Many entrepreneurs are taking advantage of the dropshipping method to set up a full-time or part-time eCommerce business from home without having to stock or store any inventory.
Dropshipping, in a nutshell, involves acting as a middleman between the manufacturer and the online consumer. Instead of storing the products you sell, you forward the orders to the manufacturer, who takes care of the shipping and handling.
Salehoo is a popular dropshipping directory that many drop shippers use to find manufacturers they can work with. All sellers on Salehoo have been verified and vetted, costing only $67 a year or $127 for lifetime access.
However, Salehoo is far from the only dropshipping directory out there. In this article, we will explore five other viable Salehoo alternatives.
Best Salehoo Alternatives
1. Worldwide Brands
Worldwide Brands is one of the oldest dropshipping directories out there, having been founded in 1999. They list over eight thousand sellers in their directory and give you access to over 16 million products.
Worldwide Brands costs a one-time fee of $187 for a lifetime membership. Once you join, you will have direct access to all of their manufacturers.
You’ll get the contact details of each manufacturer so that you can contact them directly and negotiate your price.
Worldwide Brands acts as both a dropshipping directory and a wholesale directory. You can also use Worldwide Brands if you want to run an eCommerce business the traditional way, by making bulk purchases of products and storing them yourself.
You can also use Worldwide Brands primarily for dropshipping and store only your most popular products that are guaranteed to sell.
While $187 might seem like a steep fee, it’s worth the time, effort, and money you’ll save by not having to deal with dishonest suppliers who will scam you or sell you overpriced products.
On the other hand, Worldwide Brands is geared towards those who are already experienced with eCommerce and know that paying the one-time fee will be worthwhile for them in the long run.
Over 16 million authentic products, direct communication with wholesalers, unbelievably low prices, & more, Worldwide Brands is the answer to your dropshipping needs.
2. AliDropship
AliDropship is a unique dropshipping plugin that allows you to set up an online store by sourcing products from AliExpress.
AliExpress is an arm of the Chinese giant Alibaba. It allows anyone to purchase products in bulk or one by one.
Many dropshippers have started to use AliExpress as their product source.
AliDropship is a WordPress plugin that helps you set up your eCommerce store by pulling product listings from AliExpress. When a customer purchases a product on your site, you’ll order it from AliExpress with AliDropship’s one-click method and have it shipped to the customer.
AliDropship’s automation features make this all super easy. You can filter for products based on keywords, categories, or shipping options to populate your site with many products instantly.
Product data will continue to be updated automatically. Instead of manually choosing a price for each product you list, you can set up markup rules for each category to instantly set a price for all of your products.
There are many marketing tools and add-ons as well, such as coupon sharing, payment acceptance options, and social sharing buttons.
The AliDropship plugin costs $89. It works with WordPress and Woocommerce.
If you wish to host your AliDropship store on their servers, you can have them set up a custom store for you. This service starts at $48/year.
One-click import, process automation, unlimited product choice, free updates, number of tools, one-time payment, and more.
3. Doba
Doba is a unique Salehoo dropshipping alternative that lets you connect and dropship over 2 million products from multiple suppliers right from your dashboard.
As an automated dropshipping platform, you can automate item listing on your online store using its ‘Push-to-Marketplace’ tool.
Although Doba is relatively expensive, its centralized system makes it worth the buck since all dropshipping processes on Doba are automated, making it easy to find the product you need, making dropshipping an easy process.
If you’re new to dropshipping, you can get your feet wet with Doba’s free plan, which gives you access to a 100 export limit, 1000 inventory lists monthly, and other important features.
Also, Doba integrates several eCommerce platforms like WooCommerce, Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, eBay, etc.
The Business plan is Doba’s basic plan; this plan costs $49.99 monthly, $127.47 quarterly, and $479.88 yearly.
This plan lets you list over 2000 products, limits your export count to 2000, your Inventory list to 100,000, and integrates with five major eCommerce platforms in addition to features like invoices, price change alerts, chat, email, phone support, etc.
The Enterprise plan lets you list as many products as you can with no cap to the number of products you can list, unlimited access to inlets you list as many products as you can with no cap to the number of products you can list, and unlimited access to inventory lists.
You also enjoy other features not available to Business subscribers at $299.99 for 6 months, and $2,999.88 yearly, making Doba one of the most expensive dropshipping platforms.
4. Wholesale Central
If you are just starting with dropshipping and find the fees for services such as Worldwide Brands too off-putting, consider trying out Wholesale Central.
Wholesale Central is a free directory of suppliers for both wholesale and dropshipping eCommerce businesses. The great part is that you don’t even have to create an account to use the directory; it is entirely free.
Wholesale Central has been around since 1996. There are around 400,000 products from over 1,000 suppliers listed on the site.
Although it can be used without registration, there are additional perks if you do create an account. This includes a newsletter and a product locator service, where you put out a request for a product that suppliers can respond to.
Of course, nothing that is free comes without downsides.
Since the site runs solely on ads, it is not updated as often as most directories. Some products or suppliers may no longer be active.
In addition, only some of their suppliers work with dropshippers.
5. Spocket
Spocket lets you access dropshipping suppliers in the US and EU. As a result, it’s one of the best SalesHoo alternatives if your target customers are in any of the two regions.
You can discover products and suppliers from various dropshipping categories, and from the insights, you can uncover the winning ones.
Spocket lets you order product samples at discount rates. As a result, you can test the dropshipping network for any supplier you choose. That way, you can be sure that your customers will get the best service.
You can use Spocket with any of the top eCommerce platforms, including Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix, and WooCommerce. The platform integrates natively with these stores, allowing you to fulfil orders with a single click.
Furthermore, you can count on Spocket if you want dropship branded products. With options like branded invoicing, you can properly present your brand to your customers.
You can easily manage your Spocket account with your mobile device, if you use an iPhone. The platform has a mobile app available in the Apple store, but there’s no Android app yet.
One of the best things about using Spocket is that there’s no upfront cost. You can begin using the platform for free without entering your credit card or paying any registration fees.
As your dropshipping business expands, you can opt for any of the paid plans. This includes the $24.99 per month Starter plan, $49.99 per month Pro plan, and $99.99 per month Empire plan. You get relatively large discounts if you pay monthly for these plans.
Bonus Options
In addition to the five SalesHoo alternatives mentioned above, here are some bonus options you can also check out.
1. eSources
eSources is another noteworthy Salehoo alternative where you can connect with suppliers and manufacturers in the UK and other parts of the world.
Notably, eSources was established in 2005, making it one of the oldest and fast-growing dropshipping directories with over 110,000 verified suppliers and manufacturers. It is also one of the best dropshipping platforms that provide a detailed setup guide for new dropshippers.
As a true eCommerce platform, you can use eSources as a dropshipper or a supplier by subscribing to a free or paid plan. Hence, eSources is a directory for dropshippers and suppliers alike.
The paid plan gives you access to a comprehensive list of suppliers and other added features.
The premium plan for dropshippers costs £20.00 monthly, and it covers unlimited custom sourcing reports, free website and hosting, access to market reports, and other features.
Although eSources is a verified dropshipping platform, it does not support transactions; hence, all transactions between a dropshipper and a supplier are made outside the platform.
When selecting a supplier, you should check that it supports dropshipping; you should also confirm that your dropshipping country is included in its market focus if you’re dropshipping outside the UK.
If you’re dropshipping outside the UK, you should select a supplier under the International suppliers.
2. Inventory Source
With Inventory Source, you get a free directory of dropshippers and wholesale distributors in the United States. Hence, it’s an affordable platform you can use instead of SalesHoo.
In numbers, you get details of over 4,000 wholesalers and distributors with Inventory Source. In addition, you get access to more than 250 dropship suppliers.
The dropship suppliers are natively integrated into the platform. As a result, you can easily connect with and automate the supply network if you use the main Inventory Source software.
The Inventory Source software works for dropship automation. It allows you to upload products, manage inventory, and send out orders to customers with ease.
It works with the most popular eCommerce platforms like WooCommerce, Shopify, Amazon, Walmart, eBay, and BigCommerce.
Some of the suppliers you’ll find on Inventory Source include suppliers from US Direct, Doba, Kroll, and D&H.
You can start using Inventory Source for free. As mentioned earlier, the dropship directory is free. You won’t need to pay at all if you only want to find suppliers with Inventory Source.
However, if you want to use the automation software, you have two premium options. You either subscribe to the Inventory Automation plan, which starts at $99 per month, or the Full Automation plan, which starts at $199 per month.
The main difference between both premium plans is that the Full Automation plan includes Inventory Sync +.
3. SourceLow
If you’re new to the dropshipping industry – or eCommerce industry, in general – SourceLow is one SalesHoo alternative to check out.
The platform primarily walks you through the steps to build an eCommerce or dropshipping business. It has an abundance of helpful resources.
However, the highlight is the “Find Suppliers” option. You can find both dropshipping suppliers and wholesale suppliers with SourceLow. All you need to do is go through the resources featured on their respective pages.
Notably, the resource content on SourceLow is updated frequently. As a result, you can be rest assured that you’ll always get the most recent supplier information.
Aside from the option to find suppliers, SourceLow has other resource sections you’ll find invaluable as a dropshipping merchant.
This includes dropshipping automation software, dropshipping research, dropshipping stores, video ads, website builders, dropshipping spy tools, AliExpress dropshipping tools, and more.
SourceLow doesn’t charge users. You can access the many dropshipping resources available on the platform for free.
Furthermore, you can subscribe to the newsletter if you don’t want to miss the latest resources. SourceLow will send you an email whenever there’s new content on the platform.
Which Dropshipping Directory Is Best For You?
The answer to this question will depend on your needs and goals.
If you are an experienced dropshipper or own a traditional eCommerce store, Worldwide Brands would probably save you a lot of time, money, and hassle.
If you use WordPress, then AliDropship is a great plugin to use. If you use Shopify, on the other hand, Spocket is a good alternative.
Finally, if you are just starting, try out SourceLow, Inventory Source, or Wholesale Central. Your capabilities will be limited, but it’s good for a learning experience. Once you get more advanced, you can continue to Worldwide Brands, Alidropship, SendCloud, or ShipStation.
Tom loves to write on technology, e-commerce & internet marketing. I started my first e-commerce company in college, designing and selling t-shirts for my campus bar crawl using print-on-demand. Having successfully established multiple 6 & 7-figure e-commerce businesses (in women’s fashion and hiking gear), I think I can share a tip or 2 to help you succeed.