Website Developer Needed for UK Dropshipping Platform

1. Project Overview We are building a UK-based dropshipping platform for sellers (dropshippers) who sell on Amazon, eBay, Shopify, Etsy, TikTok Shop, and other marketplaces. The platform will give registered dropshippers access to a product catalogue, downloadable product assets (images + copy), and the ability to purchase stock directly for fulfilment to their own customers — with an added ability to upload their own pre-paid shipping label at checkout so orders ship under the dropshipper's own carrier account/branding. The closest reference model in the market is godropship.co.uk and, more broadly, CJ Dropshipping. We want the core browsing/ordering experience of GoDropship, but built on more reliable, scalable infrastructure, with a cleaner account system and the custom shipping-label feature GoDropship does not offer. 2. Business Context We have a UK-based supply partner who owns physical stock and has access to UK 3PL (third-party logistics) fulfilment. The platform is B2B-facing: our customers are dropshippers/agencies/eCommerce sellers, not end consumers. Sellers will browse our catalogue, download product images and listing copy to use on their own storefronts (Amazon, eBay, Shopify, etc.), then when they get a sale, they place an order with us and we (via the 3PL) fulfil it to their end customer. A key differentiator we want over GoDropship: sellers should be able to upload their own shipping label at checkout (e.g., a label they've already purchased/generated via their own carrier account or a tool like Royal Mail Click & Drop, ShipStation, etc.), so the parcel goes out under their account rather than ours. Long term, we want to build native functionality similar to what tools like AutoDS offer: sellers should be able to connect their own marketplace seller accounts (eBay, Amazon, etc.) directly to our platform, so they can list our products straight to their own store/listings and keep stock/pricing synced automatically — without needing a separate third-party tool. 3. Reference Site godropship.co.uk — UK dropship supplier site. Key things to note from reviewing it: Simple product catalogue by category, "Add to Queue" / bulk order-style browsing, stock levels shown per SKU. Product info (images, descriptions) downloadable for sellers to list on their own stores. Orders can be placed as single orders or uploaded in batch (CSV-style bulk order upload). No account-based storefront personalisation, no shipping label upload, no native marketplace integrations — this is functionality we want to improve on, not just copy. Public reviews of GoDropship raise real complaints (unreliable stock updates, slow support, unclear "UK warehouse" claims). We should treat this as a lesson: our platform must have accurate, real-time stock, clear order status/tracking, and reliable support workflows baked into the CMS/admin — not just the customer-facing catalogue. 4. Core Feature Requirements (Phase 1 — MVP) 4.1 Product Catalogue Product listing by category/subcategory, with search and filters (price, stock availability, category). Each product page shows: images (multiple, high-res, downloadable as a zip), title, description/copy (downloadable as text/CSV), variants (size/colour if applicable), wholesale/dropship price, live stock count. Bulk download option: seller can select multiple products and download all images + copy in one go (important — this is a core GoDropship feature). Admin-side bulk upload/edit of products (CSV import, bulk price/stock updates) — our supply partner or internal team will be managing potentially hundreds/thousands of SKUs. 4.2 Accounts & Access Dropshipper account registration and login (this is a closed/gated marketplace — no public retail checkout, unlike GoDropship's mixed public/wholesale confusion which caused complaints). Account approval workflow (optional): ability to manually approve new sellers before they can see wholesale pricing, if we want to vet who joins. Account dashboard: order history, saved/favourited products, downloaded assets log, account details, saved shipping label preferences. 4.3 Ordering & Checkout Single order checkout (buy one product, ship to one customer address). Bulk order upload (CSV or similar) for sellers processing multiple orders at once — this mirrors GoDropship's batch order feature and is important for sellers with volume. Custom shipping label upload at checkout (this is our key differentiator): At checkout, seller can choose "use our shipping" (we generate/apply our own label via the 3PL) OR "upload my own label" (PDF/image upload of a label they've already purchased). If uploading their own label, the checkout should capture: label file, carrier name, tracking number (if available), and any special handling notes for the 3PL/warehouse team. Order goes into the 3PL fulfilment queue with the correct label attached, ready to print and apply to the parcel. Consider validation: file type restrictions (PDF/PNG/JPG), basic checks that a label was actually uploaded before order submission, and a fallback contact method if the label fails to print at the warehouse end. Standard payment processing (card, and ideally PayPal, since GoDropship reviews flagged PayPal checkout reliability as a pain point — worth getting this right). Order status tracking (processing, shipped, delivered, issue) visible to the seller in their dashboard. 4.4 Admin / Back Office Full product management (add/edit/delete, stock levels, pricing, categories, bulk CSV import/export). Order management: view all orders, order status updates, view/download uploaded shipping labels, flag/manage exceptions (e.g., missing label, stock discrepancy). User/account management: approve new sellers, view seller order history, suspend/ban accounts if needed. Basic reporting: sales by product, order volume, stock movement — enough for our supply partner to manage inventory and for us to track platform usage. 4.5 Non-Functional Requirements Must handle real-time (or near real-time) stock accuracy — this was a recurring complaint about GoDropship and is a trust-critical feature for a dropship platform. Mobile-responsive (many sellers will check stock/orders from phone). Reasonably fast page loads with a large product catalogue (hundreds to low-thousands of SKUs expected). Secure file upload handling for shipping labels (validate file types, scan for malware, size limits). GDPR-compliant handling of seller data and customer shipping addresses. 5. Phase 2 — Future Roadmap (for context, not immediate build) Native marketplace listing feature: sellers should be able to connect their own eBay and Amazon seller accounts (via those marketplaces' APIs/OAuth) directly within our platform, then push our product catalogue straight to their own listings, with stock and pricing kept in sync automatically. This is functionality similar to third-party tools like AutoDS, but built natively into our own platform rather than requiring sellers to use a separate external tool. Possible webhook/API layer so our stock and pricing updates propagate automatically to any connected seller stores/listings. Automated shipping label generation (not just upload) via 3PL/carrier API integration, so "use our shipping" becomes fully automated rather than manual. Possible seller-tiering (e.g., different pricing or perks for high-volume sellers). Please design the initial architecture (especially the data model for products, orders, and stock) with this in mind, even if it isn't built in Phase 1. Retrofitting an API layer and OAuth-based marketplace connections onto a rigid platform later is the main thing we want to avoid. 6. Platform / CMS — Open Question for the Developer We have not committed to a platform or CMS yet and want your recommendation rather than working backward from a tool we've already chosen. Please propose the foundation you think is right, based on the requirements above — in particular: A gated B2B wholesale/dropship portal experience (account approval, wholesale-only pricing, no public retail storefront). Bulk asset downloads (images + copy) and bulk order upload. A custom checkout step — the shipping-label upload — that goes beyond a standard retail checkout flow. A product/order/inventory data model that can support, in future, sellers connecting their own marketplace seller accounts (eBay, Amazon, etc.) to list products and sync stock/pricing directly (see Section 5). Please weigh up the realistic options for us (for example: a custom-built application, a headless/API-first commerce platform, an open-source commerce CMS with custom development, or any other approach you'd recommend) and come back with your proposed platform choice and the reasoning behind it, specifically weighed against: (a) the custom checkout/label-upload requirement, (b) our plan to build native marketplace-connection features later, and (c) reasonable build cost/timeline. We're open-minded on this and want your honest recommendation, not a fit to a preconceived platform. 7. Open Questions for the Developer What platform/stack do you recommend given the requirements above, and why? Rough timeline and cost estimate for Phase 1 (MVP) as scoped in Section 4. How would you architect the shipping-label upload step to be robust for the warehouse/3PL team (e.g., admin view to download and print labels in bulk)? What's your recommended approach for bulk order upload (CSV template, validation, error handling)? How would you structure the product/order data model to make it straightforward, later, for sellers to connect their own eBay/Amazon seller accounts and list products directly — without a rebuild? What ongoing hosting/maintenance costs should we expect post-launch? 8. Assets We Can Provide Access to review godropship.co.uk and competitor sites for UX/feature reference. Product data (images, descriptions, stock feed) from our UK supply partner once platform structure is agreed. Branding if needed for platform styling.