Does It Have to Take So Long Time to Fulfill An Order Through AliExpress？

We can hear stereotype complaints that AliExpress is always slow to fulfill orders, but as dropshippers after we placed an order with AliExpress, the entire order fulfillment process will be handed over to our supplier. It seems that we have no way to control it.

Is it really no way to control the order fulfillment process? Let’s start with when suppliers received our orders and our payment, check each step in detail, and find out what reasons might be time-consuming.

1. Supplier Capacity: During peak shopping seasons like holidays, smaller suppliers may struggle to handle large volumes efficiently, causing delays.

2. Order Confirmation Time: After dropshippers place an order and make the payment, suppliers on AliExpress may take time to confirm and start processing the order, especially if they have a high volume of orders.

3. Preparation for Shipping: Picking, packing, and preparing the items for shipment can vary in duration depending on the supplier's efficiency and the complexity of the order. Some POD products may take a longer time to be prepared.

4. Shipping Time: Many AliExpress suppliers offer low-cost or free shipping options that use slower, economy shipping methods. These can take several weeks or even months to deliver. Plus, shipping carriers might face delays due to unforeseen events too.

4. International Logistics: Generally orders are shipped from China because of its great production capacity. If so, products will be shipped to the logistics distribution center first, then they travel over the ocean to the destination countries.

International shipments often need to clear customs, which can cause delays. This process can be prolonged by paperwork issues or stricter customs regulations in the destination country.

Finally, the local delivery services will handle “the last mile”, and deliver products you paid on AliExpress to your customers. Here I used three paragraphs to explain the entire international logistics process, obviously, it’s time-consuming.

By checking each step, we can find out there are so many uncertainties in international logistics, and those are important reasons that made the shipping time long.

So how can we optimize that?

As international logistics usually takes a long time, Here are different optimization solutions for 2 different logistics time frames.

For dropshippers who accept shipping time of 8-20 days:

1. Choose suppliers with shorter average fulfillment times. Over 80% orders can be delivered in 13 days in USA with qualified suppliers.

2. Select suppliers with a large enough order volume. Generally, a high order volume indicates that the supplier can handle a significant number of orders and they usually stock up in advance before holidays.

3. Prioritize speed over cost when choosing logistics services. Free shipping may be tempting, but logistics providers often increase the cargo load per shipment to distribute their costs and maximize profit under such options. This means your products might need to wait longer before shipping to achieve a sufficient shipment size.

Don’t worry, you can factor the extra shipping cost into your pricing.

For dropshippers who want to minimize shipping time in 2-7 days:

1. Opt for suppliers who can ship from the consumer's local country. For example, if your customers are in USA, choose suppliers who can ship from USA. You can easily find qualified suppliers with help of DSers:

2. Address customs clearance issues promptly by communicating with the supplier and customer to avoid complaints. Use DSers to monitor the status of your shipments in real time. This helps you quickly identify and address any issues that arise during the customs process.

3. Reduce the time from when the customer places and pays for the order to when you place and pay for the order on AliExpress as much as possible.

During this period, delays in synchronizing order information from the store, delays in synchronization between third-party software and the store, the time you take to review orders, the time taken to place orders on AliExpress, and delays in payment processing will all lengthen the process of the supplier receiving a valid order and starting to arrange shipment, thereby affecting the overall logistics efficiency.

4. Adjust your schedule to ensure that orders placed with suppliers can enter the packaging and shipping process as quickly as possible. Jet lag has always been the top 1 issue in international trading. Sometimes your customers purchase in your store just before you get some sleep, and the order will sit idle with no progress for at least an entire night.

5. Use fast delivery options of shipping service providers, like FedEx 2Day, and UPS 2nd Day Air.

As we drop ship from AliExpress, actually we don’t have to take so long time to fulfill orders, so don’t be stereotype. Optimize every step mentioned above, and your customers will have a great shopping experience and an increasing repurchase rate.