How to choose a dropshipping wholesaler and connect it to your store

Types of Polish dropshipping wholesaler, and how they differ

Four types of supplier serve the dropshipping model on the Polish market — and they differ more than their websites suggest.

• Importer with its own warehouse — imports goods and stocks them itself. The shortest chain: you are dealing with the company that physically has the products on the shelf, so stock information is first-hand.

• Classic distribution wholesaler — buys from manufacturers and importers, carries a broad range, and serves both traditional wholesale buyers and dropshipping stores.

• Aggregator (platform) — bundles the catalogues of many wholesalers in one place. A convenient start with a single integration, but an order picked from two warehouses means two parcels for your customer, and product-data quality varies by source.

• Niche single-category wholesaler — one category, covered in depth. The natural choice for a store with a clear profile.

There is no "best" type — only the type that fits your idea for the store. The shorter the chain between you and the goods, the fewer surprises with stock levels and dispatch times.

What to require from a wholesaler: range, margins, dispatch time

Start with product data, because you will import it into your store as-is. Check a sample: are the photos usable on a product page, are the descriptions complete, do the products carry EAN codes? Gaps in the wholesaler's data are work you will end up doing yourself — product by product.

The second pillar is logistics. In dropshipping the wholesaler ships the parcel, so its declared dispatch time is your promise to the customer. Ask for it in the terms of cooperation, not just in a sales call. Establish how returns work: who accepts them, at what address, under what procedure. And ask directly whether the wholesaler ships cross-border or only within Poland — if you plan to sell abroad, that one question eliminates some suppliers immediately.

Calculate your margin on specific products: compare the wholesale price with the prices the same product actually sells for online — including shipping and the cost of handling returns.

One question comes up constantly: do Polish wholesalers require a registered business? Most do — always check the specific wholesaler's terms, as conditions vary.

What integration looks like: API, XML feed, FTP, WooCommerce and Shopify export

Wholesalers expose their data in one of a few formats — and that format determines how much the integration with your store will cost.

• API — store and wholesaler talk to each other continuously, in both directions. The most capable option (stock, prices, orders, tracking numbers) and the most development work.

• XML or CSV feed — the wholesaler publishes a file that may contain products, stock and prices; your store fetches and processes it on a schedule.

• FTP — the same file-based approach over a different transport: the file sits on a server your store collects it from.

• WooCommerce or Shopify export — some wholesalers run their offer on a store platform and share exports from it.

Before you sign, ask for the integration documentation or a sample file and show it to whoever will build your store. On Milio — Webchefs' e-commerce platform, built as custom code — suppliers are connected on demand, and the connection starts with a technical audit of the wholesaler: we check which of these formats it actually provides, and in what quality, before planning the integration. You can run the same test with any developer — a wholesaler that cannot produce documentation or a data sample will be expensive to connect.

Catalogue import versus stock synchronisation — not the same thing

This distinction is worth knowing before you compare any store-build quotes — because quotes often cover only the first of the two.

Catalogue import is a one-time pull of products from the wholesaler: photos, descriptions, variants, prices. After the import your store is full and looks ready.

Stock synchronisation is ongoing work: regular updates of stock levels and prices. It is what keeps the store telling the truth. Without it you sell products the wholesaler no longer has, at prices that no longer apply — and you find out from your customers.

So put two questions to every quote: does it include synchronisation or only the import — and how often will the data refresh? On the wholesaler's side, confirm whether its feed or API carries stock and prices at all, or just the product catalogue.

For transparency, here is how Milio handles it: the first supplier's catalogue import is included in the build price with no product limit, while stock and price synchronisation is quoted after a technical audit of the wholesaler — its cost depends on the format the supplier provides.

Orders: manual, semi-automatic, automatic

Order flow to the wholesaler has three maturity levels — and you do not have to start at the top.

• Manual — the order lands in your store, and you re-enter it in the wholesaler's panel. Zero build cost; with a few orders a day it is fifteen minutes of work.

• Semi-automatic — you export orders from the store and import them into the wholesaler's system as a file. Less retyping, fewer mistakes.

• Automatic — an API passes orders across and collects tracking numbers with no involvement from you. The most convenient — and the most expensive to build.

The rule is simple: each step up costs more to build and pays off only at higher order volume. Automation at five orders a day is an expense that saves perhaps fifteen minutes a day; at fifty, it is a necessity.

In Milio implementations, orders go to the wholesaler manually or semi-automatically at launch, and full automation is quoted once the volume justifies it. Whoever builds your store: do not pay for level three before level one starts to hurt.

Selling abroad: what changes on the wholesaler's side

If your store sells outside Poland, the same wholesaler has to answer a few extra questions.

Shipping. The parcel travels from the wholesaler's warehouse in Poland to a customer abroad. Check which countries the supplier ships to at all, for how much and how fast — some wholesalers serve the domestic market only.

Currencies. You sell to customers in euros, while the wholesaler invoices you in złoty or in euros — establish which currency the invoices come in, because the exchange-rate risk sits with you.

VAT OSS. For consumer sales to other EU countries there is a combined threshold of EUR 10,000 per year; below it, Polish VAT applies (23% standard rate). Above it you charge the VAT of the customer's country — and the OSS procedure lets a Polish-registered business settle it in one place, through Poland's e-Tax Office (e-Urząd Skarbowy), instead of registering in every country separately. This settlement sits on your side, not the wholesaler's, but it is worth knowing about before foreign sales take off.

Returns. Where does a customer in Germany send the goods back? A return address in Poland raises the cost and tests the customer's patience — agree the rules for international returns with the wholesaler before you launch.

A checklist before signing with a supplier

Print this list and run through it with every wholesaler you are considering. If a point cannot be established — that is an answer too.

• Product data: I have seen a sample — the photos, descriptions and EAN codes are fit for my store.

• Integration format: I know whether the wholesaler provides an API, an XML/CSV feed, FTP or a store export — and I have the documentation or a sample file.

• Stock levels: I know how often stock and prices are updated.

• Dispatch time: the declared dispatch time is written into the terms of cooperation.

• Returns: I know who accepts returns, at what address and under what procedure.

• Cross-border: I know which countries the wholesaler ships to, for how much and how fast.

• Formal requirements: I know whether a registered business is required and what minimum conditions apply.

• Margin: calculated on specific products, including shipping and the cost of returns.

Eight ticked boxes do not guarantee success, but every unticked one is a specific risk you will discover after launch — when fixing it costs the most.