Nike & Adidas are two of the biggest and most lucrative shoe brands in the world. With over 100 million loyal customers worldwide and strong growth momentum year over year, it’s tempting to try making money dropshipping these branded products.
In this article, we’ll answer all of your questions regarding copyright issues when dropshipping Nike & Adidas products, the benefits & drawbacks that come with it, and the 7 best suppliers to help you get started.
Can You Dropship Nike & Adidas Shoes Legally?
It’s possible to dropship Nike shoes legally. To do that, you have to submit an application to Nike to become an authorized marketplace partner. The evaluation process is rigorous, and only a few new distributors are appointed each year. Additionally, you must have a valid business license to be considered.
Nike also states that there is no specific business model or distribution requirement for applications. It means dropshipping can totally be accepted.
In the case of Adidas, you can contact the company via b2bpartnerships@adidas.com to obtain dropshipping permission or visit the Adidas partnership page for more information.
Should You Dropship Nike & Adidas Shoes?
In general, if you’re a beginner dropshipper, we don’t recommend starting your online business journey by dropshipping Nike & Adidas products. It’s true that many people love these brands and are willing to pay significantly more for them, but the risks and drawbacks outweigh the advantages.
For one thing, it’s tough to convince customers that you sell authentic Nike & Adidas sneakers, and shoppers are more likely to go to the official websites to buy them anyway.
For another, you might not be able to obtain proper authorization to advertise them on Facebook or Google. It would also not be possible for you to expand your sales channels to Amazon, eBay, and other marketplaces.
For example, in 2019, Nike announced that it would stop selling its products on Amazon in an attempt to curb counterfeit sales.
Having said that, there’re many websites like StockX, Foot Action, or FootLocker having wild success by reselling Nike & Adidas shoes. Therefore, more experienced dropshippers can still try this niche out.
7 Best Nike & Adidas Dropshipping Suppliers
Here’re the 7 best dropshipping suppliers for Nike & Adidas shoes.
Note: We cannot guarantee that all suppliers in this post send your customers real Nike & Adidas footwear all the time. In many countries like the US and UK, it’s strictly prohibited to sell replicas and knock-offs. So, proceed at your own risk.
1. BigBuy
Having been operating for nearly 10 years, BigBuy is a dropshipping wholesaler as well as an eBay & Amazon dropshipping supplier of over 80K high-quality products in vast categories. They range from home & kitchen, computers & electronics, fitness & sports, health & beauty, fashion & accessories, to children & toys.
Thanks to its volume purchasing, it provides dropshippers with Nike & Adidas sneakers at a very competitive price, even for single units.
The company has warehouses all over Europe, which allow for urgent shipping within 2-4 days to most European and North American countries.
Pros
- Blind dropshipping with your name and company image.
- Fast global delivery with express couriers like GLS, DHL, UPS, TNT, etc.
- 24/48 hours processing times. It’s even possible for your orders to be shipped within the same day.
- Top-notch customer service.
- 24 major languages.
- Accept Paypal and cards for dropshipping orders.
- Automatic order processing and stock syncing.
- Turnkey dropshipping stores filled with BigBuy products and equipped with blogs.
- Integrate directly with Amazon, eBay, Shopify, Prestashop, WooCommerce, Magento, and more.
Cons
- High shipping costs.
- Expensive activation and subscription fees.
Pricing
The one-time activation fee to integrate BigBuy with major eCommerce platforms is anywhere between $129 – $599. Plus, you have to pay an extra $29-$99/month.
2. Griffati
Next, we have Griffati. It’s a luxury & premium dropshipping supplier of Nike & Adidas shoes and sneakers.
Besides, Griffati also features more than 20K fashion clothing dropshipping products from over 300 renowned Italian and international companies.
Armani Jeans, Desigual, Bikkembergs, Brunello Cucinelli, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Diesel, Dsquared, Elisabetta, Franchi, Fendi, Gant, Givenchy, Guess, and Hogan are a few of them.
Pros
- One of the fastest dropshipping suppliers with an average delivery time of 3-5 days via UPS and DHL.
- Product descriptions in 24 languages.
- Discounted prices up to 75%.
- Accept Paypal, major credit cards, bank wire transfers, and Klarna.
- Integrate with Shopify, Prestashop, Woocommerce, and Magento.
Cons
- High shipping costs.
Pricing
In terms of pricing, it’s $190/month to start dropshipping Nike & Adidas products from Griffati.
3. BrandsDistribution
Similar to Griffati, BrandsDistribution is a brand name dropshipping supplier with a catalog of over 120 well-known Italian and international apparel brands.
Apart from Nike & Adidas, some other noteworthy ones are Timberland, Sector, Maserati, Emporio Armani, Diesel, Komono, Michael Kors, Guess, Calvin Klein, and Gant.
Operating since 2006, BrandsDistribution now has as many as 500K high-ticket dropshipping items, which are categorized into clothing, shoes, bags, and accessories.
Pros
- Deliver within 2-10 days to 170+ countries and territories with DHL, FedEx, Poste Italiane, and Boxberry.
- Multilingual and multicurrency management.
- Professional images for marketing campaigns.
- Accept credit cards, PayPal, instant payments (Klarna/Sofort, MyBank), and bank transfers.
- Integrate with Shopify, PrestaShop, WooCommerce, Amazon, and eBay.
Cons
- High shipping fees.
- Low stock on many items.
Pricing
The subscription plans start from €99/month.
4. 365Dropship
Using 365Dropship, you can start selling Nike & Adidas shoes and additional 300K jewelry dropshipping and watches dropshipping items.
The platform has a beginner-friendly but sophisticated UI that gives you the ability to quickly filter and find goods based on shipping countries, price ranges, and profit margins in a few clicks.
Furthermore, with an advanced analytics dashboard, you can easily learn more about your sales activity and optimize your store accordingly.
Pros
- Worldwide delivery within 7-21 days.
- Products usually have free shipping options.
- Accept Paypal, credit cards, and bank transfers.
- Integrate with Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento.
Cons
- Inconsistent shipping times.
- Catalog in English only.
Pricing
It costs $19/month to start a dropshipping business with 365Dropship.
5. InQueStyle
InQueStyle is a Nike & Adidas sneaker dropshipping supplier with over 25 different styles in stock.
By becoming its dropshipping partner, you gain 20% discounts on all purchases, which helps increase your profits significantly.
Pros
- International delivery within 5-20 days via USPS, DHL, and FedEx.
- Low shipping costs (starting from $5.99).
- Free shipping for orders over $75 within the US.
- Professionally written product descriptions and high-resolution product images.
- Accept Paypal and all major credit/debit cards.
Cons
- No in-house dropshipping app.
- Processing times are a bit long (3-5 days on average).
- English only.
Pricing
It’s totally free to use InQueStyle as one of your Nike & Adidas dropshipping suppliers.
6. AliExpress
The next one to find Nike & Adidas shoes is AliExpress – one of the most popular and cheapest dropshipping suppliers in the world.
Operated by the renowned Alibaba Group, the platform lets you find winning dropshipping products in broad dropshipping niches. Most items from AliExpress are from direct manufactures, therefore you can buy them at a very low cost without middlemen markups.
Pros
- Deliver to 200+ countries and regions via AliExpress Shipping, UPS, USPS, FedEx, DHL, EMS, ePacket, China Post Ordinary & Air Mail, and more.
- Shipping fees are usually free.
- Support 10+ major languages.
- Process orders with Paypal, Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, American Express, Wire Transfer, AliExpress Pocket, etc.
- Numerous dropshipping apps supports AliExpress. Oberlo, DSers, Topdser, Dropified, or Importify are a few of them.
Cons
- Not all sellers are reliable.
- Shipping can take up to 45 days.
Pricing
It’s completely free to start dropshipping Nike & Adidas shoes and sneakers from AliExpress. You only have to cover the costs of products and shipping fees.
7. Alibaba
Alibaba.com is the leading factory direct wholesaler with over 100M monthly active users. With the recent launch of the Alibaba Dropshipping Center, you can now start dropshipping from Alibaba with no MOQ.
The company gives you access to a gigantic catalog of Nike & Adidas products of top Chinese dropshipping suppliers and manufacturers.
Pros
- Strict verification and authentication processes for all Chinese suppliers.
- Ship to 190 countries and regions via Couriers, Alibaba Ocean Freight, Alibaba Air Freight, Air Express, and Parcels.
- Trade Assurance to ensure orders are as described and shipped on time.
- Costs of products and shipping fees are negotiable.
- Branding your dropshipping store with private-label/white-label products.
- 18+ major languages.
- Accept credit/debit cards, wire transfers (T/T), PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
- Integrate with Shopify and WooCommerce.
Cons
- High shipping costs on many items.
- Usually long processing and shipping times (15 days at least).
- Not fully optimized for dropshipping yet.
Pricing
Alibaba has no subscription fee.
Conclusion
Before starting dropshipping Nike & Adidas shoes, you should think twice about all the risks and drawbacks that come with it.
Having said that, with appropriate permissions, creative marketing, and proper branding, experienced dropshippers will still be able to compete and make decent money from dropshipping brand name products.
For more information, check out our complete dropshipping checklist to understand how to start a successful dropshipping business.
The rightful owner of The Clever Business. I review & curate the leading suppliers so you don't waste time scouring the internet.