Why users leave Oberlo
Based on reviews from G2, Capterra, Reddit, and Trustpilot.
Oberlo no longer exists
Shopify shut down Oberlo on June 30, 2022. The app was removed from all stores, and all products, supplier connections, and historical data were permanently deleted. You cannot install or use Oberlo.
DSers replaced fulfillment, not product discovery
Shopify recommended DSers as the official replacement, but DSers focuses on order management and AliExpress fulfillment. Oberlo's "Find Products" feature - the curated product discovery that beginners loved - has no equivalent in DSers.
Outdated tutorials still recommend Oberlo
Thousands of YouTube tutorials and dropshipping courses from 2017-2021 still reference Oberlo. Beginners follow these guides, discover Oberlo is dead, and are left searching for what to use instead.
The replacement landscape is fragmented
Post-Oberlo, no single tool does what Oberlo did. You need DSers or CJ for fulfillment, a separate product research tool for discovery, and possibly an ad spy tool. What was one app is now 2-3 subscriptions.
Most alternatives are expensive subscriptions
Oberlo had a generous free tier (500 products, 50 orders/month). Most replacements charge $20-100+/month for basic functionality. For beginners watching every dollar, this is a significant barrier.
What ProductLair replaces from Oberlo
Oberlo did two things: it helped you find products to sell, and it automated ordering from AliExpress. DSers replaced the ordering side. ProductLair replaces the product discovery side - and goes much deeper than Oberlo ever did.
Where Oberlo showed you trending products with basic order volume data, ProductLair gives you curated products with real profit calculations, competitor analysis, market data, and step-by-step launch plans. Pay once ($49-199) for lifetime access - no monthly fees, no subscriptions.
ProductLair vs Oberlo: What You Get Now
How ProductLair compares to what Oberlo offered before it shut down.
Product Discovery
Both offer curated product discovery. ProductLair goes deeper with profit analysis, market data, and launch plans. Oberlo showed basic order volume and trending metrics.
Real Profit Analysis
Detailed margin calculations including shipping, fees, and ad costs. Oberlo showed sales volume but not actual profit potential.
Actionable Launch Plans
Step-by-step blueprints including ad copy, targeting, and budget. Oberlo provided products without marketing guidance.
Competitor Analysis
Market competition data, existing seller analysis, and saturation metrics for every product.
Order Fulfillment
Oberlo automated AliExpress ordering. ProductLair focuses on research - pair with DSers (free) or CJ Dropshipping for fulfillment.
One-Click Shopify Import
Oberlo imported products directly to Shopify. ProductLair provides research and launch plans - you import products through your fulfillment tool.
Still Available
ProductLair is active and updated regularly. Oberlo shut down permanently on June 30, 2022.
Lifetime Access
One-time payment ($49-199) for permanent access. Oberlo charged $0-79.90/month and all data was deleted when it shut down.
Which tool is right for you?
An honest look at who each tool serves best.
ProductLair
Best for:
- Beginners who discovered Oberlo through courses and need a modern alternative
- Dropshippers who want curated products with real profit data
- Sellers who prefer one-time payment over monthly subscriptions
- Anyone who needs product research with launch plans and competitor analysis
Not ideal for:
- Sellers who need automated order fulfillment (use DSers or CJ instead)
- Users who want one-click AliExpress-to-Shopify import
- Stores processing high order volumes that need inventory sync automation
DSers (Official Oberlo Replacement)
Best for:
- Sellers who need AliExpress order automation (Oberlo's fulfillment side)
- Existing Shopify stores that migrated from Oberlo and need fulfillment
- Budget-conscious sellers (DSers has a functional free tier)
- Users who need bulk ordering and supplier management
Not ideal for:
- Beginners looking for product discovery (DSers doesn't have this)
- Sellers who need profit analysis and market research data
- Users who want curated, ready-to-sell product recommendations
Switching from Oberlo
What to expect when you make the switch.
What transfers easily
- Your dropshipping knowledge and niche expertise from Oberlo tutorials
- Understanding of product trends and what sells
- Any supplier relationships you built independently
Requires setup
- Learning ProductLair's interface (takes ~10 minutes)
- Setting up a separate fulfillment tool for ordering (DSers is free)
- Adjusting from Oberlo's AliExpress-only approach to platform-agnostic research
?Support we offer
Our founding team provides personal onboarding support, especially for beginners coming from Oberlo tutorials. We'll help you find your first winning products and recommend the best free fulfillment tools to pair with ProductLair.
Why Oberlo Shut Down (And What That Means for You)
Shopify acquired Oberlo for $15 million in 2017, then shut it down in June 2022 - the same year they bought Deliverr for $2.1 billion to build their own fulfillment network. Oberlo's AliExpress-dependent model didn't fit Shopify's new strategy.
The lesson for dropshippers: tools that depend on a single platform can disappear overnight. Over 100,000 merchants lost access to their product data, supplier connections, and research when Oberlo shut down. ProductLair's one-time payment model means you own your access permanently - no platform can take it away.
Oberlo's Product Discovery vs ProductLair's Research
Oberlo's "Find Products" feature was its most beloved tool for beginners. It showed trending products based on order volume and popularity metrics. Simple, visual, and easy to browse. But it lacked depth - you saw what was selling without understanding why, at what margins, or how saturated the market was.
ProductLair takes product discovery much further. Every product includes real profit calculations (not just revenue estimates), competitor landscape analysis, market trend data, and a complete launch plan with ad copy and targeting. You don't just find a product - you get everything needed to sell it profitably.
The Post-Oberlo Tool Stack
Before Oberlo shut down, one app handled both product discovery and order fulfillment. Now those functions are split across separate tools. For fulfillment, DSers (free, official AliExpress partner) or CJ Dropshipping (free) handle order automation. For product research, that's where ProductLair comes in.
The good news: this split actually gives you better tools for each job. Oberlo's product research was basic compared to dedicated research platforms. And fulfillment tools like DSers support multiple platforms (Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix) where Oberlo was Shopify-only. Use ProductLair ($49-199 one-time) for research + DSers (free) for fulfillment, and you're better equipped than Oberlo users ever were.
Pricing: Then vs Now
Oberlo's free tier (500 products, 50 orders/month) was one of its biggest draws. Paid plans were $29.90/month (Basic) and $79.90/month (Pro). For the product discovery feature alone, you were effectively paying the full subscription price.
ProductLair offers lifetime access for $49-199 (one-time payment). Pair it with DSers' free tier for order fulfillment, and your total cost for both product research and fulfillment is less than 2 months of Oberlo's Basic plan - for permanent access instead of a monthly subscription.
