The beauty of entrepreneurship is, of course, that you can build a custom business that suits your strengths, goals, and lifestyle exactly. That’s why many people choose dropshipping. With the right products, suppliers, and timing, you can create a modest side hustle, a massive ecommerce empire, or anything in between without having to hold inventory or deal with packing, shipping, and returns. But after making the decision to pursue this ecommerce model, you’ll be faced with another crucial decision before you can start to build a successful dropshipping business: Which supplier should you choose?

In the early days of this type of online selling, you would’ve been on your own to source and contact suppliers who offered the products you wanted. But today, dropshipping is a thriving industry, and plenty of third-party platforms have popped up to help you connect with the right suppliers. Our expert team has gathered five top options, listed in order of the commitment and experience recommended for those interested in trying each one.