That is the question, especially when you’re just starting in e-commerce.
This week in e-commerce, we explored affiliate marketing vs. drop shipping through the lens of selling acoustic guitars in a student startup.
Drop shipping skips inventory and offers solid margins plus pricing/branding control, but guitars complicate things: frequent shipping damage (cracks, warping), costly returns, supplier variability, and heavy time demands on tracking and service make it risky for beginners with limited resources.
Affiliate marketing feels far more practical. We promote via referral links, earn commissions, risk is minimal, and effort goes into content and traffic, making it perfect for students building marketing skills.
Our weighted comparison (emphasizing risk and time) favored affiliate strongly. Peers agreed, highlighting its simplicity and the smart add-on of accessories (strings, picks, capos) for extra revenue streams.
The bigger takeaway: successful online businesses start low-risk. Focus on delivering value through consistent, helpful content, test ideas safely, and grow from there. Affiliate marketing provides that realistic on-ramp, learn what works without the early pitfalls of damaged products or complaints.
Drop shipping has appeal for more control down the road, but for now, affiliate is the smarter foundation.
Honestly, I’m getting so stoked about launching something of my own… though the insecurity is still there. Progress feels real, but the leap still feels big.