Today’s article will discuss Dropshipping without Shopify. Dropshipping is one the most popular business models of today. Many people use Oberlo and Shopify to create Dropshipping shops. Shopify offers amazing software and is one of the best ways to start an online store. The Shopify 14-day free trial proved to be very useful. The Oberlo app is very easy to use. You can import AliExpress products directly to your Shopify store. Both Shopify as well as Oberlo can be used with ease. Some people might prefer to use another platform for Dropshipping. WordPress is a great alternative. Dropshipping plugins may not be compatible with WordPress.
Shopify Alternatives:
1. You give Shopify a part of your store:
Shopify requires you to agree to certain Terms and Conditions when you sign up. These Terms of Service may not be violated, but Shopify retains part of the ownership of your store.
Shopify can take part ownership of your shop and close it at any time. Shopify shutting down their stores for no reason is something that Shopify owners are very unhappy about. The store had a good monthly income, and was shut down without any explanation. This is the main drawback to Shopify’s store.
2: Monthly charges:
While it might not seem like a significant deal to some people, Shopify’s basic plan starts at $29 per monthly. There are additional charges such as transaction fees, credit card fees and other fees.
Oberlo app has a free start plan, but it charges a monthly subscription. There is a limit of 500 products per month. Oberlo can only fulfill 50 orders per month automatically. While you get 10000 products if you upgrade to the basic plan, you still have a limit of 500 products per month. You pay $60 per month for maintenance of your Dropshipping shop on Oberlo and Shopify.
When you’re a beginner, it can be difficult to pay for the maintenance of your store. Promoting your Dropshipping store requires advertising. Dropshippers rely heavily on Instagram shout-outs and Facebook ads to promote their stores. Your marketing should be the main focus of any online business. Let’s say you have $60 per month. You must use it for marketing. Marketing can help you increase sales.
Let’s now talk about the alternatives:
AliDropship is a great alternative plug-in for Dropshipping. When you install this plug-in on your WordPress installation, it transforms your WordPress website into an Ali Express Dropshipping Business. This plug-in is recommended because you don’t need to give up any part of your store. As long as you use WordPress, you are the sole owner of your store. AliDropship is free to use, so you don’t have to pay anything monthly. You can also buy the store once and retain full ownership.
AliDropship offers many features that are similar to Oberlo. Search and Import allow you to use coordinated channels to find your desired items on AliExpress.com and then to add them to your website. Auto Updating, an auto refresh framework, keeps your item data up-to-date with the most recent information from AliExpress. Estimating Automation uses propelled evaluating mark up equation to quickly apply valuing guidelines for any items in your store. Fulfil Orders make it easy to request each item. Just click the order button to quickly confirm your request on AliExpress. ePacket Shipping Filter Provide quick and easy delivery to your customers with our ePacket shipping option that makes it easy to find items. Auto Order Tracking automatically checks your orders for the latest updates and sends emails to your customers. There is no limit on the number of products you can import. You can import an unlimited amount of products.
Ali Dropship also allows you to use WooCommerce as an ecommerce platform if you are a WordPress user. The WordPress will provide you with a WooCommerce compatible version called AliDropship Woo. Although this plug-in is more advanced than AliDropship, the best part about it is that you can use any WooCommerce theme you like and your plug-in will still work. The default AliDropship plug-in allows you to only use three themes that work well. However, if you want more options, you can use the WooCommerce version. Any WooCommerce theme can be used.
It also offers custom store creation. It is a great option for those who don’t like technical or creative stuff. You will pay a one-time fee to get the package that you choose. All the benefits are yours without any monthly fees. They will also manage all technical aspects of your website. They will help you register a domain, choose your niche, do site SEO, and create social media pages including graphics and a promo video. The ultimate package includes a promo video. It’s great because you get a personal manager to help you build your store. Your personal manager will be there to answer any questions or concerns.
Shopify is not for you. AliDropship and WordPress are great alternatives.
Other Recommendations:
Square Online Store:
The easiest way to start an online store is with Square Online Store. This is Squarespace’s eCommerce division, which is one of the most well-known online home builders.
Squarespace is a popular online website builder. You will love its intuitive user interface and drag-and-drop functionality.
You will also find some great training videos, so you won’t ever feel lost trying to figure out what to do.
The Advantages of Dropshipping With a Square Online Store:
The shops are stunning. This platform is easy to use, it’s quick and you can create a shop that looks terrible.
It is as easy as drag and drop to create a shop. This is ideal if you don’t have any technical skills and simply want something quick, simple, and specialist-looking.
This is the best solution to your question “Can I dropship without Shopify, and get it 100% free?” The best thing about Square One Store is that it is completely free. There are no additional charges for deal fees, but they will apply regardless of where you offer.
I recommend you upgrade to their Professional Plan. This allows you to have your own domain for only $12/month, and removes all Square One branding from you shop.
The Downsides to Dropshipping with Square Online Store:
Square One is great for setting up and managing a shop but not for dropshipping. There aren’t any apps that will help you manage orders. You’ll need to do everything by hand.
You won’t have your own domain if you follow their complimentary strategy. However, you will be able to use their branding in your shop. I recommend that you upgrade to their $12 strategy. It is extremely affordable for the value you get.
If you are getting a lot of dropshipping orders from Square One, I recommend that you set up bulk orders with Aliexpress. This will allow you to use spreadsheets rather than placing private orders.
Mozello
Mozello offers almost the same offer as Fresh start Shop. It is an online home-builder and shop that is hosted by Mozello. It is focused on simplicity.
The drag-and-drop shop builder is very easy to use, allowing you to create stunning shops with little effort.
Their complimentary strategy permits you to ave a shop address like “yourname.mozello.com” however if you desire your own domain you will require a Premium strategy.
The premium strategy is highly recommended. For $7 per month, you can get a free.com domain. This domain is currently $15 saving. You can also get rid of Mozello branding in your shop with the Premium Plan.
The Advantages of Dropshipping With a Square Online Store:
Mozello shops are easy to set up and operate. It also looks great! Mozello’s simplicity and low cost are its greatest assets.
This is an option you should seriously consider if you don’t have any technical skills and a very low budget plan.
It connects to Paypal seamlessly and allows you to accept payments quickly in just minutes.
The Downsides to Dropshipping with Mozello:
You will not also be able to dropship from Aliexpress through your Mozello shop. You will need to list products and manage orders by hand.
This is great if you only offer a few items per day. Once it reaches 20+ daily, it can become quite difficult to control.
The complimentary strategy is sufficient to get you started, but it has a lot of limitations. It’s well worth the $7 to get your domain.
ETSY:
Etsy is the largest online marketplace for handmade products. It is well-known in the USA, Canada, and the UK for its high quality products.
Etsy is a powerful marketplace with a lot of purchasing power. It also has traffic similar to Ebay. This allows you to start driving sales immediately by listing your items.
Dropshipping on Etsy has one problem. You can’t offer items that are commercially available. You must offer something unique, handcrafted, or have some custom component.
Aliexpress can’t offer much, but dropshipping is an option.
Print as required items is the best way to start dropshipping on Etsy.
I have written a deeper post about Etsy dropshipping. I encourage you to read it.
Etsy is the best place to sell your unique items. This is the best marketplace for handmade special items.
The Advantages of Dropshipping On Etsy:
Dropshipping on Etsy has the greatest advantage: it allows you to access Etsy’s large market with many buyers. All you have to do is take a note of your items.
Etsy isn’t free. Each listing that you create will incur a $0.20 fee. If you take note of 10 items, it will cost you $2. Additionally, you will need to pay deal fees. However, Etsy subtracts this immediately from every deal.
Dropshipping on Etsy has another great benefit: you can automate your entire organization by using Printful to fulfill your orders. This makes dropshipping on Etsy much easier than Ebay.
Drawbacks to Dropshipping on Etsy
Etsy limits the types of products you can sell. Dropshipping is a simple option.
First, personalize products from China. This is done most commonly by laser etching, or custom-made etching.
Printful is a printing service that allows you to print the items you need. Printful is a US-based company that can quickly ship high quality items to Etsy customers.
Shipping times will always be a problem with items shipped from China. Etsy will only endure shipping for 2-3 weeks. Unless you find a Chinese supplier who can reveal shipping times (5-10 days), I wouldn’t even consider selling it on Etsy.
Etsy is not always kind and will close down any shop that violates their guidelines.