[0:00]If you're using AI to build your drop shipping store right now, you're basically guaranteeing you'll fail. And I know that sounds backwards, right? Because everyone's telling you AI is this massive advantage, use chat to for your copy, use AI tools to find products, let AI build your store.
[0:12]But here's what nobody's talking about. When everyone has access to the same advantage, it's not an advantage anymore. Think about it. Right now there are thousands of people using the exact same product research tools as you. They're building stores with the same templates. They're writing copy with the same Chat GPT prompts.
[0:27]So, you end up in this weird situation where the easier it gets to start, the harder it gets to actually succeed. Because you're not competing with other entrepreneurs anymore, you're competing with an army of people who all look exactly like you. Same products, same stores, same everything.
[0:41]Now, look, I'm not saying don't use AI. That's not the point. What I'm saying is that there's a completely different way to think about this that most people are missing. Now, the brands that are actually making money right now, they're doing something AI literally cannot do.
[0:54]So, in this video, I'm going to show you what that is and how to actually build it. So, let's get into it.
[0:58]So, first thing is pretty obvious once you see it. AI made it so easy to do the basics that now the basics aren't enough anymore. Think about it. Take product research tools, for instance. I use them constantly. They're great, but the problem is that everyone else has access to them as well. So, everyone's seeing these same trending products at the same time.
[1:17]Same thing with store builders. You can pretty much throw together a professional-looking store in less than 10 minutes right now. Clean template, good layout, everything works, but so can everyone else. So now every store kind of looks the same.
[1:28]Chat GPT can write solid product descriptions, it can generate ad angles, it can do all the stuff pretty well actually. But again, everyone's using it. So, if you're prompting it the same way everyone else is, you're getting the same output. So, what happens?
[1:41]These tools used to be real advantages. Like if you had access to good product research tools a few years ago, that was huge. That was amazing. But now they're just table stakes. Everyone has access to the same research methods, everyone can build a decent store, everyone can generate solid copy.
[1:56]Which means if that's all you're doing, if you're just using these tools and stopping there, you're identical to your competition. And when you're identical, the only thing left to compete on is price. That's problem number one.
[2:07]It's not that these tools are bad. They're not. They're actually really helpful. It's that they're not enough anymore. Now, here's where it gets worse. AI didn't just make everyone look the same, it made it so easy to start that everyone actually did start.
[2:19]Like it used to take someone weeks to build a decent-looking store between designing it, writing copy, getting everything set up. It was an entire process. Now, you can go from zero to fully functional store in less than like 20 minutes.
[2:32]And that sounds great until you realize, if it only takes 20 minutes for you, it takes only 20 minutes for thousands of other people as well. So, what used to be maybe 100 people testing a product over a few months is now thousands of people launching that same product in a single week. And I'm not exaggerating.
[2:48]A product can go from brand new opportunity to completely saturated within a matter of weeks. And when that happens, what do you think happens to ad costs? They skyrocket because now you got thousands of people all bidding on the same audiences for the same product.
[3:01]So, your cost per purchase goes up, your margins disappear, and you're basically working for free just to compete. That's problem number two. But honestly, the third one might be the biggest problem of them all. And most people aren't even talking about this yet.
[3:12]AI destroyed customer trust. And here's what I mean. Right now, the internet is flooded with AI-generated content, fake product reviews, fake testimonials, AI influencers that don't even exist promoting products.
[3:24]There are literally tools right now that will generate a fake UGC video of someone using your product. The person isn't real, the video isn't real, but it looks real. And I proved anyone can do it in this video right here. And with tools like Sora coming out, you literally can't tell what's real anymore.
[3:39]We're at the point where the only way to know if something's AI-generated is checking for a Sora watermark. That's how we determine reality now. And here's the crazy part. That's only going to get worse.
[3:50]Like a few years from now, it's going to be completely impossible to tell the difference between what's real and what's AI-generated. Which means customers are only going to get more skeptical from here on. So, right now, if someone lands on your store, they're already looking for any sign that you're just another generic drop shipping site.
[4:05]If your product descriptions look like they came from Chat GPT with the dashes and, you know, so on, they're gone. If your photos look ultra-polished up models with the product in their hand, it just looks very perfect. They're going to be gone.
[4:20]If anything feels slightly off or generic, they're not going to take the risk. And even if your store is actually legit, you're paying the price for everyone else flooding the market with AI-generated garbage. So, customers don't trust anyone anymore, which means that they're less likely to buy from a store they've never heard of.
[4:33]And if they don't trust you, nothing else matters. They're just going to bounce. So, AI made everyone identical, flooded the market, and killed trust. That is the bad news. Here's the good news. If you understand what just happened, you can actually use this towards your advantage because while everyone else is trying to be a retailer, so finding products and then flipping them, the real opportunity is positioning yourself as a middleman.
[4:55]And you can think about it. Amazon doesn't make products, Uber doesn't own cars, Airbnb doesn't own properties. They are all middleman. They simply connect supply and demand and they've built billion-dollar businesses doing it. So, instead of competing with thousands of other stores selling the exact same product, you become the connection between the manufacturers and the customers.
[5:17]You control the relationship on both sides. That is how you build something that actually lasts and compounds over time. And this shows up in two specific places. First, how you're sourcing products and fulfilling orders.
[5:27]And that is what middleman do. They go direct to the source instead of going through another middleman. Most people are using AliExpress for everything. And look, I get it. It's easy, you know how it works. But here's the problem. If you're sourcing from AliExpress, you're getting the same products, the same pricing, the same slow shipping as everyone else.
[5:42]So, you can't compete on selection, you can't compete on price, you can't compete on shipping. The only thing left is ad spend. And if your margins are already terrible, you can't afford to outbid your competitors. Plus your customers are waiting three weeks for a generic product in a white bag with Chinese writing on it. They're never going to come back.
[5:58]And that's the trap whether you're using AliExpress directly or some fulfillment service that's basically just marking up the same suppliers. Now, here's what you need instead. Direct access to Chinese domestic markets, like, for example, 1688 or Taobao.
[6:13]These are the China wholesale platforms meant for Chinese buyers. So, the pricing is much, much better. And here's the thing. It's basically all the listings that you see on AliExpress. Those sellers are buying from 1688 or Taobao and just selling it to you for a markup.
[6:28]Because you're paying extra for pretty much nothing. AliExpress is just marking it up and then reselling to you. So, instead of being the customer buying from a middleman, you want to be the middleman going direct to the source or at least as close to the source as possible.
[6:42]And we're talking anywhere from 30 to 40% better pricing for the exact same product. Better margins means that you can outspend competitors and stay profitable. Plus you get access to unique products they literally can't get. And when you scale, you can do custom packaging, white label, all that stuff that makes you look like a real brand. That's where you build your moat.
[6:59]Now, the thing is, most people don't know how to access 1688 or Taobao because everything's in Chinese. There's currency conversions, there's a lot of friction, you don't know what suppliers are reliable. So, there's this platform called Team Drop that I've been recently using. It's absolutely amazing, and it's completely free to start. They're not going to charge you anything, and they give you direct access to both platforms.
[7:20]Now, what's really cool is they assign you a dedicated agent, so an actual person that's managing your account that you can contact over WhatsApp right here. So if you hover over the WhatsApp button, you can get in direct communication with your own dedicated agent that is assigned to your account. So, I can simply just say, 'Hi, my name is Andy. This is the product that I would like to sell.'
[7:39]So on and so forth. And if something goes wrong, for example, a lost package, quality issue, whatever it may be, your agent is going to be there to handle any issues that might arise. So, I've spoken a lot about how important it is to have your own private agent. The fact that we can have it integrated into this platform is just crazy.
[7:54]Alright, let's just say for example, I wanted to sell this product right here. So, I'm just going to use a basic image search, drag and drop, and then it's going to find listings that are similar. So, we'll go into this one. The best part about this platform are the shipping lines. Let's just pick a random color, 300 ml. And if we look at the shipping lines, we can drop down these shipping times from, you know, normal three weeks to five to eight days, which is insane.
[8:19]So, you have UniExpress, which is one of the most reliable, the fastest lines coming from China. And if you need to get a package out to a customer really quickly, you have the option to do so. To get the product itself processed, it's anywhere from one to three days, and to get it to the customer is five to eight days. Total shipping fee of $8.90.
[8:37]So, yeah, you can choose if you want to do UniExpress, if you want it to be much faster, or you can go with the cheaper line if you're just trying to save on the costs, but you're not locked into one option. So, this platform is basically like having your own sourcing agent built in to this website. That's built into your store, so it's way less friction. And as you scale, your agent is going to be able to help you with custom packaging, connecting with potential manufacturers, all that jazz.
[9:03]You're going to be getting better pricing from day one, multiple shipping options, and someone actually helping you manage all this. So, I'm going to drop a link to this platform in the description for you guys to sign up for free and get access to all these benefits. I haven't seen too many people talk about it because it's an entirely new platform to this space. Now, really quickly, here is why all this matters.
[9:23]So, when you've got better margins, you can outbid competitors and stay profitable. When you have unique products, you're not competing with 50 other stores selling the same thing. And here's where it gets extremely powerful, is that custom packaging.
[9:37]Once you're doing consistent volume, I recommend anywhere from like 200 plus orders a month, you can work with your agent to do basic branding. So, the agent that is attached to your account, you can speak with her, you know, add your logo on the box, brand inserts, so on and so forth. Something that shows that this came from an actual company.
[9:55]Another thing, Teemdrop, they don't send any products with Chinese lettering or just make it seem like it came from China, so you're good on that end. Now, if you want to go to the extra extent, as you scale, you can go the ultra-premium option, meaning that you go on the side, whether it's Fiverr, whatever platform you use, Upwork, and you hire a 3D designer to create proper renders of your packaging.
[10:16]So, for example, custom printed boxes, aesthetic, unique packaging, the whole experience making it look professional before you even produce it. Because when people get a package that feels really premium, what do they do?
[10:28]They post about it, they film unboxing, they put this entire story together. And that kind of content is absolute gold for us. Real people showing your real product with your real branding. It's not AI-generated garbage, real customers with their real reactions to the unboxing.
[10:48]So, your competitors, they can't fake that. They can copy your product, they can steal your store design, whatever it may be. But they can't manufacture authentic customer content showing branded packaging. At least right now, AI is not that good. And here's the crazy part. This stuff, it takes time to build.
[11:00]Whether you're using a fulfillment platform or direct manufacturers, you're building relationships, proving that you can move volume, becoming someone's suppliers actually want to work with. Your competitors, again, they can't copy that. They have to start from scratch, and that takes months. So, while everyone else is stuck on AliExpress with terrible margins and slow shipping, you're already operating at a completely different level. That's your moat.
[11:20]And that's exactly how middleman build defensible businesses. They control both the supply and the customer relationship. Now, look, I know some of you are probably thinking, 'Okay, I get the concept, better suppliers, custom packaging, all that makes sense.' But here's where most people get stuck, actually executing on all of this.
[11:35]When I was starting, I understood the strategy, but when it came time to launch, I would freeze up, second-guess everything. Or I'd be running ads with no idea if the numbers were good or if I was bleeding money away. That's why I've built my mentorship program, my one-on-one mentorship program. Me and my team basically become your eyes on this.
[11:53]You show us your product, we will tell you if it's worth testing, you show us your store, we catch what's going to hurt conversions before you spend a single dollar. You're running your campaigns, we're making the calls with you in real time. We run it like it's our own store because we only make money if you make money. So, we're actually incentivized to get you results.
[12:10]There are currently spots open right now, and if you are serious about this, you can apply below. And the second place this shows up is your content because middleman don't just sell products, they build trust with both sides of the transaction.
[12:21]So, with all the trust gone, how do you actually prove you're legit? It's not about having perfect product photos or better descriptions, it's about showing real people getting real results with your actual product. And the key word here is real.
[12:35]Because when someone sees a person that they can relate to, not some polished-up influencer, just a regular person actually using your product and solving their problem, that's when the guard comes down. That's when they think, 'Okay, maybe this is legit.'
[12:48]So, here's how you can actually make this happen. You need people creating content who feel like they could be your customer's friend. Not someone reading a script, someone who genuinely uses stuff like this and talks about it the normal way people do. This is why TikTok Shop has been doing so well. It's because it's literally just normal people talking about the product and giving an honest opinion about it.
[13:07]Now, finding these people is pretty straightforward. First option is X. I'll go on there and I'll search for people who are already doing this for a living. So, for example, let's just say that I'm in the fitness niche or let's just say the yoga niche. I'll literally just type in 'yoga UGC creator' into the search and what comes up are people who are specifically creating content for brands within this space.
[13:26]Now, the reason this works better than just finding random people with followers is these creators already know how to make content that converts. They understand the pacing, they know how to hook attention, they've done this before. So, you're not teaching someone how to make content from scratch, you're working with someone who gets it.
[13:40]Second option is Fiverr. You can just search up UGC creator, and you'll find tons of listings with portfolios and the pricing upfront. So, honestly, this is a lot easier if you're just starting out and you want to see everything kind of laid out on a platform. Either way, here's what you're vetting for.
[13:54]Do they post about your niche organically? So, someone who genuinely cares about fitness or yoga is way more valuable than a generic creator who'll make content about anything. So, check their portfolio, does their style feel natural or does it feel too polished?
[14:12]If it looks like every other ad, it won't build trust. So, when I find someone whose vibe matches what I'm looking for, I'll DM them, and I'll be very specific about what I actually saw. Something like, 'Hey, saw your content for that clothing brand. The way you broke down the design of that cloth felt really natural. We've got a product I think it would fit your style.'
[14:30]So, being specific gets way more responsive, it shows that you actually looked at the work. Now, when it comes to working with them, here's where most people mess up. They send this five-page Chat GPT creative brief with the exact words to say, specific shots, film, all this rigid structure. And what happens, the content comes back feeling stiff, overproduced, and overall fake, in my opinion.
[14:47]So, what I do instead is give them the outcome, not the script. So, I'll say something like, 'Show what it's like to use this for the first time, film the unboxing, react naturally.' That's it. You can just copy and paste that.
[15:00]I'm trusting them to figure it out with their own voice. That's literally what I'm paying them for. Now, look, if you want these prompts that I just went over and a bunch more, to just copy and paste when reaching out, I put together a free Notion document for you guys to get access to. So, I've got DM templates, content briefs, and a simple tracker so you don't lose track of who you contacted through like a pipeline. And I'll leave a link to that in the description for you guys to easily duplicate for yourself.
[15:22]Now, here's the thing about cost. If you're going through X, you're looking at anywhere from $150 to $500 per video, depending on their experience and portfolio quality. On Fiverr, you're usually going to find creators for cheaper, anywhere from $100 to $200 per video.
[15:36]Either way works. The main difference is Fiverr's easier to browse and see pricing upfront. X usually gets you more niche-specific creators with more experience. But here's what you're actually paying for. You own the content, you run it as ads, you post it on your page, you use it on your product pages, whatever you want.
[15:52]And if one video brings in 10 sales, it already paid for itself. So, the mistake people make is thinking that, 'Oh, $200 for a video, that's way too expensive.' But they'll spend $200 testing random ad creatives that don't convert. So, you're losing money anyway. This is the same budget, you're just spending it way smarter.
[16:09]And here's what makes this really powerful. Once you find two or three creators whose content actually performs, you run it as ads and it converts, you find more people with that same energy. And you're not guessing anymore. You know what style works for your audience. So, you just replicate it with different faces, different angles, same core messaging. And suddenly, you've got this constant flow of authentic content that doesn't feel like ads.
[16:30]And you can look at a brand, for example, like Cirkul. They basically sell flavored water bottles. You can go to their TikTok right now, and you'll see hundreds of different creators making content for them. All different people, different angles, same message. That's what this looks like at scale. Because successful middleman don't just connect supply and demand, they build trust on both ends, and that is what makes this model work.
[16:48]And here's where that custom packaging we talked about earlier comes back in. When these creators unbox your product, and it's got your branding, your custom packaging, that thank you card, they're filming all of that. That content shows you're a real brand, and your competitors can't recreate it because they don't have your packaging or your creative relationships. And even if they did post about your packaging with your videos, they'd just be promoting you.
[17:09]That's when the trust starts building. That's when people stop questioning if you're legit because they keep seeing real people, different people using your product and talking about it naturally. So, while everyone else is scrambling to figure out what content works, you're already three steps ahead. That's the advantage.
[17:23]So, look, most people are going to keep doing what's easy, same suppliers, same generic approach, same wondering why nothing works. But if you actually get what we just covered today, building real infrastructure that takes time, you're in a completely different ball game. Better margins, unique products, content people actually trust. That's not something that you can just copy. That's what lets you scale.
[17:43]So, if this was helpful, drop a like, comment what you're working on. I go through all these comments and I try and help where I can. Either way, I appreciate you guys for watching. I will see you in the next one. Peace.
