When I first launched Sāaru, dropshipping was basically the only way I could see it working. Dropshipping means the product ships straight from the supplier to you, rather than being stocked and sent by the store.
Why Dropshipping Made Sense at the Start
I loved the bigger pieces, the furniture, the bedroom sets, the things that look beautiful online but are completely unrealistic to store and ship from a tiny third-floor apartment in Amsterdam. There was no warehouse or team, it was just me. Dropshipping meant I could offer those products without physically handling them, without tying up money I didn’t have, and without pretending I was bigger than I was.
I also really liked the sustainability side of it. If something shipped straight from the supplier to the customer, it didn’t have to go from factory to warehouse, then to me, and then out again. In theory, that meant fewer extra transport journeys and less stock sitting around if it didn’t sell. I liked the idea of not over-ordering or holding inventory that might end up discounted just to clear space. At the time, it felt like the cleaner and more sensible option.
And honestly, I just wanted to get started, which is what dropshipping helped me do.
What Started to Shift
Once orders began coming in, I made my first proper inventory investment: Connetix. I had researched it properly. I’d watched how children actually used the tiles. It wasn’t just another toy; it was something I could see lasting. There's a reason there are so many dupes on the market for the same concept.
It started selling quickly. Way quicker than I had been prepared for at least, and definitely more often than the furniture. More often than most of the third-party fulfilled toys. Parents kept choosing it.
Seeing that side by side told me everything. I probably should have noticed it earlier.
The dropship brands were good, and they were in line with Sāaru’s sustainability and ethics values, but I wasn’t always picking the absolute best options out there. I was choosing from what was accessible through certain suppliers, which naturally comes with limits.
Then I realised that some of the products weren’t even shipping directly from the brands themselves, but through third-party fulfilment centres. That’s when it started to bother me. The wrong item was sent, the packaging didn’t reflect the care I was trying to build into Sāaru, and small mistakes that don’t feel small when someone has trusted you with their order.
I’ve been lucky that a lot of my customers are part of this wider parent community and there’s been patience and kindness while I’ve been figuring things out. I’m genuinely grateful for that. But I don’t want the business to run on just the kindness of my customers; that's not a real strategy.
When I Asked Myself What I Was Actually Building
At some point, I had to ask myself what I was actually trying to build. It was never meant to be a giant online store with everything under the sun. It was meant to make things simpler. Fewer options, better ones. Things that are ethical, sustainable, genuinely played with, and worth buying because they last and hold their value.
That’s hard to do properly when you’ve never even seen half the products in person.
What Holding Inventory Changed
Ordering inventory changed how I felt about the whole thing. Opening the boxes myself, checking the finish with my own hands, seeing exactly how something was packed before it reached someone’s doorstep. It felt heavier in a good way. If something wasn’t right, there was no mystery about where it happened.
I’m still figuring things out. Packaging isn’t perfect. Processes aren’t perfect. They’ll improve as the business grows. But at least now I know what’s coming in and what’s going out.
What Still Ships Directly
I haven’t removed dropshipping entirely. There are still a handful of larger pieces that make sense to ship directly from trusted partners, brands like Goodevas, where the product is simply too big for me to manage personally, and fulfilment comes straight from the brand itself. That works, and it makes sense.
At some point, I realised I was adding products because I could, not because I actually believed they belonged there. And that didn’t feel great.
Why Smaller Feels Better
I’d rather sell less and feel proud of it. It's better to know exactly what’s leaving my hands, and I’d rather tape the box shut and feel confident about what’s inside.
So I tightened the catalogue, and I brought more in-house. I made it smaller on purpose.
