What is the ruling on dropshipping, where a seller lists products in an online shop that they do not own, then buys them from a supplier and ships them directly to the buyer?
The ruling
Contemporary scholars differ on this kind of sale. The view I prefer is that some of its forms are permissible, and I consider it a form of salam (forward sale).
A salam sale is the sale of a described item owed as a liability, that is, which you do not own, whose price is paid in advance and which is delivered later.
Its conditions
There is no harm in it when the following conditions are met:
- The description is set out precisely: quantity, type, quality and so on.
- The delivery time is set precisely.
- The goods are of a kind whose qualities can be specified precisely. This is not possible, for example, with property or animals, whose description and condition cannot be fixed precisely and must be inspected.
- The goods are not of a kind that must be exchanged on the spot and cannot be delivered later, such as exchanging money for money.
Some jurists add another condition, on which they differ: paying the full price at the time of the contract. Some said within three days at most, and some said there is no harm in paying on receipt of the goods. What matters is that both parties agree on when payment is made.
Permissible forms
First: a seller sells a product they do not have. They must specify it precisely, including the price, the delivery time and other details, and it is better to take the price in advance. The seller then buys the product from the supplier and asks for it to be delivered to the buyer at the agreed time.
Second: the seller declares that they are an agent or broker displaying the product, takes only a commission on each sale, and makes this clear to the customer.
Third: the seller buys the product and stores it, either directly or by agreement with the supplier to store it on their behalf, then sells it after owning it.
An example of Sharia-compliant dropshipping
You have a shop selling products you do not hold now, but which are available in stock, either in the main warehouses or in your own. These products do not change quickly, and are not impossible to describe precisely so that they would need inspection, as animals or property do.
On the product page you set out all the details, such as the price, size, specifications and delivery date. The buyer visits your online shop, chooses the product and pays for it; this is better, as it is a condition of salam for many jurists, though there is no harm if they choose to pay on delivery. You, the seller, then buy the product from the supplier and ship it directly to the customer.
What you must observe
- Choose reliable suppliers who offer fast delivery and genuine quality.
- State your delivery policy honestly: the time, delays and returns.
- Describe the product precisely, to avoid gharar or deception.
- Do not give customers the impression that you hold stock if you do not, or if you are not sure it is available in the warehouses, whether yours or the supplier’s.
- Keep to every detail of the contract or sale you agreed with the buyer.
The evidence
- The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever pays in advance should do so for a known measure and a known weight, for a known term.” Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim. This sale can be considered a contract of this kind (salam).
- The hadith “Do not sell what you do not have” does not include goods readily available in the market or the factory, since they exist and there is no fear of their being lost; it is as if they were in your hands, and they take the ruling of what is in your hands.
- There is no disagreement that agency in buying and selling is permissible.
- Removing hardship in modern transactions that cause no harm or dispute. Allah says: “He has not placed upon you any hardship in religion” [al-Hajj 22:78].
- The Hanafis also discuss a contract called istisna‘ (manufacture to order), which most of them permit and treat as a contract distinct from salam, so the conditions of salam need not be met; some forms of dropshipping fall under it.
Among those who hold this kind of sale to be permissible are Shaykh Muhammad al-Hasan al-Dadaw, Shaykh ‘Ali al-Qaradaghi and Dr ‘Abdullah al-Sulami, among other contemporary scholars, with slight differences between them over some forms of the sale.
And Allah knows best.
Director, The Bridge of Wisdom Limited (Sharia Consultancy)DM-2026-007 · 6 October 2026
About the mufti
- Holds ijazahs (formal licences) to issue fatwas and in comparative fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence).
- Postgraduate studies in Usul al-Fiqh (principles of Islamic jurisprudence).
- Member of the Sharia Committee of the Halal Food Council of Europe (HFCE).
- Adviser and mufti to a number of institutions across the Muslim world.
- Scholarly reviewer and editor (muhaqqiq) of books for a number of publishing houses.
- Imam, khatib and lecturer, formerly in Egypt, Malaysia and Indonesia, and currently in the United Kingdom.
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