How To Start A Dropshipping Business With No Money In 2025

Dropshipping has always had a kind of ‘get rich quick’ feel to it, but if you’ve ever wondered how to start a dropshipping business with no money, you’re not alone. The concept of a real ‘rags to riches’ business story is certainly possible here, and, if you’ve ever wondered how to start a dropshipping business with no money, you’re not alone.

A lot of people are actually excited to jump into the dropshipping world, but there are still so many who park the idea and move onto something else - simply because they think they’re going to have to invest a huge amount upfront in order to secure certain products or be able to ramp up their marketing and actually drive sales.

Those misconceptions on how much money is needed upfront really couldn’t be much further from the truth, though!

In this post, with our experience of helping dropshippers all over the world, we’re going to show you exactly how to start dropshipping with no money in 2025. By the end, if you are one of those people who’ve been toying with the idea of dropshipping, then (hopefully) you’re going to be in a position to give those ideas and dreams the green light!

What Is Dropshipping?

You've decided to read a blog titled "How To Start a Dropshipping Business With No Money," so you likely already have some idea of what dropshipping is.

But, for the benefit of the doubt, we'll quickly summarize in case you're new to this.

Dropshipping is (and probably always will be) one of the easiest ways to get an eCommerce business off the ground. It's essentially an e-commerce fulfillment model wherein you (as a store owner) do not need to hold any of the products you sell physically on hand. Instead, whenever a customer places an order through your store, you purchase the item from a third-party supplier and direct them, who then ships it directly to the customer.

Quick Example: Let’s say you’ve set up an online store selling some whacky, cool phone cases. A customer buys one from you for $20. Instead of having a stack of cases in your garage, you purchase it for $10 from a supplier and pocket the $10 difference after fees. The supplier then ships the phone case directly to the customer, no need for you to ever handle the products yourself.

How To Dropship Without Money

Yes, having an initial budget helps with things like marketing, but getting started with dropshipping with no money is possible. The key is to be strategic and use every free tool and resource available. If you’re going to try and do this without spending a penny until you have to though, the key is to be strategic and use as many free tools and resources available to you.

Let’s break it down into actionable steps:

Choose a reliable dropshipping supplier

Whoever you’re using to supply the products that you’re dropshipping is going to be what can make or break the business, which means choosing the right one is pretty important. The best plan is to look for suppliers who offer quality products, fast shipping, and low costs. If you want to start a dropshipping business with no money, free directories like AliExpress, Alibaba, or CJ Dropshipping are great places to start.

Dropshipping Business With No Money–Select a niche that sells

To maximize your chances of success when you start a dropshipping business with no money, focus on a niche that is in demand but not oversaturated. Look for trending products, evergreen items, or gaps in the market that you can fill. Tools like Google Trends and TikTok's Discover page are your best friends here and can give you a good idea of which products are most in demand.

Set up a free store like eBay

You don't need a really nice website to get set up and to start a dropshipping business with no money. Some sites, like eBay, Facebook Marketplace, or Etsy, will let you post your products for free and only charge you when you've actually sold an item. So instead of having to pay a subscription each month to somewhere like Shopify just to have a store up and running, you can get the same result but completely without that expense.

Related Blog: How to Find the Best Dropshipping Lister for eBay in 2025

Use free marketing channels

Marketing doesn’t have to break the bank when you start a dropshipping business with no money. You can drive traffic to your store for free by using social media marketing strategies on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest.

The following will get you started:

• Make short, engaging videos featuring products in your store.
• Publish relatable memes or lifestyle photos about your niche.
• Use hashtags related to your targeted market segment for wider reach.

You can also join niche-specific groups on Facebook or Reddit to share your store link and engage with potential customers. Just remember to provide value to the community rather than spamming.

List products without spending money

When you’re starting out with no budget, the aim is always to focus on free product listings. If you want to dropship without money, eBay is one of the best places to start, as it only charges minimal fees once a sale is made. Similarly, Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist let you showcase products to both local and international audiences for absolutely nothing.

Automate Your Dropshipping With SuperDS

Although there’s a lot less management to dropshipping than there is traditional eCommerce, as soon as the orders start piling up, running a dropshipping business with no money can quickly turn into an administrative challenge.

But you don’t have to feel overwhelmed. SuperDS can automate the whole process of order fulfillment and inventory management—integrating easily with platforms like eBay and freeing up so much more time for you to focus on scaling your business.

Whether you're just starting out or ready to scale, SuperDS makes dropshipping easier, faster, and efficient. Take the next step in your journey and see how SuperDS can help you achieve success.