Beginner's Guide to AliExpress Sourcing

As a dropshipper, you understand that product inventory and shipping are handled by your suppliers. Therefore, choosing reliable suppliers is critical to ensuring that your customers have a positive shopping experience and your store thrives in the long run. It's important to do your research and partner with trustworthy suppliers right from the start. This article provides a comprehensive understanding of AliExpress and suppliers on the platform.

To get started with AliExpress sourcing, you can learn the basics below:

What Is AliExpress and How Does It Work

AliExpress is a widely-used eCommerce platform owned by Alibaba Group. It serves as an online marketplace for Chinese suppliers to sell a wide range of products to international customers.

While browsing AliExpress, you can directly import products with our dedicated tool - DSers Chrome extension and push them to your store after you customize them. And when an order comes to your store, you place the customer order to AliExpress suppliers and they ship the order to your customer on your behalf.

Benefits of Using AliExpress for Dropshipping

You may have doubts that you can dropship more successfully with AliExpress and the content below helps you make up your mind.

Rich Product Categories

AliExpress offers various product categories, ranging from electronics, fashion, home and garden, beauty and health, sports and outdoors, babies and kids, and many more. You can find almost anything you want to sell.

Moreover, when you source a specific product, you may find that there are hundreds of suppliers selling the same or similar product you're searching for. In such cases, you may have to work with multiple suppliers to ensure that you get the best products at competitive prices.

However, this process can be time-consuming and challenging to manage on your own. A useful tip is to use DSers' mapping feature to connect multiple suppliers with your Shopify store easily and fulfill your orders smoothly.

Secure Platform Services

When you make a purchase, AliExpress will generate an order and keep your payment secure until your customer receives the order. This ensures that your payment is protected throughout the entire transaction process.

In addition, if any issues arise such as non-delivery, delayed delivery, or lost packages, you can communicate with the supplier to seek possible solutions. If you are unable to come to a mutually acceptable solution, you can open a dispute through AliExpress. This feature provides an additional layer of protection to ensure that your transaction is completed satisfactorily. If the supplier is found to be at fault, you will be eligible for a refund.

NOTE: All that indicates dropshipping with AliExpress helps you avoid some potential risks.

Understanding the Different Types of Suppliers on AliExpress

When sourcing products on AliExpress, it's important to understand the different types of suppliers available. There are four main types of suppliers on AliExpress:

Manufacturers: Suppliers that produce goods and products that are sold to distributors, wholesalers, or retailers.

Wholesalers: Suppliers that purchase large quantities of goods from manufacturers and sell them to retailers or other businesses.

Distributors: Suppliers that purchase goods from manufacturers or wholesalers and sell them to retailers or end-users.

Retailers: Suppliers that sell goods directly to end-users or consumers.

In addition to the four main types of suppliers mentioned above, there are also specialized suppliers on AliExpress that cater to specific niches or product categories. For example, some suppliers may specialize in selling electronic components or fashion accessories.

It's important to keep in mind that not all suppliers on AliExpress are created equal. Some suppliers may offer better quality products, more competitive pricing, or faster shipping times than others. To find the best suppliers for your business, you'll need to do some research and due diligence.

One way to assess a supplier's reliability and reputation is to check their ratings and reviews on AliExpress. Learn how to choose the right suppliers on AliExpress.