What's next: will dropshipping be profitable in 2026?
There is no doubt that if you read the articles on the Betonlogos company blog, you are certainly aware of dropshipping and how it works. Therefore, in this publication, we want to have a serious discussion about something that concerns not only us.
The advantages of dropshipping are often presented without mentioning the disadvantages of this business model. But you need to know about them so that you don't become another victim of fairy tales about quick and easy riches. Independence translates into small margins, and the absence of warehouse and purchasing costs translates into complex logistics, competition, and inventory control issues.
With rising tariffs, supply chain congestion, and increasing advertising costs, it is becoming increasingly difficult to remain profitable. What should you do today?
Betonlogos marketing has been helping dropshippers overcome difficulties for many years. In this article, we want to discuss and reassure entrepreneurs, talk about the pitfalls of today and how to make a profit even in turbulent times.
- Logistics and tariffs. Tariff increases in the US are affecting global logistics, and costs have risen. International carriers are also raising their rates for the EU. Delivery times have changed and are sometimes difficult to predict. Any delay affects the store's reputation and margins.
- Advertising. In popular niches, the cost per click on Facebook and Google has almost doubled. It is necessary to calculate the advertising budget strictly, but without accurate analytics and narrow positioning, this is practically impossible.
- Inflation and taxes. Marketplace commissions have increased, and the EU has tightened the rules for paying VAT on imported goods. This reduces margins.
- Buyer behaviour. Next-day delivery and free returns have become the norm. Those who cannot provide this are losing out to their competitors.
- China remains the centre of global dropshipping, but ‘closer’ alternatives are emerging (Turkey, Poland, Lithuania, Spain). This is to reduce delivery times and returns. In some niches, it is more profitable to work with regional suppliers.
- Price shifting. Suppliers often pass on additional costs from tariffs to dropshippers, who then have to raise prices for their customers.
E-commerce is not developing chaotically. Competition with large trading platforms is forcing small businesses and small enterprises to look for niche markets. Startups are focusing on specialised markets, creative business strategies or technological innovations.
The main challenges for dropshipping in 2026
Where to go from here?
Quickly change suppliers, always have replacements on hand, be flexible in terms of supply, use different channels for fulfilling orders, find marketing niches, and build a brand around values, not just price.
Experts at Betonlogos Czech Republic say that it's not those who work ‘the old-fashioned way’ who survive, but those who change their strategy:
- Connect with local suppliers and warehouses to reduce delivery times.
- use multi-channel logistics - from dropshipping from Asia to 3PL warehousing;
- test new advertising channels - TikTok Ads, micro-influencers, local communities;
- automate pricing and inventory management processes.
Unit economics in 60 seconds
How can you tell which products are already unprofitable due to tariffs/advertising, and which ones are driving up your margin?
Add up all your basic expenses - purchasing, delivery to the customer, payment system commission, packaging or fulfilment, as well as taxes and platform fees. The difference between the sale price and this amount is your ‘advertising budget,’ i.e., the maximum you can spend to attract one order without going into the red.
If this budget is less than 20% of the price, there is no need to spend money on cold traffic, according to managers at Betonlogos Czech Republic. You need to change the logistics conditions (local suppliers, 3PL, lighter packaging) and price. With a reserve of 20-30%, it makes sense to test advertising with small budgets and only with strong creatives. Anything above 30% can be scaled carefully, making sure that the actual cost of acquisition does not ‘eat up’ the entire reserve.
On marketplaces, keep another rule in mind: the platform commission should not take more than half of your advertising reserve.
Conclusion: strength in partnership
In 2026, dropshipping ceased to be an ‘automated business.’ To remain competitive, new partners and changes in logistics are needed. That is why more and more entrepreneurs are adding cooperation with local platforms to their business model, and often switching to it. They provide access to trusted suppliers, speed up delivery, reduce the number of returns, and allow you to focus on developing your brand and sales rather than dealing with problems. Betonlogos already works with such platforms and helps businesses build effective dropship chains ‘without unnecessary pain.’
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