Spocket vs Oberlo [2021]

Dropshipping is a lucrative business model and needs very little upfront investment. All you need is to integrate your online store with a reliable dropshipping platform like Spocket and Oberlo.

These platforms simplify a dropshipping business with effective automation and their catalog of reliable suppliers.

You can indeed use both Spocket and Oberlo to run your dropshipping business if your online store runs on Shopify. But if you want to choose only the better platform, continue reading.

In this article, we will discuss the differences between Spocket and Oberlo.

Comparison Between Spocket and Oberlo

Here we are going to compare Spocket and Oberlo based on the following criteria:

• Onboarding
• Importing Products
• Branding and Customization
• Platforms Supported
• Sourcing of Products
• Shipping Time
• Pricing
• Summary

Onboarding

To use Spocket or Oberlo in your store, you must first create an account. Here we will discuss the steps you follow to complete the onboarding process.

Getting started with Spocket

Getting started with Spocket is super easy.

1. Head over to the Spocket website.
2. You will notice a button Get Started on the right-hand top. Click on it.
3. Spocket lets you create an account with your name and email. Optionally, you can specify the products you intend to sell.
4. If you prefer, you can also connect to Spocket using your existing Gmail or Facebook account.
5. After you create and activate your account, you must connect your online store with Spocket to start selling.

The take away here is, the onboarding process is super simple. Moreover, Spocket lets you create an account without the need for your credit card details.

Getting started with Oberlo

Onboarding with Oberlo is not a complicated process either.

1. Head over to the Oberlo website.
2. Click on the button Get Oberlo for free.
3. Sign up with an email and password.

As you can see, Oberlo also lets you start without any upfront investment. But it does not allow you to sign up with Gmail or Facebook. So, if you love social logins, Spocket wins. 

With Shopify, you can signup for both Oberlo and Spocket from your Shopify dashboard using the apps as well.

Verdict: Both Spocket and Oberlo need similar effort and investment to create an account. We do not have any clear winner.

Importing Products

After you connect your store to a dropshipping platform, you import products for selling. So, let us see how to import products to your store from Spocket and Oberlo. 

Importing products from Spocket

You can import products to your store from Spocket by following the steps below:

1. Login to your Spocket account.
2. Search the product that you want to sell.
3. Hover over the product listing and click Add to Import List.
4. Next, head over to Import List and view the product.
5. Click on Push to Store to import the products to your store.
6. Finally, visit the Product List page and click on View Listing. This will let you see the item on your Shopify or WooCommerce store.

Import products from Oberlo

When you use Oberlo, you import products to your store with the following steps: 

1. Log in to your Shopify store as the store administrator.
2. If you do not have the Oberlo app installed, install it first.
3. Click on the Oberlo app from the list of installed Apps and search for the product that you are going to sell.
4. Click on Add to Import.
5. After you have added all your products to your import list, review and click on Add to Store.
6. You can even update the price, description, and other product attributes before importing them to your store.

Verdict: Both Spocket and Oberlo have similar features and abilities to import products to your store. It is a tie again. 

Branding and Customization

Your supplier should remain invisible to the end customers to uplift your own brand. In other words, branding and customization are key ingredients of any successful dropshipping business. 

In this section, we will differentiate Spocket and Oberlo on this parameter.

Branding with Spocket

You can set up branded invoicing with Spocket very easily.

1. Log in to your Spocket account.
2. Click on Settings.
3. Navigate to the Branded Invoicing tab and enable branded invoicing.
4. Provide the contact email and phone number.
5. If you are on a paid subscription plan, you can even add your logo and a personalized note. 

Note that branded invoicing is currently not available for all suppliers on Spocket. You must refer to the product description to check if the supplier supports branded invoicing.

Branding with Oberlo

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.

You can set this note in the custom note section of Oberlo with the following steps.

1. Log in to your Shopify dashboard.
2. Click on Oberlo from your list of installed apps.
3. Click on settings and click on suppliers.
4. Scroll down to find the custom note section.
5. Add your note. Oberlo will send this note to the supplier. The default text says – I’m dropshipping. Please DO NOT put any invoices, QR codes, promotions, or your brand name logo in the shipments. Please ship as soon as possible for repeat business. Thank you!

Verdict – Spocket has a definite edge here. A note may stop Oberlo suppliers from sending their own promos, but they are not going to send your branded invoices either.

Platforms Supported

Even if all things are similar, the choice of your dropshipping platform may be limited only because of the eCommerce platforms it supports. It is unlikely that you will change your eCommerce platform only because Spocket or Oberlo does not integrate with it.

Let us tell you the eCommerce platforms you can use with Spocket and Oberlo.

Platforms supported by Oberlo

Oberlo works only with Shopify. In other words, you must have an active Shopify subscription to use Oberlo.

If you run your online store on WooCommerce – you are out of luck. 

Platforms supported by Spocket

Spocket supports Shopify. But, it also supports the WooCommerce platform. 

You can use Spocket if your online shop runs either on Shopify or on WooCommerce.

Verdict: If you run your shop on Shopify, you can use both Oberlo and Spocket. But, you can only use Spocket if your store runs on WooCommerce.

The choice really depends on the platform you use. But, I will give an edge to Spocket considering the market share of WooCommerce.

Sourcing of products

In a dropshipping business, your store integrates with the dropshipping platform, which is nothing but a marketplace of suppliers. Your success depends on the reliability and quality of your supplier. 

So, before choosing a dropshipping platform like Spocket or Oberlo, you must check from where the products are sourced.

Product Sourcing – Spocket

Spocket lists quality products from US and EU suppliers on its catalogs. This may result in a little more expensive items. But it also assures you better quality control.

According to testimonials, Spocket provides products having better quality than its competition. The suppliers are vetted. Interviewed and evaluated.

Product Sourcing – Oberlo

Oberlo lets you import products from AliExpress. If you are not aware of AliExpress, here is a primer.

AliExpress is a China-based marketplace. You can find many vendors selling lots of products in AliExpress. Each of these vendors will have different service and shipping options.

While Chinese products may be cheaper, do not expect any strict quality control. You need to test samples before selecting your supplier.

Verdict – In short, Spocket has better quality control over products and suppliers than Oberlo. While this is a subjective decision, Spocket is the winner for me.

Shipping Time

Shipping time with Spocket

Spocket lists suppliers from the United States and Europe. The general feedback suggests that Spocket usually has better quality control. It also has a faster shipping time. 

Spocket does not have a long catalog like Oberlo. But your customers will receive products faster.

Shipping time with Oberlo

Oberlo ships products from China. For customers in the United States, Canada, or Europe this may lead to a long shipping time.

Verdict – You need to decide the platform based on your target audience. But based on the general customer experience, Spocket wins for me.

Pricing Plans

Both Oberlo and Spocket has a free plan. You can start your dropshipping business without any upfront investment.

But, the free plan features may not be enough for you as you scale up. So, let us check their respective paid plans. 

Spocket Pricing Plan

Spocket offers you four paid subscriptions starting from $12 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 Plan

• Costs $12 per month.
• You can add up to 25 unique products.
• You can have unlimited orders.
• Premium 24/7 Chat Support.
• Real-time Inventory Update.
• Currency Exchange.
• Global Pricing Rules 
• Shipment Tracking Number.

Spocket Pro Plan

• Costs $49 per month.
• You can add up to 250 unique products.
• Up to 25 Premium Products.
• Branded Invoicing.
• Premium 24/7 Chat Support.
• Exclusive Deals.
• Premium Search.
• Plus everything in the Starter Plan.

Spocket Empire Plan

• Costs $99 per month.
• Unlimited Products.
• Unlimited Orders.
• Unlimited Premium Products.
• Premium 24/7 Chat Support.
• Plus everything in the Pro Plan.

Spocket Unicorn Plan

• Costs $299 per month. 
• Bulk Checkout.
• Dedicated Account Executive.
• Premium 24/7 Chat Support.
• Product Requests.
• Plus everything in Empire Plan.

Oberlo Pricing Plan

In comparison, Oberlo offers three pricing plans.

Oberlo Starter Plan

• Free
• Up to 500 products.
• Unlimited monthly orders.
• Automated product pricing.
• Automated inventory updates.
• Reports.

Oberlo Basic Plan

• $29.90 per month.
• Up to 10000 products.
• Variant mapping.
• Bulk orders.
• Real-time order tracking.
• Affiliate program.
• Orders fulfillment tracking.
• Plus everything in the Oberlo Starter plan.

Oberlo Pro Plan

• $79.90 per month
• Up to 30000 products.
• More than one staff accounts. 
• Plus everything in the Oberlo Pro plan.

You must remember that you also need an active Shopify subscription to use Oberlo. For your information, Shopify’s basic plan starts from $29 per month.

Verdict – We do not have a clear winner here. Do your own math and figure out which one works out for you.

Key Differences Between Spocket and Oberlo

Let us summarize the key differences between Spocket and Oberlo for a ready reference.

Use Oberlo if

• You run your shop on Shopify.
• You are looking for inexpensive products sourced from China.
• You do not need branded invoices for your shop.
• You are looking for quick money and not a long term business.

Final Thoughts

Both Spocket and Oberlo are good choices if you run your store on Shopify. But your option gets limited if you run your store on WooCommerce. Oberlo does not support WooCommerce shops.

And even if you run your online store on Shopify, we still recommend Spocket over Oberlo from a long term business perspective.

Overall, Spocket has features that let you run a successful and sustainable dropshipping business. It is easy, fast, and user-friendly. With the ability to create branded invoices along with its list of quality suppliers having quick shipping time – Spocket is a more complete platform to operate a unique dropshipping business.