The Ultimate AliExpress Dropshipping Guide of 2021

Aliexpress dropshipping is the next go-to business model for the majority of aspiring ecommerce entrepreneurs, and the significant reasons for that are,

 – It is easy to start

 – Requires minimal investment

 – A source to earn quick money

The irony is all of the statements above are true. Yes, Aliexpress dropshipping is profitable, easy to start, and not dead yet.

Many people have raised this concern about starting dropshipping with Aliexpress due to the ongoing US-China trade war. But, so far, it has not affected the dropshipping model.

Before getting any deep conversation, let’s address the conundrum of dropshipping newbies who have no idea what is Aliexpress or dropshipping.

So, here is the quick overview (if you’re aware of these things feel free to skip this part)

What is Aliexpress?

Aliexpress is an ecommerce marketplace where the majority of Chinese suppliers and manufacturers list thier products from almost every category to the global market. You can find millions of products from 28 different major categories.

Since Aliexpress is based in China, so you will find the product here at a much cheaper cost compare to any other platform.

What is Dropshipping?

Dropshipping is an online business model, in which the retailer only displays the product on its platform and does not keep it. When a customer orders anything on the store, the retailer directs that order to the supplier along with customer details, and then the supplier delivers the product to the customer.

The retailer does not need to keep the inventory or worry about the shipment, only focus on marketing and customer service. 

Guide: How to Start a Dropshipping Business 

What is Aliexpress Dropshipping?

When you choose the Aliexpress supplier to deliver your dropship product is dropshipping from Aliexpress. Your Aliexpress supplier will pack the inventory and deliver it to the customer’s destination.

I hope the concept must have been clear. Now, let’s talk about the significance of Aliexpress dropshipping and how to do it.

Aliexpress Dropshipping – Pros and Cons

We are going to start off with simple pros and cons of AliExpress dropshipping so you understand what are the benefits and downsides of this model before you jump into it.

Pros

• Easy to get started
• Low costs
• Easy to scale
• Low risks
• Large selection of products
• No inventory or stock
• No shipment or delivery management

Cons

• Supplier mistakes
• Shipping delays and complexities
• Stock issues
• Low-profit margin

Now coming back to major questions about dropshipping with Aliexpress.

Why Aliexpress Dropshipping?

Aliexpress supports the dropshipping model. No other platform is more convenient to provide that easement, as Aliexpress does. It’s free to sign up, and the suppliers are very agile to corporate.

Most people have this misconception that if Chinese suppliers, there would be a language barrier to deliver the demands of products.

Aliexpress is made to serve the international market; you could not even deliver any product in China from Aliexpress. All the suppliers are fluent in the English language. You can easily communicate with the suppliers – Telling from my personal experience – the suppliers would encourage you to adopt the dropshipping model.

Things You Need to Start Aliexpress Dropshipping

1. A Platform to Sell (Shopify)

Before landing on Aliexpress and starting conversing with the supplier, you need an online store to display your product to the customers. It could be an Amazon store, eBay store, or personal ecommerce store.

I would highly recommend going for the Shopify, as it provides all the tools to support and optimize Aliexpress dropshipping functions.

Shopify also integrates with Amazon. So if you want to do dropshipping on Amazon, you can simply incorporate the Amazon store with your Shopify store. When someone purchases from your Amazon store, it will be directed on your Shopify store. 

You can import products from Aliexpress to your Shopify dropshipping store with just one click with the help of Oberlo.

What is Oberlo?

Shopify-exclusive app that helps you to find the perfect products, reliable suppliers, and it also automates your AliExpress dropshipping business.

You can download its free Chrome extension and starting import products right away to your store.

Oberlo automates the function to import products to your store, so you do not have to add products manually. It also syncs your store with Aliexpress, so if there are any changes in price or inventory, you will get notified. 

When customer purchases from your store, you just need to inform your supplier with the customer information to deliver the product. 

How Oberlo works

You only need to download its Oberlo extension and then go to Aliexpress and browse for products you want to add, then just click the extension and click import product. 

How to import AliExpress products on Oberlo

So, you got Oberlo and want to dive right into importing your first product. That’s completely alright and I’m gonna show you exactly how you can do that.

First of all, you need the Oberlo Google Chrome extension for AliExpress. This extension will let you directly import AliExpress products to your Oberlo account from the AliExpress product page.

How to track orders on Oberlo

This is simple.

Just go to the Oberlo app dashboard > Navigate to Order Tracking Page > Click ” Tracking code” in front of the specific order.

If the order has been shipped by the supplier then Oberlo will automatically fetch the tracking code and show you the tracking code that you can share with your customers.

In case, your tracking code failed to sync, just click ‘Retrack’ option on the bottom, the tracking code will be synced and you will get the latest status of your order.

To learn more about Oberlo tracking click here.

Related Article: Oberlo Review

2. ePacket Delivery

What is ePacket?

EPacket delivery is a result of an agreement between the Chinese and Hong Kong governments with US postal serving to make the delivery faster within 7-15 days with shipping cost almost equal to none. 

The products (mostly) are coming from China, so ePacket shipment is the quickest and cheapest way to deliver goods worldwide, especially to the United States market. 

The cherry on top is that ePacket allows product tracking on EMS (Express mail service) and USPS (US postal service) via 13 digit tracking number on the parcel.

3. Download WeChat

Well, not a significant requirement, but you would need a WeChat to converse with your Chinese suppliers. Once you break-the-ice on the chatting option on Aliexpress, the suppliers would demand you come to WeChat to resume the conversation.

As you probably know, Facebook messenger and WhatsApp do not work in China.

So, it not a big deal but be prepared to expect such demand.

4. Cash on Hand

Aliexpress is completely free to use; however, you need to pay the suppliers right away once they release the products. You will receive your payment from the customer, but PayPal or other payment options take some time to clear the payment. So, you will need some cash in hand to pay the supplier on time.

That’s it. These were all the major requirements to start dropshipping on Aliexpress.

How to Find Bestselling Product to Dropship

Before anything else, you need to finalize what niche products you want to sell in your dropshipping store. To select the profitable niche, check out this guide.

Once you figure out your niche, then find out the hot trending items to sell in your niche market.

To figure the best-selling item, I have a simple remedy.

Step 1: Go to Amazon Best Seller

Amazon is one of the largest ecommerce marketplaces, if some product is the bestseller in this market, then there are favorable chances that it would be trending worldwide.

Let’s say; I sell t-shirts and hoodies. Here I am looking for a unique and trendy product to sell in my niche.

I simply went to Amazon Best Seller categories -> Clothing & Shoes

Right now, its winter season, so only hoodies are all over the place, but I am looking for a trending design.

So, I scroll down on the bestseller page in search of catchy design, and here I found one.

The tie-dye shirt is in the best-selling category. However, I know that hoodies are selling best at this time. So, I can sell this design on hoodies, easy peasy 🙂

Related Article: How to Start an Online T-Shirt Business 

Step: 2 Google Trends

I have to be double sure about how many people are looking for this item. For that, Google trends are the best option I have there.

And KABOOM!

This item is killing it right now, showing the best trends in the last five years.

In just two steps, I found the product that could become the bestseller product of my store. 

Well, that was just one hack to find the best selling product to learn more hacks check out these 15 amazing hacks to find the best selling products for your drop-shipping business. And, if you don’t really want to put in the work researching products then check out top trending products list that you can start selling right now.

Now, the only requirement left is to find a suitable supplier on Aliexpress to dropship this product. But, how to select the supplier on Aliexpress?

How to Select the Best Supplier on Aliexpress

Once you know what product you want to import in your store, it is time to select which supplier deserves to become your associates.

It is not very hard to validate a supplier. Aliexpress mentioned the last six months’ performance of a supplier so you can quickly check the authenticity of a supplier by reviewing their performance summary.

Here is how you can check Aliexpress supplier

Step 1: Go to Aliexpress and Find Your Product

To find my product, I went to the categories of Men’s clothing, and as hoodies are already in trend, it showed me hoodies on top.

I clicked the product. It got good feedback.

Step 2: Visit the Supplier’s Store

Before finalizing any supplier, always visit their store to check how much variety they have for a single product line.

 It is satisfying.

Step 3 Positive Feedback (90% or higher)

This step is the most vital part of validating a supplier. You can get the feedback summary report. To get the summary, go to the top of the store page and click feedback.

I get the data of the past six months’ performance of the store.

The feedback is good, 97%. However, the communication rating lower than other sellers, and that could change my perspective about this supplier.

Communication is crucial for me. So, I would rather check other suppliers then decide after evaluation.

That’s how you need to evaluate an Aliexpress supplier.

Import Customer Reviews From Aliexpress to Shopify

Importing reviews from AliExpress to your Shopify store is very easy. All you need is one of the multiple Shopify reviews apps available on the app store. For this example, we are using Ali Reviews apps to easily import products reviews from AliExpress to our Shopify store.

Check out the video below to see how easy it is to import reviews.

Best Shopify Apps for Importing Reviews

There are numerous apps available on Shopify that provide you with the functionality to import reviews from AliExpress and multiple other sources. We are listing some of the best apps for importing reviews.

• Loox: One of the best Shopify reviews apps out there. Lets you import reviews from multiple sources and provides a simple review form for customers.
• Ali Reviews: Ali Reviews does what the name says. It lets you import reviews from AliExpress to your Shopify store with just a couple of clicks.
• Yotpo: Yotpo helps you gather more reviews by providing your customers with interactive emails where they can directly leave a review for their purchases.

Check out our detailed Shopify Reviews apps write-up to see get even more apps for importing reviews to your online store.

Aliexpress Dropshipping FAQs

Q: Is AliExpress Standard Shipping better?

AliExpress standard shipping is an often free method of shipping that delivers all around the world. Even though ePacket is considered the best shipping option usually, but when ePacket delivery is unavailable, then AliExpress standard shipping is the next best choice.
Here are more details on AliExpress Standard Shipping.

Q: How to deal with AliExpress returns?

If you want to return an item on AliExpress due to any reason then here’s a simple way of opening a dispute on AliExpress.
1. From your AliExpress account, click “My Orders”
2.  Click Open Dispute in front of the order you want to dispute.
3. Add your refund request and Submit the dispute.

Q: Are there any Aliexpress alternative suppliers in the US?

There are a number of AliExpress alternatives available out there. Even if you are only interested in dropshipping suppliers for US then there are tons of them.
Check out dropshipping suppliers like Dropship Direct, Ah Goo Baby, Amzer, Cost Tag, Dropshipper, and Kole Imports.

Also, check out the complete list of dropshipping suppliers in the US.

Q: Can the customer see the actual price of the item when they track AliExpress order?

Just provide your customers with the tracking code, and they won’t be able to see the actual price of the item.
Tracking details through third-party apps like 17Track, etc. only show the current status of the order and do not reveal any prices at all.

Q: How to find Diamond suppliers on AliExpress?

Back in the day, top suppliers on AliExpress had a Diamond rating that meant they were one of the highest-rated suppliers.
However, AliExpress got rid of this rating system. Now, all the suppliers have badges on their profile that show the quality of a supplier. The supplier with the most badges on their profile is the top-rated suppliers.

Q: Does epacket ship Worldwide?
Yes, ePacket ships worldwide as long as it’s available. However, some suppliers use AliExpress standard shipping instead of ePacket which also delivers worldwide.

Q: What products on Aliexpress can I dropship with 300-400% profit margins?
There are numerous products that you can sell for a high profit margin; these include, but not limited to Shapewear, Jewelry, and mobile phone covers. It all depends on your target audience and the market where you are selling.

Q: Is there any free dropship plugin for AliExpress on WordPress?
Both Ezusy and Shopmaster plugins on WordPress offer free plans, but these free plans are fairly limited in terms of features and functions that you can utilize.

Q: Is it safe to use debit/credit card on AliExpress?
Yes, it is completely safe to use your credit/debit cards on AliExpress.AliExpress is an international website owned by the reputable Alibaba group, so their online security is up to date.

Q: How does payment occur with AliExpress?
Currently, AliExpress supports the following payment methods on their platform: Boleto, Visa debit/credit, MasterCard, QIWI, Western Union, WebMoney, Maestro debit card, and bank transfer.

Related Article: 51 Burning Aliexpress Dropshipping Questions 

Conclusion

That’s all folks. I’ve tried to cover all the basics about Aliexpress dropshipping you need to understand, even when about WeChat 😛

Nonetheless, when you start doing dropshipping with Aliexpress you will find some new unforeseen problems, well it happens to everyone. So, do not panic feel free to ask your queries in the comments below and also, you can join our Facebook community consists of 5000+ aspiring ecommerce entrepreneurs – you are more than welcome to share your thoughts there.

See you again!