The only guide to the AliExpress Dropshipping business is what you need to start selling products online. If you are searching the internet for an all-inclusive AliExpress dropshipping guide, you have come to the right place.
We will look at everything you need to start selling online with the help of this excellent platform.
Does that sound great?
Brilliant, let’s dive into it.
Table of Contents
What is Dropshipping?
If you are new to e-commerce selling, you may need clarification on dropshipping.
In a nutshell, it is a business model that allows you to sell online. When a customer buys something, your supplier then ships the products directly to the buyer on your behalf.
It’s almost self-evident that you will sell your provider’s products at a profit; it is how you will make your money.
Generally, you can market and sell a $5 product you bought through AliExpress for as much as $ 20, which is a substantial ROI.
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It’s possible to earn a massive return on investment, which makes dropshipping more alluring than other business models, such as affiliate marketing.
If you do not know, when you sell affiliate items, you earn a commission pre-determined by the provider.
As you should know by now, with dropshipping, you price your products the opportunity to generate higher revenues.
Dropshipping is also more laid-back than opening brick-and-mortar stores like the ones you see in the boulevard procession.
With the in-person shop, the businessperson has to find winning product ideas, locate manufacturers and suppliers, and then pay for the products and their shipment.
Not to mention the stress and stretch of marketing the brand to pull off those all-vital sales.
Unfortunately, you could squander all this time and money only to discover your chosen product could move better.
That is the gamble you take with conventional commerce.
With the e-commerce dropshipping mode, you will save your budget on the above.
Why You Should Dropship
Until now, we have only highlighted the tip of the iceberg of dropshipping.
Before discussing the finer points of AliExpress, it would be helpful to explain why so many businesspeople utilize dropshipping.
Enjoy location Freedom
Like most online businesses, you can run your dropshipping undertaking anywhere worldwide.
If you picture being a digital traveler, dropshipping is an excellent fit for transmuting this dream into life.
Tons of Money to be made
As we have alluded, if done right, a lot of money can be made dropshipping.
Consider Tim Kock, for example. He ventured into dropshipping and generated a howling profit ($6,667in under eight weeks).
Only some people who venture into dropshipping are destined for a success story quite as remarkable as Tim Kock’s, but you get the drift.
There are a lot of possibilities for making serious bucks.
Besides, a considerable budget is optional for the launch.
Even when it comes to learning the ropes, you won’t shell out $ 100s of dollars on impressive courses sold by the experts.
There are several video tutorials, blog posts, and podcasts available instead.
Within a few days, you can learn how to set up and launch a successful e-commerce business without spending a dime.
The Internet is Your Gem
With a pool of more than three billion folks online and seemingly infinite products to vend in your store, you will likely land a profitable market.
The internet is your gem; therefore, explore it for your niche. Your creativity is unlimited.
What is AliExpress?
AliExpress is a giant Chinese online retailer the Alibaba Group owns.
Inaugurated in 2010, it consists of thousands of merchants selling merchandise online to store owners worldwide.
Currently, at the time of writing that is, AliRxpress’ site is available in the following languages:
-Spanish
-English
-Italian
-French
-Dutch
-Portuguese
-Russian
-Polish
-German
With so many styles accommodated, you quickly glimpse why AliExpress is well-liked by entrepreneurs worldwide.
Undoubtedly, there are bushels of online retailers you could use to jumpstart your dropshipping.
However, AliExpress is the most renowned platform, and there are justifications for it.
As implied, AliExpress files hundreds if not thousands of trustworthy merchants vending products at realistic prices.
Additionally, most business owners have used AliExpress for a long time; thus, suppliers are experienced with entrepreneurs’ needs and often endeavor to cater to their wishes.
Selling AliExpress merchandise has zero upfront cost, so you can freely try various products without fretting about losing funds.
The minute you dig deeper into the feasibilities of AliExpress dropshipping, you will find many apps that can import images and details of AliExpress listings to your store.
Whether dropshipping is your full-time gig or a side hustle, time is money, and if you want to automate most of your business with plugins like the apps, you must- we will elaborate more on this later.
AliExpress Products Are Excellent Quality-Usually
Like other mass online retailers, AliExpress sells its fair share of ‘ineffective’ products.
However, the main difference between AliExpress and the other companies is their convenience in finding superior products.
Due to the vast majority of folks using their services, their review section is ablaze!
You want to use this to your advantage.
To enhance the prospects of landing a supplier selling products of superior quality, consider the following:
- Work with suppliers priding themselves on positive feedback ratings of no less than 95%
- To get a sense and feel of a supplier’s performance, use merchants with a feedback score of no less than 2,000
- Head to the review section at the bottom of the product listing. It is essential to consider the opinions of other e-commerce merchants of the supplier.
Failure to do so means you risk banking on unreliable AliExpress suppliers and damaging your brand’s reputation.
It is only prudent to run your business with vendors who have been tried and tested.
Within moments on this platform, you will get a feel for which products showcase superior quality.
Tip: On the AliExpress product listing, click the feedback tab to view the provider’s score.
Hack: Positive Feedback refers to the supplier’s feedback rate, whereas the Feedback score is the vendor’s sales volume.
Any other advice?
Do not just go for the supplier with the lowest price, though it is enticing.
It is worth remembering that if everyone uses the cheapest, inferior-quality product, the AliExpress standard will generally be as deep.
Instead, compare the prices of different suppliers offering similar products.
Suppose many sellers market their merchandise at approximately the same price point, but a few merchants sell at a significantly lower price. In that case, the latter has compromised quality.
It would help to avoid vendors who compromise on quality. However, you also want to avoid brands that deal with trashy products.
AliExpress Shipping is Budget-Friendly
Despite most AliExpress products coming from China, most shipping costs are either exceptionally low or free, which is a massive incentive.
Free shipping almost always honeys the deal and could be the all-vital benefit that convinces the customers to complete the purchase.
However, if you want your clients to receive their products swiftly, you can use AliExpress’s ePacket, a premium shipping option.
If you choose ePacket Delivery shipping, your order will arrive in the UK, Australia, or the US in 7 to 14 days.
Sometimes, your profit margins may take a hit owing to premium shipping, but it is worthwhile. Customer satisfaction is crucial in sustaining customer loyalty.
Tip: The Dsers Dropshipping App can help you identify which product in your niche offers an ePacket delivery option.
Launching AliExpress Dropshipping
From the above reading, get your skates on. So, here is how to make a start.
Pick a niche
A niche refers to a specific section of an industry. For example, baby accessories and gym gear are great niches.
If you are still deciding on a niche to establish yourself, browse AliExpress and other digital stores for ideas.
While at it, enumerate the niches you like their sound bite,
If still, you fail to garner inspiration, the following spots are fantastic for jumpstarting your product research:
- Amazon Best Sellers
- AliExpress Weekly’s most popular product
- eBay Daily deals
- Lazada top seller
- LightInTheBox’s top sellers list
Tip: Pin down a niche you are enthusiastic about. If you love yoga, for instance, you can vend yoga mats, sports bottles, exercise clothing, etc.
You will figure that fashioning content and marketing your store is easygoing.
Besides, a sincere passion for the merchandise you are selling is critical, as it will help keep you motivated once the novelty of running a business wears off.
Word of guidance: Pin down a niche with many product options. You want products that are not readily available in mainstream e-commerce or street stores.
But are more comfortable selling that product niche has a higher demand.
Now, what next?
Type the product brainwaves and list of niches into Google’s Keyword Planner.
Then, select Keyword Ideas, which will indicate how many people are searching for the products and other related keywords.
The info of this nature helps you steer clear of niches with little to no traffic.
Hack: The hush-hush to performing proper keyword research is balancing search traffic and competition, which can prove treacherous.
As it were, you want Keywords scoring low in competition but still swanking lots of searches.
If you find striking a balance between the two components of a Keyword, a handy tool like AHREFs can help you pinpoint high-converting keywords.
We can also vouch for trends.google.com
Please copy and paste the list of prospective products and check whether their demand is upsurging or decreasing.
Do you see unusual patterns?
You will have to sidestep niches where products fall off in popularity or the mass of merchandise is seasonal. Otherwise, marketing your store will be an uphill task.
Products to Spur Your Creativeness
The following products will flow your creative juices to clear the uncertainties.
Phone Grips
I’m sure you have accidentally smashed your smartphone’s screen at least once.
Phone grips strongly suggest themselves as idyllic solutions to genuine client problems.
They have a reasonable markup and are thus easy to market and money-spinning- a win-win!
Fitness Leggings
Fitness of all costumes, more leggings tend to sell well.
Magnetic Eyelashes
As we have alluded to when choosing e-commerce products to sell, the nicer, the better.
And magnetic eyelashes cut.
To hit the ground running dropshipping, use Shopify and Dsers Dropshipping Apps.
What is Shopify?
Shopify is an e-commerce store builder used by many drop shippers. Within hours, you can create a fabulous digital store and start selling.
Sign up for a free trial and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for $1/month on Select Plans.
However, after two weeks of free trials, you must pay for the software. In addition, you must fill out the merchandise in your store and enter the Dsers App.
What is Dsers?
Most aspects of your dropshipping business can be automated, and thus, Dsers comes into play to get started. First things first:
- Download the Dsers extension onto your Shopify store
- Import AliExpress merchandise you want to click the button sell-just
- A client buys your merchandise
- Shopify sends payment through a PayPal account
- Dsers finds the product on AliExpress on your behalf, automatically fills in your details, and purchases it from the AliExpress supplier.
- The AliExpress supplier ships the order directly to the address
- Once the order gets dispatched. It sends the client a tracking code on your behalf, et viola! It is that simple.
Many vendors sign up to sell their goods via Dsers, so you have plenty of products from various niches.
You will find what allures your audience, from toys to electronics, beauty to fashion.
Dsers handles your products’ storage, packaging, and shipment, thus freeing up time for you.
So, now you can concentrate on growing the brand, marketing, and raking in all those all-crucial sales.
The best part is that you can shorten the process to just two clicks: one to order and one to finalize!
Are you on a tight budget? Worry not; for Shopify users, Dsers is free of charge for the first 500 products for beginners—500 is massive!
Finally, Dsers keeps you informed about changes to inventory or product prices, so technically, you will always be aware of the situation.
Order Samples
Only be tempted to sell dropshipping products after inspecting them first.
Ordering a sample is the only way of ensuring that your store sells what your clients can trust.
Tip: Opt for Express delivery if you order a couple of items. It is this way that samples should be with you in a few days,
With samples, we can hit the ground running sooner than yesterday.
A Few Dropshipping Tips
As an additional benefit, here are a few dropshipping tips to help you take off.
Setting Product Prices
We can’t belabor enough: dropshipping allows you to set product prices.
However, be warned against overpricing your merchandise. These days, online shoppers are more savvy than ever before;
Therefore, they will know when they are getting ripped off.
You risk driving customers off your site to your competition when you price your items too high.
Be Wary of Branded Products
Therefore, legitimate luxury brands on AliExpress refrain from gambling and selling them.
They are likely counterfeit products, and you risk infringing on copyrights.
AliExpress dissuades its merchants from these types of products- to the extent that you can not search for Chanel or Versace given that these Keywords are blocked,
Solely Use Responsive Suppliers
You want to send a message to an AliExpress merchant before committing to it and see how long it takes them to respond.
This way, you will also be able to understand how well the suppliers express themselves in English- a crucial skill for effective communication.
If weeks pass without a response or the merchant’s response is futile, they may not be worth transacting with.
If you reach the point of urgently calling the supplier and they are unwilling and unable to offer a helpful solution, you will undoubtedly run into trouble.
Learn the Art of eCommerce
Debuting a dropshipping business is easy; it is a straightforward process.
However, it would help if you learned a couple of things, Namely, how to attract qualified traffic to your store.
There is no other way to say this: No traffic, you will not make sales, period!
There are many traffic generation techniques, and it is only prudent to look them up.
It would be best if you learned the basics of:
- SEO
- Social media ads-Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, et cetera
- Pay per ads
- Email marketing
A blend of the above will help shore up traction to lock in your first few sales.
In the future, you will review your stats and understand which marketing strategy fits your niche.
Then hone and focus on that. Let data do the talking in marketing.
Hack: request custom packaging and directly reach out to your supplier to see how that pans out.
What if You Do Not Wish to Use Shopify?
If you’re looking for an alternative to Shopify, WooCommerce is a fantastic option, especially if you already have a WordPress website.
In brief, Woocommerce is a downloadable plugin that allows you to set up an e-commerce store within WordPress.
Similar to Shopify, WooCommerce is a budget-friendly and in-built option that allows you to:
- Sort taxes
- Sell both physical and digital products
- Make secure payments
- Manage inventory and shipping risks
WooCommerce is open and accessible, just like WordPress; you can download and modify the plugin for free.
Though WooCommerce is extremely powerful, it is beginner-friendly; you need no coding knowledge.
Okay, so how do I dropship with the WooCommerce solution?
Enters WooDropship.
WooDropShip
Correctly, what does it do? As you know, WooDropship is the WooCommerce form of Dsers.
The extension lets you do the following:
- Add and sell AliExpress items.
- Ship products directly to your clients
- A fixed price for your products is free, so you can set the profit you want to make from each AliExpress merchandise you sell and edit the pricing of your bulk products.
- Access the inventory and price syncing tools- WooCommwece automatically updates your sales page whenever the price changes or a product is out of stock in AliExpress.
- An intuitive image editor clicks on it, and you remove any watermark printed on the AliExpress product image.
- Customize your product details, title, images, descriptions, variants, et cetera, ensuring that all sales pages exhibit the beauty of your store.
Pros and Cons of AliExpress Dropshipping
Pros
Let’s start with the positive.
- You can Buy Cheap Products.
- As with shipping, the mass of products retailed on AliExpress is unbelievably cost-effective.
- Because the shipping is often either free or extremely cheap, you will likely make a reasonable product markup.
It is Easier to Sell High Maintenance Products
Typically, some items cost more in storage and shipment than others, so much so that the more complex the delivery to clients, the handier it is to dropship the merchandise through AliRxpress.
By ‘Hard-to-Ship’ Products infers to as follows:
- Heavy products: The more massive the product, the higher the shipment cost. This cost often reduces profit margins.
- More oversized products: Products that take up enormous space to store.
- Valuables: High-value products needing additional security and insurance
- Fragile products: Items that require specialized care while in transit
It makes no sense to pay excessive shipment and storage fees when it is possible to drop ship these merchandise from AliExpress to your store at no exorbitant cost.
Cons
Now, let’s do the drawbacks of AliExpress dropshipping. Be Wary of False Ads.
Unquestionably, this is AliExpress’s nightmare.
Here, false ads refer to a case where an item on AliExpress looks tremendous online, but in reality, the product’s quality mismatches either the customer’s or your expectations.
To minimize the risk of encountering false ads, follow our tips about finding a trustworthy supplier on AliExpress.
Much Longer Shipment Times
On AliExpress, vendors’ turnaround times vary considerably. Ship orders take seven days, and others can last up to 60 days.
The discrepancies may turn off some clients, especially when competitors like Amazon Prime can execute shipments as soon as the next day.
Return Can Be a Nightmare
Returning your clients’ orders to the primary AliExpress seller and obtaining refunds can be a hassle.
Some suppliers offer a small refund to encourage you to keep the product. This is because shipping it back is too expensive and time-consuming, and the hassle is not worthwhile.
Further, you want to discuss returns and refunds with your supplier before committing to transact with them.
Tip: If you believe you are entitled to a refund from the AliExpress supplier, and it has yet to be forthcoming, contact the AliExpress customer care team directly.
A refund is offered at times, depending on the product and merchant.
But this is no guarantee.
AliExpress Dropshipping: FAQs
If the above reading has kindled a few questions, find answers to frequently asked questions about AliExpress Dropshipping.
Why would anyone buy from me if they could cheaply get a similar product from AliExpress?
Retailers have bought products at low prices and sold at higher rates for profit for ages.
If you think about it, it is how conventional brick-and-mortar stores have transacted since immemorial.
Therefore, you can have a better shopping experience with time and effort than with AliExpress.
Tools like Shopify and Dsers will help you create dependable stores that customers feel comfortable purchasing from.
Additionally, providing customers with valuable content gives you a winning combination.
You can offer a free e-book or publish a blog. These strategies work magic in building trust with your audience and establishing your clout in the industry.
What Can I Do, AliExpress Take Too Long?
You may be startled to learn how many shoppers have no qualms with longer waiting times, but the numbers don’t lie: Alibaba made over sic ($17.7 billion in sales in only one day).
It is self-evident that there are folks out there who do not mind waiting for their products.
If you make your delivery times VERY clear on sales pages, you shouldn’t worry.
Much of it boils down to setting realistic client expectations. Furthermore, if you sell products at competitive prices, you often realize that people tend to wait when you give a discount.
So, I Need To Return an AliExpress Product: How Do I Go About That?
In general, AleExpress suppliers do not accept returns. In that case, you can own your own; You will have to work out a way to manage returns and refunds.
You must write and publish a clear return policy in your store.
Tip: Google searches ”template return policies” and pin down one you can change to fit your needs.
While creating your refund policy, consider why someone might want to return your product.
Typically, if a customer wants a refund, it is either:
1. They did not receive their order
As such, contact the AliExpress supplier directly to solve the issue.
Clipping these issues decisively at the sprout is essential because they affect your brand’s reputation.
2. The product got damaged en route to their delivery address.
Unfortunately, a product gets damaged on its way to the client.
You must ask the buyer to take a photo of the damaged item,
It enables you to inquire with the supplier more efficiently and then make provision for the refund.
Does Amazon Allow Dropshipping? If So, How Does It Work?
Conventional dropshipping isn’t permitted on the Amazon platform. So, to answer your question, No.
But that is not to say you have to fulfill the orders yourself.
To do it, turn to Fulfilment By Amazon-Amazon FBA, akin to regular dropshipping, taking the picking, packaging, and shipment of orders on your behalf.
How it works.
- Set up your Amazon FBA account
- Create your Product Listing
- Ship your products to Amazon and handle the rest.
- ‘The rest’ means;
- -Select, pack, and ship your products
- -Furnish customer with tracking info
- -Customer service-include returns
However, there is a fulfillment fee; it varies subject to the item’s size and time of the year, but typically, prepare to fork out sic ($3 per lightweight item).
Besides, using the Amazon plugin, you can add Amazon as a sales channel on your Shopify store.
It tracks your inventory and informs you on your Shopify dashboard whenever there are Amazon orders to fulfill.
Is AliExpress Dropshipping Dead?
Unequivocal No.
In recent years, entrepreneurs have made millions of dollars in dropshipping, and there is tons of money for earnings.
But it would help if you let some creative juice flow to stand out in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
The real-life case studies’ stats speak for themselves. In 2017, Johnny FD made a whopping ($203,728.15 in net profit dropshipping); this business isn’t dead!
Is Dropshipping from AliExpress Profitable?
Again, the answer is affirmative- yes, but dropshipping from AliExpress portends the possibility of being incredibly profitable.
It would be best to account for yourself by drawing a plan outlining how much you want to earn and then calculating how many products you must sell to hit the target.
A clear goal and objective setting will go a long way.
Is AliExpress a drop shipper?
No.
A drop shipper is a store owner who “dropships” merchandise from suppliers on the AliExpress platform.
Are There Any Decent AliExpress Alternatives?
There are lots of options for AliExpress, and the following are a couple of them:
Salehoo
Salehoo is another great dropshipping business model alternative to AliExpress.
Similar to others herein, Salehoo provides a large pool of trusted suppliers. To top it all off, Salehoo has tutorial videos on hacks to make the most of its marketplace.
Feedback from its users reports that Salehoo’s customer support is helpful and friendly.
Wholesales2B
In contrast to AliExpress, Wholesale2B is a wholesale supplier directory based in the US.
On its platform are two million products, spanning more than 120 categories updated daily.
Wholesale2B is a superb option for AliExpress if you reside in the States.
Wholesale2B perfectly describes itself as a “one-stop shop” for drop shippers. In addition to reliable suppliers, it offers guidance on setting up an online store.
It integrates with most e-commerce platforms, including Shopify, WooCommerce, eBay, Amazon, and Bigcommerce.
To help you have a sense of what kinds of merchandise you find, Wholesale2B items categories examples are:
-Pets
-Baby Products
-Electronics
-Apparel
-Bath
-Collectibles
-Bedding
-Groceries
-Gifts
-Exercise and fitness
–Health and beauty
Ordering and inventory control are straightforward on Wholesale2B’s dashboard- clicking a button automates both.
They handle refunds and returns on your behalf but surcharge you a whopping six (3% +$2.50 transaction fees on every sale made)
DHGate
DHGate, like the AliExpress marketplace, has a wide range of products; thus, comparing prices on their platforms to maximize profit is possible.
Both AliExpress and DHGate use ePacket shipment.
Merchants from Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, and Asian states sell on DHGate’s platform, which offers ten million merchandise items.
There is something for everyone here, and you can pay via PayPal.
DHGate product categories have the following to offer:
-Home
-outdoor and sports
-Apparel
-Watches and Jewelry
-Beauty
-Toys and Hobbies
Banggood
This e-commerce marketplace prides itself on being the” Mecca” of low-price items.
On this platform, we are bound to be spoiled for choice; more than four million products are listed in the US, China, and Hong Kong.
The site is not renowned, but its popularity makes it the go-to spot for locating fresh items for your audience.
Banggood lists products in niches as follows:
-Drones and Robots
-Gardening and outdoor
-Clothing
-Outdoor and Sports
-Smartphones and computers
-Home and Beauty
They offer Visa cards or PayPal payment options.
Banggood also provides Airparcel and ePacket shipping. Shipping can take seven to thirty days to reach your client.
Conclusion
If you are at this final section, you have read this detailed guide and are ready to start AliExpress dropshipping.
Have you tried AliExpress dropshipping before?
If yes, please share your experience in the comments below, along with any helpful tips or hacks from which our readers can benefit.
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