There is no doubt that Oberlo is one of the most popular dropshipping platforms used by several entrepreneurs. Thanks to its tight integration with the powerful Shopify.
Oberlo allows you create an account for free. With a free Oberlo account, you can import up to 500 products to your Shopify store. If you need advanced offerings like higher product limits, bulk orders, tracking of shipments, multiple staff accounts, or affiliate programs – you need to upgrade to one of its paid plans.
Oberlo offers two paid plans named Grad and Boss. While the Grad plan comes at $7.90 per month, Oberlo’s Boss plan is available for $29.90 per month.
After you create an account with Oberlo and connect your store, you can start importing items to your store. And if you care about the source of goods, Oberlo users can import items from AliExpress.
As a brief primer, AliExpress is a China-based marketplace. If you check this Chinese marketplace, you will find many different vendors selling several items across niches. You may also be surprised to find rock-bottom pricing of the products listed there.
But, it is important to note, Chinese goods may be cheaper but do not expect strict quality control. In other words, you should be ready to process several return and refund requests if the product quality is not acceptable to your customers. If you want to use Oberlo or AliExpress for your dropshipping business, I will advise you to test samples.
Moreover, the vendors listed in Oberlo have different service and shipping options. So, it is advised to complete a first-hand quality check of your supplier and the product.
Why do you need an Oberlo alternative?
Although, you can find several inexpensive items to sell using the Oberlo dropshipping platform – there are several different reasons why you may need to look for an alternative to Oberlo.
Here are a few of the limitations of the Oberlo platform.
eCommerce Platform Supported by Oberlo
This is the most important limitation of the Oberlo platform. Oberlo works only with the Shopify eCommerce platform.
While Shopify is a robust eCommerce platform and we recommend it as the most mature hosted eCommerce platform, there may be reasons why you cannot use it.
For example, if you already have a store running on the WooCommerce platform, are you going to change your eCommerce platform only because Oberlo does not support it? I doubt!
Product Quality in Oberlo
Chinese items are inexpensive. But, at the same time, you cannot expect any strict control over the product quality.
How is that going to impact you?
If your customers receive defective items or goods having unacceptable quality, be prepared to process refunds and returns. Not only this adds to the hassles of running your dropshipping business. But, also result in monetary loss.
Branding in Oberlo
It is expected that a dropshipping supplier fulfills an order under the brand of the dropshipping store. If you can add a custom invoice to your shipment, it can help you to promote your brand.
Unfortunately, we did not find any easy option to send branded invoices with your shipment using Oberlo.
Oberlo suggests sending a note to your supplier informing them that you are dropshipping. And that you do not want your supplier to include invoices or their own promos with the shipments.
As you can understand, a simple note may stop Oberlo suppliers from sending their own promos, but they are never going to send your branded invoices either. Right?
Shipping Time of Oberlo Suppliers
As we discussed, suppliers in Oberlo are primarily based out of China. This is not a problem if your customers are also based out of the same geography.
However, if your customers are located in geographies like the United States, or Europe – the shipping time can increase manifold.
If you are looking for an alternative to Oberlo for any of these reasons, this post is definitely going to end your search. In this article, we are going to look at five powerful dropshipping platforms that can replace Oberlo and give you better results as an alternative.
Best Oberlo Alternative for Dropshipping
In this article, we will discuss about the following alternatives to Oberlo for your dropshipping needs:
Spocket As An Oberlo Alternative
Spocket is a newcomer in the world of dropshipping platforms which you can use as a marketplace to choose reliable suppliers for your dropshipping business.
The most important difference between Spocket and Oberlo is, Spocket is not tied only to the Shopify eCommerce platform.
In our review of Spocket, we had discussed about this platform in detail. Here is a gist of crucial differences.
eCommerce Platforms Supported By Spocket
Spocket supports the following storefront technologies:
- Wix
- WooCommerce
- BigCommerce
- SquareSpace
- Ecwid
- Shopify
In other words, you can use Spocket if your online shop runs on any of these supported platforms.
Sourcing and Product Quality in Spocket
The unique selling point of the Spocket dropshipping platform is that it lists only quality products from US and EU suppliers on its catalogs.
Of course, this may result in a little more expensive items. But it also assures you better quality control.
Moreover, according to testimonials, Spocket delivers items having better quality than its competition. The suppliers are vetted. Interviewed and evaluated.
Shipping Time with Spocket
As most of its suppliers are based out of the United States and Europe, the shipping time will be considerably less if your customers belong to these geographies.
The general user feedback also suggests that Spocket usually has better quality control and a faster shipping time than Oberlo.
Branding with Spocket
If you are concerned about branding, paid Spocket subscriptions easily let you customize invoices to boost your brand.
But note that branded invoicing is currently not available for all suppliers on Spocket. You must check the product description and find out if the supplier supports branded invoicing.
Spocket Pricing
Like Oberlo, you can create an account with Spocket for free. The free plan is more than sufficient to test the system.
As you scale up your business or if you find it necessary to use the advanced features of Spocket, you can upgrade to one of the paid plans.
Spocket offers you four paid subscriptions starting from $24 per month. All four plans come with a 14 day trial period.
You get an additional discount if you opt for the annual plan. Lets us see the different pricing plans of Spocket.
Spocket Starter
- The Starter Plan is available at $24 per month.
- In this offering, you can add up to 25 unique items.
- You can have unlimited orders.
- You can access the Email Support of Spocket.
- You get a real-time update of the inventory.
- There is support for currency exchange.
- You can define global pricing rules.
- You can track details of all shipments using Tracking Number.
Spocket Pro
- Spocket’s pro option costs $49 per month.
- You can add up to 250 unique items.
- You can also add up to 25 premium items.
- You can send custom and branded invoices to your customers.
- You get access to Spocket’s premium 24/7 chat support.
- If you subscribe to the Pro Plan, you also get access to exclusive deals from Spocket.
- Spocket’s Pro plan members can make use of Spocket’s premium search utility.
- Plus you get everything in the Starter Plan.
Spocket Empire
- Spocket’s Empire offering costs $99 per month.
- In this option, you can have up to 10000 unique goods imported to your store.
- You are also allowed to import up to 10000 premium items.
- You can process unlimited orders.
- You can access all and unlimited premium items.
- You can connect with the premium 24/7 chat support of Spocket for any issues or concerns.
- Besides, you also get everything present in the Pro Plan.
Spocket Unicorn
- The Unicorn plan is available for $299 per month.
- With this, you can use bulk checkout functionality.
- Spocket assigns a dedicated account executive to all Unicorn plan subscribers.
- You can reach out to Spocket’s premium 24/7 chat support.
- Moreover, any Unicorn Plan member can even request a specific product if it is not present in Spocket’s catalog.
- Besides, you get everything present in the Empire Plan of Spocket.
Overall, Spocket has several impressive features that can let you run a sustainable dropshipping business successfully.
In short, you should use this easy, free, and intuitive dropshipping platform as an alternative to Oberlo if:
- You run your store on WooCommerce, Shopify, BigCommerce, or any other supported platforms.
- You care for your branding and prefer to send custom invoices.
- You are more concerned about the product quality and do not want to compromise the quality for the price.
Topdser As Oberlo Alternative
Topdser, like Oberlo, works only with Shopify. Moreover, the similarities do not end here. Topdser also sources items from Chinese suppliers listed in AliExpress and 1688. It allows you to import these to your Shopify store.
Topdser allows you to start selling for free. In other words, you do not need to sign up for any paid plans to use this platform.
A unique feature of the Topdser platform is its cashback mechanism. If you link your Admitad affiliate account to your Topdser account, you can and receive cashback for eligible orders.
Moreover, it has powerful Google Chrome Extensions which allows you to import any Aliexpress product and place orders with one click.
Some of the key features of the Topdser platform are:
- Easy and fast bulk ordering.
- Huge list of goods to sell.
- Price & Inventory Monitor
- Auto Default Shipping Method
- Supplier Variants Mapping
- One-click Migrate from Oberlo
- Managing multiple Shopify stores.
- Niche spy to find winning items.
Topdser Pricing
Topdser has four different pricing plans.
Jump
- It is a free plan.
- In the Jump tier of Topdser, you can import up to 3000 goods.
- Manage up to 3 different Shopify stores.
- You can access Topdser’s Chrome extension.
- You can use auto order fulfillment.
- You can utilize one-click bulk orders.
Pro
- It comes at $19 per month.
- In the Pro tier of Topdser, you can import up to 20000 goods.
- Manage up to 10 different Shopify stores.
- You can access Topdser’s In-App Order tracking.
- You can access Topdser’s affiliate cashback program.
- Plus, everything in the Jump offering.
Accelerate
- It comes at $99 per month.
- In the Pro tier of Topdser, you can import up to 150000 goods.
- Manage up to 50 different Shopify stores.
- Plus, everything in the Accelerate tier.
Scale
- It comes at $499 per month.
- In the Scale Plan of Topdser, you can import unlimited goods.
- Manage an unlimited number of Shopify stores.
- Plus, everything in the Accelerate plan.
We encourage you to visit the Topdser website and check the more comprehensive details of the different pricing plans.
Branding with Topdser
The area in which Topdser particularly signs is the way it allows you to promote your brands. Apart from custom invoices, you can contact support to create customized packaging tapes, stickers, and branded packaging for your shipments.
Private Storage with Topdser
Topdser also offers you a feature called Private Storage. With private storage, you can pre-purchase items and stock them in your private inventory. Though this is not a typical practice in dropshipping business, this is a feature that you must be aware of.
With private storage, you can eliminate out-of-stock messages and ship orders faster. Moreover, you can stock up your hot products at a lower price without lowering the product price.
Now, who should use Topdser?
You should use Topdser as an alternative to Oberlo if:
- You plan to sell inexpensive items sourced from AliExpress.
- You are running your store on Shopify and want more branding options than Oberlo.
- You are impressed by the affiliate cashback feature.
- You are keen to explore the private storage functionality.
ShopBase As Oberlo Alternative
Unlike Spocket, ShopBase attempts to serve as an all-in-one platform to hide all operational complexities of running a dropshipping business. You can read more about this platform on our in-depth ShopBase review.
In short, ShopBase acts as an integrated solution in the dropshipping ecosystem. With a central dashboard, the ShopBase platform lets you manage your store, list your products, brand them, and even track all fulfillments.
Note that ShopBase is not a drop-in replacement of platforms like Shopify. It was born to serve as a cross-border channel made for users who want to start dropshipping.
ShopBase lets you can dropship white-labels and print-on-demand products fast. Unlike platforms like Spocket, though, you can manage your entire business from a single ShopBase dashboard.
Branding and Customization using ShopBase
Just like any other complete dropshipping platform, ShopBase makes it easy to rebrand the products. It allows you to add your logo and customize your invoices or products to completely match your brand.
Using extensions of ShopBase, you can even sell print on demand products like:
- Hoodies
- T-shirts
- Sweatshirts
- Leggings
- Long sleeve shirts
The ShopBase Platform
ShopBase does not need a separate eCommerce platform to run your dropshipping business.
After you sign up, you can create a fast, responsive, and attractive storefront in less than fifteen minutes. You can choose any of the attractive and conversion-optimized ShopBase templates for free and build your store on this platform.
There is native integration between the ShopBase store builder and PayPal, Stripe, and BlueSnap to accept payments. Store owners can also transact using debit and credit cards.
ShopBase gives you unlimited bandwidth on any of its plans. It also offers you a free 256-bit SSL certificate for your store. With a 99% uptime guarantee and unlimited bandwidth, you do not have to worry about your server.
In short, with ShopBase you get
- A conversion-optimized online store builder.
- Free migration with the ShopBase app.
- Ability to store up to 1000 product variants.
- Tools to import products in bulk.
- An inbuilt abandoned cart recovery system.
- Integration with global order fulfillment services.
ShopBase Pricing
ShopBase does not have any free plan. But, you will get 14 days to try the platform for free. Moreover, you can sign up for free without the need for your credit card details.
You can signup for ShopBase with the following simple steps.
- Visit ShopBase.
- Create a free account with your email address.
- Customize your store and start selling.
ShopBase has three different pricing plans. If you want to continue using ShopBase after your trial ends, you must upgrade to one of its three paid plans.
Let us first look at the common features of the three ShopBase plans.
With every ShopBase plan, you will get
- Access to the online store builder.
- Ability to upload unlimited products.
- No restriction on the volume of sales.
- Unlimited bandwidth.
- 24/7 customer support.
- AliExpress drop-shipping app and support.
- Automatic synchronization with PayPal and Stripe.
- Ability to auto-import products via a CSV file.
- Exclusive Print-on-Demand support.
- A fraud analysis report.
- Free SSL certificate.
- ShopBase’s upsell and cross-sell tools.
- Abandoned cart recovery.
The three ShopBase plans differ only in:
- Transaction fee that ShopBase charges for your shop.
- Staff accounts you can have for your store.
| Features | Base | Standard | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price | $19 | $59 | $249 |
| Staff Accounts | 5 | 10 | 100 |
| Transaction Fee | 2% | 1% | 0.5% |
You can avail of an upfront 10% discount when you opt for the annual plan. And if you sign up with our affiliate link, you get another 20% discount! Signup with this link and apply the coupon subscription20 to claim your discount.
Special Features of ShopBase
Unlike most eCommerce platforms, all templates are free for ShopBase users. At present, there are six templates available. Of course, this is considerably fewer than platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce.
But, what you must note is all ShopBase templates come with every required eCommerce page. In other words, you can launch your ShopBase store and go live with a click. All these ShopBase templates are responsive, Search Engine Optimized, and fully customizable.
Moreover, ShopBase does not have hundreds of plugins, apps, or extensions like the other popular eCommerce platforms. This is because most of the features that you usually get using plugins and extensions are actually available in ShopBase right out of the box.
Besides, you also get a mobile app to manage your store from your mobile device.
ShopBase is the right alternative for your business if:
- You are looking for a unified platform to manage your business end to end.
- You also prefer a mobile app to manage your business.
- You want to sell both custom print-on-demand products and white-labels products from suppliers.
We encourage you to visit the ShopBase website and check its features to find out if it suits your needs.
Printful as Oberlo Alternative
Unlike Spocket or Oberlo, Printful is a platform that lets you sell custom merchandise based on your own design. If you wish to know more about its features, please check our review of Printful.
In short, Printful is a print-on-demand platform that helps you to sell white-label custom products. With its fulfillment centers in Europe and North America, Printful can ship your custom products worldwide.
All you need is your design in a supported digital file format.
After you create your Printful account and upload your design, Printful can manufacture a product based on it whenever you place the order. Moreover, Printful handles all hassles of shipment and fulfillment under your brand.
Note that you do not need to order products in bulk or stock them in your inventory. Printful can process and ship even a single order. To make things more impressive, there are no monthly fees. Printful charges you only when you place an order.
Platforms Supported By Printful
Printful is one of those platforms that integrate seamlessly with most eCommerce platforms.
Some of the platforms with which Printful can integrate are:
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
- Magento
- BigCommerce
- Prestashop
- Ecwid
Printful also integrates with platforms like Gumroad and Webflow. If your eCommerce platform is not listed here, do check out the Printful website for the latest list of integrations.
Moreover, Printful supports integrations with online marketplaces like Amazon, Etsy, eBay, and others.
Branding Using Printful
Printful lets you add custom labels on apparel and other related categories helping in promoting your brand.
You can even include pack-ins like flyers, business cards, or stickers with your shipments. All you have to do is mail these pack-in items to Printful for storage. Printful will ensure to include these flyers inside the packaging box during shipment. Note that this is a chargeable service though.
In short, Printful has several really amazing features that can help to establish your brand.
Printful Pricing
Printful does not need you to pay any recurring monthly fee. You can signup for free and start using the platform right away.
With Printful, you pay only when you place an order.
There are two transactions for every order that uses Printful for fulfillment:
- Your customer pays you for the order on your storefront.
- Printful charges you for fulfillment.
Quality of Printful Products
The product quality is something that distinguishes it from its competitors. In general, customer feedback suggests that Printful products are usually of high quality with a lower rate of complaints.
Printful caters to almost all major print-on-demand product niches. For example, you can create and sell products from the following categories:
- Clothing: T-shirts, Hoodies, Sweatshirts, Leggings, Shorts, Tank tops, Polo shirts, Long sleeve shirts.
- Accessories: Stickers, Phone cases, Bracelets, Necklaces.
- Bags: Tote bags, Laptop cases, Drawstring bags, Backpacks, Fanny packs.
- Home & Living: Coffee mugs, Blankets, Pillows, Posters, Canvas prints, Bean bags, Beach towels, Embroidered aprons.
- Collections: Sportswear, Streetwear, Workwear, Beachwear.
Recently, Printful has also introduced face masks in its catalog.
These products are available in different variants and the price of your product will depend on the variant ordered.
In short, Printful is the right alternative for you if:
- You want to sell custom print-on-demand products.
- You care about the product quality.
- You want to establish a unique brand using Printful’s brandable and white-label fulfillment process.
We encourage you to visit the Printful website to review all its features and decide if it is the best Oberlo alternative for you.
Printify As Oberlo Alternative
Like Printful, Printify is another platform that lets you sell custom merchandise. For a complete review of the Printify platform, you can check our Printify review.
But, unlike Printful, it does not manufacture merchandise in-house. Instead, Printify connects store owners with reputable print providers across the globe.
While the printing partners manufacture the custom products, Printify automates and manages order processing, fulfillment, and delivery. So, as a store owner, you can eliminate all these hassles and can focus on scaling up your business.
Printify Products
When it comes to the product catalog, Printify has an enviable broad catalog for you to choose from. In other words, Printify lets you choose and sell products from almost every possible print-on-demand niche.
For example, you can sell your custom print-on-demand products from the following categories:
Men’s Clothing – T-Shirts, Hoodies, Sweatshirts, Long Sleeves, Tank Tops, Sportswear, Shoes, and Flip-flops.
Women’s clothing – T-Shirts, Hoodies, Sweatshirts, Long Sleeves, Tank Tops, skirts, Sportswear, Pants, Swimsuits, Shoes, Flip-flops, and High-heels.
Kid’s clothing – T-Shirts, Hoodies, Sweatshirts
Baby – Bibs, bodysuits
Accessories – Face mask, phone case, socks, underwear, hats
Bags – Tote bags, Fanny packs, backpack, laptop sleeves, duffel bag, drawstring bags, school backpack, accessory pouch, weekender bag.
Other – Custom Pin Buttons, Watch Band, Apron, Bag Tag, Poly Scarf, Dog Tag
Home and Living – Posters, Calendars, Ceramic ornaments, Wood Canvas, Art Print, Wall Clocks, Tapestries, Gallery Wraps, Beach Towel, Bath Mat, Polycotton towel, Shower curtains, Blankets, Comforters, Pillow covers, pet beds, coffee mugs, can holder, tumbler, waterbottles, lamps, bowls.
Stationery – notebooks, greeting cards, postcards, mousepad, journals, stickers, and magnets.
Quality of Printify Products
As we have just seen, Printify acts as a marketplace where you can find and choose a suitable printer partner. In short, Printify does not have an in-house printing mechanism like many other POD platforms.
This is, of course, an easy option to have different choices to choose a printer. But the drawback is, you cannot expect strict quality control resulting in often inconsistent product quality.
Branding and Customization using Printify
In general, Printify ships all manufactured products as are white-label items. In other words, the products or shipment packages do not carry any mention of Printify or the printers.
If you wish, you can also add custom labels to the garments.
But, you must note that Printify operates with a network of printers. So, the extent to which you can customize a product will vary based on your selected printer.
Platforms Supported By Printify
Like most of the platforms listed in this article, Printify has native integrations with multiple sales channels and eCommerce platforms.
For example, Out-of-the-box, Printify has integrations with:
- Shopify
- Etsy
- eBay
- Prestashop
- BigCommerce
- Wix
- WooCommerce
Moreover, Printify offers you powerful APIs. So, if you do not find any ready integration between Printify and your store builder – you can create your own.
Pricing of Printify
Like Printful, Printify also lets you start using the platform for free. Besides, the free plan, you can also choose from two different premium plans for added benefits.
A few of the common features for all its Printify plans are:
- You can use the powerful mockup generator.
- You can avail of the robust integrations with any of the supported platforms.
- If you prefer, you can also place orders manually.
- You can 24×7 support from Printify.
Features of Printify Free plan
- You do not need any upfront investment.
- You do not pay any monthly fees.
- You pay only for the services you use.
- You can have unlimited product designs.
- You can connect with up to 5 stores.
Features of Printify Premium plan
- In this tier, you can connect up to 10 storefronts.
- You need to pay $29 per month to Printify.
- You can have unlimited product designs.
- You get up to 20% discount on all products.
Features of Printify Enterprise Plan
The Enterprise offering is a custom-tailored plan suitable for bigger businesses processing more than 10000 orders in a day.
- It works on a custom pricing model.
- You can have unlimited product designs.
- You can connect with unlimited storefronts.
- You get up to 20% discount on all products.
- You get dedicated customer support.
You can choose Printify as an alternative to Oberlo if:
- You intend to sell products that you cannot find in the Printful product catalog.
- You are looking for a cheaper base price for your custom products.
Best Oberlo Alternative
In this article, we have looked into five powerful alternatives to Oberlo that you can use as your dropshipping platform. Here is the summary of these platforms for your ready reference.
| Platform | Free Plan | USP | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spocket | Yes | Quality products from US, EU suppliers. Supports several platforms including Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, etc. | Spocket |
| Topdser | Yes | Like Oberlo, imports products from AliExpress. Offers features like Affiliate cashback and private storage. | Topdser |
| ShopBase | No | All in one platform that lets you start dropshipping in matter of minutes. No need for a different eCommerce platform. | ShopBase |
| Printful | Yes | Robust print on demand platform that lets you integrate with many eCommerce platforms. Powerful branding and fulfillment services. | Printful |
| Printify | Yes | Print-on-demand marketplace that has a broad catalog of products to choose from. Comparatively inexpensive. | Printify |
In general, Printful should be your choice as a platform if you want to sell custom print-on-demand products.
But, for all other business owners, we recommend Spocket as the best alternative to Oberlo for dropshipping.
In short, we found Spocket as the best Oberlo alternative if you are interested in the quality of products. It is a complete platform that can help you to sell unique and quality products from reliable suppliers.
Are you aware of any other powerful alternative to Oberlo? Let us know your comments.
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