Spocket Review -1 BIG Problem!! (2024 Update)

This review might differ from others you’ve seen about Spocket, and it could be surprising.

A lot of reviews praise Spocket, often because the writers are affiliates, earning a commission when you sign up through their links. I’m upfront about this: I’m also a Spocket affiliate, so if you subscribe through my link, I get a commission.

But after you read my review, I doubt I’ll receive a cent. Personally, I prefer giving an honest perspective on Spocket, even if it means losing some earnings over misleading newbies into wasting their money.

Spocket boasts numerous features, is user-friendly, automates much of the dropshipping process, and offers a free trial. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, not entirely.

Spocket does have its strengths, but it falls short in crucial areas. I find its pricing a bit high, but the main issue is the product selection.

Most of the products are unsuitable for a successful dropshipping. Experienced dropshippers know what a viable product is and are selective about their products.

Most of Spocket’s offerings don’t seem viable for building a profitable store. At most, you could run a general store with some Spocket products, but this isn’t a sustainable long-term strategy.

Spocket seems aimed at dropshipping newcomers who are still figuring out what makes a business successful. Experienced dropshippers, who know the value of direct supplier relationships, are unlikely to use it.

While I don’t think Spocket is a scam and it might help some, I generally wouldn’t recommend it. My article will detail what I like and dislike about the platform.

How is Spocket Different from Other Suppliers?

Spocket has several factors that differentiate it from most regular dropshipping suppliers. In fact, they don’t function as a traditional supplier since they lack a physical location and don’t stock or ship goods like a standard dropship or wholesale supplier.

Spocket is a middleman acting as a dropshipping platform, connecting online retailers with worldwide suppliers. It streamlines the process of sourcing suppliers, listing products and order fulfillment.

Other platforms such as Zendrop, Salehoo, USAdrop and Syncee perform similarly. The main factor that separates Spocket from these platforms is the fact that a larger percentage of the suppliers are from the US and EU and include unique features such as AliScraper and DropGenius.

Spocket’s Pricing: Value for Money?

One thing I do like about Spocket is you can join for free and search their catalog of products right away. I’d recommend this approach initially to see if they have the products to fit your niche instead of jumping right into a paid plan.

With the paid plans you get a 14-day free trial so you can still pull out if it’s not right for you.

There are 4 monthly subscription plans available:

• Starter plan – $39.99
• Pro – $59.99
• Empire – $99.99
• Unicorn – $299

Realistically, if you’re serious about using Spocket, you’ll have to use at least the Pro plan which allows users 250 unique products and 25 premium products. The Starter plan is very limited at 25 unique products which won’t be adequate if you’re taking your business seriously.

The pricing structure at Spocket seems designed to nudge you towards a yearly subscription. The Pro plan is $24 per month when you commit to a year, which is over 50% cheaper than the monthly option.

It’s also important to know how to cancel your Spocket subscription. Fortunately, it’s more straightforward than many other platforms, but remember, you’ll lose access to your products and settings.

In my view, Spocket is overpriced for what it offers. Considering the challenge of profiting from the products, adding a monthly fee makes achieving a good profit margin even tougher.

Spocket’s Product Catalog and Prices

Spocket’s product selection is my main issue with the platform, so be prepared to hear me complain. For a detailed critique, you can read my complete article discussing the problems with Spocket’s products.

To put it plainly, most of Spocket’s products don’t fit well with dropshipping, and their prices make it difficult to profit.

You might be able to run a general store focusing on trending items and manage some sales, but finding products suitable for a long-term dropshipping business is challenging.

Here’s a quick look at some of the products:

The screenshot below shows US and EU products on Spocket. They appear generic and somewhat boring. While there are a few unique items, it requires thorough searching through the Spocket catalog to find something truly worthwhile.

Here’s an example below, the cost price of a pack of 6 dog toys is $32.99 which means you’ll likely have to charge at least $50 to make it viable. Nobody will pay $50 for dog toys that have no unique selling point. These are the products I would avoid on Spocket.

The products from the US and EU on Spocket offer reasonable shipping times, but their profit margins are slim, making them less attractive for profitability.

Furthermore, I noticed that many products are priced too high for effective profit-making. When you factor in the cost price, shipping fees, monthly Spocket and Shopify subscriptions, and advertising expenses, it becomes challenging to break even, let alone earn a substantial income from dropshipping.

Spocket’s Premium Products

According to Spocket, their premium products are sourced from their best suppliers, are among their best-sellers and are heavily discounted. You will see the premium logo on these products or you can filter these products.

I found it difficult to notice the premium products were any better than the regular products except for the fact that the premium products usually had faster shipping times.

It’s crucial to note that within Spocket’s product range, many items from the US and EU are Print-on-Demand (POD). While this might seem advantageous, I would not sell these products.

POD operates under a model where other dropshippers act as suppliers on Spocket. Essentially, this setup means you’re buying products that are dropshipped to you. No thanks!

If you’re interested in selling POD products, it’s more efficient to use services like Printify or Printful directly. This approach eliminates an extra middleman which maximizes your profit margins.

The most disappointing aspects of Spocket for me were the product prices and selection. This was particularly frustrating given the platform’s potential to be a valuable resource for dropshippers, if only it offered better products.

Spocket Shipping Times – Are They Too Long?

Spocket offers worldwide shipping, but shipping restrictions vary by supplier. Therefore, it’s important to review the product descriptions to determine where each supplier ships. You can view how to check supplier shipping options here.

The shipping times on Spocket are quite varied, as you’ll discover when browsing their catalog. There’s an option to filter results, so if you’re targeting the US market, you can choose to work only with US-based suppliers.

However, even with this filter, you’ll notice shipping times still fluctuate, ranging from 1 to 3 days all the way up to 8 to 14 days. It’s also important to consider processing times, varying between 2 and 5 days, depending on the supplier.

Remember, these times are in business days. So, if a product has a 5-day processing time and takes 10 days to ship, it could take up to 3 weeks to reach your customer.

Particularly for products shipped within the US, these timeframes seem excessive. It raises doubts about whether the products are genuinely shipped from the US, as these are typical shipping times for items ordered from China.

If you want to know how AliExpress ship from China but claim it’s coming from the US, I suggest you read my article where does AliExpress actually ship from?

In the image below, you’ll find examples of some of the longer shipping times for products shipped to and from the US.

In the image below, you’ll see examples of faster shipping times for products sent to the US from US suppliers. Notably, many of these products with quicker delivery are smaller items, like jewelry, and Print on Demand (POD) products.

These are frequently shipped by suppliers such as Printful and Printify, who usually have more efficient shipping options.

Spocket Features

I found the overall features helpful and the dashboard user-friendly and easy to navigate. A complete beginner will find it simple and straightforward to search products, upload products, fulfill orders and use the features that come with Spocket.

Let’s go through a few of the features and how they can help with your business:

AliScraper

I’ve had experience with AliScraper and generally found it to be a helpful tool. It streamlines the process of importing products from AliExpress into your Shopify store, making it both quick and straightforward.

However, it’s worth noting that I’ve come across several online complaints about AliScraper not functioning properly for some users recently. Despite this, in my use, I successfully used AliScraper to add various products to my Spocket import list without encountering any issues.

DropGenius

DropGenius is Spocket’s latest feature for 2024. It’s their AI-powered Shopify store-building software. There are a ton of these AI Shopify store builders popping up where you can customize the store to your liking and AI builds the store for you.

I went through the steps to customize my store with DropGenius but I did not build the final store so I cannot give you my feedback on how professional a store is.

I prefer creating my own store using Shopify, rather than settling for a generic, widely-used template. Developing a unique Shopify store is a valuable skill for anyone aiming to succeed in e-commerce, as it allows for greater customization and distinction from countless other online stores.

Branded Invoicing

Branded invoicing gives you the ability to send private label packaging to your customers which is a professional touch that can help with repeat business. Be aware that only some suppliers will offer branded invoicing.

Integrations

Below is a list of the platforms Spocket currently integrates with:

• BigCommerce
• Shopify
• Felex
• Wix
• Ecwid
• Squarespace
• WooCommerce
• Square
• Alibaba
• AliExpress
• Amazon
• eBay

Academy

Spocket’s Academy is an educational resource filled with informative content, ranging from detailed guides and how-to articles to case studies. Each of these acts as a mini-course and is $12.99 each.

Spocket Support

Spocket has a customer support team available 24/7 for live chat or email. Spocket has a help center with articles on frequently asked questions around product-related questions.

Their live chat and email are generally only for order-related concerns and technical difficulties.

Who Should Use Spocket?

Spocket is most suitable for beginners in the dropshipping industry who are learning the basics of e-commerce. While I don’t see it as a viable long-term strategy, it can be a useful starting point to understand the business model before engaging directly with suppliers.

Its user-friendly and simplifies the process by eliminating several steps, such as:

• No direct negotiations or dealings with suppliers.
• No need to find and communicate with suppliers.
• No product sourcing is required.
• Simplified order fulfillment.
• The entire business operation can be managed on the Spocket platform.

For newcomers to dropshipping, these tasks can make the process less intimidating and more manageable. For example, processing and fulfilling orders with Spocket is not automated but is a simple task, especially if you’re using Shopify. You can see exactly how to fulfill orders on Spocket here.

Considering Spocket’s product catalog, I would suggest beginners start with a general store that sells trending items. Creating a niche or a single-product store is unlikely to be successful with the type of products Spocket offers.

For those interested in using AliScraper, it’s worth noting that while the tool is free, it requires a Spocket paid plan to access. AliScraper is a beneficial tool, and for some, the monthly fee could be justified.

Who Shouldn’t Use Spocket?

If you’re truly committed to giving dropshipping a serious try, I would recommend steering clear of Spocket. While it simplifies the dropshipping process, this simplicity can be a drawback.

Understanding each aspect of the industry thoroughly is crucial, rather than relying on a platform like Spocket that handles most aspects of your business for a fee.

Here’s why I generally advise against using Spocket:

1. Spocket adds an extra monthly cost, which is not ideal in dropshipping where profit margins are already slim.
2. The product range is varied but not necessarily suitable for most dropshipping models.
3. Some shipping times are excessively long, especially for products supposedly shipped from the US and EU.
4. The Print-on-Demand offerings seem unnecessary. Working directly with a POD platform is more efficient than going through another intermediary.

The main objective in dropshipping is profitability, which involves direct dealings and negotiations with suppliers and manufacturers, minimizing middlemen, and securing the lowest product costs possible.

At the end of the day, you don’t need to Spocket to dropship. You should consider whether it’s worth engaging with a platform that incurs a monthly fee and offers a limited, expensive product range.

Other Suppliers to Consider

While I’m not particularly enthusiastic about using the following suppliers, they can be advantageous in certain scenarios:

Salehoo

Salehoo’s dropshipping section stocks products from AliExpress. Personally, I believe it’s more cost-effective to use AliExpress directly and save on monthly fees. However, the Salehoo Directory could appeal to those seeking domestic suppliers, offering a wide range of global suppliers.

You can check out my full review of Salehoo here.

Zendrop

Zendrop is a close alternative to Spocket, primarily stocking products from China rather than the US and EU. While Zendrop offers more features and branding options than Spocket, it does charge a bit more per month for these services. Despite this, Zendrop wouldn’t be my first choice among dropshipping platforms.

I have a review of Zendrop here for more information.

USAdrop

USAdrop, with worldwide suppliers, has a smaller product range than Spocket and Zendrop, but the products they offer are more aligned with dropshipping needs. Their lower pricing compared to Spocket and Zendrop makes USAdrop a viable, budget-friendly alternative to Spocket.

I have a USAdrop review for more information.

CJ Dropshipping

If you’re looking for an alternative to AliExpress, CJ Dropshipping is my preferred choice. They don’t charge monthly fees, offer a large catalog of reasonably priced products, and have their own shipping lines. This often results in faster shipping times compared to AliExpress.