You’ve probably heard of affiliate marketing and dropshipping—two of the most talked-about ways to make money online. But what’s the difference between them? And more importantly, which one is the best option for you as a Nigerian looking to earn quick, easy cash?

These questions matter, especially in a time when side hustles are no longer a luxury but a necessity. Whether you’re trying to boost your income or go full-time with an online business, understanding the pros and cons of affiliate marketing vs dropshipping could be your first step to financial freedom.

By the end of this article, you’ll know exactly what makes these two models different, their pros and cons, and how to get started with Selar’s affiliate network—the best affiliate marketing platform in Nigeria.

What is affiliate marketing?

Affiliate marketing is a performance-based earning strategy where individuals or businesses earn commissions by promoting other people’s products or services. Essentially, you act as a middleman, connecting potential buyers with products or services they need. When someone clicks your unique affiliate link and makes a purchase, you earn a percentage of that sale.

Here’s how it works:

1. You sign up for an affiliate program, like Selar’s Affiliate Network.
2. You get a personalised affiliate link to share.
3. When someone clicks your link and completes a purchase, you earn a commission.

Affiliate marketing leverages your online presence—whether it’s through a blog post, YouTube channel, social media, or email list—to drive traffic to a product or service that aligns with your audience’s needs.

For example, you’re a fitness and lifestyle content creator. You could join an affiliate program for workout gear or supplements. By creating engaging content like workout tips or gear reviews and naturally including your affiliate links, you earn money whenever your readers make a purchase. It’s a win-win: your audience gets valuable recommendations, and you earn from helping them.

Why is affiliate marketing a great option for you?

Here are five strong benefits that make affiliate marketing ideal for Nigerian creators looking to earn online:

1. Affiliate marketing has low startup costs

Starting an affiliate marketing business doesn’t require a lot of capital. You only need a platform to share your links—be it social media, a blog, or even WhatsApp. With platforms like Selar, you can get started for as little as ₦3,000 and start earning from a wide variety of products and services.

2. Affiliate marketing allows for flexibility and freedom

Affiliate marketing fits your lifestyle. Whether you’re a busy parent, a full-time worker, or a student, you can work from anywhere and at your convenience. You control your schedule and effort.

3. Affiliate marketing has great passive income potential

Once your affiliate links are in place, they can earn money for you 24/7. With consistent promotion and valuable content, you could literally make money while you sleep.

4. Affiliate marketing gives you diverse income streams

With affiliate marketing, you’re not limited to promoting just one product or brand. You can diversify your income by affiliating with multiple brands that suit your niche or audience.

5. Affiliate marketing gives you access to a global market

The internet has no borders, and affiliate marketing taps into this advantage. Whether your audience is in Lagos, Nairobi, or New York, you can connect with buyers worldwide and boost your earnings.

Real-life success stories

Take Millicent Bundi, for example. She uses Selar to teach Kenyan women how to earn money online through affiliate marketing. By recommending relevant products and services, she’s making an impact while earning a steady income.

Read Millicent’s story here

Or consider Emmanuel Adanu, who uses Selar’s affiliate marketing tools to earn over $5,000 monthly. His success shows the power of leveraging affiliate networks to build sustainable income.

Read Emmanuel’s story here

If you’re ready to start making money off promoting products for others, check out Selar’s Affiliate Network. For just ₦3,000, you can access a wide range of products and services, alongside high commission rates that can significantly boost your income.

Now, what is dropshipping?

Dropshipping is an e-commerce business model where you sell products online without holding any inventory. Instead of stocking items yourself, you partner with a supplier who handles storage, packaging, and shipping. Your job? Run the online store, market the products, and take orders.

Here’s how it works:

1. You set up an online store or list products on platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, or Jumia.
2. A customer places an order in your store.
3. You forward the order to your supplier, who ships the product directly to the customer.
   

The beauty of dropshipping lies in its simplicity and low upfront cost. You don’t need a warehouse, and you avoid the risks of overstocking or being stuck with unsold inventory. Your primary responsibility is marketing the products and driving sales.

For example, if you want to sell phone cases, you can list them in your store. When a customer orders, the supplier ships directly to them while you pocket the profit (the difference between the supplier’s price and what the customer pays).

This model has gained popularity in Nigeria because it’s a relatively straightforward way to start an online business without large investments or physical space.

Why is dropshipping a great option for you?

Here are five solid benefits of starting a dropshipping business:

1. Dropshipping has low startup costs

You don’t need to buy stock upfront, rent a warehouse, or hire staff. All you need is a device, internet access, and an online store. Many dropshippers start with minimal capital and scale up as they earn profits.

2. Dropshipping does not require inventory management

Forget about storing or managing products. With dropshipping, suppliers handle inventory and shipping, freeing you to focus on marketing and customer acquisition.

3. Dropshipping gives you a wide product range

You can sell almost anything, from clothing and electronics to beauty products and kitchenware. With dropshipping, you’re not limited by what you can store or ship, so you can experiment with different products to see what works.

4. Dropshipping gives you flexibility 

Like affiliate marketing, dropshipping allows you to work from anywhere. You only need a laptop or smartphone and an internet connection to run your store and communicate with suppliers.

5. Dropshipping has a scalable business model

As your store grows, you can increase your product offerings without worrying about logistics. Many dropshipping platforms offer automation tools that make scaling easier.

Now you understand what affiliate marketing and dropshipping are about, we can talk about the differences between affiliate marketing and dropshipping. 

Affiliate marketing vs dropshipping

Choosing between affiliate marketing and dropshipping depends on your goals, resources, and preferences. To make an informed decision, let’s explore their key differences in detail:

1. Cost of entry

One of the best things about affiliate marketing is its low startup cost. You don’t need to buy inventory, pay for shipping, or maintain an online store. For example, joining Selar’s affiliate network costs only ₦3,000, which gives you access to a wide range of products and services with high commission rates. This affordability makes affiliate marketing accessible to almost anyone looking to earn online with minimal investment.

Dropshipping, on the other hand, requires a higher initial investment. Setting up an online store on platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce can involve subscription fees, domain registration, and possibly a designer if you want a professional look. Additionally, you’ll likely need to invest in paid ads to drive traffic to your store, which can quickly add up. While the startup costs aren’t as high as traditional retail, they are still notably higher than affiliate marketing.

2. Inventory management

In affiliate marketing, you don’t deal with inventory at all. You promote products and services, and the seller handles everything else, including stock management, shipping, and customer service. This hands-off approach is ideal for people who prefer simplicity and want to focus solely on marketing and content creation.

Though you don’t stock products in dropshipping, inventory management is still a concern. You need to ensure your suppliers have enough stock to meet demand and that they can deliver products on time. Miscommunication with suppliers or stock shortages can result in delays, unhappy customers, or cancelled orders—all of which can harm your reputation.

3. Risk level

Affiliate marketing is low-risk. Since you’re not investing in inventory or shipping, your financial exposure is minimal. The main risk is putting in effort to promote products that don’t sell well, but even then, you don’t lose money—only time. This makes affiliate marketing a safer choice for beginners or those looking for a side hustle.

Dropshipping carries a higher level of risk. If your supplier delays shipping or sends a low-quality product, your reputation takes a hit since you’re the face of the business. Refunds, returns, or bad reviews can eat into your profit margins, making this model more challenging for those without experience in customer service.

4. Profit model

In affiliate marketing, you earn a commission for every sale made through your unique link. The best part? There are no additional costs beyond your promotional efforts. If you partner with a high-paying affiliate program like Selar’s, which offers competitive commission rates, your earnings can quickly add up without worrying about overhead costs.

With dropshipping, your profit comes from the difference between the price you charge customers and the price your supplier charges you. While this sounds straightforward, it’s common for dropshipping profit margins to be slim, especially in competitive niches. To maintain profitability, you must carefully price your products and keep marketing costs under control.

5. Time commitment

Affiliate marketing is relatively low-maintenance once you’ve set up your content and affiliate links. You’ll need to dedicate time upfront to creating engaging blogs, social media posts, or videos that attract clicks. However, after that, you can earn passive income as people continue to purchase through your links. This makes it a great option for people with limited time to spare.

Dropshipping, on the other hand, demands more ongoing effort. From managing your online store to responding to customer inquiries and handling refunds, the workload can quickly add up. Additionally, you’ll need to monitor ad performance regularly and make adjustments to ensure your store stays profitable.

6. Learning curve

Affiliate marketing is beginner-friendly. With simple tools and platforms like Selar, you can get started quickly. You don’t need extensive technical skills—just a willingness to create content and a knack for promoting products that align with your audience’s interests.

Dropshipping requires a steeper learning curve. You’ll need to understand how to set up and optimize an e-commerce store, run ad campaigns, and manage customer service. For those new to e-commerce, this can feel overwhelming at first, but the potential rewards make it worthwhile for the right person.

7. Scalability

Affiliate marketing is highly scalable. As you grow your audience and build trust, you can promote more products or services across different niches without additional costs. For example, a fitness influencer could expand from promoting workout gear to also recommending healthy meal plans or supplements, multiplying their earnings.

Scaling a dropshipping business requires more investment and effort. You may need to hire virtual assistants, invest in automation tools, or even manage multiple suppliers to handle increased order volume. While dropshipping can scale successfully, it’s often more complex than scaling affiliate marketing.

Which one is right for you?

Ultimately, the choice between affiliate marketing and dropshipping depends on your goals, resources, and preferences.

• If you’re looking for a low-risk, low-cost option that lets you earn passive income by promoting products, affiliate marketing is the way to go.
• If you’re willing to invest time and money into building an e-commerce store and managing customer relationships, dropshipping might be a better fit.

Both affiliate marketing and dropshipping offer great opportunities to make money online. However, affiliate marketing stands out for its simplicity, scalability, and low cost of entry. If you’re still undecided, Selar’s affiliate network is an excellent starting point if you want to dip your toes into online earning. It’s simple, affordable, and offers a wide range of high-commission products to promote.