[2025] AliExpress Dropshipping: A-Z Guide for Beginners

Tony Pham Jun 30 2025

Table of Contents

Dropshipping is currently an extremely popular business model and shows no signs of slowing down, thanks to its potential to bring in attractive income. You may have heard about AliExpress Dropshipping, but are still wondering if you can start or not. This article, NextSky, will provide you with all the necessary information to confidently step into this field.

What is AliExpress Dropshipping

AliExpress is a B2C e-commerce platform of Alibaba Group (China), launched in 2010 as a branch of Alibaba.com to connect businesses with global consumers.

Currently, AliExpress is one of the leading cross-border e-commerce platforms, attracting more than 150 million buyers from 220 countries and regions. The platform offers more than 100 million products in 6,000 categories from 45 industries in China.

Thanks to competitive prices, stable quality, and no large purchase requirements, AliExpress has become an ideal choice for consumers and dropshipping models.

How does AliExpress dropshipping work?

Aliexpress dropshipping works on a very simple but effective model. Here you are the middleman, no need to import goods in advance, no need for a warehouse, just focus on selling and customer care. Here is the step-by-step process:

The customer places an order on your website
You order the product on AliExpress
Aliexpress supplier will package, update the shipping code, and ship the goods directly to the customer at the address you provide

Most suppliers do not put the AliExpress logo or information in the package (you can ask them for "no invoice/no branding").

Advantages and Disadvantages of AliExpress Dropshipping

Like any other platform, a dropshipping business through AliExpress brings many advantages but also has certain limitations.

Advantages

Huge source of goods, diverse product lines: AliExpress offers hundreds of millions of products with all kinds of designs, from fashion, cosmetics to household goods, electronics, ... suitable for all customer segments.
Completely free to start: No initialization fee or monthly maintenance fee, AliExpress helps you start a dropshipping business easily without large capital.
Flexible profits, extremely low original prices: You have the right to set your own selling price and optimize profits thanks to very competitive wholesale prices from suppliers.
Catch the trend quickly: Products following global trends often appear very early on AliExpress, creating opportunities to quickly access the market.
No minimum quantity requirement: You can order each product one by one and deliver it directly to customers, very convenient for the dropshipping model.
Clear return policy: If the product is not as described, you can request a return, a big plus for reliability.
Transparent public review system: Buyers can leave reviews and feedback, making it easy for you to choose a reputable supplier.
Support for finding potential products: This tool helps you grasp hot products and make more accurate import decisions.
Support for building your own brand: Many suppliers are willing to customize packaging, logos, thank you cards, discount codes... according to your requirements.

Disadvantages

Slow delivery time: Most orders are sent from China, so shipping time can last from a few weeks to more than a month. ePacket packages can be improved but not applied to all products.
High competition: AliExpress attracts a large number of dropshippers worldwide, requiring you to have a sharp marketing strategy and a different product to stand out.
Uneven product quality: Not all suppliers guarantee quality. You need to carefully check reviews, real images and choose reputable partners to avoid risks.
Cann’t combine orders from multiple suppliers: If a customer orders multiple items from different suppliers, they will receive the goods multiple times, which affects the shopping experience and can easily cause complaints.

Guide to Dropshipping AliExpress with Shopify from A-Z

Step 1: Research the market and choose a product niche

Before selling, it is essential that you identify what your core products are and who your target customers are. This helps you build a clear market niche, avoiding spreading resources across many types of products. To explore potential product niches, you can refer to the following suggestions:

Research the market with Google Trends to identify the most searched keywords and topics, thereby capturing product trends.
Browse TikTok and Instagram to see which products are "hot" or promoted by influencers.
Use AliTools to analyze which products are best-selling on AliExpress

Put yourself in the shoes of a consumer to think about whether the product is solving any problems.

For example, instead of selling general electronics, you can choose the niche "waterproof phone accessories for travelers". Important note: Absolutely avoid choosing products related to copyright or big brands (like Nike, Apple...). Selling these products without permission can lead to serious legal trouble.

Step 2: Choose quality dropshipping products on AliExpress

After identifying the market, you can apply the following 5 criteria to choose products:

Avoid counterfeit goods: Absolutely avoid choosing products related to copyright or big brands (such as Nike, Apple...) to avoid legal risks, unless you have official distribution rights.
Prioritize free ePacket shipping: This is a fast and economical shipping option from China to the US or Europe.
Minimum 300 orders: Products with many orders prove high demand and reliable suppliers.
Ratings from 4.5 stars or more: Show good quality and positive feedback from buyers.
Low import price, high profit: Choose products priced from $1–$20 to resell from $20–$50, ensuring enough marketing budget and profit.

Step 3: Find a reputable supplier on AliExpress

Not all suppliers on AliExpress are trustworthy. To avoid poor quality goods or slow delivery, you need to carefully evaluate the following factors before importing goods.

Prioritize suppliers with a high reputation index: On AliExpress, you should prioritize choosing suppliers with a feedback rate of 95% or higher. When clicking on the supplier's name, you can see full information such as detailed reviews, operating time, and delivery history.
Check the uniqueness of the image: Many products have very beautiful images, but you should carefully check whether it is an original photo from the manufacturer. To verify this, the store owner can use Google Lens to look up whether the image is a copy.
Clear communication: Dropshippers can proactively contact the supplier to evaluate the responsiveness and level of support. If you find the supplier's response is vague, it may be a sign that you should be cautious.
Test order: To avoid future risks, before placing a large order, you should try a small order to check the product quality, delivery time, and how the supplier supports.

Step 4: Build a Professional Shopify Store

Next, you need to start building a Shopify store to turn your business idea into reality. A professional store will help increase trust, retain customers, and increase conversion rates.

Buy the right domain name

Your domain name is the face of your brand on the internet, helping customers easily find you. To choose a suitable domain name, remember:
Memorable and relevant: Choose a domain name that is easy to read, easy to remember, and can remind you of your product or brand style (e.g. GlowGadget.com, PureAuraStore.com).
Professional domain extensions: Prioritize popular international domain extensions such as .com or .store to create credibility and reach global customers.
Easy to buy: You can buy a domain name directly on Shopify or through reputable providers such as Namecheap, GoDaddy, etc.

Sign up for a suitable Shopify package

Shopify currently has packages from $29/month (Basic) to $399/month (Advanced). For beginners, you can start with the Basic package. Sign up at shopify.com and take advantage of the 3-day free trial to set up your initial store.

Store theme

Theme is the first visual element that greatly affects your impression and shopping experience. If you need a high-quality Shopify theme that meets all user criteria, NextSky's Agile is a theme that you should not ignore.

Customize the homepage and navigation

Set up a logo, main banner (hero image), clear tagline about product value.
Add sections such as: featured products, today's deals, reasons to choose us, customer reviews, etc.
Simple, easy-to-understand navigation menu: Home, Products, About, Contact.

Set up basic legal pages

Shopify supports quick creation of necessary pages for dropshipping:

Refund Policy
Shipping Policy
Terms of Service
Privacy Policy

You should adjust these contents to suit the shipping model from AliExpress, especially the delivery time and return process.

Step 5: Import products from Aliexpress to your store

Write your own product description: Product descriptions on AliExpress often lack depth and do not highlight the true value to customers. Therefore, writing your own description will help your content become more convincing, increase conversions and avoid duplication.
Clearly notify delivery time: Since most suppliers are from China, orders can take up to 20 days to deliver. Don't forget to display the estimated time on the product page so customers know clearly.
Use an order tracking app: Long delivery times can easily make customers worry. Therefore, you can install a tracking app to help users check the status of their orders themselves, reducing the number of inquiry emails.
Encourage with free shipping: If the supplier has a free shipping option or a low price, you should take advantage of it to create a competitive advantage and attract customers.

Step 6: Product pricing guide in Dropshipping Model

When pricing your products, your goal is to ensure enough profit while maintaining an attractive price to compete. This requires you to take into account all the costs involved and apply some smart pricing strategies.

Factors to consider in selling price

Original price of product from AliExpress.
Shipping fee if there is no Free Shipping from the supplier.
Advertising cost of Facebook Ads, TikTok Ads…
Platform fee of Shopify, app, and payment gateway transaction fee, such as Stripe/PayPal.
Desired profit should usually be set at a gross profit target of 50% to cover marketing and operating costs.

For example, To achieve a profit of 50%, with a product with an original price of $5 and a shipping fee of $2, you need to sell for a minimum of $14. However, to make a profit after advertising costs, consider a price range of $17-$25, depending on the customer's perceived value.

Smart pricing strategy

Use psychological pricing tricks: Instead of rounding up ($20), choose $19.99 or $24.95 – this makes customers feel “more affordable”.
Include shipping costs in the price and set up Free Shipping: If the product price is $5 and the shipping cost is $3, you can set the price to $22 and specify “Free Shipping Worldwide”.

Settings in Shopify

Go to Settings > Shipping and Delivery.
Select Flat Rate or Free Shipping for each region (domestic or international).
For dropshipping orders, it is recommended to apply Free Shipping globally if the cost is within the allowed limit, this will help you increase the conversion rate.

Step 7: Promote and attract customers

Without customers, all your dropshipping efforts with AliExpress will be in vain. At this point, a solid promotional strategy is the golden key to your success. Here are some effective marketing channels you should take advantage of:

Using Facebook Ads is the quickest way to get your products in front of people who are genuinely interested. For just $5 a day, you can test different products targeting groups with related interests.
With Google Ads, you can reach customers who are actively searching for your products or services.
TikTok and Instagram offer the potential for organic viral growth through creative short videos. A clip like "vegetable peeler that saves 5 minutes every day" with the hashtag #aliexpressfinds can attract thousands of views without a large budget.
Both TikTok and Instagram are perfect for natural viral marketing through creative short videos. Content like "magical vegetable peeler that saves 5 minutes every day" with the hashtag #aliexpressfinds can gather massive views with minimal cost.
SEO Blogs are a sustainable channel that helps increase free traffic. Strategically incorporating keywords with useful content will improve your website’s search ranking and build brand authority.

Step 8: Order processing and customer care

When you have an order, you just need to log in to AliExpress, place the order according to the customer's information, then track the shipping code and send an email update to reassure the customer.

If there is a problem, such as slow delivery or defective products, proactively contact the supplier to exchange or return the item, apologize to the customer,r and offer support with a discount code for the next order to maintain your reputation. Being transparent about delivery times also helps to limit misunderstandings and minimize complaints.

In short, AliExpress Dropshipping can be considered a fertile land for those who want to do business without having to stock products. If you want to start selling Dropshipping, NextSky will be your perfect companion!

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