In the ever-evolving digital age, dropshipping has become one of the most popular online store fulfillment models. After all, it makes the entire process seamless and simpler for sellers, leading to prime operations.
Store owners can drive in business without the need to keep products in stock. They just have to pass that sale over to their third-party supplier, and they take it from there to get that delivery to the customer. Sounds pretty awesome, right?
Though as favorable and attractive as this may be, the true, underlying key to succeeding as a dropshipper is having the right resources on your side. With that being said, you have probably read tons of Oberlo reviews, and how they are supposedly the king of the dropshipping industry.
But, even though Oberlo is often recognized as the leading dropshipping company, they are far from perfect and certainly not the only ones in the game. In fact, what if I told you there are some incredible, Oberlo alternatives out there that just might take the top spot instead?
What is Oberlo, and How Does It Work?
Before jumping into the Oberlo alternatives, let’s take a minor step back and talk about Oberlo as a whole. If you are experienced, then I hope you see this as a valuable refresher. But for those who are new to the Dropshipping career, this section is for you to gain the full picture of what Oberlo actually is and what it does.
In summary, Oberlo is one of the most common solutions for dropshippers to perform their online business. It is a tool that can give eCommerce sellers who strictly have Shopify sites the ability to browse through products, and add the ones they like to sell on their own store. When you find products you like, Oberlo exports those products directly from AliExpress right into your digital store. Then when a customer comes along and buys that product, Oberlo automate the process of fulfilling that order.
What Oberlo Is Used For?
Those who use Oberlo do get some pretty significant benefits. For example, Oberlo is much easier for filtering and searching products in comparison to AliExpress and as a well-designed interface, allowing for user-friendly navigation for new sellers. Some other features include:
- Bulk action for importing, purchasing
- Multiple user accounts
- Auto-updates of order status and tracking codes
- Pricing automation
- Tracks sales
- Creates product lists
Now, on the surface, this sounds great, but Oberlo does have its fallbacks.
The Fallbacks of Using Oberlo
One of the most significant adversities with Oberlo is the fact that it is only for Shopify dropshippers. This means that it is not compatible with any other eCommerce platform, limiting you profoundly on where you can do business. The reason for this is because back in 2017, Shopify purchased Oberlo. So, it makes sense, but still a con for those who would prefer WordPress or WooCommerce.
Another vital element is that working with Oberlo equates to working with AliExpress. In a nutshell, your customer makes a purchase on your site, then you order that same idem from your supplier (AliExpress), and then they pack and ship that said product to your customer.
AliExpress, though with wide selection of categories and cheap, the majority of the time orders take a long time to arrive at its destination, amongst a slew of other adversities.
By going with Oberlo, it means you are just a middle man that does not have any control over the product quality, processing, or the shipping procedures/standards. You are merely the first face that the customers see when shopping, and after that, everything is out of your hands. You have to have the confidence that your supplier is doing their due diligence on their end and providing excellent service. However, with an unsatisfying track record in regards to Oberlo’s reputation, this in and of itself has resulted in:
- Poor quality products with Chinese manuals and texts on them;
- Long shipping times (over 30 days) and often without any tracking numbers;
- Terrible customer experience; and
- Track record of having a lot of refund requests.
Another note here that applies to new sellers, in particular, is the nonexistent option for customization. Between the limitations of product choices and the inability to customize, it is not a sound tool to use if you want to scale your business. So, when I say you have no control once your customer orders, I meant it.
There are many other things that people have to say about their experience with Oberlo. If you want to get more insight into real-life feedback, scroll through the list of Oberlo reviews yourself and see where problems underlie.
With all that being said and quite evident, is there something more reliable, quality-driven out there to use as an Oberlo alternative?
Why yes. Yes, there is.
HyperSKU, the Best Alternative
“Great App, not only support fulfill orders in batch, but also accepts Payoneer and credit card as payment methods. Highly recommend!”
“Easy to use and perfect for Dropshipping business. Besides, customer service response in time and solves any problems!”
When it comes to HyperSKU vs. Oberlo, there is really no other straightforward debate on which one is better. HyperSKU is one of the most top-rated Oberlo alternatives on the market today. In many areas, this tool is more advanced than Oberlo, particularly when it comes to supplier quality and customization. For those who want to build their dropshipping store and have the trust that their products are highly graded, HyperSKU is the dropshipping company to turn to.
HyperSKU is a one-stop solution for dropshippers that handles all the back-end operations with complete automation. From sourcing, purchasing, order fulfillment, to tracking, every business aspect is ideal and streamlined to foster your growth. They work with rigorously vetted factories in China that support sellers in obtaining amazingly affordable quality products, (even private-labeled ones) that will keep customers returning with five-star reviews.
What else can you expect to get that Oberlo does not provide?
- Express shipping which takes just 10 days to get to your door in most countries;
- 100% self-developed tracking;
- Offers packaging customization to really spread your branding image;
- Over 1 million premium products in over 10 different categories provided;
- Friendly refund policy for all sellers;
- The company takes full responsibility if a package gets lost during transit;
- No MOQ; and
- No monthly subscription fee;
Even though the HyperSKU platform is relatively new to the dropshipping scene, it is already miles ahead of its competition because it has focused its attention on customer and seller satisfaction, which drove its quick rise to success.
Final Takeaways
Doing business online is a delegate balance; when one aspect is off, such as super long delivery times or poor quality, it can ruin the entire shopping experience for customers. That then becomes the catalyst for reduced dropshipping prosperity for sellers.
Poor experiences = bad reviews.
Bad reviews = fewer sales.
When products are high quality, delivered fast, and make the entire process smooth for sellers, it is a win-win on all accounts. That is what makes a business grow and what builds a respected reputation, exactly what sellers need to thrive in the competitive marketplace.
As a final takeaway, you know what you are capable of. You know how to market yourself and drive business. And you know that you need to have the perfect dropshipping company on your side to help make this happen for you. So, don’t settle for anything less than the best that will allow your business to boom.
Spoiler: Oberlo and AliExpress are not the best.
