AliExpress Dropshipping through Shopify

As far as business models go, dropshipping is monetarily one of the least risky ones that you can opt for. Whether you are new to e-commerce or a seasoned trader, dropshipping can prove to be a successful venture for you. For those of you who are entirely new to the concept, dropshipping is simple: without having to keep stock of an item, you can sell it by listing it on online marketplaces, including your websites created through Shopify.

Whenever you receive an order, you can pass it on to a supplier who will fulfil the order and have the product delivered to the customer’s address. You may wonder if suppliers are open to this, but most vendors on AliExpress are eager to work with dropshippers as they provide an additional revenue stream. Dropshipping gives you access to products in plenty as you can find suppliers across all categories who will fulfil the orders you receive.

Based on availability, convenience and smooth business operations, AliExpress is the most flexible marketplace you can source items from. Since sellers on AliExpress stock products at warehouses all around the world, they can quickly deliver orders to customers. It is also a marketplace where you can find just about anything that is sold online and is also flexible towards buyers and sellers for using many shipping and payment methods.

For the selling function, Shopify is becoming increasingly popular among dropshippers. Shopify is a subscription-based online platform where you can build a website for online selling. Your Shopify store can be created under any desired – but available – domain name, and you can list any products on it. Being a paid SaaS (Software as a Service), Shopify has a lot to offer in the form of design and features and has a growing list of plugins that work with it.

Dropshipping from Aliexpress through Shopify

Dropshippers simply hold an online presence in the form of stores that list and sell products to consumers. As a dropshipper, you will primarily have to concern yourself with only the marketing, advertising and sales strategies, as the inventory and delivery of items will be held and taken care of by the suppliers. You may wonder why buyers may choose dropshippers instead of purchasing directly from AliExpress, but many vendors do not work on improving their storefront branding and listing quality, despite selling products with high sales potential. This is where a dropshipper can make a world of difference, by making products look shiny and attractive to buyers.

Becoming a dropshipper is a simple and quick process if you already own a registered company, as there aren’t any additional legal obstacles to clear. However, we recommend that you take your time and make a steady approach towards your goal. Here’s a guide on how you can do that:

Step 1 → Finding products to sell

Many categories and sub-categories are becoming popular every day, and sales numbers are tipping towards online buying as compared to conventional shopping. Experienced business persons who have spent a certain amount of time can use their gained knowledge to shortlist and decide which products they want to focus on, and newcomers can use tools and blogs available online to find the best-selling items on AliExpress.

Even though you have nothing to lose as a dropshipper by listing a large number of products, it is better to have a well-curated and compact catalogue so that buyers are not overwhelmed by the wide range of choices.

Step 2 → Shortlisting AliExpress suppliers

For the products you have chosen, you are sure to find multiple vendors on AliExpress that sell them. By only browsing through listings and storefronts on AliExpress, you can learn a lot about the seller’s capacity. For example, a seller selling black sneakers will mention the sizes and colours available, locations they ship from, shipping options to choose from and payment methods accepted.

This information will help you judge if a supplier will suit your needs. Reviews on the products as well as suppliers play a massive role in validating their legitimacy. You can then shortlist a handful of suppliers for each of the products that you intend to sell.

Step 3 → Agreeing on drop shipping terms

This step is often overlooked by amateur dropshippers, as they feel they don’t have to inform the supplier that they are ordering a product on behalf of another individual (especially in the case of unbranded products). Even though most sellers are willing to work with dropshippers, it is better to have a discussion in advance to request their cooperation. Suppliers will tend to take extra care while fulfilling orders received through you, as they will look to improve all the channels available to them. If required, you can also have a written agreement stating the shipping, payment and other terms that both parties have consented to.

Step 4 → Creating your online store on Shopify

Building a domain of your own is where you can unleash your creativity. Shopify has seemingly endless options on backgrounds and designs, so you can style it in such a way that appeals to customers. You can use your logos, fonts and background images as well. Shopify gives detailed instructions on how you can go about creating your domain. You have three subscription options available – at $29, $79 and $299 per month, with notable differences between these three options being the number of staff member accounts it can hold and the transaction fee percentage. Once your store is created, you can list the products you aim to sell.

Step 5 → Dropshipping your orders

While the previous steps covered the planning and setting up of your business, this step deals with its execution. Receiving your first order will not take long if you have used effective marketing and advertising strategies. The first thing you will have to do is place an order through AliExpress and ensure that the customer details are entered exactly as how you receive them. Depending on your agreement with the AliExpress supplier, you can proceed to choose the shipping option and complete the payment. Remember to share the tracking ID with the buyer as quickly as possible, and ensure that you follow the first few shipments until delivery. This way, you can rest assured that your business is running exactly as planned.

How to find genuine suppliers on AliExpress

Each seller profile has an overview of their performance, which you can easily find while browsing through AliExpress. Here are a few tips to ascertain that the vendors you are considering are genuine:

· Ensure that sellers have a positive feedback rate of at least 95% and have received ratings from a considerable number of buyers

· Go through the seller’s catalogue to check if they have listed multiple products. Most sellers have more than a few products listed under each sub-category

· Check if a seller’s products are authentic by reading reviews; many helpful buyers also post high-quality images along with their comments

· Compare prices to similar products’ listings by other sellers. Overpricing and under-pricing are both red flags that you should avoid

· Contacting a seller and checking their response time and quality will help you weed out sketchy suppliers

· Evaluate the listing quality by checking if the descriptions and images are contradictory

· Read through the return policy and guarantee terms carefully while also looking out for any mention of extra charges or taxes

Getting the best out of Shopify for Dropshipping

Shopify is a tool that has a lot to offer. Let’s quickly skim through how you can go about creating a store through Shopify before looking at its highlights.

Create an account on Shopify à Customize your storefront à Setup a domain à Add Products à Activate products and payment processors

Features of Shopify

1. Easy-to-use UI: The interface is simple to navigate through and create your account without a hassle.

2. Highly customizable: Your storefront design can be customized using designs from a huge library that Shopify has to offer. There are also many themes that you can use for the back-end portal.

3. Picking your domain: As long as a domain name is not already in use, you can choose to use it through Shopify.

4. Plugins and Tools: Many browser add-ons and plugins are compatible with Shopify, helping you increase its potential. It also offers social media integration, payment tools and SEO marketing tools.

5. Ideal for dropshippers: Using certain apps, Shopify allows you to directly connect your account with that of a supplier to fulfil orders and complete payments automatically.

6. Dependable support team: Shopify offers 24/7 support to users through email, chat and call to help users with any issues that they may be facing.

Tools for Shopify

Several add-ons available on the internet can connect to your Shopify store and help you manage suppliers, add products quickly from AliExpress, keep an inventory count, customize listing, manage product pricing, and track sales and orders. They can even process orders without the need for manual intervention.

Here are a few dropshipping tools for Shopify:

· Oberlo

· Sprocket

· Modalyst

· Importify

· Dropified

Which is the best site for dropshipping?

Dropshipping requires a supplier from whom you can source products and a storefront that you can create on most e-commerce websites. Most dropshippers prefer to sell under their domain name through Shopify as it is highly customizable and user-friendly.

Is dropshipping from AliExpress profitable?

In dropshipping, the commercials can be worked out well in advance and can hence be made profitable, while running a very low risk of loss as the dropshipper does not hold any inventory.