Oberlo is a dropshipping platform that helps entrepreneurs build online businesses through Shopify stores. Popular among beginner e-commerce merchants, it enables users to find and import products from AliExpress without holding inventory. When customers order from your store, Oberlo automatically sources products from suppliers who ship directly to buyers. The platform offers a central dashboard for product searching, customization, and order management, alongside educational resources like digital courses, podcasts, and ebooks to support new dropshippers.

Oberlo simplifies dropshipping for Shopify users, streamlining product imports directly from AliExpress. The free plan is surprisingly functional, offering a 500-product import limit and unlimited orders, perfect for beginners. We like the in-dashboard product editing and the convenient Chrome extension. Businesses can quickly populate their stores and manage orders centrally, leveraging Oberlo's automation for AliExpress supplier interactions.

Conversely, Oberlo's tight integration with Shopify and AliExpress is a double-edged sword. You're locked into both platforms, limiting product variety and store options. While the educational resources are a bonus, more established businesses might find the feature set lacking, particularly in supplier management.

Overall, Oberlo is a solid, albeit limited, option for new dropshippers who embrace the Shopify ecosystem, but it's not a long-term solution for scaling businesses seeking flexibility.

Utilize Oberlo's free plan and 500 product import limit to meticulously curate a highly-focused niche product catalog, rather than overwhelming customers with a broad selection; research trending products within your chosen niche using Oberlo's educational resources and other online tools, then carefully select only the items with the highest potential for conversion to maximize your limited product allowance and create a more compelling, specialized shopping experience that fosters customer loyalty.