There are SO MANY dropshipping courses out there, how do you know which one to choose?
Is dropshipping still the best possible online business as it was in 2015?
How does Oberlo 101 compare with other dropshipping courses?
Don't stress! I got you covered in this unbiased review!
I even have an Oberlo FAQ's section to answer all your questions related to the course and the Oberlo App itself.
BEFORE WE START - A QUICK IMPORTANT FYI:
Oberlo 101 Course Overview
Introduction to the course presenter and contributors
This is a dropshipping course by Oberlo itself, presented by Jessica Guzik, with contributions by Harry Coleman, Scott Hilse, Yuliya & Mike, Chris Wane and Paul Lee.
According to Oberlo, Jessica Guzik is an eCommerce business owner and educator. She helps aspiring entrepreneurs launch brands that are built to last.
Apart from that, we don't know much about her.
It is, however, refreshing to see a female course presenter. Jessica presents with flair and enthusiasm, and unlike many of her dropshipping counterparts, she does not rush through the course.
She also doesn't pose with a sportscar...
I already like this course.
What to Expect in this Course
First, the good news: How much is the Oberlo Course?
Getting the course is easy – just visit Oberlo.com/course and click on "access the Course."
But don't do that just yet!
There are two reasons why...
First off, browse through a few pages and a pop-up will appear offering you a 20% discount off the Oberlo 101 course.
Use the pop-up window to add your details and enroll in the course. Voila! You have access to the Oberlo course AND you got it for only $39.92. It's a steal!
Secondly, don't ever be too rash. Yes, it might be less than $50 for the course, but would you want to waste all those hours if the course wasn't worth it?
Read my review of the Oberlo Course first, before making a decision.
So, where to start..?
Let's start the review with a simple question that you might ask.
The course is very well presented and laid out and automatically picks up where we left off, as soon as we sign back in.
In fact, Oberlo 101 is the most professional-looking dropshipping course that I have come across. It features a simple but very user-friendly design that will not make you feel overwhelmed.
Anyway, back to Oberlo’s dropshipping course...
The course is very well presented by Jessica Guzik, an “Online Entrepreneurship Expert”.
The course website states that it had the input from successful dropshippers and lists the likes of Harry Coleman, Scott Hilse, Yuliya & Mike, Chris Wane and Paul Lee as contributors.
As the course presenter, Jessica does an outstanding job.
She appears knowledgeable and what I liked most, was that she didn’t rush through the course content like some of the other dropshipping courses (Yes, I’m pointing fingers at Kevin David and Jared Goetz in particular).
Both beginners and more seasoned dropshippers will not get frustrated with the pace of the course.
I must warn you though, that the Oberlo course is specifically targeted at beginner dropshippers.
More experienced dropshippers might not learn much new.
Oberlo 101 Course Breakdown
If, however, you want a more In-Depth Review, then you will find a Lesson-by-Lesson Review of the entire Oberlo 101 course, as well.
Module Overview Review
In this Introduction module to the course, we learn how to navigate the course and access exclusive content.
The additional content includes a link to Oberlo's Dropshipping FAQ's and a very useful 217-page dropshipping e-book.
There's nothing really new in this section. No revelations. No industry secrets. Sorry.
This is basically an introduction to the course (and dropshipping), and nothing more.
This is an incredibly important module, as finding products and suppliers are central to the success of our dropshipping store.
Without these two key ingredients, our dropshipping business dreams will die a quick, horrible death.
Question is: Does Oberlo teach us the necessary skills to ensure our online success?
The answer: if you complete this module, you will definitely have done your due diligence in finding good products and suppliers.
It's a really good module that covers basically everything you need to know in finding products from good suppliers, despite the relatively short video time.
This section deals with Signing up for Shopify, coming up with a business name, and using Oberlo to add products to our store.
Jessica takes us through her suggested business-naming process.
Lastly, adding products to our store is not a complicated process anymore.
Thanks to Oberlo's automated system, adding products to your store is now a breeze (a couple of years ago, this was not the case, and it took a bit of time and some technical skill).
It's a simple case of copying and pasting the product URL and clicking a button. It does a lot of the leg-work for you, thereby saving you time and frustration as opposed to adding products manually to your store.
This module in Oberlo 101 can be summarized as follows:
We are taught how the Facebook Ads Algorithm works.
How to set up and optimize FB Ad Campaigns,
How to create attention-grabbing Video Ads, and
We learn how to analyze Facebook ad results and adjust our Ad Campaigns accordingly.
The highlight of this module, however, is in the way that FB Ad Campaign setup and ANALYSIS is taught.
Most courses skimp on the analysis part and you're never quite sure WHEN to scale, or even HOW. This module deals with it in a clear and succinct manner that is both easy to understand AND to implement.
Full marks to the course developers!
AND, Jessica and the Oberlo team are honest and transparent about their FB Ad Campaign results, which deserves an honorary mention (and probably a dropshipping award), in its own right.
Yip, it's that good.
It's one of my favorite modules on Facebook Ads out there...
Until Jessica offers you feedback on the Ad Campaigns...
In the end, they spent over a thousand dollars on FB Ads and only made $100 in 6 weeks...
Ouch...
It's the perfect example of how FB Ads can potentially kill your business.
- Fulfill orders and track shipping, and
- Manage returns and refunds like a pro
Before I dig even deeper into the Oberlo dropshipping course, here are some Frequently Asked Questions about Oberlo 101 that I haven't covered yet:
Oberlo Course FAQ's
The Oberlo course helps you learn about dropshipping and setting up a dropshipping business. This means that you sell products on your store without holding inventory. Once you make a sale, you place the order with a supplier, and the supplier ships the product directly to the customer. Great thing is, the products don't cost you a cent. You only pay for a product once you have received money for the sale.
This course is for anyone who wants to enter the dropshipping fray. The dropshipping selling points are:
- You determine your own success,
- You make money on your terms, and
- You build a business that can be run from anywhere in the world.
- You don't need any previous experience
- What matters is your willingness to learn, take smart risks, and build something you can call your own.
3. What do I need to get started with Oberlo 101?
All you need is a computer, an internet connection, and an eagerness to learn. You don’t need any prior business experience or technical skills. (That makes this an extremely easy business model to enter... It's not necessarily a good thing...)
4. How long do I have access to the Oberlo course?
You have access to the course for as long as you want. Once you enroll in Oberlo 101, you have lifetime access to access course materials. This means you can finish the course at your own pace and review lessons whenever you want - even years down the line.
If you are new to Oberlo and dropshipping, then it's a good idea to get started by taking the Oberlo 101 dropshipping course.
- create an account on the Oberlo website and
- how to set up your Shopify store.
After you install the Oberlo app, you can add and import products from AliExpress directly into your new store.
You can also use products and suppliers suggested by Oberlo.
6. How do I access my Oberlo account?
If your Shopify store is connected to an Oberlo account, then you can access it through your Shopify admin:
1.From your Shopify admin, go to Apps.
2.In the Installed apps section, click Oberlo.
You can also go to the Oberlo website and access your account there by clicking on "Login".
Oberlo has a Starter Plan that is 100% free. I suggest using this when starting out and then upgrading to the Basic Plan when sales start coming in.
The Oberlo Basic Plan costs $29.90 per month. If you have the cash reserves, then I suggest you start with this plan from the very beginning as the Basic Plan has many additional features to the Starter Plan.
As soon as you are ready to scale and hire staff (such as a virtual assistant to handle your order fulfillment), you will have to upgrade again to the Oberlo Pro Plan to add multiple staff accounts. Oberlo Pro costs $79.90 per month, which is a lot when it only offers this one additional feature above the Basic Plan...
You can compare the different Oberlo Plans here.
8. How do I get paid with Oberlo?
All Shopify-supported payment methods are fulfilled by third-party providers to process your sales transactions. Providers have to process each payment separately, so there is usually a delay between when the customer pays you for their order, and when you receive the payment. After the payment is processed, the purchase amount is transferred to your merchant account. You must then still pay your supplier/vendor in order to have the product shipped.
9. How do I cancel my Oberlo account?
You simply uninstall the Oberlo app from your Shopify store. If you decide to use Oberlo again later, then you only have to re-install the app. Your dropshipping products will re-sync again automatically to your Shopify store.
Please note: Once you close your Shopify store, then the associated Oberlo account is automatically canceled.
No, Oberlo can also be used with the Oberlo Supply Market where you can also find Oberlo approved vendors/suppliers. (So. Using Oberlo you only have two options. Remember this if you have an alternative source for vendors, such as Supplier Directories.)
Is Oberlo 101 a worthwhile course?
THE GOOD
The Oberlo 101 course itself, is exceptionally well thought out, laid out, presented and includes all the essentials that every beginner dropshipper needs. It even has Additional Resources to help you get started.
THE BAD
Well, it's a course about dropshipping - a business model I'm increasingly becoming more critical of...
The scenario – they spent over $1000 over a six week period and only had 4 sales totaling less than $100… And then you get a smile and encouragement with the words “…just stick with it.”
In the real world, you will not have an unlimited marketing budget. You also don’t have all the time in the world to make it work… To me, this doesn’t make for a business model that I have much confidence in. And remember, I HAVE done dropshipping. I’ve had six-figure stores. With the emphasis on “had”. I don’t do dropshipping anymore, and with good reason. FB Ads are just one of them...
Buying the Oberlo 101 course, you're setting yourself up to
It's not necessarily a bad thing, it is one of the most trusted apps on the Shopify Store and Oberlo
Just know that there are other options available...
- It's always interesting to read user reviews - in this case, Oberlo has just under 2400 reviews, of which the majority are favorable on the Shopify App Store.
- It's worth reading the 1 Star Reviews as well though, just to give you a
heads -up ofpossible issues you might experience. - On Trustpilot.com, Oberlo has a slightly lower rating with 4.1 Stars from 408 reviews.
As with any
Review Conclusion
If you really think dropshipping is still a great idea at the beginning of 2020, then I suggest you read further on down this page.
But, if you're only here for the Oberlo course review and you're dead-set on dropshipping... Here's the low-down:
Oberlo 101 is one of the better introductory dropshipping courses out there.
Where it comes to value for money, it is exceptionally good. For the money, you get a
There are a few shortcomings and one potential deal-breaker.
Their own FB Ad Campaigns weren't successful - they spent over a $1000 dollars on FB Ads and sold less than $100 worth of products by the end of week six. There
Oberlo 101 isn't a complete guide to dropshipping, but then again, none of the courses I've reviewed are perfect. They all have their strengths and weaknesses.
There is a much better alternative though...
Scroll down to find out more.
What I like about Oberlo 101:
What I didn't like about Oberlo 101:
So what is the best online business platform?
OK, just to clarify.
I'm not saying dropshipping is dead.
I'm just saying it is increasingly becoming more and more difficult to enjoy some modicum of success at it.
The trend of creating new millionaire dropshippers, is a thing of the past.
However, with dedication and hard-work, decent cash reserves, the right products, unique advertisements, a flawless FB bidding campaign, great website, and awesome retargeting methods, you can make a full-time income from dropshipping.
It won't necessarily be working from a beach with a cocktail in hand, but at least you'll be slaving away for yourself, right?
BUT...
It doesn't quite sound like the dream, does it?
What if I told you there is an alternative that makes much more business sense..?
A business model that offers a lot less hassle, uncertainty, marketing budget, customer complaints and and and... (with dropshipping the list goes on and on...)
If the dropshipping "ship" is struggling to stay afloat, what is the alternative?
