Welcome to my Dan Vas Shopify Freedom review. Suppose you’ve watched any of Dan’s Youtube videos or seen the ads for his programs. In that case, you might already know that he has programs for both Shopify and Amazon FBA.
He seems like a smart young guy who prefers the quiet scenic life over the flashy materialistic things that usually drive folk toward these get-rich-quick promises. (Hate to break it to ya, but there’s no such method).
Before we jump into the Shopify Freedom review, it’s crucial to mention two important factors. Firstly, I’m not an affiliate for Dan’s course or any other dropshipper, for that matter. This means I’m free to give you an honest, unbiased review.
Secondly, I got into dropshipping a few years back, and I found relative success BUT I wouldn't recommend it anymore. The only real money in dropshipping seems to be selling courses. With the rising frustrations in dropshipping, I pivoted into Local Lead Generation, which is easily my #1 online business model recommendation for 2021 and beyond.
1. What is Shopify Freedom?
Shopify Freedom is a dropshipping course that offers to turn you into a mega-dropshipper.
The course is broken down into the following components: 9 modules, consisting of 75 videos, of just over 10 hours.
This is what Shopify Freedom claims to offer you:
Unlimited Lifetime 24/7 Access
- True. You have unlimited access to the course and a private Facebook group.
Over 75 Hours+ of Step By Step Video
- Bit of contention here: it's 75 videos, not hours...
Complete Training Divided Into 9 Modules Showing You Everything You Need To Start A Successful 6-7 Figure eCommerce Business.
- True, although it's not everything you need to "start a successful 6-7 figure eCommerce business." There are a lot of varying factors that determine your dropshipping success. Knowing how to start is just one of many steps.
Downloadable PDFs + Key Points Below Every Single Course Video Helping You As You Go
- True, these are included.
Complete Plan of Action and Full Expert Mentorship + Guidance
- I'm wary of the word "complete" attached to courses. It might be "complete" in the course instructor's opinion. Still, not even 4-year college degrees are "complete" in the sense that they teach you everything and that it's fool-proof...
- You get mentorship and guidance from the FB Group.
Unlimited Mentorship With Dan Vas Via His Personal Private Facebook To Ask Any Questions You Have With Shopify & Online Business
- Google Dan's mentorship, and you find that some students complain about this. You post questions to Dan on FB Messenger. The answers he offers are always Yes/No or very curt and definitely not detailed.
- It's understandable when you have thousands of students (you have to include his Amazon Freedom Course students as well, who also have "unlimited mentorship" from him.)
BUT: Don't advertise something you cannot deliver on. Dan does not offer you the one-on-one mentorship as you would expect...
There's also:
- True, you have access to the Group Calls. Just don't expect your questions to be answered, as there are hundreds of other students also on the call.
Access to Private Facebook Community To Ask Questions and Receive Additional Support
- True. Expect feedback and support to be from fellow group members though, not from Dan.
BONUS: Millionaire Mindset Secrets Course Access to a COMPLETE Mindset Course with Dan Vas unreleased anywhere else ($2,497 Value)
- True, it is unreleased anywhere else. It is however, in the same vein as Dan's YouTube videos on the subject, so don't know about exclusivity...
2. Who is Dan Vas?
For Dan, it all started in early 2017, when he opened his first eCommerce business with Amazon. After a few failures and some success, he started a dropshipping store in 2018.
And the Amazon Freedom Course.
(Just between us, a year is not enough time to make you a "master" at something. Unless he's a savant.)
He created branded stores that offer 2-3 day fast shipping, have high-quality products, logos and custom product packaging, which was "never before seen with Shopify."
Sorry to say, but that is a ridiculous claim.
Successful dropshipping companies have been doing this for years. Gymshark for example, have been dropshipping and building their brand with their own packaging and short shipping times since 2012...
Anyway. Dan says he's made a lot of money. (Most of it on Amazon, I'm sure, and even more from his courses, but let's give him the benefit of the doubt). Because of this, it qualifies him to teach you how to do the same. Fair enough.
The question is whether he can deliver on all his promises. We'll get to that later.
Dan enjoys a very healthy following on Social Media, with accounts on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
3. How does Dropshipping Work?
That kind of freedom seems like the life, doesn't it? That’s what Dan’s course hints at, right? Shopify FREEDOM…
Dropshipping is merely a form of supply chain management.
Supply chain management (SCM) is the management of the flow of goods and services from production to consumption.
It involves the movement and storage of raw materials, of the work-in-process inventory, and the finished goods from the point of origin to the point of consumption.
That's the big difference between dropshipping and other forms of online retailing.
So, instead of keeping stock, a dropshipper merely passes on the order received from the customer, to the supplier. The supplier fulfills the order by shipping the product to the customer.
4. Is Dropshipping Legit or a Scam?
Some get lyrical about it, pointing out the amount of (dare I say "instant"?) millionaires that dropshipping has created.
Then there are those who believe it to be a terrible business model. Some even call dropshipping a scam.
5. How much does Dan Vas's Course Cost? Any Specials?
Thus, in terms of value for money, it's not bad.
Dan already rushes through things, but the content itself is nowhere near as thorough as more well-known courses.
If you are just starting out, like Dan & you have $500 that's burning a hole in your pocket, then you can consider this course. There are better courses out there though.
Pros of Shopify Freedom
6. Successful Dropshipper
Although it’s cleverly worded it does still appear that he does or did have some actual success with his Shopify stores.
7. Will get you started
So all in all the course does have some value I’ll not take that away from Dan.
The Facebook section is relatively detailed (compared to the other sections) & will provide you with more than one strategy…which is a bit more than most other dropshipping courses will offer.
8. 24/7 Private Chat Group with lifetime access.
9. Two Hours of Bi-Weekly LIVE Mentorship Group Calls
Cons of Shopify Freedom
10. Not the most comprehensive dropshipping course
He doesn’t really have any extensive discussion on any of his topics. All the sections are small & barely touching on the broader aspects.
11. Steep price tag for what you get
This is just an extension really of the above mentioned…
12. Too much filler material
13. Not the best business model
There are too many problems that just smacks you right in the face when it comes to dropshipping.
Concluding Thoughts
14. Do Dan's Students Actually Make Money?
Well as with any of these dropshipping testimonials you are never given the actual amount of profit made… It’s very easy to say “look at this account!! There’s x amount of sales made!!!”… yeah that’s great but it still means nothing to me… Because if x is your total sales that means that y would be your expenses & z your profit… So if your only showing me x that means z is a lot smaller than you would like me to believe…
15. Who's a Good Fit for Shopify Freedom?
Dan says that his course is for people who want to change their lives, and who aren’t afraid to do so. It’s for action-takers!
And… From the FAQ section:
“Do I have to do this full time to succeed? Or can I do this on the side?
You can do this alongside any job you have or any studies.
To give you an example, when I started with online business, I was still in school, working a 9-5 job, and I only had 1-2 hours per night to work on finding the right product and starting my business.
It all depends on if you make time for it. There are plenty of people who start who have 9-5 jobs, families, kids, who are enrolled in college, and reach massive success after some time because they prioritized their learning, and took action.”
16. What alternatives are there to Dan's Shopify Freedom?
They have fantastic content & should you like what they are teaching & wanna get more insight they have a $99 course with quality content that far surpasses that of Shopify Freedom.
Another YouTuber that I would highly recommend is The Ecom King.
Pros and Cons of Shopify Freedom
The Good and Bad of Dan Vas's Course
When you look at the sales blurb, the course looks to tick all the boxes. It covers everything and even deals with more than one FB Ads scaling strategy, building a long-term business that focuses on branding and even offers "mentoring".
Dan talks a lot about mentoring, but I've come across a few online forums where students claim that Dan does not answer their questions as promised. He answers infrequently via Messenger and often in a vague way. Apparently, he also tends to ban people from the group...
In conclusion, the course is a bit of a hit-and-miss for me, especially since most of the course content can be found on YouTube for free. The few insider tips that Dan offers, is not worth the $497.
There are also some disturbing rumors of Dan being sued & quite a lot of really angry people out there…if interested you can view the article here.
So maybe really consider all your options carefully on this one…
How Does Dropshipping Stand up to Others? Like Affiliate Marketing, Lead Generation?
18. Entry
There are 5 characteristics that distinguishes a sustainable business from one with is not. Entry is one of these.
What is Entry? Entry or (Barrier to Entry) refers to how difficult is it to start a particular business.
Dropshipping stinks to hills of shortcuts & BS. The over-saturated market should tell you this loud & clear.
19. Control
What I mean by this is, if there is someone out there that can make a decision higher up the food chain & your profits went
Yes? Then it’s time to reconsider my friend…
Great example of this is Amazon who recently cut their affiliate commissions by almost half.
Suppliers running out of stock, delivery orders being delayed, ad costs being constantly pushed up - you name it…
Dan Vas's Course works, but Generating Leads is Better, Here's Why:
It used to be. In 2017, it was possible to make a lot of money with only a little bit of input. Dan Vas says he started only in 2018 and still made a killing. BUT…
Don't get me wrong, there is still money to be made from dropshipping.
The problem with dropshipping in 2020 and going forward, is that the game has changed considerably over the last few years.
There are fewer (new) dropshipping success stories year on year since 2017. You had a lot of people hitting six-figure sales in a month back then, but now, it's a rarity for a new dropshipper to hit five figures within the first six months to a year.
(The Above Reddit thread can be found here.)
A lot of it has to do with people entering a new business model, without doing their homework first. But don't think the answer lies in doing a course and then you'll be successful.
A lot of it also has do to with your work ethic and determination. Dropshipping is not as easy as it used to be.
You have to know exactly how to build a brand, run Facebook campaigns, how much to spend, when to spend, when to scale, how & when to re-target, and much more.
You can't learn these things overnight and you will only master some of it after your own trials and errors.
It comes with experience. That's something a course can't teach you.
I know of a dropshipping store that made $48k in ONE MONTH! Sounds amazing, right? (You can read about my mentor's case case study here.)
Now , he only makes $5k a month, if I'm lucky, from dropshipping and that is with a lot more experience than I had back then.
When he made the $48k in one month, he also put in a lot less effort than he does now. More proof (to me at least), that it's more difficult to make money from dropshipping in 2021.
If dropshipping, is a dead end where to from here?
Luckily it's not all doom and gloom!
I have an alternative that makes me more passive income per month than dropshipping ever has.
Literally anyone can get into dropshipping with hardly any effort or upfront cash. Regardless of what you're selling, you'll likely be competing with millions of other sellers in an extremely saturated market.
Plagiarism is rampant in dropshipping. It's far too easy for your competitors to copy your ads, your sales funnels, and even your Shopify store. Be assured that if you find a successful product, you will be copied and then undercut by your competition.
Advertisements have no guarantee of being profitable - and one should expect to occasionally have campaigns that fall short of expectations (which can cost thousands of dollars).
Facebook's ad prices have doubled this last year. Successful dropshippers can expect to profit roughly 8-15%, which only really works if you're selling major volumes of product.
The key to long term wealth is in building and owning valuable assets, but with dropshipping, you own nothing. You're an enslaved middleman to Shopify, Facebook, and Google. Their ad and metrics systems are unreliable and ever changing - and account deactivations are a way of life in eCommerce.
Ads must be developed and then monitored - and failing to do so could mean unprofitable ads or, even worse, ad account suspension.
Trending items are most often the only products that have a profitable ROI. Many businesses meet their ends on the fall of whatever trend they were capitalizing on.
Shipping from China takes six weeks, so expect lots of customer complaints and chargebacks (which are deducted from your bank account).
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