Dropshipping Toys: Products, Suppliers, & Risks

In my years of experience in the dropshipping business, I have realized that each niche differs. Today, I will use that experience to guide you on how to succeed in dropshipping toys. 

You will learn the following: 

• What toys to dropship
• How to choose a toy dropship supplier
• What risks to face and how to solve them

In addition, I will also answer some of the most commonly asked questions about dropshipping toys. After reading this, I am confident you will be ready to start a toy dropshipping business. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• The toy niche has a stiff competition
• You must pay special attention to shipping time
• There are hazards in the toy business
• There is a way to know if a toy sells or not

If you are ready, let us begin!

Are Toys a Good Dropshipping Niche?

Toys are one of the best-selling products among all niches. Whether young or not, people always look for something to play with. We know that the target market here is children and adults. I can say any age. 

In 2021, the toy industry generated a revenue of billions of dollars, and we are only talking about the United States. In 2022, the amount was more than $29 billion [1]. The best-selling toys are dolls, plushies, vehicles, and action figures.

Worldwide, the gross revenue of the toys and games niches is $297 billion. Experts predict the industry will grow by 6.52% by 2027 [2].

To provide you with better clarity, below is a chart from Statista showing the best sub-niches of toys: 

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IMAGE SOURCE

As we can observe, the two biggest chunks of the graph are toys for toddlers and plastic toys. There are millions of toys you can sell. I can also tell that millions of kids need and want toys. 

There is a big toy market, and this niche is one of the best you can penetrate. However, there are risks that you must consider before going in. I will discuss these risks in the next section. 

What Are the Risks of Dropshipping Toys?

Generally speaking, here are the risks of dropshipping toys:

• Competition
• Hazards
• Trademarks and copyrights
• Timeliness of shipping

Allow me to discuss each of these risks. 

1. Competition against other dropshippers 

There is no dropshipping niche that has no competition. However, you will face steeper challenges and more competition in this niche. People know that there is a huge demand for toys. As such, you can expect many dropshippers to penetrate this market. 

Toys are easy to understand, too. Many toys are nothing more than action figures or dolls. The dropshippers do not need to be experts in what they sell. If you sell the same thing they do, your products will drown in a sea of online content—no one will see them. 

SOLUTION: Sell something unique or complicated 

To explain this solution better, think of drones. These are machines that have complications. Drones need batteries, remote controls, and many other things. It is not easy to penetrate this market—you need to know them to succeed. 

Because of the skill requirement, you will have less competition, especially if you sell special drones. These drones are the ones that photographers use. You must be able to answer the queries of experts to convince them to buy your products. 

The other solution is to make your products unique. How do you do this? You can do this in two ways. The first is by private-label dropshipping, and the second is print-on-demand. 

You will design your toy for a private label and then work with a manufacturer to produce it. Only you have that toy. However, this solution requires huge capital. If you are just a beginner dropshipper, this may not be the best solution. 

The other one is print-on-demand by Printify. They have blank products and toys that you can design. Then, you will upload your product mock-up on your store. Since it was you who created it, you are the only person who has this item. 

Take a look at this blank product: 

After I uploaded a unicorn design, the plushie bear now looks like this:

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As you can see, there is little to no likelihood that someone out there has the same product. If you do this, you can sell so many unique products.  

2. Hazards of choking and poisoning 

Children can swallow some toys with small parts, causing a tragic death. Then, some toys have harmful chemicals. 

The last thing you want is to be liable for this tragedy. It takes only one lawsuit, and your business is over. No one will sue you if no accident happens, but parents may complain that your toys are hazardous.

SOLUTION: Be picky with what you sell

It will take some time for you to research what toys are dangerous. Toys that have small parts are not ideal. However, one cannot help it. What if you want to sell toys people must build, like 3D puzzles or blocks?

In this case, you must have a disclaimer and warning on the product pages. You must tell the buyer that the toys have small parts and that they can cause choking. 

Another issue is that the toys may have a lead chemical in them. Although lead is no longer a common chemical that factories use, some still do not comply with the law. What you must do is carefully research the background of the dropshipping supplier before displaying their items. 

There are many things to consider when choosing a supplier. We have a blog post about this topic that I strongly recommend as a reading supplement for you. 

3. Trademarks and copyrights violations

You will get into legal trouble if you sell copyrighted or trademarked items. Do not sell imitations of branded goods like those from Marvel, Disney, and others.  

SOLUTION: Sell authentic goods

The good news is that you can find some legitimate toy suppliers online. One good example is Paladone. They have a license to distribute branded toys from Harry Potter, Marvel, Disney, and more.

The other thing to do is not sell branded goods at all. You will compete against the giants, and building your credibility will be difficult.  

4. Timeliness of shipping

The last risk is the timeliness of shipping. I know that shipping is usually a problem, especially if you are dropshipping from China. This problem gets bigger if you sell toys. 

People who buy toys want them now. Or they want to ensure they receive it before a specific date. They buy toys as presents. If your shipment does not arrive on that particular day, the buyer cannot give the toy to the child on his birthday. 

The result? An unhappy customer.  

SOLUTION: Manage expectations

You cannot manage shipping activities. Shipping is out of your control. What you can manage is the expectation of your customer. If your supplier ships in three days, say six days on your website. 

The other thing you can do is dropship only to the country where the source is. Suppose your products come from a US supplier and ship to US customers only. You can also ship to Canada but do not ship to the UK. That is a stretch.

If your product is in a UK warehouse, ship only to the UK. What if you want to ship internationally? Again, manage shipping expectations. It is better to put the shipping expectations on each product page, like this print-on-demand website, than on a single page.  

As you can see from the screenshot, the shipping expectation is on the product page, not on a single web page. That example product is coming from the US. If the customer is from Canada, he at least knows that shipment can take between 10 and 30 business days after production.

Best Toys to Dropship – Our Top Recommendations

There are millions of toys. While I understand that you want to dropship items that sell, there is no such thing as a guarantee.

What am I trying to say here? Just because somebody failed in dropshipping wooden toys does not mean you will also fail. And vice versa. Just because someone succeeds in dropshipping wooden toys does not mean you will.

You see, success is not the result of magic or a secret. It is the culmination of many things. So, is dropshipping worth it? Certainly! However, you must understand that, like any business, you must do it right to succeed. 

Based on our product database, here are some examples of the best toys to dropship: 

1. Snake Toys
2. Kids’ Tents
3. Plushies
4. Wooden blocks
5. Magnetic drawing boards

Based on statistics from our product database, these toys sell between 2,000 and 4,000 units per month. I am not saying that these are the only toys you must sell.

The key to succeeding in the dropshipping business is targeting the right people. You need to find high-quality products, reliable suppliers, and, most importantly, market your dropshipping store properly.  

What Toys Should I Avoid Dropshipping?

Now that we know the best toys to dropship, what do you need to avoid? In my experience, here are the worst things you can sell in the toy niche. 

1. Branded toys

What child wouldn’t want a Hulk action figure or an Iron Man plushie? The thing is that you cannot sell these toys so easily. I mentioned earlier that there are legitimate suppliers for these branded goods. So, what is the problem?

There are two problems: competition and credibility. 

Let us say that you managed to find a legit supplier. You ordered and put the products in your store, which you built on Shopify. What’s next, then? 

Your items are expensive because they are legit. Now, why would a site visitor trust you? Don’t you think he would rather order the item from Marvel or Disney?

As you can see, credibility is a tough challenge in this arena. Parents, in addition, have access to these toys in land-based stores. All they have to do is go to Target or Walmart, and then they can buy these legit items themselves. 

Next, you are competing against the brand itself. I have to say that there is no winning situation here. In addition, you will be competing against counterfeit sellers. As you know, some buyers do not care if the item is legit. What matters to them is that they get the thing, fake or not. 

2. Big toys

Do not sell big toys that weigh a kilogram or more. In addition, do not dropship huge toys, like a life-sized bear. These toys are expensive to ship. Most of the time, the shipping costs are higher than the toys. 

Who is going to pay for shipping? What if the shipping cost is $70? A customer will not want to pay for that. 

3. Toys you cannot advertise 

Next, do not sell toys that you cannot advertise on Facebook. Social media platforms have various rules about products. Most of the time, they do not want advertisements for products that have something to do with violence, racism, hatred, etc. 

What does this mean? It means that it is not advisable to sell: 

• Gun toys
• Sex toys
• Dangerous toys

So, if you plan to sell airsoft guns, you may find dealing with social media sites difficult. Some may even disallow you from advertising your products. 

Without them, you would be hard-pressed to look for ways to advertise your products. No ads equal no traffic. And if you have no traffic, you have no sales.

4. Counterfeit toys

It is tempting to sell fake toys or counterfeit originals. You will find many of these in AliExpress. You can tell yourself, “I am a small company. No one will bother.” 

But what if someone did bother and report you? If you build your dropshipping store on Shopify, the company may advise you to close your website. The last thing they want is to be complicit in your legal violation. 

There are many toy niches. You do not have to limit yourself to household names like Marvel, DC, Disney, Mattel, etc. If anything, I would advise you to also concentrate on print-on-demand products.

Where to Find the Best Dropshipping Suppliers for Toys

At Dropship.IO, we consistently provide valuable content to readers. Here, I will mention a few sources of suppliers. However, I encourage you to go to our blog and read about specific dropshippers per country. 

So far, you can find the best dropshipping suppliers for toys in the following:

• Dropship supplier tools 
• Product databases 
• Supplier databases

Allow me to provide you with more information on all of them. 

1. Dropship Supplier Databases

Dropship supplier databases are systems comparable to marketplaces. These are websites where sellers or suppliers can post their products, and then dropshippers like us can add these products to our stores. 

Here are some examples that I recommend: 

• Spocket
• Printful
• Printify
• Dropified
• HyperSKU
• AppScenic
• AudoDS
• Importify

All of these systems have dropshipping toy suppliers. However, I have preferences, which I discuss in another section. 

Essentially, these companies have a system that you can integrate with your store. Once the integration is complete, you can import products in one click. Some of these offer their services for free, while most require a monthly subscription. 

2. Product Databases

Product databases are companies that offer a list of products. I am partial if I say ours is the best one you must use. 

With our product database, you can use a keyword to determine if this product has sales. Take a look at this example below: 

As you can see, some types of drones sell, and some don’t. Using or tool, you can sort the data. Below is what it looks like after I sorted it by monthly sales. 

Based on these data, True Compras Express is the leading site for drone products. Each row shows a specific kind of product. Then, you will also see how many units they sold and for how much. 

With our product database, you can decide, with certainty, which products sell and which ones don’t. The good news is that we offer a 7-day free trial!

3. Supplier Databases 

The last place where you can find suppliers is a supplier database. It is a tad different from the first one because these systems do not have integration. 

In essence, you are only paying for a list of suppliers. Once you have that list, you must contact the supplier and find a way to import their products into your store. The best example I can provide is SaleHoo Dropship Directory. 

Best Toy Suppliers for Dropshipping

1. Spocket – best for dropshipping dog toys 

Spocket is one of the biggest dropshipping supplier systems in the world. It has a complete suite of tools that dropshippers need to manage a business. I recommend Spocket for toy dropshipping because they have suppliers from many countries. 

Spocket Features

• Branded Invoicing – your customer will not see the name of the supplier; it is your business name that will be on the invoice
• Supplier Location – Spocket has suppliers in the EU, UK, USA, and China 
• Image Search – you can upload an image and let the system find a supplier for that item; no need to use keywords 
• Integration – you can integrate Spocket with several platforms like Shopify, Wix, WooCommerce, Ecwid, and many more.

Spocket Pros

• Easy to use
• There are global suppliers
• They have a list of winning products
• The system integrates with several platforms

Spocket Cons

The free account  does not give you access to all the tools 

Overall, you can use Spocket not only for dog toys but also for others types of toys. The issue is that you will be dealing with multiple suppliers simultaneously. Because of that, the images may not be uniform—you must edit them to make your website coherent.

2. Printify – best for print-on-demand toys

I recommend Printify because, unlike Printful, Printify has toys. You can upload your designs and guarantee that your products are unique. 

Here are some toys you can sell from their suppliers: 

• Plushies
• Puzzles
• Hockey pucks
• Frisbees
• Golf balls
• Deck of cards

Printify also provides you with a free design and mock-up tool. It is easy to integrate, and the suppliers are reliable. 

Printify Features

• Design Tool – all you need to do is upload graphic art, and the tool will embed that on the product. You do not need other photo-editing programs anymore. 
• Automation – you can deposit money into your Printify account. If you do this, the system will automatically process your customer’s order, even if you are asleep. 
• Catalog – Printify has hundreds of products you can choose from. Should you decide to branch out and sell more, you can always check the catalog and find new products for designing and selling. 

Printify Pros

• The system is completely free to use
• You can integrate it with different platforms
• The shipping fees are flat rate

Printify Cons

• Not enough mock-ups

Perhaps the only gripe I have against Printify is that the mock-ups rarely use a human being. As such, you must use a third-party system like PlaceIt to make your mock-ups and videos. 

3. Dropified – best for dropshipping high-ticket and high-quality toys

Dropified is the premier system to use if you are looking for high-ticket items. They do have toys, and these are on the expensive side. I recommend Dropified if you want high-quality toys for adults, like drones. 

Dropified Features

• Full automation – the system will transfer orders to the supplier even if you do not do it yourself
• Tracking and Management – you can track orders after the supplier shipped the item; you can tell the customer the status and give them a tracking number. 
• Product Importation – like Spocket, Dropified allows you to import products from its database into your store. There is no need to copy and paste product details manually. 

Dropified Pros

• Full automation is available
• You can source products from eBay and Alibaba
• You can list your products on Facebook
• The system has a complete suite of tools for dropshipping 

Dropified Cons

• The tool is pricey

I suggest that you explore Dropified if you want to target the high-end market. It is also an ideal platform if you wish to use buy-one-get-one-free promotions. Like other tools, you can import your desired products with one click. Overall, Dropified is one of the best systems for a dropshipping business.

4. AppScenic – best for dropshipping cat toys and wooden toys

I recommend AppScenic because they have a vetting process. Suppliers cannot list their sites on the site unless AppScenic approves them. As a dropshipping tool, AppScenic also has integration and fulfillment offerings. 

AppScenic Features

• Integrations – you can integrate AppScenic with Shopify WooCommerce, Wix, and eBay 
• Automation – the system, if you allow it, will automatically place the order to your respective suppliers; no more manual orders 
• Warehouses – they have warehouses in the UK, EU, and USA. You can expect them to ship in two to five days. 
• White-Label – your customers will not see the brand of AppScenic or the suppliers; they will see yours

AppScenic Pros

• The system integrates with four major platforms
• All suppliers here are reliable
• Shipping is fast
• They have global suppliers 

AppScenic Cons

• You cannot place orders with a free account, so it is pretty much useless

AppScenic will set you back at least $24 per month, but I can say that it is worth it. You can push as many as 500 products into your store and access premium-grade products. However, AppScenic charges a transaction fee.  

Successful Toy Product Dropshipping Store Examples

In this section, I will show several successful dropshipping stores that I came across recently. I used our product database to find these stores. 

Let me explain a little bit. With Drosphip.IO, you can search for products that you want to dropship. Our system will show you relevant products based on the keywords you used. 

Then, you can track the sales of the store selling that item. Among other things, you will also see important stats about the product you are studying. Some examples are product price, sales per week, monthly revenue, etc. 

1. Follow Your Legend

This store specializes in plushies. However, they also sell Legend bracelets, hats, and necklaces. Their plushies cost $32, and they even have a reward system. 

We know they are killing it if you look closely at their sales. They sell more than 100 units per day. In a month, their revenue is more than half a million dollars!

2. Quokka

The second toy example of a successful dropshipping store I want to show is Quokka. The specific niche of this company is wooden toys, which you can find in suppliers like Dropified and Spocket.

The main types of toys that you will find here are educational toys. They ship internationally, and shipping to the continental US is free. 

Reviewing their sales, I discovered that they sell as many as 189 units daily with gross revenue of $5,000. Like follow your legend, they make as much as $500,000 monthly!

As you can see, these are only two store examples. There are many more. The thing is that you cannot find them on your own. You need our tool to show you real statistics.

Dropshipping Toys Globally

Generally speaking, not much goes on in legal issues for dropshipping toys. The only thing I would advise you to do is not to dropship sex toys and dangerous ones. 

• Dropshipping Toys USA – prohibitions are not a problem. However, it is best if you dropship questionable toys that come from the US. You cannot sell gun imitations unless you have a license. 
• Dropshipping Toys UK – it is okay to dropship toys to this country. You cannot import gun toys, even replicas. There is a ban on it. 
• Dropshipping Toys Malaysia – you cannot dropship sex toys in the country; it is predominantly an Islam country. It is also illegal to import or sell gun imitations.  
• Dropshipping Toys Australia – you cannot dropship sex toys; there is a ban on these things in Australia. You must first obtain a permit to sell gun-like items in the country. 
• Dropshipping Toys Europe – you can pretty much dropship anything in Europe. You can also dropship lithium batteries, provided they are inside the toy. 
• Dropshipping Toys India – you can sell pretty much anything in India, provided that they are not adult maerials. For batteries, you must comply with India’s customs guidelines. 

If I were you, stay away from these toys. You would do well by limiting yourself with regular ty for kids. There are millions of them, and it is only a matter of choosing the right niche and marketing the right way. 

Dropshipping Toys: FAQs

Are toys good for dropshipping?

Yes, toys have a huge market. Like many dropshipping niches, your toughest challenge here is competition. You must have a fighting spirit to succeed in the toy dropshipping niche. It is a profitable niche—there will always be a toy market, especially during the holiday season. 

How to start dropshipping toys?

You start by determining your target niche. There are many things you need to consider. I advise you to read our complete guide on how to start a dropshipping business. 

Can I dropship Lego?

Yes, you can. Some websites offer legitimate branded and trademarked toys. One such company is ApiDrop. However, I generally do not recommend dropshipping branded goods. 

What is the most money made from dropshipping?

No one knows, but I am sure it is millions of dollars. If you use our Sales Tracker, you will drop your jaw at seeing how much some dropshipping stores make in a week. 

Summary

So, now that we know what toys to dropship, how big the market is, and what things to avoid, the next step is for you to determine your niche and start working. 

Visit the tools and dropship sites that I mentioned. Review their systems and decide if you want them to be your supplier. For tools, I strongly advise you to register now for our 7-day free trial. Use our tool to find winning products that sell!

I wish you all the best in your toy dropshipping business!