Guides
Dropshipping guides for UK shops, in plain English.
Everything you need to know to start and run a dropshipping shop in the UK, from choosing what to sell to the HMRC rules. Pick the stage you are at and we will show you the guides for it.
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Pick your stage, and we'll show you the guides for it.
Rules and taxChargebacks: when a customer asks their bank for their money backWhat a chargeback is, why online shops get more of them, what each payment company charges you for one, and the records that help you win.Read the guide 
Rules and taxDelivery times: what to promise, and what happens if it's lateHow long the law gives you to deliver, what your customer can do when an order is late, and why a parcel lost by your supplier's courier is still your problem.Read the guide 
Before you startProducts you can't sell, or need permission to sell, in the UKVapes, knives, alcohol, fireworks, cosmetics and medicines all have their own rules. What gov.uk says about each, before you add them to your shop.Read the guide 
Setting upTaking card payments: Stripe, PayPal or your shop website's ownThe three usual ways a dropshipping shop takes card payments in the UK, what each charges, and how long it takes for the money to reach your bank.Read the guide 
Rules and taxWhich dropshipping costs you can claim as a sole traderThe costs of running your shop that you can take off before you pay tax, working from home, and why you can't claim them if you use the £1,000 allowance.Read the guide 
Rules and taxReviews, adverts and price claims: the rules for online shopsFake reviews are banned, delivery charges every customer pays must be in the first price they see, and "was" prices need proof. What the rules say, from the CMA and the advertising regulator.Read the guide Setting upCard fees compared: what each shop website takes from a saleEvery time a customer pays by card, part of the money goes in fees. What each shop website charges on a UK card, what it adds for other cards, and the fees people forget.Read the guide Setting upHow to price your dropshipping productsHow to work out a price that covers the product, the delivery, the card fee and your running costs, and still leaves you something, step by step.Read the guide Setting upSelling on Amazon, eBay or TikTok Shop as well as your own websiteWhich supplier apps connect to the big marketplaces, what Amazon's and eBay's own rules say about dropshipping, and how VAT and HMRC reporting work when you sell there.Read the guide 
Rules and taxSole trader or limited company for your dropshipping shop?The difference between the two, what setting up a limited company costs, and what it has to do every year, so you can decide which suits your shop.Read the guide Rules and taxLooking after your customers' details: data protection for your shopEvery order gives you a name, an address and an email. What the law expects you to do with them, from the data protection fee to marketing emails and what to do if something goes wrong.Read the guide 
Rules and taxProduct photos, copyright and trade marksWhether you can use your supplier's photographs, why copying another shop's pictures or a brand's name can cost you, and how to register your own brand.Read the guide Before you startUK suppliers or AliExpress: which is right for your shop?Where your supplier sends from decides how long your customers wait, who pays VAT and import charges, and how returns work. Here is what each kind of supplier says about all three.Read the guide 
Setting upWhat a supplier app does, and do you need one?A supplier app connects your shop to the people who hold the stock. What it does, what it costs, and the three questions to ask before you choose one.Read the guide 
Rules and taxSetting up as a sole trader for your dropshipping shopWhen you have to tell HMRC about your dropshipping shop, the deadline, what records to keep and for how long, and what you can call your business.Read the guide 
Rules and taxProduct safety when you dropship in the UKWhy the safety of what you sell is your responsibility, what changes when products come from abroad, and the extra rules for toys, electrical goods and cosmetics.Read the guide Rules and taxImport VAT and customs charges on parcels from abroadWhat happens to VAT and customs duty when your supplier sends a parcel from abroad to a UK customer, who pays it, and the change the government has announced.Read the guide Setting upWhat your shop website must tell your customersThe details the law says must be on your shop website before anyone buys, from your address to how they can cancel, as a checklist.Read the guide 
Before you startHow to start dropshipping in the UKThe seven things you need to do to start a dropshipping business in the UK, in the order you will come to them, including the HMRC rules.Read the guide Before you startOrder a sample before you sell itWhy you should buy one of every product yourself before you put it on your website, and what to look at when it arrives.Read the guide Setting upWhat a dropshipping shop really costs a month in the UKShop websites advertise a monthly price, but a dropshipping shop pays for more than that. Here is what a month really costs on each one.Read the guide Setting upShopify or WooCommerce for UK dropshipping?The two best-known ways to build a dropshipping shop work in very different ways. What each one costs, and who looks after it.Read the guide 
Rules and taxReturns, refunds and cancellations when you dropship in the UKYour customers have the right to cancel and send things back, and the refund comes from you. What the rules say, and how to plan for them.Read the guide 
Rules and taxDropshipping and VAT in the UKWhen you have to register for VAT, and how VAT works on orders of £135 or less sent from abroad straight to your customer.Read the guide Work it out for yourself
The calculators that go with the guides.
Work out what you keep from each sale, what your shop will cost you each month, how many sales it takes to cover that, and when you will need to register for VAT.
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