland, or in Spain, or anywhere else.
Dropshipping has no geographic boundaries! As long as you know your target audience (what is the language they speak, which of their issues you can solve with your products, how much money they are ready to spend on these items, etc.), you can freely target your marketing efforts at any customer segment.
#7 Dozens of payment providers can support your dropshipping business in Nigeria
The financial aspect is the most important question for a dropshipping store owner, right?
In the global eCommerce practice, online payments are typically done through PayPal. And, if your store is based on AliDropship solutions (go back to #3), you can easily accept online payments and turn them into cash!
AliDropship supports not only PayPal, but a lot of other reliable and secure payment gateways. So, you can easily integrate the most suitable ones into your dropshipping store.
If your store is based on the original AliDropship plugin, you can choose any payment provider from this list. If you’re working with WooCommerce and your store is built on AliDropship Woo Plugin, you can choose any of these payment options.
As you can see, there are lots of alternative providers that you can choose from. All of them are safe, trustworthy, and functional, so you can go with any option that is convenient for you and your customers.
Now, you see that there is nothing difficult about managing dropshipping in Nigeria. There are some regional aspects, of course, but you can successfully deal with them thanks to our smart solutions. I hope that you are now inspired to follow the lead of a successful Nigerian entrepreneur who makes over $9,000 every month!