Dropshipping From Jamaica: The Do's and Don'ts

Most dropshipping advice is written for Americans with Stripe. This list is for Jamaica.

Do

1. Pick one niche you can talk about for a year.
2. Build the catalogue first — 100 to 300 products, each with a searchable title and the price on the page.
3. Price rules once: cost × multiplier, shipping in, duty in, rounded to a clean number.
4. Show "ships in X–Y weeks" on every imported item.
5. Get paid first: card, or transfer with receipt upload, then order from the supplier.
6. Photograph the parcel at Knutsford and send the photo.
7. Answer the "where is it?" message before it is sent — automatic status updates.
8. Write one post a month that answers a buyer question.
9. Ask for a review on delivery.
10. Keep a reorder list of what actually sold.
11. Check the exchange rate weekly; re-price in one click.
12. Keep your own store the cheapest place to buy from you.

Don't

1. Don't promise delivery you don't control.
2. Don't run ads to a site with no reviews and no rankings.
3. Don't sell in ten niches.
4. Don't hide customs; price it in.
5. Don't ship on a screenshot.
6. Don't use PayPal as your plan — it isn't one in Jamaica.
7. Don't copy supplier text word for word — it won't rank and it may be wrong.
8. Don't sell electronics you can't support.
9. Don't ignore returns — decide the policy before the first order.
10. Don't discount to win; the margin is the business.
11. Don't stop at month two — Google needs three.
12. Don't treat it as passive; it is a shop.

Frequently asked

What is the single biggest mistake?

Promising delivery times you don't control — it kills reviews, and reviews are the SEO.

Should I use ads?

After the store ranks for something and has reviews; before that, organic only.

Which payment methods?

Local card checkout (Scotiabank, Fygaro), bank transfer with receipt upload, cash on delivery.