How to sell on Shopify without inventory

Selling without inventory is a great way for beginner merchants to start an online store on Shopify without paying for stock or storage upfront. With the right strategies, business models like dropshipping, digital products, or print-on-demand can be highly profitable. The global dropshipping market alone was valued at $464.4 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow to around $2,180 billion by 2033.

In this guide, we’ll break down the best ways to sell on Shopify without inventory. We’ll explain how each business model works and give you ideas on what to sell.

Fix SEO issues that are holding your Shopify store back with TinySEO

Site SEO audits

Optimize for rich results

Try the app

Pros and cons of selling on Shopify without inventory

Selling without inventory is a convenient way to start an online store for Shopify merchants who don’t have extra budget for inventory or warehousing. However, the market is saturated with competition, so you need to find ways to stand out, and relying on suppliers means you have to trust someone else with business operations that affect the customer experience.

Pros

• Low startup costs – running a store with inventory would require paying for products and a warehouse upfront. Meanwhile, zero inventory means you can sell as soon as you get a Shopify plan.
• No warehouse and fulfillment – without inventory, products travel from the supplier straight to the customer, so you don’t need to manage fulfillment or get a warehouse.
• Easy to test – since you don’t have to stock up on products before selling them, you can easily list however many products you want and see what sells best.
• Independent of location – dropshipping, print-on-demand, and other types of zero-inventory businesses can operate from any place in the world. All you need is a laptop.
• Wide product range – you can sell products in as many categories as you want to without being limited by a budget.

Cons

• Thinner margins – when it comes to zero-inventory businesses, suppliers have to take care of fulfillment and inventory. They charge a markup, and competition can drive prices down, so you may get less profit.
• Less quality control – you don’t see the products that travel to the customer, so there’s not much room for quality control.
• Limited branding control – unless you specifically pay more to create custom branding, there are often limited customization options for the packaging or creating a unique unboxing experience.
• Inventory errors – the stock levels are managed by the supplier. If you end up selling an item that’s out of stock, the number of cancellations and refunds will increase, while brand trust will suffer.
• Dependence on suppliers – if a supplier goes out of business or raises the prices, it affects your store directly.

6 ways to sell on Shopify without inventory

There are many ways you can sell on Shopify without storing any inventory and investing in warehouses. The most popular methods include:

1. Dropshipping
2. Print-on-demand (POD)
3. Digital products
4. Affiliate sales
5. Third-party logistics (3PL)
6. Fulfillment by Amazon

Let’s review each zero-inventory business model in more detail to understand what fits your business goals best.

1. Dropshipping

Dropshipping is a retail model where you sell products from suppliers without holding inventory. You create an online store where consumers can buy products, and third-party suppliers store, pack, and ship the product to the customer.

Here are the types of dropshipping you can use for Shopify:

• Supplier dropshipping. The classic dropshipping type where you partner with wholesale suppliers. You can find them through AliExpress, Alibaba, or using Shopify dropshipping apps.
• Print-on-demand. Dropshipping type where products are made based on your custom designs and made only when an order is placed.
• Branded dropshipping. Dropshipping version where you customize products with your own logo, packaging, or labels. 
• Retail arbitrage dropshipping. Type of dropshipping where you purchase discounted products from retail stores and resell them at a higher price to gain profit.
• High-ticket dropshipping. It’s a model where merchants focus on selling niche or expensive products.

Best for: Dropshipping is best for merchants who want to start a business quickly and sell with little upfront risk.

2. Print-on-demand (POD)

Print-on-demand is a business model where products are printed based on your custom-made designs. It’s only made when a customer places an order, so you don’t have to stock up on items yourself.

Here are some popular POD products if you’re wondering what to sell on Shopify:

• Clothing – you can sell custom-made t-shirts, hoodies, hats, or backpacks.
• Drinkware – popular items include mugs, water bottles or vacuum flasks.
• Home decor – you can create your own designs for posters, pillows, or blankets.
• Stationery – anniversary cards, notebooks, or planners.
• Accessories – phone cases, stickers, tote bags, wallets, or mouse pads.

If you’re not sure where to find suppliers for your products, we recommend looking into our list of tested print-on-demand apps specifically for Shopify stores.

Best for: Merchants who want to create an online store with zero inventory but still have some creative flexibility for products.

3. Digital products

Digital products are items that customers can immediately download upon purchase. It’s a great business model that doesn’t require manual fulfillment or shipping, so you usually don’t have to spend money for production.

Here are types of digital product ideas to sell on Shopify:

• Online courses, like videos or written lessons.
• Software, including tools, apps for a specific problem your audience has.
• Digital art, like stock photos, graphic design assets, logos, business cards, fonts, and music.
• Templates, such as planners, printable planners, website themes, calendars, resumes, and worksheets.
• Ebooks, like fiction or non-fiction books.
• Guides, such as workout plans, meal plans, or guides covering a specific topic.

Shopify doesn’t offer digital product downloads natively, but you can download their Digital Downloads app for easy purchase management.

Best for: Creative people who want to sell their artwork or teach skills.

4. Affiliate sales

Affiliate sales are a type of zero-inventory business model where you don’t directly sell products but rather get a fraction of the sale from products purchased through your recommendations.

You don’t need inventory, fulfillment, or anything else since it’s taken care of by the brand you promote.

The way affiliate marketing works is you join an affiliate program, get a unique tracking link, and promote the products. If someone buys it through your link, you earn a commission.

We’ve compiled a list of popular affiliate programs that creators join to give you some ideas:

• ASOS
• NordVPN 
• Canva 
• Fiverr 
• Secretlab Chairs
• TripAdvisor 
• Booking.com
• Skylum

The Shopify App store also has affiliate apps

If your budget allows it, you can install an affiliate app from the Shopify App store, which helps automate referral tracking and calculate commissions and payouts.

Best for: Content creators who want to market products of other companies and monetize their audience.

5. Third-party logistics (3PL)

Third-party logistics refers to a model where fulfillment is handled by a logistics company. It handles packing and shipping your orders, but it’s different from dropshipping because you still own stock – just outsourced to a 3PL provider.

Here’s how third-party logistics work:

1. Send inventory to the 3PL’s warehouse in bulk.
2. The 3PL stores your products in their warehouse.
3. A customer orders a product from your store.
4. The 3PL fulfills the order, including packing and shipping.

Best for: Merchants who want to sell their own products but not stock inventory or handle order fulfillment themselves.

6. Fulfillment by Amazon

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a type of service where you can send your inventory to Amazon’s warehouses and they handle storage, packing, and shipping for you. You don’t have to store products, but you still have to find what to sell.

Best for: Merchants who want fast shipping and fulfillment handled by a trusted logistics network.

Zero-inventory Shopify business models compared

There are many business models that don’t require holding inventory, but the best one depends on your expectations and goals. Some models offer lower startup costs, while others give you more branding control. We compared the zero-inventory Shopify business models below.

More ideas for a zero-inventory Shopify business

Aside from popular zero-inventory business types, you can also make money without holding inventory by selling services, memberships, experiences, or joining a marketplace.

Services

Instead of physical products, you can also sell services on Shopify. This type of business usually requires having a skill or expertise that people would consider buying. Then, you need to set up bookable time slots on your Shopify website, which you can do using a scheduling app. 

Services to sell on Shopify:

Cleaning services, financial consulting, business coaching, tutoring, pet sitting, babysitting, social media management, language sessions, interior design consulting, beauty services. 

Memberships

A membership lets you regularly sell exclusive content or perks to existing customers rather than selling a single product. Customers have to pay a recurring fee in exchange for content, private community access, or early access. It’s a great business model for creators or brands that already have an audience.

Memberships to sell on Shopify:

Exclusive content, VIP discounts, early product access, coaching groups, monthly or weekly newsletters, loyalty tier programs.

Experiences

On Shopify, you can also sell bookable experiences, such as unique activities or guided tours. Your customers can reserve a spot and pay upfront or leave a deposit, depending on what works for your business. There are no physical products, so there’s no inventory to stock.

Experiences to sell on Shopify:

Guided city tours, cooking classes, hiking excursions, wine tastings, photography workshops, yoga retreats, escape room experiences, fishing charters, art classes, farm-to-table dinners.

Shopify marketplace

Shopify Marketplace lets you list products on a marketplace with an existing pool of buyers. All you need is to get a Shopify marketplace app and list products to a marketplace of your choice.

Fulfillment can still happen through dropshipping or POD, so Shopify marketplace is more of an additional sales channel than a standalone business model.

Tips for starting a zero-inventory online store

When starting a zero-inventory Shopify store, consider your suppliers, profit margins, and do thorough research. Here are the main things to note:

• Pick a niche. Before you start picking a business model, think of what you want to sell. When you know what to look for, it’s easier to find the right suppliers and build a brand.
• Choose suppliers carefully. The quality of your suppliers affects product quality, shipping speed, and customer experience. We’d highly recommend ordering samples before you list a product and check reviews from other merchants.
• Write clear shipping times. Product delivery usually takes longer when it’s done by suppliers or logistics companies. Make sure your product pages and checkout include estimated delivery times so that customers aren’t blindsided.
• Invest in branding. If you choose a business model with flexible branding control, then create a logo, unique packaging, high-quality product photos, and a user-friendly website design to make your brand stand out from generic stores.
• Prioritize SEO. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a marketing strategy that takes time to grow but offers more consistent traffic and sales than paid advertising. Optimize SEO on your Shopify store by performing keyword research and improving product pages. 

Final thoughts

Selling on Shopify without inventory lets merchants start a business without high upfront risk. It usually doesn’t require a huge startup cost, but your profit depends heavily on your marketing strategy, shipping speed, and how much control you have over branding.

To sell on Shopify without inventory, you can consider finding dropshipping or POD suppliers, selling digital products, promoting affiliate products, or using third-party logistics.

Whichever method you choose, start by picking a niche and researching reputable suppliers. As your store grows, you can even combine business models, like running a dropshipping business while also writing a blog where you promote affiliate products.

×

About the author

Kristina Jaruseviciute

Kristina is a Content Lead at TinySEO responsible for informing and educating readers on all things Shopify-related. She covers a broad range of topics around SEO, AI visibility, website performance, and conversion rates to help merchants stand out in a competitive landscape.