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AliExpress dropshipping has gone viral among aspiring and seasoned dropshippers in recent years. There are people who have created great success stories by dropshipping from AliExpress.
If you are planning to start a dropshipping business from AliExpress or want to know how easy it is; in that case, we will explain everything you need to know in detail down this page, with all its pros and cons because everything about dropshipping with AliExpress may not be fantastic for you.
In this post, I’m going to share with you exactly how to dropship on AliExpress from the scratch, step by step, with no or little money. I will also share its both good and bad aspects so that you do not come across any surprises.
Are you ready? Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
What is AliExpress?
You might have heard of Alibaba, considered the Asian version of Amazon. AliExpress is its sister website, made for smaller retailers, including drop shippers.
AliExpress connects American and European Western buyers with Chinese and Asian sellers.
The main difference between Alibaba and AliExpress is that Alibaba is used for wholesale purchases directly from the manufacturer, while AliExpress is a platform where the third-party individuals or companies are reselling to you.
As a result, AliExpress may not offer you the best price, but still, you can find products at a far lower price than anywhere else. It also allows you to buy single orders which makes it just perfect for dropshippers.
AliExpress vs. Alibaba – Which is better for beginners?
AliExpress has no minimum order requirements and thus it is more convenient for drop shippers who want to buy single items. As for Alibaba, it is focused on wholesale purchases.
However, if you want to customize products at cheaper prices, you can try Alibaba as they work with manufacturers. it does require more personal involvement with Alibaba sellers though which is a time-consuming process as well as you may need to invest upfront for customization and bulk purchases.
So, if you are a drop shipper just starting out, AliExpress is a better option and as you start growing, you can gradually move to Alibaba which is the right process to proceed further.
Do I need any start up money for Dropshipping?
Does it sound too good to be true?
It does for sure, but let me assure you that you can start a dropshipping business without any upfront investment.
I will explain why it is so:
Dropshipping business model does not require you to buy products until you have sold them first. That means you buy products from the suppliers only after your buyer has placed an order on your website and paid for it. This is why dropshipping is so fancy and such a great business model.
To receive these products at a penny price, most drop shippers resort to the manufacturers and suppliers in China.
“But then what about shipping costs?”, you may wonder.
The answer is ePackets. ePacket shipping can get your items from China for free or at a very reasonable price and they are faster too.
Your only investment is to buy a domain and hosting which is around $20 a year, plus hire an online store web designer from Fiverr that costs you another $30-$50.
It is well below $100.00 and you can afford it, right?
If you cannot afford it, you can start selling on the marketplaces like eBay and build your online store once you have earned some funds which is yet another way to start your AliExpress dropshipping.
How Does Dropshipping from AliExpress work?
Before we learn how dropshipping works with AliExpress on eBay, let’s have a quick understanding of what dropshipping is.
Dropshipping means when your buyer purchases an item from your online store, you place an order for the same item from your supplier in China and they send the item to your customer directly. You never need to hold any inventory or worry about shipping and packaging.
To start dropshipping from AliExpress, you need to first set up a store on Shopify or a similar platform or you can choose to sell your goods on other platforms like eBay, Amazon, or Bonanza.
Your profit is basically the difference between your selling price and the buying price.
Your buyer trusts the item is from you only and this is called a dropshipping process.
As your business grows bigger, you negotiate with your suppliers for better terms and rates and send them orders in bulk. It requires that you have a reliable supplier that ships the items in a timely manner with the best shipping and packaging.
AliExpress Dropshipping: Pros and Cons
PROS
- AliExpress database contains millions of products. That means you will have no problem finding the products you are looking for.
- AliExpress does not charge hundreds of dollars of monthly fees like Doba or Salehoo. As AliExpress prices are highly competitive, you can have high-profit margins.
- There is no minimum order (MOQ) requirements.
CONS
- AliExpress is infamous for its long shipping times which may take more than a month. However, with ePacket shipping, items arrive far earlier within 12-15 days to the US and select other countries.
- As products come from different suppliers, it is not possible to bundle items and they arrive at different times.
- Sometimes, there might be communication issues as Chinese suppliers are not good at English.
Is AliExpress Safe and Trustworthy?
Yes, AliExpress is safe and secure!
Buying from AliExpress is extremely safe as it offers a lot of protection to buyers.
Another way to stay protected on AliExpress is to choose a seller on AliExpress that has good positive ratings, with a large number of products sold. Reading reviews from other buyers should help me make a well-calculated decision about whether to buy from those sellers or not.
You can reach out to the dropshipping seller on AliExpress and tell them you are dropshipping and work with the sellers who offer the best services.
What is AliExpress’ Standard Shipping?
You already might know that there are multiple shipping options on AliExpress and the best is ePacket as it is faster with a reasonable shipping cost. Remember, you cannot make your buyers wait for long if you want repeat buyers and order canceling buyers.
If buyers start canceling orders, your business will be badly hit.
With ePacket shipping, your customers can get their drop shipped products in just 12-14 days for goods with a value less than $400 and up to 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) in weight.
Additionally, ePacket shipments have their customs duties paid as well as your customers get end-to-end tracking.
How to Find Products (niche) On AliExpress?
It’s time to discover and know how to find a niche.
To choose a niche, the best and the easiest strategy is to narrow it down to find a product that is a hot in-demand product.
Before deciding on a niche, you should ask yourself, “What problem do your potential customers face, and if your product can solve their problem.”
Remember. buyer will definitely buy a product that makes their life and solves a problem.
You also need to see the competition. If your niche has too many competitors, you may struggle to sell your products. Such niches cannot give you high-profit margin.
Choose an awesome Niche, and try to stand out.
In any business, it is important that your product adds value to your customer’s life. At the same time, you should go the extra mile to stand out.
If you give your buyers more than they expect, you will win their favor.
I will elaborate on my point. Suppose you are selling ice cream, why not add a downloadable eBook or a small video sharing steps on how to make ice cream?
Such an outstanding experience will create a long-lasting value for the customers and make them come over and over again adding revenue to your business.
So how exactly do you find products for your niche?
It is easy to find a niche idea on AliExpress. For this, you can go to AliExpress’ bestselling page. As these products would be from different categories, you can dive a bit deeper to see which products are high in demand.
Now, check the product reviews from the real buyers and if they seem happy with the product quality and shipment, you can dig those products more.
Now, make a list of those products and check the competition. If you see that only a handful of sellers are selling them, you have found your niche.
Let’s explore a few ways other ways to find your niche products:
-Use Google Trends to find the search volume for your potential product/s. This will give you an idea of whether your products will have any buyers.
-Social media is a powerful tool. Reach out to your customers via Social media and ask what they’re having trouble with, then find out ways to help them using items from AliExpress.
-Think about the real struggles that people go through every single day. For example, people go camping and suffer from mosquito bites. What are your opportunities here?
When you pick a product, check how often a particular product is selling and find the best suppliers for that product.
Lastly, let’s have a quick look at finding a reliable supplier on AliExpress.
When you have picked a product to sell, check the sold count for those products to get an idea if the product has any market potential. If you see the sold count is really impressive, the next step is to check the supplier rating (above 4.7) and also the real buyers’ feedback left.
Should the supplier rating and feedback comments satisfy you, you can choose that supplier to dropship for you.
How to Add Products to Your Store?
Once you have built your online store, the next step is adding products.
You can manually upload products to your store but that will be time-consuming. So, the easiest way is through third party applications. You can use AliDropship, AutoDS, or BigCommerce.
Let me share a few tips for adding products to your store:
- Take your time to write your own product titles, descriptions, and other content. Avoid copying and pasting from AliExpress. While writing the product descriptions, outline the product benefits and features of the product, and clearly mention the problem as well that the customers generally face so that they can relate to the product that will solve their problem.
- Shipping times from AliExpress take longer (30-40 days). You can reduce it by using ePackets. However, clearly identify the shipping times and outline them on your website and especially on your product pages.
- AliExpress images may have watermarks and branding. Choose high-resolution images that are branding and watermark free, shot against a white background.
- You can even ask your suppliers for such images and they will be happy to do it as you will get business from you.
- Calculate all your expenses and ensure to mark the price up enough to stay profitable.
Once you have set up your online store and added products to it, you want buyers to visit your website and make sales, right?
Below are a few tips you might like to try to promote scale and grow your store:
- Build a good rapport with your supplier to get better pricing and priority order processing. AliExpress sellers are generally available on WhatsApp and WeChat. Regular communicating with them can make your supplier relationship as well your order processing faster and smoother.
- Use Google, Facebook, and Instagram ads. You can use even Tiktok.
- Use email marketing campaigns with some incentive that they would like to use. An example is 10% for the first purchase.
- Add a blog to share helpful information related to your niche and work with your web designer to optimize your site for SEO. Learn Search Engine Optimization basics for product pages to be ranked higher on search results.
How to Use AliExpress to Dropship?
Let me share a quick step by step guide to smooth out the whole process:
- Set up your online shop on any platform such as WooCommerce or Shopify.
- Connect your store to a third party application to import products.
- Once a buyer makes a purchase on your online store, go to AliExpress and order that product from your seller. The seller will then ship the item directly to your buyer. While selecting the shipping option, choose ePacket for faster delivery.
What Types of Payments With AliExpress Are Available on AliExpress?
As AliExpress is a worldwide service, it offers a number of payment methods.
You can use PayPal, Credit cards, AliPay, and a few others.
Related: Payment Methods for AliExpress
AliExpress’ Return and Refund Policies
AliExpress’ Buyer Protection Program is a big win for buyers as it mostly favors buyers. The company protects buyers if you do not get exactly what you order for as well as at every stage of ordering through delivery.
If the order never reaches you, AliExpress will make a full refund of the entire purchase. However, you will need to wait until the end of the delivery period, to receive a refund.
If the order is not as described, you have the option to return it and ask for a full refund.
Alternatively, you can keep the product and the seller will issue you a partial refund.
Tips to Succeed in AliExpress Dropshipping
These tips will help you succeed in AliExpress dropshipping.
- Avoid selling copyright products.
- Instruct your supplier to NEVER include an invoice, pricing, packing slip, or any samples.
- Make your product presentation more than awesome and convincing.
- Make your customers happier than they expect.
- Use the AliExpress affiliate program for reaping benefits.
Final Words
Dropshipping from AliExpress is still a profitable business opportunity due to the low-cost products you receive. Long shipping delays are now faster with ePackets. If you can pick a great Niche, you can certainly succeed for years to come as a dropshipper.
Are you already dropshipping from AliExpress? Do you have anything to share with me or have any questions? Please do share your comments or questions below in the comment box. If you like this article, share it with your friends so that they can also benefit.
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