Anyone else noticing how “trending product lists” are low-key misleading new dropshippers?

Hey guys,

I’ve been having a lot of conversations with some beginners I'm guiding on how to launch their Dropshipping brand and scaleup lately, and I’m seeing a common pattern, a lot of people jump straight into selling whatever shows up on “Top 10 Trending Products This Week” lists. Don’t get me wrong, trending lists can be a starting point, but relying on them alone… that’s where things get messy.

Here’s what I’ve noticed: Most trending lists don’t match the actual audience you’re trying to attract. A product “trending globally” doesn’t mean it’s trending among your potential buyers. And even worse: people pick the product, build a store around it, and only after launching realize their audience doesn’t care. Then they start tweaking everything except the validation process, which was the root problem from day one.

Honestly, I feel like a lot of beginners skip the boring but important steps, checking search intent, validating with data, studying what current sellers are doing, analyzing scroll-stopping creatives, checking pricing gaps, etc.

What do y'all think? Is relying on trending lists actually holding new store owners back from discovering products that would’ve worked better for their audience?

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