Are you looking to start dropshipping on AliExpress but can’t figure out how?
One of the most popular e-commerce platforms, AliExpress, has customized tools for dropshippers to find profitable products across niches.
It allows you to set up your store without fees, and you can fix product prices and profit margins without minimum order requirements.
But without the relevant knowledge and correct strategies, you’ll end up being one of the 90% dropshippers who make no money.
So in today’s guide, I’ll walk through the entire process of starting a successful Aliexpress dropshipping business in 2023.
Dropshipping On AliExpress (At A Glance)
Before we dive into the step-by-step process to start dropshipping on the Alibaba group owned AliExpress, let’s answer two of the most frequently asked questions:
Is AliExpress Still Good for Dropshipping?
Yes, and in fact, AliExpress is perfectly optimized for the dropshipping business.
Its infrastructure supports dropshipping order fulfillment, and you can quickly source a diverse range of products, from clothing to home decor, from overseas suppliers at a dirt-cheap price.
There’s no limit to the order amount, which means you can find the product a customer bought from your online store and add the customer’s shipping address for physical delivery.
You don’t have to handle physical inventory, either.
Is AliExpress Dropshipping Legal?
Yes, it’s 100% legal to do dropshipping business on AliExpress and use the supplier’s product photos as long as you contact the concerned supplier and ask for their permission to use product photos or catalog in your online store.
However, it is illegal to dropship trademarked products on Aliexpress.
Though a common practice, it’s better to avoid branded products and select your product line based on agreed rules and best-selling policies.
How to find the best dropshipping products on AliExpress?
It’s crucial to select your niche before you set up your dropshipping store.
Best dropshipping suppliers on AliExpress do product research before they enter the business.
And the best way to do this is to use AliExpress dropshipping center.
It’s a free tool from AliExpress itself to find top-selling products and reliable sellers exclusively for dropshippers.
You can access the center by
- Logging into your AliExpress account and signing up for https://ds.aliexpress.com/ or
- Install the DSers app and link it to AliExpress or
- Placing bulk orders on AliExpress.
AliExpress dropshipping center provides access to product search and analysis tools to narrow your product idea to find the exact product line you can sell for profit.
You can:
- Browse trending products by category in any niche based on price and sales performance.
- Search for best-selling products by image.
- Search sponsored products from AliExpress suppliers.
Using the product analysis tool, you can study the sales volume and reliability of the supplier’s logistics.
The best part?
You can use these excellent tools even if you dropship on other platforms like eBay.
Here are a few checklists to keep in mind while shortlisting the best dropshipping products on AliExpress:
- Never choose branded products to avoid legal trouble.
- Choose products with a minimum of 300 orders in the past 1-2 months.
- Prioritize products that offer free ePacket shipping.
- Go for low-price products (within the $20 range) and play the volume game.
- Select suppliers with more than 4.5-star ratings, authentic product images, and highly responsive.
Here’s a quick list of the best AliExpress dropshipping products in 2023:
- Massage guns
- Air purifying plants
- Air purifiers
- Mom jeans,
- Yoga mats
- Acne patches
- Squat-proof leggings
Most of these are healthy lifestyle-oriented products.
Use them as a rough estimate, and use the AliExpress Dropshipping center to refine your research using the above checklist.
You can also use “top-selling” product filters and AliExpress recommendations to find a profitable yet low-competition product to start dropshipping.
How To Start AliExpress Dropshipping: Step-By-Step
Once you’ve mastered the basics of dropshipping and selected your product line, you can set up your e-commerce store and start selling.
We’ll be using Shopify for this guide. Follow this step-by-step process:
Create a free account on AliExpress And Shopify
To start selling products, you must create a Shopify account and link it with your AliExpress profile.
Follow these steps to create your free AliExpress account:
- Open the AliExpress website.
- Click on the dropdown menu labeled “Account” in the top left corner, as shown in the screenshot.
- Select Register.
- You’ll find your Location pre-filled. Then, register using Gmail or an email ID or password.
Next, you’ve to open a Shopify store. Then, you can sign up on their platform using their free trial and choose their three-month starter plan at $1/mo.
Choose Your Automation Platform
You can wait for customers to place on your Shopify store, then manually place orders to your supplier to deliver the ordered item to the customer’s address.
But this will soon mess up your operations and ruin customer service.
Enter: Automation apps.
With these platforms, you don’t have to place orders manually. Instead, the app will do it for you.
It will notify you when your supplier is out of stock or has changed its price.
Additionally, you can track orders and check the shipping status from a single interface.
There are multiple apps like DSers (recommended by Shopify), Oberlo, and AutoDS, so ask these questions to find your perfect one:
- Can you make profits after paying for the app’s subscription?
- Do they provide reliable tech support with an easy-to-use interface?
- Will you get 24/7 support?
- Do they support multiple online stores?
- Do they have a majority of positive online reviews?
Import Products From AliExpress
After selecting a reliable dropshipping automation app, it’s time to import products from AliExpress to your Shopify store.
Using automation, you can bulk import products within a few clicks.
However, to successfully list products to your Shopify store for conversions, you must follow these guidelines:
- Inform AliExpress supplier that you are dropshipping, so they don’t include invoices.
- Opt for ePacket shipping.
- Write your unique product description on your Shopify store.
- Devise a clever pricing strategy that covers business expenses while being cheaper than competitors. Also, run discounts during festive seasons to increase sales volume.
- Offer free shipping and be transparent about your shipping time.
These tactics will help you rank higher in Shopify customer search and fulfill deliveries on time for better customer service.
4. Fulfill Customer Orders
Credit cards are the most common payment method on AliExpress, followed by debit cards and bank transfers.
It’s best to find a reliable set of efficient suppliers who can deliver on time and agree to apply your branding on shipped products.
Using automation apps, you can intimate suppliers in real-time and track product delivery even while on the go.
The key to successfully growing your dropshipping business is in:
- Handling customer complaints and
- Following your refund policy in case of faulty product delivery.
You should set up your customer care and ask buyers to provide details of the faulty delivery, like product photos.
After seeing the evidence, if it’s clear that a poor product has been delivered, you should offer a prompt refund.
It’ll motivate buyers to leave positive remarks and establish a long-term relationship.
If you get multiple delivery complaints, change your AliExpress supplier immediately.
5. Manage Relationships And Invest In Marketing
There’s competition in every niche, so differentiating is the only way to sustain and grow.
And there are two ways to achieve that: improve your service and reach more of your target audience.
To improve customer service, you should look for long-term supplier relationships by regularly contacting them on WeChat or WhatsApp for product delivery and stock information.
In addition, you should look for custom branding on products once you’ve started to get good sales volume.
You can target the following channels to reach out to more customers:
- SEO for consistent cold traffic.
- Google and Social Media ads for quick store visits.
- Email and social media promotions to a target niche audience for recurring sales.
Once you’ve established a reputation for quality products and timely delivery, you can start selling big-ticket items for higher profit margins.
Other Dropshipping On AliExpress-Related Tutorials To Check Out
Despite the language barrier and lack of bundled orders, AliExpress is an excellent platform for dropshipping with custom product search tools and order fulfillment features.
Here are some other AliExpress dropshipping-related tutorials to check out:
- Dropshipping on Amazon: Learn the relevant rules and advanced strategies to dropship using Amazon effectively.
- Dropshipping on eBay: Read the detailed tutorial to learn eBay rules and successfully set up your dropshipping store using eBay.
- Dropshipping on Shopify: Learn how to set up your e-commerce store on Shopify to start dropshipping in 2023.
Wrapping Up
AliExpress is one of the best platforms to start an online business through dropshipping in 2023 without any setup cost or physical inventory management.
It’s best to research profitable product lines using AliExpress dropshipping center and avoid branded items.
And once you’re ready with the AliExpress product and supplier, you can choose an efficient automation app like DSers to fulfill customer orders timely.
