Salehoo is an eCommerce platform that uses the above model and has been adopted by many online businesses. The company is based in New Zealand, and was launched in 2005. The platform is a directory for wholesalers and drop-shippers that connects you to thousands of suppliers in your business. Here you can find certified drop-shippers, manufacturers, liquidators and wholesalers. As an e-commerce directory, SaleHoo allows you to search for and compare products and suppliers.
The online tool is designed for intuitive use, which makes it easier to find products based on category, name and brand. Though the company is based in New Zealand, it includes, in its directory a list of suppliers drawn from all across the globe, including locations such as the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, China and Australia. Since its founding in Christchurch, New Zealand, SaleHoo has taken off in a major way, becoming one of the biggest directories of its kind. One of the major positives about their model is the fact that they were able to connect merchants to sellers from varied locations; from the popular to markets that were still emerging. This was at a time when other similar platforms were struggling to get the kind of reach you could find on the bulky SaleHoo directory.
As of today, the site has managed to amass over 8,000 verified and trusted dropshipping suppliers and wholesalers. Among these suppliers, you will find companies that supply over 1.6 million products from all the renowned brands you can think of. Thanks to this kind of variety, the platform has attracted 137,000 paying members enjoying the opportunities to be found on the site.
However, the majority of suppliers on Salehoo are still US based. It would be most effective if your target market is in the US as you can minimize the shipping time.
The company started in 2005 and within 14 years, it has grown to become one of the most popular wholesale and dropshipping directories. The platform is the only directory providing international wholesaler contact details making it unique and the major reason for its steep growth.
Salehoo was founded by Simon Slade. He used to be an online seller before starting his own directory. After feeling the need for access to international wholesale contacts which none of the directories provided, he came up with this idea of Salehoo.
With around 8000 suppliers, Salehoo has more than 1.6 million branded products to choose from. Currently, there are around 137,000 members who are utilizing this directory to earn profit by dropshipping and wholesale business.
The website also has various online courses on how to sell effectively, strategies for online selling and more. However, one has to pay extra for these courses. Apart from these there are five products that are included in the annual membership plan.
Salehoo Products and Services
- Access to Wholesale Suppliers
There are over 8,000 legitimate suppliers dealing in the wholesale business. Owing to the site’s simple-to-operate interface, you can find all the important information you want in a few clicks. There is an extensive supply of wholesalers, with items priced at actual wholesale prices. Most of the ecommerce merchants buying from the platform intend to sell their wares on other online platforms such as Amazon, eBay and Etsy. Here, you can expect to find brands like LEGO, Sony, Adidas, 3M, Disney, Oakley and many other well-known names.
As you look through the list of suppliers, you can modify your search prompts to find suppliers in a specific country and those that ship to your area. You can also search for products based on order values, starting with the minimum. You will find that this is much more time-saving than having to look through hundreds of Google search results.
- Access to Dropshipping Suppliers
There are more than 1000 dropshipping suppliers available on Salehoo. These suppliers are accessed by the company before they are made available on the platform for users to do business with. Hence, you do not have to worry about quality of products and services these suppliers offer.
A user on Salehoo can check the product range, contact information, the destinations supplier’s ships to, goods quality, goods shipping mediums and the customer reviews of the specific supplier. You can either choose ship domestically or internationally, Salehoo will help you do that without any hassle.
Although the suppliers are well tested before including them on the directory, it is always a good idea to start with smaller orders so as to meet the minimum order requirement. There are suppliers who also seek application fee. You can completely avoid those suppliers to save some extra bucks.
- Compare Using Market Research Tool
The market research tool provides you a clear vision of the products and niches that are trending. The results are mostly accurate, however, limited to your current location.
The biggest problem is finding the stores that have already been selling the tending products. However, with Salehoo, you can also determine which products have low competition. You can compare products based on their sell rate, competition, the probability of product getting listed, trends and price.
- Dashboard
A perfect way to express that Salehoo cares for its users. A user-friendly and easily manageable dashboard to help keep save and store suppliers for future use. One can also interact and receive notifications. Your work becomes a lot easier while managing such a huge directory to keep everything at one place.
- Customer Support and Training
By now you also know that most green entrepreneurs are most likely to pick SaleHoo over other platforms. One of the main reasons is the support system that entrepreneurs enjoy upon joining. If online reviews are anything to go by, it is safe to assume that the support at SaleHoo are quite helpful. Members can air any queries they may have through a number of channels including live chat, email and telephone.
Support is available Monday to Friday, with working hours set between 5:30 p.m and 1:30 a.m EST. Members who want more avenues can reach the company through their Facebook and Twitter accounts. You won’t have to wait for hours to get an audience- their average response time is impressive, even with the tons of queries they must receive each day. Support at SaleHoo is way above average and you will be hard pressed to find a seller disgruntled about the kind of assistance they received. That said, the support could make things better by helping you find products that are not yet listed.
When it comes to training, Salehoo passes with flying colors. They have videos and step-by-step guides. SaleHoo has guides tailored for sellers trading their wares on Amazon and eBay, two of the most used marketplaces for online business. They have everything you need, from starting up to buying your first batch of items, setting up an online store as well as shipping and importing.
In addition to these, sellers can also engage with other sellers on the online forum provided by support. There is an ample supply of tips and brilliant nuggets of advice that new members as well as already established ones can pick from. The forum registers in excess of 60,000 posts that address all aspects of running an online business, for instance, popular trends and commentary, selling tactics, and favorable suppliers to do business with.
Salehoo Membership Plan
The platform offers two options: a subscription model (priced at $67) which is valid for a year, or a lifetime license of $127.
Compared to competitors in the same market, SaleHoo’s subscription price happens to be one of the most competitive you will find. Worldwide Brands, one of it’s biggest competitors, has a directory with over 16 million wholesale products. To get access to the platform, you would have to pay a one time membership of $299.
While choosing your dropshipping supplier, it is best that you consider how long you are willing to stay in the business for. It could be a trial run in preparation for a brick and mortar store. In such a case, you are better off going with the cheapest deal you can find that is still sufficient.
There is a money-back guarantee.
As if a lowly-priced subscription is not enough bait to attract members, SaleHoo also has a money-back guarantee tied to their subscription for members who do not find the service satisfying. You can claim your subscription back within 60 days, no questions asked. To get back your subscription, you just have to shoot an email to support@salehoo.com and you remain eligible for the claim even on the 60th day. Just produce your receipt number and you will have it returned to you.
Pros of Salehoo
- Huge collection of famous and trustworthy brands
- Verified suppliers offering high quality products
- Nicely done training material including guides and videos
- You just pay the membership amount with no hidden fee
- 60 days hassle free money back guarantee
- Lowest minimum orders available
- Amazing market research tool to stay a step ahead
Cons of Salehoo
- Fee for selling on Amazon or eBay may elevate the cost price for uses, hence making the margin shorter and profit lesser
- Because you are selling someone else’s brand, you may not be able to build your own brand. This is a problem for long term business.
- Although the number of products is huge, it is still way less than those provided by brands worldwide.
Let see reviews from member who used Salehoo:
- You can purchase SaleHoo, give it a try, and if it doesn't live up to your expectations you can simply ask them for a refund
- I just started using Salehoo and so far its good, I used one of Salehoos recommended sites and sold a few items on EBay so I'll update on how long it took to ship. The site said it would be about a week, but that compared to a month on Aliexpress is worth what you pay ($60USD) plus you also get the tracking number.
- I've been looking into getting into drop shipping. I was thinking of starting out with eBay and/or Amazon and work up to starting my own site at some point after I get my feet wet. I've looked at various wholesale directories and I think I've settled on Salehoo.
- If I decide to find a supplier on my own how will I put the products on my store? Like if I used something like Salehoo or Aliexpress they make it easy and have a pluggin for your website, but if I were to use for example a supplier like this it's not that simple.
- If you prefer convenience, then SaleHoo & Aliexpress are fine. If however you want to be a little more serious about your business, then building a reputation with suppliers can sometimes be important. If the supplier is located closer to your customers, that means faster delivery times, better customer satisfaction, possibly more reliable shipping, and so forth. If your business relies on the fact that it's local to where you are (eg. American, American-made), then shorter shipping really sells that, instead of the 2-4 week delivery times you can expect from Aliexpress vendors.
- A couple of these companies have the option of a free trial. So I suggest to try them out (most of the trials can be used without having to use your credit card details). The amount of companies depends on where you live. For example these companies have a more wholesalers and dropshippers in the USA than they have in the Netherlands for example so I should send each company a email on how many wholesalers they have (in the country you live). Another tip I want to give you is check Salehoo out. They are by far the cheapest of all those companies.
- I am a drop-shipper (the fulfillment side) in Australia and signed up with Salehoo. We are in medical, health and allied health space. Salehoo seems quite nice, friendly. Not much on traffic but some, and not had. I have had a positive experience there.
The Conclusion
In this conclusion of this SaleHoo review, I would like to recommend this directory to everyone who wants to start with the dropshipping business. It is a fantastic platform with a number of resources, training materials, as well as customer support to help you build the business. If you are looking somewhere to start from, then this is where you should look at.
If you have your own space for warehouse, the wholesale prices can bring you a large profit margin. However, if you do not have your own space but still looking to reach new levels on online marketing, then SaleHoo dropshipping is perfect for you. I started my journey of dropshipping from this platform, and the way it has changed and formed my career and goals, I will suggest you take this path too. So, to answer your final question in this SaleHoo review – Yes, SaleHoo is a good platform for drop shipping business.
