How Dropshipping Works: The Beginner’s 2026 Guide

Do you want to know how Dropshipping works?

Regarding handling shipping delays, packaging, product research, and customer disputes.

If dropshipping suits beginners, this guide will help you make good money and show you how much dropshippers make.

Starting an eCommerce business from scratch without the hassles of packaging and shipping commodities and tracking an inventory may sound like a novelty.

Many may view the idea of running a thriving online store without a warehouse as far-fetched. 

That’s what the modern-day drop shipping business entails, though it must include the AliExpress and Dsers dropshipping apps!

With drop shipping, savvy store owners sell and drop-ship items to different clients without actually handling them. 

As the Shopify store owner, you market someone else’s product without having to buy it in the first place. 

Once the buyer expresses interest and eventually makes a purchase, you buy it and arrange for it to be shipped straight to them.

It can be a boon to internet entrepreneurs, especially when you choose a lucrative niche on AliExpress. 

In a nutshell, you will not have to create an inventory, set up a warehouse, or physically handle anything, like repackaging. 

On the downside, aspects such as returns and refunds are a huge detriment.

That’s why you ought to understand everything before marshaling your entire arsenal into the business of drop shipping.

A Brief History of Dropshipping ( How Dropshipping Works)

Drop shipping may sound like a newly invented business idea, but it isn’t. Instead, Zappos used to drop-ship consumer products in 1999, before Amazon and Sears joined in and helped popularize the whole art. 

Today, up to 33% of the e-commerce sector depends on drop shipping as its primary inventory management technique.

The most significant drop-ship player is AliExpress, whose fame stems from the rise of many cheaper Chinese exports entering the US.

Thousands of Chinese suppliers use this approach to sell their products in the Western world.

However, you aren’t restricted to using AliExpress for drop shipping only.

But to clarify how drop shipping happens, let’s look at the whole thing from a broader perspective.

Alibaba and AliExpress

Though drop shipping has been around since AliExpress significantly contributed to its prominence, it resulted from the founder of Alibaba, Jack Ma, who wanted to create a perfect platform where the Western world could buy items from China. 

It works like Amazon, except that it is based in China. However, it’s worth mentioning that neither Alibaba nor AliExpress holds inventory, as they are reputable marketplaces.

How AliExpress Works

There’s little difference between traditional drop shipping and how AliExpress conducts it. 

With a Shopify store and the Dsers Dropshipping App software, you can start your business today and make profits without virtually paying. All you will do is identify the right products through this comprehensive guide to drop shipping.

The Definitive Guide to AliExpress Dropshipping to a Shopify Site highlights the intricate process and its multiple advantages.

First, on the customer’s side, drop shipping differs from the quintessential online retail transactions. 

The only difference is your role as an independent store manager, ensuring a seamless process and that the buyer receives superior-quality, legitimate products quickly.

It is a 3-step process that starts with the customer placing an order and you, the seller, organizing the shipment.

Once you get a buyer and sell an item from your Shopify store, you buy it from the AliExpress marketplace. The seller will supply it directly and without involving you in any way.

Why choose AliExpress and not the regular drop shipping alternatives

AliExpress, as mentioned, is a Chinese platform that aims to channel cheaper, high-quality products to the Western world. It is the largest in the region and continues to grow, although it doesn’t mean it is the only marketplace.

All transactions are protected and certified as safe.

Dropshipping via AliExpress, Dsers dropshipping App, and Shopify has multiple benefits. AliExpress, including all purchases and shipments, protects everything. So you can always be reassured whether the item will be shipped.

You can be a drop shipper using AliExpress and Shopify without capital.

The fascinating thing about being a drop shipper with AliExpress and Shopify is that you can take advantage of trial periods before becoming a professional. 

Dsers dropshipping app software is free to use. You can start by signing up for Shopify’s $1/3 3-month offer and enjoy a 3-month subscription at only $3. 

You can add products to your store almost instantly.

Without worrying about inventory, re-stocking is breezy, and you can be rich as a drop shipper using AliExpress.

You will never have to deal with leftovers.

Moreover, with no inventory, you should be happy that you will never have to deal with leftovers. So even if what you have been selling becomes outdated, you’ll be glad it fills only some of the space in your warehouse. 

You can only imagine the number of losses if you had a traditional brick-and-mortar store filled with what you’ve been offering and selling!

In addition to these drop shipping advantages, AliExpress makes the whole model easy to try, safe, and profitable.

1. All drop shippers have complete control over their profit margins – they can set retail prices without adhering to the suggested prices.
2. Armed with the right amount of drop-ship information, including a Shopify account and the Dsers plugin, one may start drop-shipping immediately. You can start importing the items to sell without the supplier’s permission.
3. It is a virtually unlimited space where even newbies and those who aren’t established can enter and make a kill. The seasoned drop shipper and those starting up are still determined to earn a key to everything: what you choose and how you market it.
4. Guaranteed access to a pool of items sold on the marketplace is equally glamorous. It presents a perfect opportunity to focus only on what you deem lucrative for your target group.
5. The main reason to go with AliExpress rather than other marketplaces isn’t that Chinese items are cheaper than those from outside Asia. Suppliers in China are innovative and watch the trends before manufacturing their products.

Is dropshipping profitable?

Being a drop shipper should be a manageable business idea for someone looking to launch and manage a successful eCommerce shop. 

Sure, other, less hectic and perhaps more profitable ideas can offer better returns in the long run. But, truth be told, dropshipping via AliExpress is slowly becoming the best online business, primarily when the store owner handles marketing well.

When you look at drop shipping from a profitability perspective, the product’s margins and conversion rates play a huge role. Margins are the profits made from the difference between what the drop shipper pays and what the customer initially paid. 

Conversion rates are the actual rates at which visitors to the store purchase a product.

Statistically, a profit margin of 20% or more is acceptable, as is a conversion rate above 2%. 

To estimate your benefit, you should use the figures from both factors.

Besides brilliant marketing for the items in your Shopify store, you should also focus on increasing your conversion rate.

Product descriptions play a critical role in boosting conversion, so focus on your own descriptions rather than the supplier’s. Another simple way is to offer free shipping on the purchased item.

FAQs about Dropshipping

What makes drop shipping via AliExpress a perfect venture for budding entrepreneurs?

Dropshipping can be an excellent business for young entrepreneurs who have never engaged in e-commerce.

It requires no significant capital, and information on its running is freely available online.

But again, it is risk-free and favors young, intelligent, creative minds whose marketing skills resonate with their target audience.

How straightforward is the whole process of Dropshipping using AliExpress?

To be a dropshipper, you don’t need any special training. It is a win-win situation: the supplier sells the product, the buyer gets a top-quality item, and you make a profit.

That’s how simple the whole process is. Special software like the Dsers dropshipping App makes the process much more manageable. However, you can get a more detailed review of Dsers to understand how it works.

Will the buyer know if the product was drop shipped?

Practically speaking, nothing will show them that the item was drop-shipped. That’s because, as mentioned in the Definitive Guide to AliExpress Drop Shipping to A Shopify Site, you should include a short message to the supplier. A custom package would still be helpful if you are making huge sales.

Why should a buyer buy from my Shopify if the identical item is available elsewhere?

Well, it is pretty simple – because you are better and unique!

Your uniqueness stems from your better marketing plan, which attracts the customer’s attention. Once your store earns the trust of online shoppers, you’ll need help explaining why you are the best go-to shop.

But as you strive to show every visitor why your store is the best place to buy, don’t dwell on petty issues like price competition or silly marketing gimmicks. Instead, be yourself and focus on providing sellers with a lasting solution.

What if Alibaba shipping takes too long, and customers visiting my store can’t wait?

There was a time when AliExpress made over $14 billion in sales in a single day. Of course, the long delivery terms did not bother all the customers.

So, your primary task as a drop shipper using the Dsers dropshipping App is to offer the products and, more importantly, define your shipping policy.

A customer who is comfortable with it will readily proceed to order.

Furthermore, no single AliExpress package is delivered by sea anymore, which is excellent news to those who used to dislike the 60-day shipping period. 

The popular ePacket delivery choice takes a week or two to reach the US.

Competent suppliers have opened warehouses in the US for quicker delivery. 

So speedy deliveries are possible. However, the best thing to do is to choose the best supplier so that you don’t cause any inconvenience.

What about the quality of the product and copyright infringements?

You may have heard the most bizarre stories depicting Chinese goods as inferior.

Unfortunately, some stories are true, like in every part of the world, including Europe and the US. Amazon, eBay, and all those other online marketplaces host thousands of scammers.

In the end, you should be cautious about who your dropshipping supplier is, because any defective item can damage your Shopify store’s reputation.

Once again, go through the ultimate guidelines before purchasing the product in your store.

AliExpress is a reputable marketplace that advocates only sanity. 

As such, one of the best ways to tame scamming suppliers is to require a $1,500 surety deposit for the store to run. The company also takes buyer safety seriously. 

An extensive consumer safety program includes thousands of employees checking each listing and ensuring it doesn’t infringe on copyright.

Summary of How Dropshipping Works

The drop shipping depicted here is primarily based on my experiences using AliExpress and, to some extent, the Dsers dropshipping App. 

The business could be better, though it favors innovative, energetic web entrepreneurs. 

To be inept at AliExpress, one must willfully spend time using it.

Making a few bucks in the comfort of your home is fantastic, especially when you understand the art of digital marketing. 

Despite the challenges of attracting visitors and selling, dropshipping is still beneficial. 

It requires a low capital investment, minimal or no risk, and huge profits when everything eventually falls into place.

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