Starting a business without any product to sell is hard – in fact, sourcing suppliers is one of the first steps.
But if you shop on Shopify, there are plenty of product sourcing options that can help you populate your store with on-demand products, partner with suppliers who specialize in certain items, and even add your own creative spin to white-label products.
What is Product Sourcing?
Product sourcing is the stage after you create your business idea, where you determine how to get the product you want to sell. You can find manufacturers of custom products , wholesale suppliers of third -party merchandise , or partner with dropshippers . Many of the product sourcing options we'll cover on this list will allow you to use a dropshipping fulfillment model, which means you wo n't have to hold or manage inventory , or ship your own -- it's up to the supplier of your choice to partner with... This way, you can focus less on logistics and more on brand building, marketing your products, and delivering exceptional customer service.
12 Direct Download App Plugins for Sourcing Products on Shopify
- Oberlo
- Printify
- Dripshipper
- Spocket
- Voodoo
- Creative Hub
- Printful
- My Online Fashion Store
- Lulu Xpress
- Shapeways
- Modalyst
- MXED
1. Oberlo : Choose from millions of products
Price: Free plan
Oberlo is the official Shopify app designed to easily find products through third-party dropshippers, add them to your Shopify store, and ship them directly to your customers.
You can choose from millions of products from just about any niche you can think of, curated into a branded online store that caters to specific audiences, such as pet accessories for pet owners or smartphone photography gear for travelers.
Best of all, Oberlo gives you data on the performance of each product so you can make informed decisions about what to add to your store.
Types of products you can sell:
- ring
- sunglasses
- watch
- apparel
- electronic product
- mobile phone accessories
- and more
2. Printify: Print-on-demand apparel and accessories
Price: Free plan
If you're looking for a way to inject your creativity into the products you sell , print-on-demand products are a popular option. With Printify, you can choose from a vast catalog of products to customize with your own designs.
While Printify is free to use (you pay for products per order), when you're ready to expand, you can also upgrade to a paid plan for $29 per month for a 20% higher profit margin on all products.
With Printify, you can place your designs on:
- T-shirt
- hoodie
- handbag
- coffee cup
- wall decal
- poster
- beach towel
- laptop
- pet bed
- and more
3. Dripshipper : Premium coffee dropshipper
Price: $25 per month
Do you consider yourself a coffee connoisseur, but worry about selling low-priced products? Dripshipper, a coffee dropshipping app, might be for you. Whole beans are shipped the same day they are roasted for the freshest possible coffee.
Upload your own logo, choose the type of coffee you want to serve, and customize your label to sell white label coffee directly to your customers under your own brand. You can even offer coffee subscriptions , so customers can get a new bag because their previous supply was dry.
The types of coffee products you can sell include:
- Single origin coffee (Laos, Papa New Guinea, Colombia, etc.)
- 12/60 packs of single-serve coffee capsules
- Decaf Coffee
- Customized coffee products (choose origin, roast, size, package, etc.)
4. Spocket : US and EU suppliers
Price: Free plan
Spocket is another product sourcing app that lets you add products from dropship suppliers in the US and EU. It offers tons of quality products and branded invoices, as well as fast shipping times.
With wholesale pricing, the service promises 30-60% off the retail price of all products, giving you huge profit margins and allowing you to get creative with the discounts.
Products you can get through Spocket include:
- earrings
- apparel
- Sports and Outdoor Gear
- shoe
- Bath and Beauty Supplies
- and more
5. Voodoo : On-demand 3D printing of household items
Price: Free installation
With the realization of on-demand printing and the development of 3D printing technology, it is only a matter of time before on-demand 3D printing becomes a reality.
With Voodo, you can create accessories and household items in any shape you can imagine - all you need to do is upload an image (.svg format).
Products you can make include:
- biscuit mold
- coaster
- ring
- drink mixer
- dishes
- wine glass label
6. Creative Hub : sells artwork by contemporary artists
Price: Free installation
With Creative Hub, you don't need to be an artist to sell art online . This UK-based marketplace lets you access quality art from contemporary artists to sell in your own store. For each item, you get the retail price (the lowest price you can sell it) and your share as a supplier (the price you calculate at the retail price). Some prints are even limited editions, which cost more.
There's a fixed £6 international shipping, keeping shipping simple and letting you sell to anyone, anywhere in the world. It's important to note that frameworks are not included (although you can get them and provide them through one of the other apps on this list).
7. Printful : Highly customizable print-on-demand products
Price: Free installation
Printful is another print-on-demand service like Printify, but with some key differences.
Printful offers more powerful product customization options, as well as the ability to brand the customer experience (with branded stickers, package inserts and labels). You can also order product samples at a discounted price so you can see what the product looks like before you start promoting it.
The types of products you can customize include:
- T-shirt
- poster
- leggings
- embroidered hat
- sports bra
- sock
- phone case
- Pillow
- jogging
- bomber jacket
- and more
8. My Online Fashion Store : Women's Fashion and Accessories
Price: $29/month
My online fashion store is a US-based direct store with a large collection of fashionable women's clothing. From top to bottom, from jewelry to shoes, there are tons of items, each with a suggested selling price.
What's more, they offer free returns and great shipping, however, they currently only serve customers in the US, which limits your market.
Products you can sell include:
- scarf
- Vest
- lingerie
- sunglasses
- handbag
- hat
- belt
- and more
9. Lulu Xpress : Print-on-demand books and calendars
Price: Free installation
Focused on books and calendars, Lulu Xpress lets you use print-on-demand capabilities to launch your own book products. You can choose the format and size of the book, whether you want hardcover or paperback, color or black and white ink, and the quality of paper you want to use for interior pages.
Want to know the best selling coffee table books? Lulu Xpress is a low-risk way to try out your idea and prove it before investing a lot of money.
The types of books you can create include:
- hardcover photo book
- novel
- comic book
- work log
- poetry book
- calendar
- Journals and Notebooks
10. Shapeways : Advanced On-Demand 3D Printing
Price: Free installation
Shapeways is a 3D printing and fulfillment service that allows you to upload your own 3D models and realize them as physical products.
While this is probably one of the most expensive apps to use on this list (given the upfront cost of 3D modeling), you can use it to create truly unique, high-quality products for on-demand sales or for quick prototyping .
Available 3D printing materials include:
- plastic
- steel
- gold
- aluminum
- sandstone
- carbon
- and more
11. Modalyst: A large supplier network with fast shipping
Price: Free plan (5% transaction fee on sales)
Modalyst is a supplier network that gives you access to dropshippers in the US with relatively fast shipping times. You can find private labels, fashion products and low price items in your own store.
Many of their private labels include other Shopify merchants who meet stringent requirements and are open to direct partnerships.
Products you can find on Modalyst include:
- Backpack
- Formal wear
- T-shirt
- shoe
- swimsuit
- jewelry
- electronic product
- and more
12. MXED : Sells officially licensed merchandise (US only)
Price: Free installation
Selling officially licensed pop culture merchandise usually requires you to negotiate directly with the licensor . MXED provides an easy way to legally sell licensed merchandise from some of the most familiar brands. Best of all, MXED offers fast 3-day shipping, allowing you to provide a superior customer experience for the quality products you'll be selling.
MXED's offering of pop culture items includes backpacks, t-shirts, wallets and other merchandise from iconic universes such as:
- Assassin's Creed
- street fighter
- overseer
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- star wars
- my hero academia
- Looney Tunes
- DC Comics
- marvel comics
- Naruto
- and more
No products to sell? no problem
With the rise of third-party vendors and marketplaces, like the ones we mentioned above and the dozens that can be found in the Shopify app store , supply is no longer a barrier to starting a business. These apps are a great way to start a low-investment business and get your feet wet as an ecommerce beginner.
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