How to Dropship from AliExpress: A Detailed Guide

Introduction

In this “How to Dropship from AliExpress” article, I will show you the detailed step by step guide, as well as the tools that you will need on how to dropship from Aliexpress.

If you are looking for a viable way to begin your dropshipping business, then this is an excellent step into entrepreneurship. It will ultimately allow you to sell your products directly to the customers, and you can begin to market your own brand and grow your business – while reducing your operation costs. In fact, you will not need to pay for inventory, until an actual customer shows demand and is willing to buy.

You might be thinking of doing your dropshipping through using AliExpress, and we will discuss these steps in this article.

Some Things to Know About Dropshipping

If you are seeking to start or grow an online business, dropshipping is among the easiest methods you can use in order to grow the business in the current business landscape. However, why is it a good method as opposed to the traditional methods? Here are a few reasons why.

• It does not require you to have a physical store, since it involves eCommerce, and that will allow you to operate a successful dropshipping enterprise, regardless of where you are in the world. In addition, you will not need to take a physical check of the inventory, since the software can do that for you in real time.
• You will not need much capital in order to start the business, since you will not need to purchase your stock in advance – it therefore reduces your operational costs and expenses
• You can access all tools you need online, and achieve the success you want in your business – all at a small cost or no cost at all.

AliExpress – All About It

What Is This Platform?

For many eCommerce entrepreneurs, AliExpress is among the most popular choices that uses the dropshipping model of business. You can import the images and content of the product from the AliExpress website to your store directly, and this allows you to select many items.

The fact that you have the rights to your store as well will also allow you to set your own prices and markups, as long as it can benefit your business.

The best aspect about it is that you can have products shipped directly to your customers from the warehouse, and this is on demand. The process is very easy, and is low risk for a new eCommerce entrepreneur.

Procedure of Dropshipping

The first thing to know is the process of utilizing the dropshipping benefits, and you do this through the following steps:

• You will first need to set up your store online, and you can use a platform such as WooCommerce or Shopify.
• The next step is using an app such as Oberlo, Dropified or WordPress plugin like Alidropship , which will allow you to import products from the marketplace section of the AliExpress platform. This will help you to sync and keep track of your imports, through notifying you of any changes in prices from the suppliers or stock availability. In addition, it will also help you to send tracking numbers to your customers when their orders have been shipped.
• When the customer orders products from your store, you will then go to the supplier and order the item to be shipped to them directly.

Dropshipping to eBay from AliExpress

This will work best if you do not have your own setup or your own store, and it is among the best online marketplaces to make good profits.

In order to use it, you will need to setup an account for sellers, and then list the products you want to deal with. There is a slight fee you will pay for selling, so make sure to keep this in mind when settling on the pricing.

The disadvantage is that you must do a manual listing of the products, because there is no free tool for making the process automatic. However, you have many ways that you can set up your sales – either through auctions or putting a ‘Buy it now’ kind of offer.

Dropshipping to Amazon from AliExpress

Amazon happens to be among the largest online retailers, and gives your customers the best shopping experience. The benefit is that it will give you a great level of exposure to potential customers, and it will increase the trust you get from being an Amazon seller, which makes it good for new entrants.

In addition, you can utilize Shopify, which will allow you to add sales channels such as Amazon – making it easier to manage orders on both websites.

Keep in mind that the pricing will require you to keep your monthly subscription fee in mind, which is a feature of all their seller accounts.

Shipping Times with AliExpress

Many times, AliExpress are usually based in China, which means that they will ship their products from Hong Kong or mainland China. If you are dropshipping in the US, then you should factor this in mind and know that it will take some time for your orders to arrive.

The most popular (and the best) shipping option is ePacket. The time it takes for packages to arrive is about 15 to 20 days, while the cost is between $0 and $2 only.

Keeping in mind the shipping times, you must inform your customers the time it will take for their orders to arrive. The general guideline is using the shipping times that AliExpress gives you, or add a few extra days to be as safe as possible.

It is also possible to use other shipping methods like DHL or FedEx, but the problem is that they tend to be very expensive and only work for bigger eCommerce stores that handle more volume of products. However, if the customer wants premium delivery, you can provide them with the option of using these methods for delivery.

What About Refunds and Returns?

The suppliers of these products do not support the idea of returns, so make sure you keep these in mind when defining your returns policy. Damage to products can always warrant refunds though, since they have a strict policy of protecting their buyers.

Final Thoughts

Dropshipping offers you numerous advantages when it comes to starting your business, since it does not need extra capital or investment, plus there are several free resources that you can take advantage like Woocommerce for instance to build your store.

Once your store starts earning, you can then proceed to automate your dropshipping processes by using apps and plugin like Dropified or Alidropship to assist you in growing your store and make you become more productive.

AliExpress will also allow you to work with a variety of major shopping platforms and manage to raise your income levels without forcing you to expend too much energy or resources into growing your enterprise.