Dropshipping has been a popular business model for years now.
However, during the last few years, high-ticket dropshipping has been growing in popularity.
So, what is high-ticket dropshipping? And should you consider starting a high-ticket dropshipping store?
In this guide, we will answer all of those questions and more — it's like a high-ticket dropshipping course, but then for free!
What is high-ticket dropshipping?
High-ticket dropshipping is an online business model that involves selling high-ticket products without keeping an inventory.
Once an order is received, it is forwarded to a high-ticket dropshipping supplier, who ships the product directly to the customer.
The main difference between high-ticket dropshipping and regular dropshipping is that high-ticket dropshipping involves selling products above $100, while regular dropshipping often involves products priced between $20 and $50.
| Product price range | Product examples | Supplier examples | |
| Low-ticket dropshipping | $0 - $20 | Oil diffuser, water bottle, cat toy | Spocket, CJdropshipping |
| Medium-ticket dropshipping | $20 - $100 | Baby blankets, neck pillows, mosquito traps | Spocket, Syncee |
| High-ticket dropshipping | >$100 | Garden hammocks, SUP boards, cat towers, luxury clothing and accessories | Spocket, Brandsgateway |
Examples of high-ticket dropshipping products are treadmills, desks, simulator equipment, or 3D printers. We will show you some high-ticket product examples later on in this article!
The pros and cons of high-ticket dropshipping
Let's take a look at the pros and cons of high-ticket dropshipping:
Pros
- Higher profits for each sale. As you sell products of over $100, your profit per sale is likely much higher compared to when selling cheaper products.
- Less competition. There is less competition among high-ticket dropshipping stores because fewer people are doing high-ticket dropshipping compared to regular dropshipping.
- 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, they target people who are actively looking for certain products. One of the best marketing methods for this is Google Ads and SEO!
Cons
- 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.
- 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.
- Refunds and returns cause bigger setbacks. A refund is a pity when doing regular dropshipping, but you probably won't think much of it. This can be a different story for high-ticket dropshipping. 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 insurance, customs, and taxes.
- More risks. Hefty initial investments, high customer expectations, and higher risks of returns are all risks of high-ticket dropshipping.
Should you start high-ticket dropshipping?
If you doubting about starting a high-ticket dropshipping store, here are our thoughts:
For beginners, we recommend choosing either low- or medium-ticket dropshipping. Cheaper products are easier to source from suppliers, to 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.
Here is an overview of the pros and cons of low, medium, and high-ticket dropshipping:
| 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?
Do you want to start a high-ticket dropshipping store?
If so, that's amazing!
Below, we will discuss the three most important aspects of starting a high-ticket dropshipping store: the niche, supplier, and products.
Tip: If you are interested in a detailed guide on creating your dropshipping store, check out this article.
1. Find a high-ticket dropshipping niche
When starting a high-ticket dropshipping store, finding the right niche is an important step.
Unlike the regular dropshipping model that often focuses on volume, high-ticket items are all about maximizing profit from fewer sales.
Start by identifying industries and markets where customers are accustomed to spending more.
Look for areas with less price sensitivity and a focus on quality, brand, or unique features. Tools like Google Trends can help you spot what's currently in demand or rising in popularity:
For each potential niche, analyze the competition. High-ticket items often have fewer competitors, but the competition will be more sophisticated. Use a tool like SEMrush to understand how competitive these domains actually are.
Another thing you should understand is that high-ticket doesn't always mean high profit.
So, take the time to carefully evaluate the potential profit margins. Consider costs like shipping (which can be significant for expensive items), taxes, and payment processing fees.
Your niche should not only have high-value products but also allow for healthy profit margins after all expenses.
Finally, the customers for high-ticket items often have higher expectations regarding customer service and overall shopping experience.
Your chosen niche should be one where you can realistically offer exceptional service, including detailed product knowledge and personalized service.
2. Find a high-ticket dropshipping supplier
The next step 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.
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.
Unfortunately, finding high-ticket suppliers isn’t simple.
To start, you can check our list of the best high-ticket dropshipping suppliers:
| Supplier | Pricing | Read Review |
| Spocket | $40 / $60 / $100 / $299 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 |
Let's take Spocket as an example.
Spocket is a platform that lets you connect to local dropshipping suppliers and easily upload their products to your online store:
Although most people use Spocket for their regular dropshipping stores, it does offer a lot of products above $100 from US and EU suppliers:
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 sign up for a free 14-day trial here to browse through their entire catalog.
Exclusive Spocket offer: Enter the coupon code: SpocketTrial during checkout, and you'll instantly unlock a FREE 30-day trial. Click here to redeem your free trial now!
Who knows, you may find your winning high-ticket dropshipping product there!
If you didn't find an interesting supplier in the list above, you can find more high-ticket suppliers yourself.
Once you have a niche in mind, you can begin scouring the internet for (local) manufacturers within that niche.
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 possibility of reselling their product!
However, before you start contacting these suppliers, it’s recommended 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 to 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.
3. Find high-ticket dropshipping products
The next step is finding high-ticket dropshipping products.
To make this a bit easier, let us give you some high-ticket dropshipping product examples now.
Just like with any dropshipping business, we recommend picking a 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.
The first high-ticket dropshipping product example is an ultralight camping tent 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 dollar for lightweight equipment such as this camping tent!
The next high-ticket dropshipping product, a gaming chair, 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!
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!
5 Tips for starting a high-ticket dropshipping store
The following five tips are for those thinking about starting a high-ticket dropshipping store.
1. 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!
2. 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!
3. 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 to convince visitors to buy their products.
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!
4. 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, and Pinterest, or use 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 who would buy your (expensive) product after seeing it in an ad on Facebook, or would it be someone who 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 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!
5. Use a suitable pricing strategy
One of the best pricing strategies for a high-ticket dropshipping store is the perceived value 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 customers.
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 about 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:
