The easiest place to start finding dropshipping suppliers is AliExpress. It’s a hub of suppliers from all around the world. It has become an e-commerce giant outside of the US, and a go-to resource for US dropshippers to find suppliers.
AliExpress is amazing for beginners, but many of the products take 2-3 weeks to arrive in the US, which makes it hard to manage customer expectations.
Finding dropshipping product suppliers and partners in the US has a lot of benefits for stores of all sizes, but it’s hard to know where to find the good ones.
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Best Dropshipping Suppliers in the US
One of the toughest things about running a dropshipping business is finding winning products. Even tougher is finding a reliable supplier for those products. Many dropshippers source from overseas, which is great, but sometimes a US supplier is absolutely needed. That’s covered more in the next section, but when you decide you need a US supplier, here are the top options.
Read on for details on each.
Spocket
Spocket is a dropshipping marketplace that focuses on US and EU product sources. You can find affordable, high-quality, good-margin products in their database. You can order samples for yourself to check out the products you want to sell.
Spocket makes it easy to manage products and sales. When you import the products into your store, they come with titles, descriptions, recommended prices, photos, and other product info, and you can update and customize for your unique brand. When someone orders through your site, you just confirm the order in Shopify and Spocket fulfills the order and ships directly to your end customer.
The main downside of Spocket is that shipping isn’t included in the price and isn’t imported into Shopify. So you either have to do free shipping and include those costs in your price markup, or set up flat-rate or price-based shipping in Shopify.
You also can’t sell Spocket items on Amazon or Ebay, so if you’re syncing Shopify with either of those, you’ll have to exclude Spocket products from listing.
Pricing: They off a limited free plan, then it’s $29 or $79 per month.
Shopify Integration: Yes
Synced Fulfillment: Yes
Automatic Inventory Management: Yes
AppScenic
AppScenic is a newer dropshipping/wholesale supplier that focuses on US, UK, European, Canadian, and other suppliers. You can pick from 500,000+ products, sync inventory directly with Shopify and WooCommerce, and manage orders.
Import your chosen products from AppScenic to your store, and add their descriptions, photos, and choose your price.
With AppScenic, all your operations are automated—when someone orders from your store, the sale is initiated with the supplier without you having to process anything. Orders are fulfilled and sent to your customers…quickly. You can manage shipments, returns, and customer service all from one dashboard.
Pricing: Starts free, with premium plans starting at $25/month
Shopify Integration: Yes
Synced Fulfillment: Yes
Automatic Inventory Management: Yes
Salehoo
Salehoo is an amazing dropshipping / wholesale marketplace. It does include more than just US suppliers, so you have to make sure to filter by US sources if you’re specifically looking for that. If you use Salehoo, you can choose from both domestic and international suppliers, but make sure to manage customer communication on shipping disparities.
Unlike other platforms that integrate with Shopify and other e-commerce solutions, Salehoo does not directly integrate. There’s no Shopify app for Salehoo. So you’ll have to list products manually, but in doing so, you’re likely to be offering more unique products and seeing higher margins.
Probably one of their best features is the pricing data. You can see the product cost, what it’s selling for elsewhere online, and what your possible margin could be. You also get trends research and access to hot products. These features alone are worth the low subscription price.
If you get Salehoo, you can also use it to build your site if you don’t want to use Shopify, or even if you want to start a second niche store.
Salehoo offers a ton of training and really great support, so you always have help when you need it. And if/when you’re ready to move from dropshipping to wholesale, Salehoo will still be there for you.
Pricing: Acess to Salehoo is $67 per year, or $127 for lifetime access.
Shopify Integration: No
Synced Fulfillment: No
Automatic Inventory Management: No
Wholesale2b
If you’re using Shopify and want a lot of US products to dropshipping, Wholesale2b is going to be the go-to choice. It’s an integrated marketplace with literally millions of products. You get wholesale pricing without the wholesale minimum order requirements and with the direct dropshipping benefits.
The majority of suppliers on Wholesale2b ship from the US, but some are from China. So again, if that’s a factor for your product choices, just double check in the database.
One of the best parts about Wholesale2b is their live sales data feeds. You can see real stats about which products sold, at what price, and what the margin was.
As with many other US suppliers, you’ll have to manage shipping costs and how you pass those on to customers. Each supplier on Wholesale2b charges shipping differently, so you can offer free shipping and markup your product price, do flat-rate shipping, or do product-price-based shipping.
Pricing: You can search the database for free, and then plans costs depend on your desired integrations, which range from $24.99 to $39.99 per month
Shopify Integration: Yes
Synced Fulfillment: Yes
Automatic Inventory Management: Yes
Worldwide Brands
Worldwide Brands is a bit different than previously listed platforms because it’s basically a supplier directory. As a directory, Worldwide Brands gives you one place to contact and work with suppliers across the world. So rather than a product-focused marketplace, it’s a supplier-focused directory.
If you’re looking for quality, durable, consumer-focused products, Worldwide brand is the place to find the suppliers that have them. The suppliers in this directory sell to big box retailers across the US and world, so you know you’re getting legit, tested products.
The platform does have both US and international suppliers, but they make it super clear which is which so you can choose your products and suppliers accordingly. They pride themselves on vetting every supplier so you can rest assured that you’re not working with bad eggs. They even offer scam protection, so you’re covered if anything does happen.
Pricing: Free preview, then lifetime access for $299 (payment plans available)
Shopify Integration: No
Synced Fulfillment: No
Automatic Inventory Management: No
AliExpress
AliExpress made the cut, simply because “best” is relative. For some, best might mean cheap. So it’s included for good measure.
You can find US dropshipping suppliers on AliExpress. When you do a product search, simply filter your search results by “Ships from.” Of course, that filter shows the shipping location and not the supplier location, but it’s as close as you’ll get.
Sometimes inventory is unpredictable and unavailable from the US. When you use AliExpress for US suppliers, you’ll have to keep a close eye on inventory.
Benefits of US Dropshipping Suppliers
AliExpress and suppliers from overseas are great when it comes to price. But there are some downsides of using foreign suppliers that can be quickly remedied by finding and working with trusted US dropshipping suppliers.
Product Quality
While you can’t making sweeping statements that all products made in the US are high-quality and all made elsewhere are low-quality. That’s simply not true. However, when it comes to cheap overseas products like those on AliExpress, you can certainly expect to get what you pay for. Manufacturing standards and regulations are much more lax in countries like China, which means you can’t always vet product quality.
Because of US regulations and standards, you can often find more information on US manufacturers and suppliers. For example, the Better Business Bureau is a North-America-centric source for information on companies, both good and bad.
When in doubt, the best way to test product quality is to order a unit for yourself and put it to the test. You may not be able to discover if there are harmful chemicals or other hidden safety concerns, but you can make sure it won’t break on day 1.
See the end of this article for a list of niches and product categories that make sense to source from US suppliers.
Shipping Time
The most common and recommended shipping method on AliExpress, e-packet, takes 2-3 weeks (plus processing time) to arrive at your customer’s door. In today’s 2-day shipping economy, this delay can frustrate customers and lead to refund requests and prevent customers from coming back.
In many cases, you can mitigate customer frustration by warning them up front that the product takes 2-3 weeks to arrive. Setting their expectations helps a lot. You can also remind them after their order that their product will arrive in 2-3 weeks and give them a way to track orders on your website. Oberlo has great integrations for accomplishing this.
In general, products being shipped from the US are going to be delivered to your US customers much faster than products shipped from overseas. Choose US suppliers can help speed up delivery and improve customer satisfaction.
Language & Time Zones
Most of the suppliers on AliExpress are in Asia. Most can speak at least broken English (or one of you can run conversations through Google Translate), but you can’t expect to be able to have substantive product-related conversations. If you have a product complaint or need to need to discuss something in-depth or complex, you’re going to get frustrated.
When you have particular product specs or want a resource for asking questions and getting reliable answers, US based suppliers are going to better serve this need.
Plus, the time difference can really slow things down. If you send a message today, you’ll get an answer tomorrow (at the earliest). This delay can be frustrating when you’re trying to solve a customer complaint or get a product launched. Whereas with US suppliers, you can hop on the phone or expect a faster communication turnaround time in general.
When you’re starting and growing a dropshipping store, there are pros and cons for using overseas suppliers on AliExpress vs finding US based suppliers for your products. You have to decide using all these factors which approach is right for you. And, frankly, the answer may be different for each product or category
Niches Where US Dropshipping Suppliers are Recommended
There are certain products that you just shouldn’t source from overseas. These types of products are notorious for being low quality, dangerous, unlike the product photos, or otherwise unacceptable to US customers.
For a better customer experience, use one of the US dropshipping suppliers listed above for products that meet these descriptions.
Electronics
You can source insanely cheap electronics from overseas. Cameras, memory chips, phones, charging cables, activity trackers, and so much more. But a lot of these electronics are not only cheap in price, they’re made with cheap parts. Which means they crap out quickly and don’t meet US consumer expectations. While you’ll be safe sourcing electronic accessories (phone covers, screen protectors, etc.) from overseas, be weary of sourcing electronics from non-US suppliers.
Kids
If you’re in a child-related niche or selling products intended to be used by or around children, you need to be extra cautious about lead and other harmful chemicals in toys and clothes from overseas. Regulations are lax in many places outside of the US, so safety is never guaranteed.
Health, Beauty, & Makeup
The health and beauty niche is huge for Chinese dropshippers. You can get the most popular beauty products and trends, but also the weird fads popular around the world. The biggest issue with non-US beauty suppliers is allergies and irritation. The eye shadow or face wash that cost $.99 aren’t usually made with the highest-quality ingredients. US consumers have high expectations of beauty products, so do your research and when in doubt, source from a US supplier.
Certain Pet Products
Similar to kids products, pet products from China can be dangerous. For example, if you sell a dog water bottle that has harmful chemicals in the plastic, dogs could get really sick. And there’s no way for you to know that it’s harmful. So for things like treats, bowls, water bottles, and other consumables or containers, be careful. On the other hand, toys, leashes, and clothes for pets are usually OK to buy outside of the US.
Anything “Brand Name”
If you find something Nike or Disney on AliExpress, it’s fake. Sorry to tell you that the $50 Gucci bank ain’t Gucci. And if you list something for sale on your site using a brand’s name or likeness, you’re on the hook for legal ramifications. So avoid anything branded or copyrighted.
Safety Gear
If a customer in the US is purchasing safety gear (helmets, gloves, climbing gear, etc.), they expect it to meet US safety standards. If you sell sub-par products labeled as safety gear, you could be on the hook for product failure in dangerous situations.
Clothes / Apparel / Accessories
Beyond your basic t-shirts and sweats, sourcing apparel from non-US dropshippers can be hit-and-miss. And when a customer buys from your brand, you’re the one they complain to and never come back…and probably ask for a refund.
Case in point, a lot of people share images comparing the product photo they against what they actually got. And while it’s funny to read about, it’s not funny when you’re the person who marked up and sold those pieces.
Another thing to consider is international sizing. A small in China isn’t the same as a small in the US. If your Chinese supplier lists sizes in their native scale, you have to attempt to convert those to US sizes. If you get it wrong, you’re looking at lots of returns and complaints.
So be careful with sourcing apparel from outside the US if you want to be safe. When in doubt, order a sample for yourself.
High-ticket Items
If you’re dropshipping high-ticket, expensive items, you need to be absolutely sure about the product quality. So while it’s expensive to order a product for yourself, you absolutely need to make that investment. Otherwise, it could bite you in the ass.
If you launch a $900 product and sell 45 in the first two weeks, you won’t know if there’s a quality issue until after you’ve processed all those orders. When your customers request returns from you and your supplier won’t issue a return, refund, or replacement, you’re out a shitload of money.
Any order you make from the supplier is basically a sunk cost. So when it comes to high-ticket items, do high-ticket due diligence.
This is certainly not an exhaustive list of products you’ll want to source from US suppliers. Do your research, use your common sense, and when in doubt, ask.
US-based suppliers: Want added to this list? Send us details about your products, platform, and benefits.