Your shop website is where your customers choose and pay. A supplier app is what connects your shop to the people who hold the stock. Without one, you would copy every product in by hand, check every day whether it was still in stock, and send every order to the supplier yourself.
This guide explains what a supplier app does, what it costs, and how to choose one.
The three jobs it does
- It brings products into your shop. You pick products from its suppliers and it copies them into your shop, with their pictures and descriptions, for you to set your own price.
- It keeps the stock up to date. When a supplier runs out, your shop needs to know before a customer buys something that can't be sent. Avasam, for example, says it updates stock levels every 30 minutes.
- It sends your orders to the supplier. When a customer pays, the order and the delivery address go to the supplier, and the tracking number comes back to your shop.
Not every app sends orders by itself
This is the part people most often get wrong. Some apps send each order the moment it comes in. Others need you to press a button:
- Avasam and Zendrop (on its paid plans) say orders go to the supplier automatically.
- DSers says AliExpress orders are sent in a batch, which you start with a click.
- Spocket says you open each order and click Place Order.
- AutoDS sends orders for you with an extra that costs $9.90 a month on top of the plan.
- CJ Dropshipping copies your orders in automatically, and you pay for each one before it is sent.
What it costs
Prices vary a lot, and so does what you get for them. DSers has a free plan and a paid plan at $19.90 a month. CJ Dropshipping has no monthly fee: you pay for each product and its delivery. Avasam starts at £24.99 a month plus VAT. Spocket and Syncee start at $39.99 a month, and AutoDS at $26.90.
Several have a free plan that only lets you look around. Avasam, Syncee and Zendrop all say you need a paid plan before you can sell. Our supplier apps page shows which free plans you can sell on.
Three questions to ask before you choose
- Does it work with my shop website? An app has to connect to the website your shop runs on. Check the app's own website names it.
- Where are its suppliers? That decides how long your customers wait. Our guide to UK suppliers or AliExpress explains the difference.
- Which plan do I really need? Most plans are limited by how many products you sell. Some, like Spocket, also keep unlimited orders for their bigger plans.
When you don't need one
Some shop websites have the connection to suppliers built in, so there is no separate app to choose or pay for. Mediatopia, which owns this website, sells a dropshipping shop with the connection to AliExpress built in. Wix also has its own dropshipping app, called Modalyst.
Compare the supplier apps → Which apps work with your shop? →
