Researching the best beginner courses for dropshipping & ended up here? So, why read this review? Because I’m not getting paid to do it.

I’ve been where you are & could’ve done with some honest, unbiased advice back in the day. Could’ve saved me some time, money & effort… but made it in the end & now I can give back by helping you.

I’m Ippei by the way… Kinda like eBay but with an "I" I’ve been an online entrepreneur for years now. I’ve tried my hand at all the online biz models incl dropshipping (link Case Study), but decided to focus all my energy on my Local Lead Gen businesses.

This left me with a lot of free time on my hands…& so that’s why I decided to do the reviews. Because of my multi angled view into the different biz models, I’ve got a unique perspective & can give you some honest pointers.

Today we’ll look into Oberlo Apps very own Dropshipping Course: Oberlo 101.

We’ll discuss the course content, pros cons & alternatives.

Personally, I don’t think Dropshipping is the way to go in 2021 for many reasons & we’ll get some of these a bit later on.

If you want to find out what my #1 online biz model for 2021 & beyond is, please click below.

For now, let’s get reviewing…

1. What is Oberlo 101?

Oberlo is a big name in dropshipping. It has solved the problem of manual uploading of products on Shopify stores and automated this process. That's why it's regarded as one of the best apps for dropshippers.

Which makes sense that Oberlo launched their own course, Oberlo 101, to teach dropshipping to beginners. It's a professional and well-crafted course presented by Jessica Guzik & a few other guests.

Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect during this course:

Originally, the course was broken down into 5 modules, but now you'll find 33 lessons with a total running time of 2 hours and 20 minutes.

By the end of Dropshipping 101, Jessica will have taught you how to:

Find winning dropshipping products for your store(s).
The tricks to choosing trustworthy suppliers on AliExpress.
Build a Shopify store and ecommerce brand from scratch in easy-to-understand steps.
Create & set up your first Facebook Ad to drive traffic to your store.
Lastly, how to optimize your Ads and store so you can scale and dominate.

2. Who is Jessica Guzik?

This is a dropshipping course by Oberlo itself, presented by Jessica Guzik, with contributions by Harry Coleman, Scott Hilse, Yuliya & Mike, Chris Wane and Paul Lee.

According to Oberlo, Jessica Guzik is an eCommerce business owner and educator. She helps aspiring entrepreneurs launch brands that are built to last.

Apart from that, we don't know much about her.

It is, however, refreshing to see a female course presenter. Jessica presents with flair and enthusiasm, and unlike many of her dropshipping counterparts, she does not rush through the course.

She also doesn't pose with a super car... Imagine that? – A Dropshipping Course without a Lambo in a picture somewhere… Nah, can’t be…

I like it – bonus points all around!

3. How Does Dropshipping Work?

If you’re seeking an online business opportunity, chances are that you’ve come across dropshipping.

Dropshipping is a modern online business model that requires very little initial investment.

But how does dropshipping work & is this the right model to realize your entrepreneurial dreams with?

Let’s start at the beginning & see if we can get you some answers.

Dropshipping is a type of retail fulfillment method, where instead of a store stocking the physical products itself, it purchases the products from a third-party supplier. The products are then shipped directly to the consumer. This way, the seller doesn’t have to handle the product directly.

Sound familiar? Maybe not, but 33 percent of online stores use dropshipping as a fulfillment model.

For the store, this is a mostly hands-off process. The merchant (that would be you) doesn’t have to order any inventory or fulfill the orders in any way. Instead, the third-party supplier takes care of the product itself.

Dropshipping is great for entrepreneurs because it doesn’t demand as much as the traditional retail model. You don’t have to open a brick-and-mortar store, pay overheads & carry stock.

Instead, you open a virtual storefront & wait for the clients to purchase some products. Only then do you buy it wholesale from the suppliers who will then send the purchase directly to your client.

4. Is Oberlo 101 Legit or a Scam?

Oberlo is a famous brand in dropshipping so I don’t think they would risk harming thier brand by launching a fake/scam course.

Also, the common features of scams such as unknown founder, hidden contact details, promises of making a bundle & so on, is not present in Oberlo 101.

This is a legit, course backed by one of the most well-known brand names in dropshipping.

They're not after making money through this course, like SO many other course creators.

This course is more a marketing tool for the Oberlo app.

5. How much does Oberlo’s Course Cost? Any Specials?

The course originally cost $49, but Oberlo has since made it...FREE.

All you need to do is sign up.

This is a major advantage if you just want a basic knowledge about dropshipping and you are not ready to invest hundreds of dollars in a course at the moment.

And YES, there are many other FREE courses out there, but this is one of the better ones.

Pros of Oberlo 101

6. The Price

Even at usual price - it is dirt cheap! You get outstanding value for money.

7. Course content

This course has a really good combination of theory & practice & Jessica does a fantastic job in the lecturing. You never feel rushed or unclear about what to do.

I also really liked the Lesson Summaries that can be found underneath each lesson video. They’re worth a look as it ties up the lesson.

Sometimes you even get some additional resources with them… score.

8. Beautifully designed course

At the risk of sounding like an interior designer – this layout & design of this course is stunning.

You never feel overwhelmed or distracted by all the different things happening on the page.

Everything just kinda flows together & gives off this really positive, even slightly motivational vibe…

9. Data Analysis

A great module on Facebook Advertising in terms of theory and data analysis.

Cons of Oberlo 101

10. FB Marketing

I’ve yet to come across a dropshipping course that doesn’t tell your success as a dropshipper is based on your product choices & your marketing campaigns.

You get one of them wrong & you’re done for buddy…

Which makes it a bit disheartening when Oberlo themselves can’t get their FB Ads campaigns right.

11. Facebook Ad Scaling

Oberlo 101 shows you how to analyze your Facebook data, but doesn't show you how to scale your ads.

Scaling your ads is how you make the real money, so it falls dead short on this very important strategy…

12. Shopify Apps

Every other course will go into great detail as to which apps you should get from the Shopify App Store to boost productivity & marketing.

Oberlo 101 does not suggest any… Not that I’m too surprised… It is a course created by the Oberlo App after all

13. Sales Funnel & Re-targeting

A big downside for me was the there’s nothing on putting together a successful sales funnel.

They’re also surprisingly mum about re-targeting using FB Pixel & other third-party apps to run email marketing.

These are must-have’s for online marketing.

14. Do Oberlo's Students Actually Make Money?

They're not after making money through this course, instead they’re using it as a marketing tool for the Oberlo App, which I think is a legit thing to do.

As for the course itself, there're no testimonials as everything just relates to the Oberlo App. That being said, there are no negative reviews, so that’s always a good thing.

So, the question is: Will you be able to make money & achieve financial freedom through this course? That’s debatable…

15. Who's a Good Fit for Oberlo 101?

This is a great course for you those of you who are complete beginners.

You will learn everything about dropshipping to get you a good foundation & some proper understanding about what it entails.

You’ll be able to find about 90% of this info by watching free YouTube video’s, but it will be scattered around & it’s not really worth the effort.

16. What alternatives are there to Oberlo's Oberlo 101?

Oberlo 101 does an excellent job of showing you exactly how to analyze your data. In fact, I think it’s one of the best modules on FB Ads currently out there.

It does however, fail to tell you exactly HOW your meant to scale your ads… problem 101…

If this is a problem that you’re having then I’d suggest you look at Jared Goetz’s eCom Hacks. In this course you will get given some exact guidelines on how to do scaling – it even comes with amounts &/or percentages plus time frames. Oberlo doesn’t offer any of these…

If you want some more info on Jared’s course, check out my full eCom Hacks review.

As there is no mention of Sales Funnels in Oberlo 101 there’s a big of a gap in your education.

If you’re having issues with funneling then Project Verum, presented by John Yoon, might be a good fit for you.

Feel free to check out my review of Project Verum for more info.

How Does Dropshipping Stand up to Others? Like Lead Generation?

18. Control:

One of the selling points of the dropshipping model is that you don’t have to carry inventory. It’s being marketed as a major bonus – Save money as you’ll have no extra expenses… In fact, you never even have to handle the product - it goes straight to your client… That sounds pretty straightforward & makes total sense to you.

Only problem is you end up having no control over your product. Think about it… ZERO control over the product you’re selling to your clients. How can this possibly be a good thing for your clients or your business???

Let me break it down for you:

Lock, Stock & Ship:

You finally found that one product that’s gonna make you’re store… You’re getting orders left right & center. You can’t believe how well your sales are going… orders just keep increasing DAILY.

Then about two weeks in, you get the first email. “Where’s my package?" It’s late...you contact your supplier. After battling for a few days to get hold of them - time differences & language barriers – you’re finally told they’re out of stock & not sure when they’ll have your product again…

Or that they’re having some issues with their shipping (customs, delays)… All packages will have to wait an additional 14 days…that’s nothing compared to getting emails saying the product is nothing like advertised.

The quality is terrible or that they didn’t receive the same product as ordered.These are all normal everyday problems you’ll face with the dropshipping model.

When someone above you can make one decision & it influences your business dramatically, think twice about that biz model.

With Local Lead Generation, you’ll never have that problem because you OWN the websites.It’s like having digital reality… The more websites you build for businesses, the more monthly “rental” you’ll receive from each of these sites.

Best part is NO ONE can ever that them away from you.

19. Entry:

One of the most obvious Red Flags about Dropshipping is the Low Level to Entry.

What this essentially means anyone with a few bucks & an internet connection, can sign up online & instantly become a new Dropshipping Store Owner.

Why is this a bad thing? Because anyone can do it, most people do… Which is why you get over saturated markets & low profit margins.

Local Lead Gen acquires a very specific skill set to rank your website using Free Organic Traffic through Google.

Which means you’ll always be in demand & you become a valuable asset to any business you work with.

CONCLUSION

Oberlo 101 is one of the better introductory dropshipping courses out there.

Where it comes to value for money, it is exceptionally good value for money – Now even more so because it’s free…

You get a surprisingly well thought out course with enough comprehensive content to get you going on your dropshipping journey.

Oberlo 101 isn't a complete guide to dropshipping, but then again, none of the courses I review are ever perfect. There’s pros & cons to all of them.

Although there’s some value to the course with only a few shortcomings here & there… There’s one potential deal-breaker.

Their own FB Ad Campaigns was a complete FLOP.

Don’t forget, these are the professionals. They have years of background knowledge & tons of 7 figure stores behind their backs. They’re the ones teaching you what strategies to implement for success… & even they couldn't make it work...

They spent over $1,000 during a six-week period & only still only managed to get 4 sales - totaling less than $100.

Then the course presenter gives you a smile & some words of encouragement “…just stick with it.”

Got kinda annoyed by that not gonna lie… Because things work differently in the real world.

We don’t have Oberlo’s unlimited marketing budget…Nor do we have unlimited time to make it work…

For me this just proves, yet again, that I was right in my decision to end my dropshipping business.

Don’t get me wrong, not saying Dropshipping is dead or that you won’t make any money from it…

It’s just not a business model that inspires confidence in me - at all… there’s way to many potential pitfalls & red flags to ignore.

PARTING THOUGHTS ON DROPSHIPPING

19. Oberlo's Course is works, but Generating Leads is Better, Here's Why:

Unlike dropshipping where your success depends on finding the right trending product month after month, lead gen isn't based on fads or styles.
A BIG bonus - you do NOT have to run Facebook, Instagram or other social media marketing campaigns or even Google Ads... Yip, ZERO ad spend!
You create FREE organic traffic from Google.
It's quite possible to leave your lead gen site for months on end, without having to tweak it - true story. I have sites I haven't touched for months.
And the most appealing aspect of lead gen? Lead generation provides you with a passive income!

MARKET SATURATION

Literally anyone can get into dropshipping with hardly any effort or upfront cash. Regardless of what you're selling, you'll likely be competing with millions of other sellers in an extremely saturated market.

LOW BARRIER OF ENTRY & PLAGARISM

Plagiarism is rampant in dropshipping. It's far too easy for your competitors to copy your ads, your sales funnels, and even your Shopify store. Be assured that if you find a successful product, you will be copied and then undercut by your competition.

HIGH RISK

Advertisements have no guarantee of being profitable - and one should expect to occasionally have campaigns that fall short of expectations (which can cost thousands of dollars).

LOW PROFIT MARGINS

Facebook's ad prices have doubled this last year. Successful dropshippers can expect to profit roughly 8-15%, which only really works if you're selling major volumes of product.

NO LONG-TERM ASSETS

The key to long term wealth is in building and owning valuable assets, but with dropshipping, you own nothing. You're an enslaved middleman to Shopify, Facebook, and Google. Their ad and metrics systems are unreliable and ever changing - and account deactivations are a way of life in eCommerce.

HIGH MAINTENANCE

Ads must be developed and then monitored - and failing to do so could mean unprofitable ads or, even worse, ad account suspension.

RELIANT ON TRENDS

Trending items are most often the only products that have a profitable ROI. Many businesses meet their ends on the fall of whatever trend they were capitalizing on.

CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS