With recent stats from the US Department of Labour describing a considerable fall in many types of employment including retail, it’s true to say the landscape of retail business as we know it is changing rapidly.
Many entrepreneurs are discovering that with the huge swaths of online shoppers visiting websites daily right across the globe, it could be a perfect time to start a dropshipping or eCommerce store.
Whether you are already running a successful enterprise with daily orders, or even if you are just testing the water with a fledgling Shopify or other eCommerce stores, there is a wealth of tools and help available.
Anyone with a new store needs to know about the giant of dropshipping, Oberlo. But is there an alternative to Oberlo, if so, what are the benefits and which one is right for you?
Let’s take a look at the quick takeaway first, so you can decide quickly and get a head start on your store!
Oberlo vs HyperSKU. Which is best? Although both of these dropshipping heavyweights will be able to help you more easily manage your dropshipping store, Oberlo is more of an efficient tool to help you streamline order fulfillment, whereas HyperSKU is an online dropshipping supplier that connects sellers with real suppliers and offers express shipping solutions.
Ok so now we’ve nailed the brief, we can start to delve a bit deeper into these two heavyweight dropshipping businesses and take a look at the background of both businesses so you can more easily decide which is best for you.
What is Oberlo?
Oberlo is a Shopify-owned tool which has a starter plan which is cost-free. Oberlo is an app that allows you to integrate and import products from AliExpress (an online retail service based in China) directly into your Shopify store and to ship straight to your customers without the need for an inventory or your business holding stock.
So what are the benefits of using Oberlo? Let’s discover more below.
Benefits of Oberlo
- Easily add products from AliExpress
- Product inventory is updated automatically
- Automated pricing
- Fulfill and track orders automatically
- Track your sales
- Multiple user accounts
So let’s now take a look at how HyperSKU compares and if it is a viable Oberlo alternative.
What is HyperSKU?
HyperSKU is a solution designed by eCommerce veterans that integrates extensive resources and cutting-edge technologies to build successful dropshipping stores.
HyperSKU takes away the need for the historic ineffective methods of traditional dropshipping sellers and suppliers, including lengthy shipping times that are common with other resources such as AliExpress.
HyperSKU’s agents have direct access to Chinese suppliers, along with important connections within the infrastructure of China’s well-developed reliable global delivery system.
Also, HyperSKU can help improve your sales performance and decrease your costs and help you to build a successful dropshipping business.
So now we know what one of Oberlo’s alternatives, HyperSKU actually is, let’s take a look at some of the main benefits so you can more easily decide on the winner between Oberlo vs HyperSKU!
Benefits of HyperSKU
- Fewer rivals As Oberlo is one of the most well-known resources for dropshipping it could be difficult to compete with other eCommerce stores as many are offering the same products at similar prices. By using a HyperSKU you will be able to offer a different range of quality products and also be able to compete much better with your shipping times. This can be the ‘make or break’ of a dropshipping store.
- More choice: Those that use Oberlo will be tied to using AliExpress. By using HyperSKU you have a wealth of different top-selling quality products available to add uniqueness to your ECommerce store.
- Connect easily with your store: HyperSKU allows dropshipping entrepreneurs to browse and instantly add products to your Shopify or other eCommerce stores
- Fewer price changes: When using Oberlo and other platforms there can often be unwelcome surprises in the form of price changes or products becoming frequently ‘out of stock’. HyperSKU prides itself on a ‘dynamic’ supplier database which is updated continually.
So now we’ve seen some of the benefits of using Oberlo and also HyperSKU, an alternative to Oberlo, let’s take a look at some of the main differences between both platforms and discover a little more about how they operate, so you can find a better Oberlo alternative.
Main differences between Oberlo and HyperSKU
- Both can provide dropshippers with an automated experience for order fulfillment
- Oberlo is more of an efficiency tool that streamlines the listing and order fulfillment process between Shopify and AliExpress
- HyperSKU is a dropshipping supplier with an online system, that connects sellers with real suppliers and offers much quicker express shipping solutions.
So which one is easier to use? Let’s get into that next.
Ease of use
As Oberlo is integrated with Shopify only, it can mean that if your eCommerce store is with another platform, you won’t be able to use Oberlo as a resource.
HyperSKU on the other hand is integrated with both Shopify and WooCommerce. So for those who may have a number of stores across platforms or prefer WooCommerce to Shopify, HyperSKU offers the best use.
HyperSKU also has API integration available if seller has built self-coding store and would like efficient work flow.
Pricing
As we mentioned earlier, Oberlo has a free version that is available with limited features. Their three pricing tariffs are outlined below:
- Explorer – Free
- Grad – $7.90 per month
- Boss – $29.90 per month
With the limitations of the free version, in order to compete with those more experienced dropshippers or those will successful businesses upgrading to a paid version is probably necessary.
HyperSKU has no subscription fees and is free to sign up. Sourcing of top-selling and quality products is offered to HyperSKU’s customers free of charge.
HyperSKU adds a margin to its product and shipping services; Unlike Oberlo, where you would have to pay if you chose to upgrade whether or not you make any sales.
Products and sourcing
Oberlo cannot be used to either source or customize products. You can just sell what’s available on AliExpress, which could be out of dated.
HyperSKU on the other hand has all the resources available for you to create really unique offerings to your customers, by offering private label products, alongside sourcing top selling products for your ECommerce or Shopify store.
Order processing
When using Oberlo, sellers can place orders to multiple AliExpress sellers at one time. However sellers need to reach out and contact each seller individually if there’s issue, which can be a lengthy and time-consuming process. Not to mention confusing alongside language barriers.
Oberlo also does not manufacture or have their own warehouses, but simply acts as a shop front for a collection of sellers.
HyperSKU will be the single point of contact for all your store items, making communication simplified, and more importantly, time and cost-saving. HyperSKU also picks and pack products in their own warehouse.
Shipping
Oberlo uses AliExpress which ships via either ePacket or AliExpress Standard Shipping.
Both of which are super slow. Shipping to your customers can take as long as 30 days on average and even longer during peak season.
Also, there’s much anecdotal evidence that many parcels take months, or seemingly never actually get delivered!
HyperSKU uses an express shipping solution provided by YunExpress.
This service designed to make your dropshipping deliveries more competitive takes around 10 days and is 100% trackable.
Customer service
Using Oberlo as a resource for your dropshipping business can also lead to issues with your customers as they aren’t able to help with order problems.
Being able to respond immediately to your customers is one of the crucial requirements if your Shopify or ECommerce store is to compete with rivals and grow your business.
HyperSKU will be able to help you and your customers with any difficulties and you can guarantee they will provide refunds where necessary, while also offering a reshipment service for any orders which haven’t arrived.
And finally…
So we hope we’ve given you the lowdown on Oberlo and one of its heavyweight alternatives, HyperSKU!
Making sure you can offer your customers reasonable shipping times, especially with the speed of Amazon deliveries to contend with, alongside real-time customer service to smooth over any delivery difficulties is essential for anyone in the dropshipping marketplace.
Make sure you use the drop shipping resources available wisely and watch your business empire grow!