What is Alibaba Dropshipping? A Guide for Newbies 2025

Alibaba dropshipping opens up attractive business opportunities with diverse sources of goods and a large market. However, to be successful, you need solid knowledge and appropriate strategies. Let's explore with NextSky the secrets to help you conquer this potential market. 

What is Alibaba dropshipping?

Alibaba.com is China's leading B2B e-commerce platform under Alibaba Group, specializing in connecting global businesses. In the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2023-2024, Alibaba achieved revenue of nearly 434.9 billion yuan (60.2 billion USD), of which Alibaba.com alone contributed about 14 billion USD.

Operating under an effective B2B model, the platform links over 80 million businesses in more than 240 countries and territories, with over 4.83 million businesses registered for accounts. Alibaba aims to become a trade bridge between Asia and European and American markets.

Alibaba.com offers hundreds of millions of products in more than 40 major categories, such as electronics, machinery, apparel, accessories, jewelry, etc., to serve the diverse needs of the global market.  In addition, the platform also supports supplier evaluation and classification, helping users choose reputable partners.

>>> If you’re completely new to this model, it’s essential to first understand what dropshipping is and how it works globally.

Difference between Alibaba vs AliExpress

Alibaba and AliExpress are both owned by the Alibaba Group (China), known for its wide range of products across various industries. However, they serve different audiences and purposes:

Step-by-Step Guide to Dropshipping Alibaba

If you are looking to start a dropshipping business with Alibaba, here is a step-by-step guide to help you easily find suppliers, choose the right products, and build lasting business relationships.

Sign up for an Alibaba account

• Step 1: Go to the Alibaba.com homepage
• Step 2: Click Sign in (top right corner) > select Join Free. You can sign up with your email or quickly log in via Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, or Twitter.
• Step 3: Change the language to English (if needed) in the left corner menu. Then fill in the registration information:
  • Country/Region: Select Vietnam
  • Trade role:
    • Buyer: Purchase
    • Seller: Sell
    • Both: Both
  • Email: Enter the correct email to receive the verification code
  • Password: 6–20 characters, including numbers, letters and special characters
  • Confirm Password: Re-enter password
  • Company Name: Company or store name
  • Full Name: Full name
  • Phone: Select the country code (+84), enter the area code and phone number
  • Verification: Drag the confirmation bar to prove you are not a robot
  • Finally, select Agree and Register
• Step 4: Check your email to get the 6-digit verification code from Alibaba.
• Step 5: Enter the code in the verification box and click Submit to complete.

Search for potential products

Go to Alibaba and enter the product keyword you want to sell in the search bar. To refine your results effectively, use filters like:

• Ready to Ship
• Minimum Order: 1
• Trade Assurance
• Verified Supplier

These options not only help you quickly access the right products for dropshipping but also narrow down your list of suppliers to more trustworthy ones.

Check the MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity)

When you see a potential product, click on it to check the details. Make sure the MOQ is 1 piece, which is important for dropshipping. Also, consider the listing price and shipping cost (usually listed as “negotiable”). Note that shipping costs from Alibaba can be higher than AliExpress, so you should talk to the supplier directly.

Red more: Is Dropshipping Legal? A Compilation Of Laws You Need To Know

Create a list of potential suppliers

Don't rush to close the deal with the first supplier, but create a shortlist of the most potential partners based on the following criteria:

• Reasonable and transparent product prices
• Positive reviews from previous buyers
• Verified Supplier certification
• Trade Assurance policy application

This list will be the basis for you to compare, negotiate and choose the most suitable partner, while minimizing risks when importing goods from abroad.

Communicate and ask smart questions

Use Alibaba's direct messaging tool to reach out to suppliers. Once connected, you can continue the conversation via email, WeChat, or phone if necessary. When contacting, use short, clear questions to avoid misunderstandings due to language barriers. Some suggested questions to prepare:

• What is the current MOQ?
• What is the price per unit?
• How long does it take to process and ship to the US?
• What payment methods do you accept?
• Can you send samples for quality control?

Asking for product samples is an indispensable step to ensure quality before large-scale deployment.

Final partner selection

Once you have received samples and feedback from suppliers, conduct an overall assessment based on the following factors:

• Prioritize verified suppliers: The “Verified Supplier” badge shows that the business has undergone a rigorous inspection process, ensuring its legitimacy and high reliability.
• Check contact information: Ask for address, phone number, email, and call directly to verify identity, avoiding risks when cooperating.
• Score and SOPI: Read reviews from previous customers and monitor the SOPI index (0–5, diamond icon). High scores reflect professionalism and credibility.
• Choose Global Gold Suppliers: These are sellers who have been independently verified and paid to prove their reliability, helping you limit risks from less transparent sellers.

Agree and confirm the payment method

After finalizing the supplier, the final step is to agree on the payment method. Here are some popular methods you can consider:

• Bank transfer: less suitable for dropshipping because of the long processing time.
• Wise: fast money transfer with lower fees.
• Trade Assurance: Secure transactions through Alibaba but requires more verification time
• Credit/Debit Card: Fast payment but transaction fees
• PayPal: Flexible and secure but not accepted by all suppliers

Before you start listing products on your store, make sure you and your supplier have clearly agreed on payment terms and order processing responsibilities.

Pros and Cons of dropshipping alibaba

Alibaba offers a number of useful features that make it easy to find reputable partners. However, the platform also has some limitations that you should consider carefully before contacting suppliers or ordering samples.

Advantages of Dropshipping Alibaba

• Super competitive prices: Alibaba allows you to access goods at low prices, especially you can negotiate directly with suppliers to receive more preferential prices, maximizing business profits.
• Diverse sources and suppliers: From popular products to unique items, you can find almost anything on Alibaba thanks to its global network of suppliers.
• Support for building your own brand: Many suppliers allow you to attach your personal brand to the product (private label), helping to develop your brand and increase the value of the goods.
• Many forms of payment: Alibaba supports international payment methods such as credit cards, Western Union... making transactions more flexible and convenient for beginners.

Disadvantages of Dropshipping Alibaba

• Lack of order tracking feature: No automatic order tracking support, making it difficult to update shipping status, affecting customer service.
• Long delivery time, high cost: International shipping from China can take 15 - 40 days and shipping costs are not cheap, which can reduce customer satisfaction.
• Difficulty in communication: Most suppliers do not use English fluently, often have to use translation tools or intermediaries, leading to easy misunderstandings in communication.
• Minimum order requirement: Many suppliers apply MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity), which is not suitable for newbies or small shops without large capital.

How to dropship from Alibaba to Shopify

Create a Shopify Store

If you don’t have an online store yet, you can create a new one on Shopify.com. The basic steps include:

• Registering a Shopify account
• Choosing a store name and a suitable theme
• Connecting a custom domain (if available)
• Setting up payment methods

Shopify is a very user-friendly platform, especially for beginners starting dropshipping, and with the Agile theme by NextSky, you can ensure a professional and smooth shopping experience for your customers.

Install a Dropshipping App from Alibaba

To connect Alibaba with Shopify, you should install a third-party app like DSers – AliExpress & Alibaba Dropshipping:

• Go to the Shopify App Store → search for "DSers"
• Install and link it to your Shopify account
• Create a DSers account and connect it to Alibaba

This app will help you easily import products and manage orders automatically.

Import products from Alibaba to Shopify

Once the connection is set up, you can search for and add products to your store with just a few steps:

• Search for products in DSers or on Alibaba.
• Click “Import to Store.”
• Customize the product details:
  • Product name
  • Description
  • Images
  • Price and profit margin
  • SEO (meta title, description)

After optimizing, you can immediately publish the products to your store.

Automated order processing

When a customer places an order on Shopify, the order will appear in DSers. All you need to do is:

• Click confirm to send the order to the supplier
• Pay for the dropship order
• The supplier will pack and ship the order directly to the customer

You don't need to worry about inventory or complicated operations.

>>> If you haven’t set up your store yet, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to start dropshipping effectively.

What products do you dropship on Alibaba?

With over 2 million products, Alibaba offers just about every item you can think of. However, not every product is suitable for dropshipping. If you’re looking for ideas, here are some ideal categories for this model:

• Decor and living space organization
• Fashion and accessories
• Pet supplies
• Exercise equipment
• Beauty and skin care products
• Toys for children
• Travel accessories

On the other hand, you should limit or avoid dropshipping items such as electronics, machinery, auto parts, food and beverages because they often come with strict regulations, depending on the market you’re doing business in. Therefore, you should consider importing from domestic suppliers instead of ordering through Alibaba.

Notes when doing Dropshipping with Alibaba

Alibaba is a huge warehouse for the dropshipping model, but to do business effectively, you need to note the following points:

Prioritize quality over low prices

Instead of trading quality for low prices, you should choose reputable suppliers and prioritize safe products, especially for items that affect health. Because good quality will help you retain customers and enhance your brand.

Choose compact, easy-to-ship products

Prioritize compact products such as phone accessories, jewelry or office supplies to save shipping costs, deliver faster and reduce the risk of damage. In particular, if using ePacket, a popular express delivery service from China, orders must be under 2kg to be eligible.

Should order samples before selling

The actual experience from ordering to receiving goods helps you verify the quality and service of the supplier, helping you avoid risks before selling in bulk.

Above is useful information on how to start Alibaba dropshipping, along with tips on choosing suppliers and effectively exploiting this potential market. Hopefully, this article from NextSky will help you better understand this model to have a more suitable business orientation.

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