It was not long ago that in order to sell online, you would need to spend a lot of resources in building a website, loading the items to sell, integrating your payment processing, testing the process and many other tasks, all before you can sell one item. Unfortunately, that or similar sequences are still followed in a process that may take months before you sell.
That has all changed and you can now begin selling online with literally just a few clicks without spending a dime.
Until recently, I had never heard of Oberlo, but through some twist of fate, I came across an app that may transform the process of drop shipping.
Oberlo is a handy app that helps you to build, load and manage a Shopify store with just a few mouse clicks. The items you sell are sourced from AliExpress and certified merchants in the Oberlo marketplace.
The best part about the whole process is that it can be done for free
The process
There is nothing to install or download with Oberlo, and your exciting and rewarding dropshipping journey begins with the building of a Shopify store. Shopify offers a free no credit card 14-day trial. If you already have a Shopify store, you can simply add the app to your dashboard. All of the concerns about compatibility are eliminated. You may feel even more assured as Oberlo is now owned by Shopify.
Your Shopify store is built instantly, and it can be customized as you desire. However, with the Oberlo dropshipping app, the heavy work is turned into a child’s’ play.
The Oberlo dashboard is designed in the minimalist style, and not very heavy on wordy tooltips. You may need to spend a few minutes in learning, but it becomes very easy.
3 steps, 3 icons
The first step requests connecting your Shopify store to Oberlo, and this is completed with a mouse click.
The second step is where the fun begins.You can easily load products into your store from AliExpress and the Oberlo Marketplace, where verified suppliers offer merchandise for sale. There are hundreds of items across scores of categories from which to choose. To make effective use, the app must be installed as a Chrome extension and there may also be a version for Firefox.
As you browse the marketplaces, items that contain the blue Oberlo icon can be added to your import list where they can then be imported into your store. Simply click on “Add to import list” button on the items you wish to import.
Before pushing items to your store, you can edit by changing the titles and descriptions or adding or removing variants such as sizes or colors.
All of the imported and edited items on your list can be pushed to the store with one mouse click. You are now ready to begin selling
Oberlo is more than just a drop shipping app
You enjoy the benefits of drop shipping, as you are now entitled to forget concerns such as inventory, packaging, and shipping as this is all taken care of.
The app provides access to Oberlo site that includes community and learning resources.
Learn more about marketing and drop shipping concepts, you can also get an indication of which items you can sell at your store. This Shopify dropshipping app provides guidance in marking up your products with guidelines that help to decide how much you should mark up your items. The markup often depends on the category and price of the items, but Oberlo can automate the process.
You have 14 days to make your first sale before any charges are applied to your credit card for maintaining the Shopify store.
The Oberlo app is offered free but there inexpensive upgrades that provide additional functionality.
Easy Scalability
The starter version is limited to 500 items and 50 orders each month, while the upgrade to the Pro version, which may be more suitable for power sellers, raises the number of items to 30000 with an unlimited amount of orders.
Cost effective options
There a few valuable options that should be mentioned
With the Auto-update function enabled from the settings item menu, anytime there are changes at the dropshipping suppliers, such as prices or inventory, the data on your site is automatically updated. Items can be set to remove when the inventory count reaches zero so you are not selling products that are not available.
When you have made your first sale, it is easy to place orders with the supplier without leaving your site. With a few clicks, all items are placed in the shopping cart at the supplier and payments is processed with your payment details such as your credit card.
Easy order fulfillment
Orders can be fulfilled with just a mouse click, provided you have installed the Chrome extension. It can be done selectively either from AliEXpress or from the Oberlo Market.
The Oberlo Dropshipping app also includes some remarkable functions, such as assignment tracking numbers to each item, along with sales and data reporting.
It is indeed remarkable that you can manage a complete dropshipping enterprise from a single dashboard, and with the Pro Version, you can add multiple users with different access levels.
Support
Equally impressive, are the video presentations, along with the support and FAQ. You are encouraged to join the community forum where you can interact with other drop shippers for ideas and get answers to questions you may have.
The 14-day trial no pay period at Shopify, along with the Oberlo Starter option allows you to get started in e-commerce business at no cost. You are even shown marketing tricks that can help you begin making sales. With the 2-week period, if you consider an upgrade with higher sales volumes, it is as easy as clicking the mouse.
A few disadvantages
Despite the remarkable features that you may easily grow to love the Oberlo dropshipping app, there are a few drawbacks to using it.
- The exclusivity with the Chrome browser may be uncomfortable to some people, but personally, it happens to be my favorite. To others, it means an installation may be required, as the status of the Firefox version is unknown.
- Products can only be sourced from two sources, such as AliExpress and Oberlo Marketplace. It is, however, possible to add you own products or suppliers, but much of the automation should now be handled automatically.
- This may or may not be necessary as there are already tons of top-selling items available and it is hoped that more merchants can be added to the marketplace.
Conclusion
A brief overview of the Oberlo Dropshipping App has been presented.
What is most impressive is the speed at which it operates. The entire process of building and loading your Shopify store can be done in about 30 minutes or less. It depends on the number of items that you import, and the time spent in customizing the product descriptions.
There is no need to establish different accounts with suppliers and spend time continuously searching for and loading items. All processing is handled at the simple dashboard.
Orders are placed and fulfilled with the click of your mouse.
My opinion is that Oberlo and Shopify can be the ultimate combination to obtaining success with drop shipping.
[Disclaimer: This is a sponsored review. However proper care has been taken to be unbiased towards the sponsor.]
