How To Dropship From AliExpress To eBay and Turn a Profit
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It isn’t difficult to learn . However, there are some policies you need to understand and thoroughly abide by to avoid having your ’s account suspended. We’ll cover exactly what those policies are and how you can improve your odds of success on your .
Contents
- What Is A Dropshipping Business?
- What Is AliExpress?
- How To Dropship From AliExpress To eBay
- Handling Returns And Disputes When AliExpress Dropshipping
- Is Dropshipping From AliExpress To eBay Permitted?
- Pros Of Selling From AliExpress To eBay
- Cons Of Selling From AliExpress To eBay
- eBay Dropshipping Business vs. Using Shopify
- Tips For Finding Products Using AliExpress
- How To Choose A Reliable Supplier On AliExpress
- Software For Automating Dropshipping From AliExpress To eBay
- Common Questions About How To Dropship From AliExpress To eBay
- Is It Worth Learning How To Dropship From AliExpress To eBay?
What Is A
is a whereby a person sells products they don’t physically have in .
While this business model may seem illegal at first, it’s widespread. Let’s take a look at a common scenario:
Walmart wants to expand its furniture offerings on its website. To save space at their warehouses, they work out a deal with furniture manufacturers to accept orders and then have the manufacturers ship the directly to the consumer.
All refunds and exchanges are handled by Walmart who charges a markup on the . The manufacturer gets more sales, and Walmart can advertise more products without the associated costs of .
What Is AliExpress?
AliExpress is a subsidiary of the Group and one of the largest platforms in the world. The company serves as China’s answer to and hosts over 100 million products on the platform.
Among dropshippers, AliExpress is known for having thousands of sellers willing to work with businesses. Almost anything you imagine can be found on AliExpress and, with a bit of searching, at a price low enough to provide you with decent margins (we've got some bonus tips in our guide on whether AliExpress is legit or not).
The main issue when learning how to dropship from AliExpress to eBay is managing customer expectations and minimizing downtimes.
focuses on customer satisfaction, so failure to properly manage expectations can get your shut down quickly. We’ll cover the specifics of this as we go through your account setup and policies.
Set Up An Account
Before you do anything, you will need to set up a ’s account on . Go to the main website and click on the sell button in the upper right of the screen.
You will be taken to a screen giving you two options, to sell items or create a business account. For our purposes, we chose to set up a business account.
You will be taken to a sign-up screen where you can begin to fill in your information to set up your account.
To set up your business account, you will need your employer identification number (EIN) and your business checking information.
Ensure Business and Policies Are Set Up
Properly setting up your business policies will ensure your commitment to customers is clearly defined. This will help buyers understand things like better times and return policies, an important step when learning how to dropship from AliExpress to eBay.
You will need to opt-in to set up the business policies, as they are not automatically enabled on your new store. The easiest way to do this is by using one of the links below that's relevant to the country your store is set up in:
I’ve used the United States for the demonstration below on setting up your necessary business policies.
Click “Get Started” to opt-in and begin setting up your policies:
The three basic policies you want to start with for new stores are the policy, returns policy, and payment policy.
Click on the “Create Policy” dropdown button and select the policy you want to create. We’ll use the Policy, but each follows the same process.
The policy creation screen will look like this:
Fill out the policy name, policy description, U.S. policy (set to standard from greater China to worldwide, and at least a three-day handling time. Then click “Save.”
Make sure to set the policy for your specific store and repeat the process for the payment and returns policy.
Set Up An Account On AliExpress
Next, you will need to sign up for an AliExpress account. Begin by going to the AliExpress main website and clicking on “Join” in the dropdown under the Account section. Or, click on Join below that under the Welcome to AliExpress section.
You can register using Google, Facebook, Twitter, VK, or OK.ru. For this demonstration, we’ll register using traditional email.
Once you enter your email and set a password, you will receive a code to verify your email address. You can then click on the account button in the top right corner to find all of the settings in your account. Adjust as necessary.
Use AliExpress To Find Products That Will Sell On
I’ll get into and the types of products you should look for in a later section. We’ll use this Korean Lip Sleeping Mask to demonstrate how to select a .
It fits many of the criteria that we are looking for, in that it isn’t fragile, isn’t electronic, and it’s lightweight. These make for a that isn’t likely to break during herefore, it's less likely to be returned.
Click on the listing to be taken to the page.
Pay close attention to the merchant’s rating, the rating, times and options (make sure they offer tracking), and the money-back guarantee.
Ensure that the can deliver the within the time frame you set in your policies. You don’t want to promise shorter times and then have it take longer. Doing this will lead to negative reviews on your account, leading to an uphill battle to gain traction.
List Products Using Unique Descriptions And Photos
Once you’ve settled on a to list, go back to and click on the “Sell” button if you are still logged in. Find the “Create button and, for this demonstration, select a single listing.
You will need to create a descriptive name and select a . For our purposes, select “start with this title.”
You will now be taken to the listing page.
Make sure that your title is descriptive and has correct formatting and spelling. Ensure that you have an appropriate selected and select the condition as new.
Set Up Product Photos and Details
Now, you will need to upload pictures. Most of the suppliers on AliExpress will have photos you can use. Even better, you will have ordered a sample of a before listing it and have your customized photos to set you apart from other sellers.
Select your photos, up to 12, and arrange them in the order you would like them to appear when people view your listing.
Next, select the brand and scroll to the bottom of the dropdown to add your own. Then select the type, doing the same thing to add your own if needed.
Add any extra descriptors that apply to your listing. Don’t lie to make your look better as you increase the chance a customer will leave a negative review.
After you’ve gone through all of the ’s specific features, it’s time to add the . Make sure to be as descriptive as possible. Use the appropriate keywords and try to make them about 5 – 7% of the total description. Don’t, however, keyword-stuff.
Set Up Product Shipping Information
Finally, you need to set up the selling and details. Select “start my listings when I submit them” unless you want it scheduled for later. Make sure and change the listing to a fixed price from an auction style. Add the price that you want to charge for the . Change the quantity to the appropriate number, and add the sales tax information for your location.
For info, add all of the policies you set up in the earlier step. Add the package type and weight according to the on AliExpress, and set up the item location for your business.
Finally, check over everything to ensure your listing is correct and spelling and grammar are on point. Then click the big blue “List Item” button at the bottom, and you are good to go.
Handling Returns And Disputes When
The most important thing when dealing with returns on is that you have a consistent policy laid out on your returns policy page, and you stick to it.
You may not always be able to return products to . If you get stuck with , the best thing you can do is keep these on hand for the following order.
If the item isn’t damaged, mail it to the next person who orders that , cutting down times.
Is From AliExpress To Permitted?
from AliExpress to sits in a gray area. has an official policy that is permitted as long as you work with wholesalers.
They don’t want a person just listing products from Walmart or similar stores, then charging more for the on . This creates a bad experience for users.
Many of the are wholesalers who also sell on . So, you aren’t necessarily violating the terms of service. The key is that you are responsible for the customer experience and anything wrong when they place an order on your eBay store.
Pros Of Selling From AliExpress To
Aside from being easy to get set up, there are a few benefits of selling products from AliExpress to , including:
Millions Of Products To Choose From
AliExpress is the largest platform on the planet regarding products offered. There are an estimated 100 million-plus products on AliExpress compared to ’s estimated 12 million-plus.
With that many products to choose from, chances are you can find some great products at a reasonable price point to post on . Even with a high level of competition, you should be able to niche down and create an with a robust selection.
The other upside to this is that there are thousands of categories to choose from. Thus, you can more easily find a niche that works for you.
Ability To Sell Internationally Without Extra Cost
With AliExpress, you can send products virtually anywhere in the world without any extra costs or fees. This makes it easy to set up selling in countries outside of just your home country, as you can keep prices consistent across the board.
The one thing to note here is that this isn’t considering customs fees or tariffs levied against specific categories. These costs are outside of the control of AliExpress. You will still need to do your due diligence to comply with these regulations.
Cons Of Selling From AliExpress To
from AliExpress to isn’t without its downsides. As the years go by, those downsides are growing in number. So, take heed before deciding to move forward.
Is No Longer Reliable
One of the main benefits of with AliExpress used to be . This is a method of offered in China in Hong Kong that allowed products to be shipped to the United States relatively quickly and for much lower .
However, the COVID closures caused a significant backup of orders, virtually tanking the reliability and benefits of the service.
Other events which have threatened are U.S. regulations which sought to lessen the competitive advantage foreign manufacturers had over domestic suppliers when selling in the U.S.
No Control Over Times
Even with , expected delivery times on packages coming from China could be highly unreliable. The only way around this was to pay for expensive first-class options, which are prohibitively expensive for many .
This lack of control over times is especially problematic when selling from AliExpress on . For , the primary concern is ensuring a quality customer experience. So, when customers regularly get orders days and even weeks later than expected, that’s a problem.
The solution for was to hold sellers responsible for late deliveries by cutting traffic to their listings.
Potential To Lose Money On Returns
You are guaranteed to have returned items when products from AliExpress to customers. If you’ve followed the advice in this article, you ordered samples, so you know what the experience and quality of the products are.
That said, you can’t please everyone, and you can’t account for longer times due to unforeseen circumstances with your dropshipping business. When customers return items bought on your eBay store, you will be responsible for any fees associated with the return and may also be stuck with the .
One thing you can do is save returned products and ship them to the next customer to cut reduce waste and cut down on times.
Harder To Control Customer Experience
Along with unreliable times, you have very little control over the customer experience after you’ve placed the order. Everything from the packaging products are shipped in, to any notes in the package, is up to the shipper.
Merchants have been known to add notes requesting reviews. You may also find that some AliExpress merchants lack a quality control process, making it more likely for customers to receive a damaged .
Paying attention to the s' ratings on AliExpress can go a long way. Also, consider ordering a few different samples from sellers to get an idea of how reliable they are.
vs. Using Shopify
Shopify is an platform that allows individuals to create custom online stores to sell products on.
The difference between eBay and Shopify is the amount of control that you have. Shopify gives you more control over the entire process, from how your looks to what your customers will experience when they visit.
There is also less competition with Shopify as people come to your directly. With , there are already millions of people around the globe using the service. However, with Shopify, you will have to build up traffic to your site.
Tips For Finding Products Using AliExpress
While it may be tempting to post every you come across, you will quickly find that this doesn’t work. Here are two strategies for finding products to sell on :
The Sniping Method
Just as the name implies, you will be sniping listings from other Ebay sellers. This method involves finding the top sellers across different niches and seeing what works for them. You then find their best-selling products for lower prices to attract sales.
The downside to using this method of finding products is that other sellers can do the same to you. Competing on price is not a viable long-term solution, as someone will always sell something cheaper. Instead, this can be an excellent method to start while finding a niche that works for you.
The Trending Niches Method
The trending method requires that you regularly monitor to see what new trends are popping up. You will need to be an early adaptor to newer trends so that you can beat others to offering the products.
As with the sniping method, the downside here is that others can easily steal what you are doing. The best thing is to create your own that sells to a niche versus constantly competing on price or being the first to new trends.
How To Choose A On AliExpress
One of the most important steps you can take to better your chances of success is working with reliable suppliers on AliExpress. Here are some tips to help you find them.
Check Scores And Reviews
AliExpress has done a lot to try and remove bad sellers from their platform. One of the things they did was set up scores and ratings.
Using these, you can get a better picture of how reliable a is and the quality of a . Also, make sure that you are ordering samples from any you work with for eBay dropshipping.
Check For Methods, Return Policy, And Buyer Protection
Review any merchant-specific policies, including different options and expected arrival times. Also, make sure the has some type of return policy.
If you can’t readily find these things, take the time to contact a directly for clarification. AliExpress makes it easy to get in touch with sellers.
Ensure The Offers Tracking Numbers
You will find that most sellers on AliExpress will offer different options. Most of the time, sellers will provide with a tracking number. However, this isn’t always the case with AliExpress dropshipping.
Before settling on a merchant for eBay dropshipping, review all of the different options. You want to avoid merchants that don’t offer shipping methods with tracking numbers.
Software For Automating From AliExpress To
You can use various tools to automate much of the work needed to from AliExpress. A few of the more common tools you can use for AliExpress dropshipping include:
DSM Tool
DSM Tool is a automation software that integrates with Shopify and . It allows you to import products from over fifty different websites, including AliExpress. Other significant websites include:
- Banggood
- Walmart
- Home Depot
This is a premium eBay dropshipping tool offering a more streamlined experience, helping you to save time running your business.
Auto DS
Auto DS makes managing your AliExpress dropshipping store easy with one-click imprint. You can choose products from over 25 different suppliers, including AliExpress. The premium allows you to import and manage , Facebook, and Shopify postings.
Alitools
Alitools is a Google Chrome extension that lets you monitor prices on AliExpress, search products, find trust levels, and more. The extension is free to use and can help you save money by finding the products you commonly sell at lower prices.
Common Questions About How To From AliExpress To
To help you better understand, here are clear answers to some of the frequently asked questions on the topic.
How Much Time Does It Take To Start On ?
You should allocate a minimum of fifteen hours each week when first starting dropshipping on eBay. Some of the tasks you need to complete as part of your eBay dropshipping model include advertising your store and managing the day-to-day operations. It’s also recommended you stay up to date on the latest trends, which takes time.
Is From AliExpress To Profitable?
can be highly profitable, but competition is fierce. You will not get rich quickly, and you should plan on investing a lot of time in the beginning to build up your store. Many dropshippers make a high five-figure salary using this method.
How Much Does It Cost To Get Started From AliExpress To ?
It doesn’t cost much to get started from AliExpress. New eBay dropshippers will need access to a computer and an internet connection for their online business. It’s also recommended to have some money for handling your first few orders until you begin to turn a profit consistently. About $100 should be good to start dropshipping.
Is It Worth Learning How To From AliExpress To ?
As long as you can comply with eBay’s terms of service and provide a good customer experience, learning how to dropship from AliExpress to eBay is still worth it. You will need to put in the extra work since the competition is greater, but there is still a lot of money to be made from the eBay dropshipping process.
The most important thing to remember when learning how to dropship from AliExpress to eBay is that you are responsible for ensuring products arrive on time and in excellent condition. Always work with reputable merchants from AliExpress and be transparent with your customers on expected times, and you should be good to go.
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