5 top UK dropshipping suppliers for small businesses in 2024

Choosing the right supplier for your dropshipping platform is as important as finding a business partner. The wrong one could break or venture, the right one could make it. But out of so many options out there, which is the best for your business?

I conducted thorough research into the vast number of suppliers available to sellers today. Many of them are new, thanks to a surge in popularity for dropshipping side hustles.

Overall, DSers is the best dropshipping partner. It’s fast, reliable, and (crucially) integrates with Shopify. It’s also easy-to-use; great for those who are getting started with dropshipping. But five solutions stood out to me in all:

According to the latest data from Oberlo, the global dropshipping market is forecast to reach $435 billion in 2025. If you’re looking to get in on the dropshipping game, a supplier is one of the final pieces of the puzzle.

We’ll help you jump that final hurdle by diving deep into the best supplier networks on the market, comparing their pricing, shipping options, ecommerce integrations, and more.

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BEST FOR SHOPIFY
DSers	Modalyst	AliExpress	Avasam	SaleHoo
Pricing $15.90 (around £13) per month, billed annually	Pricing $30 (about £23) per month, billed annually	Pricing 5-10% commission fee	Pricing £24.99 per month, billed annually	Pricing $22.50 (around £17.30) per month, billed annually
Pros – Integrates with Shopify – Manage 10 stores & 20,000 products – Process orders in bulk (100+ orders)	Pros – Integrates with Wix – Add products in just one-click – Real-time inventory updates	Pros – Unlimited inventory – Reliably large company – Delivery from 1 to 3 days in national territory and no restrictions on European delivery	Pros – 250 orders per month – 4 channel integrations – Product sourcing	Pros – Good for high profit product selling – Smart automation tool – Month-by-month sales trends
Free plan? Yes	Free plan? Yes	Free plan? Yes	Free plan? Yes	Free plan? No

[Prices correct as of October 2024]

1. DSers

• Best for: Shopify users who want a platform that integrates smoothly with their pre-existing ecommerce setup
• Pricing range: $15.90 – $399 (around £13 – £315) per month, billed annually
• Countries shipped to: Brazil, Chile, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel, France, Portugal, Japan, Korea, Canada Italy

DSers is a highly-rated dropshipping tool that lets you manage orders directly from your online store and is all synchronised in one place. It’s available across several market-leading ecommerce platforms, such as Wix and Woocommerce, but works best with Shopify.

Shopify provides an easy-to-use platform with customisable storefronts and various apps, while DSers serves as a feature-rich dropshipping tool that streamlines order processing, automates tasks, and facilitates bulk order fulfilment from multiple suppliers. In combination, these two suppliers simplify inventory management, order tracking, and product sourcing.

One feature I tested and liked was the DSers supplier optimiser, which allows you to find cheaper and better suppliers that sell the same products as your current partners. This can help save you money and improve product quality. You can also easily create bundle deals and refine your offering by hiding products you no longer want to process in one click.

Users have reported occasional delays in processing, an issue which could create delivery delays for customers. That said, DSers customer service team is prompt, and you should be able to resolve any issues promptly in the platform’s live chat.

DSers lets you alter the size, cost, and price of an item with just two clicks in Wix / Image source: dsers.com

Features

🔨 Connection to AliExpress providers
🔨 Over 150,000 merchants to choose from
🔨 Bulk order fulfilment
🔨 Shipping method pre-selection
🔨 Automated order status updates
🔨 Supplier optimiser
🔨 Automated address fixing
🔨 Available in six languages

How much does it cost?

DSers offers four different pricing plans:

• Basic – Free
• Advanced – $15.90 (£12.5)/month, paid annually
• Pro – $39.90 (£31) /month, paid annually
• Enterprise – $399 (£315) /month, paid annually

I recommend the DSers Advanced Plan. It offers a generous monthly limit on products and more features, without costing a fortune. And, because DSers does not charge transaction fees, DSers Advanced is also the cheapest plan available in this list. It boasts:

• 20,000 product limit
• Bulk order option
• Real-time order tracking
• Up to five staff accounts

2. Modalyst

• Best for: users who are used to Wix and need a platform that easily integrates with the ecommerce giant.
• Pricing range: $30 to $67 per month (billed annually)
• Countries shipped to: USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Australia, Singapore, China, and Mexico.

Modalyst’s mix of features is great for dropshipping beginners because it gives you generous insight into how your store is performing and if you could be making larger profit margins. It is also the only supplier directory that integrates with Wix, our top-rated small business website builder, making it super easy to drop items into your Wix eCommerce store.

Modalyst also integrates with Shopify and BigCommerce. This makes it easier to set up a sleek ecommerce storefront and run dropshipping businesses seamlessly, while getting all the data insights you need to grow your operation. It also comes equipped with an API that is linked to AliExpress, letting you access an incredibly expansive inventory.

Unfortunately, the product offering is quite slim in terms of who your suppliers are. The selection comes mostly from AliBaba or AliExpress, which means you’re stuck with products that will take two to eight weeks to ship. To fix this issue, you’ll need to commit to a ‘Pro’ plan to access premium suppliers.

Modalyst makes creating your own pricing rules simple for Wix users – Image source: support.wix.com

Features

🔨 Curated list of independent and trendy brands
🔨 API partnership with AliExpress Dropshipping
🔨 Ship to more than 80 countries
🔨 Part of AliExpress Booster Program

How much does it cost?

Modalyst has three payment tiers: Modalyst Hobby, Start Up and Pro.

• Hobby – £0
• Start Up – $35 (£27)/month, paid annually
• Pro – $67 (£52)/month, paid annually

We recommend Modalyst Start Up for small businesses. It has a limit of 250 products, and when compared with our top provider, DSers, Modalyst does not have the most generous product limit. In addition to the subscription fee, Modalyst also charges a transaction fee of either 5%, 2%, or 1%, on dropshipping sales based on your plan type. That means the more you spend on a payment plan for Modalyst, the higher your profits can be.

3. AliExpress

• Best for: product range
• Pricing range: 5-10% commission fee
• Countries shipped to: 220 countries including South Korea, Russia, Brazil, Malaysia, Belarus, Israel, EU countries, US, Canada, Australia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, India.

Operated by the global online marketplace, Alibaba, AliExpress offers millions of products and takes care of virtually everything you need to run a successful dropshipping site. It handles all of your shipping and tracking needs, and gives you access to millions of products to help you build an impressive product line for your consumers.

That level of insight is great for dropshippers of all levels because it lets you find trending products, do market research, build relationships with vendors, and order wholesale. AliExpress integrates directly with DSers and BigCommerce, and is available as an app for Shopify, allowing you to add its products directly to your online shop.

The downside is that nearly all of the products available ship from China. This means you’ll need to justify shipping delays to dissatisfied customers. If time is of the essence, we’d recommend going for DSers instead.

AliExpress is also available as a Google Chrome shortcut, for instant access to the marketplace – Image source: chromewebstore.google.com

Features

🔨 Standard shipping takes 15-45 business days to arrive
🔨 Over 100 million products
🔨 User-friendly interface, which supports multiple language and currencies
🔨 Buyer protection program that gives customers a secure shopping experience

How much does it cost?

Retailers don’t pay a monthly subscription fee to sell on AliExpress. Instead, it takes a 5-10% commission fee per sale, depending on your product list. However, this means you can sell single units or items; a novelty within the dropshipping market.

4. Avasam

• Best for: inventory management
• Pricing range: from £24.99 to £49.92, per month, billed annually
• Countries shipped to: only within the UK

With over 100 suppliers within the UK, Avasam offers a diverse catalogue boasting a staggering 200,000 products across 18 categories. For strengths, Avasam offers reliable customer service, trustworthy UK supplies, amd automated order processing. It can also automate inventory synchronisation, which prevents you from selling products you don’t have.

Less positively, Avasam has limited shipping options and does not accept PayPal. This narrows down your payment methods. Since you’re limited to only UK suppliers, the products you acquire can be more expensive in comparison to larger markets like the US or China.

Avasam’s clean back-end makes it easy to manage inventory, whether you’re selling lamps or telephones / Image credit: avasam.com

Features

🔨 Automated order processing
🔨 Verified UK-based suppliers
🔨 Thousands of products
🔨 Inventory synchronisation
🔨 Multi-channel selling
🔨 Live customer support

How much does it cost?

Avasam offers four different subscription models:

• Starter: £24.99 (+VAT) per month, billed monthly. 50 orders per month.
• Advanced: £49.99 (+VAT) per month, billed annually. 250 orders per month.
• Business: £99.99 (+VAT) per month, billed annually. 1,000 orders per month.
• Guru: £199.99 (+VAT) per month, billed annually. Unlimited orders per month.

We recommend Avasam Advanced. Although on the pricier end compared to other providers, it means you have a more expansive customer order. The good news is that if you’re daunted to commit to such a costly subscription, you can first try Avasam Free, which permits 10 orders per month. This will give you a taste of whether Avasam is for you.

5. SaleHoo

• Best for: large seller network and international markets.
• Pricing range: from $22.50 (around £17.30) per month
• Countries shipped to: US, UK, Australia and New Zealand

SaleHoo Dropship integrates with your ecommerce site to import products to your Shopify store, similar to Modalyst and DSers. But SaleHoo’s  USP is the SaleHoo Directory. Paid on top of your subscription, it allows sellers to view one of the largest curated lists of international suppliers on the market.

This gives SaleHoo the edge over Avasam because it doesn’t restrict you to certified UK-based suppliers. It should also give users a level of confidence to diversify their supply chain and expand their product offering.

The downside is that SaleHoo doesn’t give you the option to check available stock before joining. Moreover, reviews report that many of the companies dropshipping on SaleHoo require a minimum order or charge a large amount for shipping, which could impact profit margins.

You can search for any supplier in the famous SaleHoo Directory on the platform’s dropshipping app / Image credit: Salehoo.com

Features

🔨 More than 8,000 wholesalers
🔨 Affordable pricing, with costs starting from around £17.30 per month
🔨 Serves in US, UK, Australian and New Zealand markets
🔨 AliExpress inventory source with pre-vetted dropshipping suppliers

How much does it cost?

• Basic – $23.50 (around £17.30)/month, paid annually
• Premium – $80 (£62)/month, paid annually

SaleHoo Dropship is affordably priced. But you’ll have to pay an additional £50 per year (or £93 for lifetime access) to get your hands on the SaleHoo Directory. There is also a 60-day money back guarantee if you change your mind about the plan within eight weeks.

How to choose a dropshipping supplier

Finding a reliable dropshipping supplier is vital for your online store’s success. They handle warehousing, packaging, and shipping your product directly to customers. Here are some criteria to keep in mind:

💡 Keep your niche: understanding your target market helps narrow down product selection and find suppliers specialising in those items.
💡 Research and compare: utilise online directories and supplier websites to compare pricing, product quality, and shipping times. Look for customer reviews.
💡 Location: consider your target market’s location. Ideally, your supplier should have warehouses close to your customers for faster deliveries and happier buyers.
💡 Communication is key: contact potential suppliers and ask about their policies. A responsive and transparent supplier is a valuable asset.
💡 Test before you invest: order product samples to assess quality and presentation. This also allows you to experience their fulfilment process firsthand.

Dropshipping suppliers: red flags

Dropshipping is very 2024. We mean that once you start selling, you won’t ever need to meet your supplier in-person. That comes with plenty of opportunities (such as dropshipping as a digital nomad), but also plenty of potential pitfalls, including scam risks. Here are five red flags to watch out for when choosing a dropshipping supplier:

🚩Unclear information: if suppliers keep changing their location, contact details, or registration, be cautious. Trustworthy suppliers are transparent about their operations.

🚩Too-good-to-be-true pricing: you can still hunt for a bargain, but if a supplier offers significantly lower prices than market standards, it could be a scam to lure you in.

🚩Poor communication: a reliable supplier should be responsive and provide satisfactory answers to your queries. If you experience delays in responses, it’s a warning sign.

🚩Pressure to pay: if a lesser-known supplier without a strong market reputation insists on immediate payment, it’s a strong indicator of a scam.

🚩No online presence: look for online testimonials from the supplier’s customer base. If there are no reviews or only positive ones, it could be a red flag.

Even if you’re not being scammed, your success hinges on the reliability of your suppliers. Slow delivery or improper insurance can impact your reputation, customer satisfaction, and, ultimately, your bottom line. It’s best to seek out those based on well-known marketplaces (such as those above) to be safe.

Tips for choosing a dropshipping supplier

We can’t tell you which supplier is best for your business. But we can improve your chances of finding the right one by offering a few handy hints, gathered from real-life dropshippers.

1. Complete a test run – not many people know that you can request product samples from multiple suppliers to assess the quality of their offerings.
2. Plan your products – choose products that are less likely to encounter delays or returns. Electronic goods, for example, are known to have a high return rate and are fragile to transport compared to sturdy items, such as books.
3. Find good pictures – online consumers shop with their eyes, so search for suppliers with strong product images. Of course, the best option is to take professional snaps of the items yourself, but this isn’t always possible.
4. Request feedback – actively encouraging reviews or testimonials from your own customers will make it easier for you to spot, and resolve, issues with the supplier.
5. Ask about VIP – established suppliers with large inventories often offer a discount once you hit 5 to 10 sales per day. It’s a good sign that the brand’s operations are trustworthy.

How do you use a dropshipping supplier?

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BEST ALL ROUND	BEST SALES FEATURES
Wix	Shopify	Squarespace	BigCommerce	WooCommerce
BEST FOR All-round ecommerce platform for small businesses	BEST FOR Best range of apps and extensions	BEST FOR Best for ease of use and great design	BEST FOR Best sales features	BEST FOR Customisation and scalability
Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 4.8	Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 4.7	Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 4.7	Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 3.7	Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 4.1
Pricing £16-119 per month, billed annually £14.40-£107.10 with code “TAKE10”	Pricing £19 – £259 per month, billed annually £1 for first month	Pricing £17-£35 per month, billed annually Use code “SU10” to receive a 10% discount on all Squarespace plans	Pricing $29-$299 (around £23-£240) per month, billed annually	Pricing Free to download but themes and plugins cost extra
Dropshipping integrations: DSers Modalyst Printful	Dropshipping integrations: DSers Modalyst Avasam Printful SaleHoo	Dropshipping integrations: Printful	Dropshipping integrations: Modalyst AliExpress Avasam	Dropshipping integrations: AliExpress Printful Avasam SaleHoo

To add your dropshipping supplier to your online store, you simply need to install it in your website builder. It will then manage the purchase, packaging, and shipping of the chosen products on your store front, so you won’t have to worry about storage or excess stock.

For example, the DSers dropshipping app lets you source products from AliExpress suppliers. Through the DSers app, available free of charge in the Shopify app marketplace, you can import products to your online store, edit product listings, and then place orders individually or in bulk.

After you record a sale, the product is purchased from the supplier and shipped directly to your customer. Some providers, like Shopify, will also let you create your own branded invoice and shipping label templates for that added professional touch.

Methodology

Our in-house research team conducted thorough in-depth testing of the best dropshipping platforms, in collaboration with an indepdent expert. The above guide ships you our insights into the best dropshipping suppliers, based on:

• Dropshipping features → how expansive is each platform’s feature library?
• Customer score → are real-world customers happy with their experience?
• Help & support → how easy is it to get support in the event of an issue?
• Value for money → is the cost worth the features and add-ons you get?
• User experience → is the platform simple to use? What areas could be improved?

Verdict: Choosing the best dropshipping supplier for your UK business

We think the best dropshipping supplier overall is DSers. This is owing to its intuitive, highly automated user experience, its generous pricing model, and the fact it’s an app specifically designed to integrate with Shopify, our top choice of ecommerce platform for dropshipping.

However, I always recommend that you match your dropshipping supplier to your online store. And of course, Shopify is not the be all and end all. If you built your website using Wix, then Modalyst is your best bet.

Choosing the best supplier by examining how well it integrates with your existing digital shop will enable you to maximise your ecommerce offering, and make the most of both your online store builder and dropshipping supplier.