AliExpress for Dropshipping Archives

Dropshipping In South Africa: Pros, Cons, And Real-Life Experience

September 10, 2021 by Olga L.

What’s the best way to do dropshipping in South Africa? Is this a business-friendly country? Let’s find it out!

In one of our previous articles, we talked about the regional specifics of dropshipping business in Nigeria.

In fact, the challenges described in that article are not ‘exclusive’, and they are not typical for Nigeria only.

There are 195 countries in the world, and of course, many of them experience similar issues in regard to:

Geographical ‘remoteness’ of these territories;
Long delivery time and high shipping fees that are explained by these countries’ location;
Unavailability of major payment gateways that are commonly used in the global eCommerce practice.

But, none of these factors can stop you from launching your own dropshipping store!

Dropshipping is a business that provides equal opportunities for everyone. So, even if you were born in a faraway country, you can enjoy the benefits of this amazing venture.

How?

Let’s look at the example of South Africa!

How to start dropshipping in South Africa

Our experience proves that this business is quite popular in South Africa. Our company regularly processes requests from the new entrepreneurs of this country!

We had numerous queries for custom store development, as well as AliDropship plugin purchases originating from South Africa.

Surely, it proves that people in South Africa are strongly interested in starting a dropshipping business and are ready to get first-hand knowledge of its countless advantages!

So, what do you need to do if you want to open a dropshipping store there?

In fact, the algorithm of launching your own dropshipping store is identical for every person living anywhere on the globe: you can view our beginner’s checklist here.

In the article linked above, I explained the technical resources and the market knowledge you need to have and gave a full action plan to launch your website and promote it in order to achieve your first sale.

Whatever your country of residence is, you need to follow these steps carefully. This is your key to achieving the best business results possible.

And, if you live in South Africa, you need to make a number of region-specific decisions about your store. The most important one is the choice of the target market – let’s see what I mean by this.

2 ways to run your dropshipping business in South Africa

So, when deciding how exactly to run your future online business, essentially, you have 2 options:

Living in South Africa and targeting your fellow citizens;
Living in South Africa, but targeting a foreign country instead of the domestic market.

Each of these options has a number of pros and cons, so it’s important to consider all of them before you proceed with your business launch.

Dropshipping in South Africa: pros of the local market

This option can seem to be fairly logical. As you live in this country, you can easily adapt your business to the regional specifics, right?

Therefore, in this case, you get the following advantages:

You know the laws

Taxes, customs policy, bans on some product import, and other bureaucratic things won’t scare you off. As a citizen of this particular country, you know what regulations may apply to this business. And if you don’t, you surely know the codices and other legal documents that contain the necessary information.

You understand what the most promising products are

Ideally, you should fill your store with items that are highly popular, but not really commonly sold in this particular area. So, if you target the country you’ve known for years, you understand products are most desired here and which of them are not available (not sold in offline stores or sold for a super high price, etc.). By selling these exact products through your online store, you get a HUGE competitive advantage – and do a really responsible thing for your local community!

You know your target audience quite well

When you’re targeting your fellow citizens, you have a clear idea about the language they speak, the amount of money they’re ready to spend on your products, the most trusted informational channels, etc. Even if you don’t know something about your potential customers, you have direct access to this market, and you can easily conduct your own research. The data you collect is the vital element of your product policy, marketing strategy, pricing decisions, etc. Thanks to these findings, you can tailor your business to the specific needs of your future clients.

It’s much easier for you to research the market

I’ve already mentioned the research aspect several times, and I should say that as a resident of your target country, you have a great advantage in this case. At the very least, you know where and how to look for the necessary stats (governmental statistics bureaus, regional research agencies, local analytical websites, etc.). Moreover, the stats are provided in your native language. Therefore, you don’t need to translate anything, and there isn’t a language barrier that would stop you from understanding the data and the terminology.

You can get your first sale quite easily

Usually, your first sale happens several weeks after the business launch. But, if your dropshipping store is aimed at the people within your own country, you can try speeding up this process. How about persuading your family, friends and relatives to buy a couple of things from you? Their actual shopping experience will let you test the whole process and understand whether everything is OK with your website. Plus, their real reviews will serve as the foundation of the social proof in your store – which is a great thing for your media coverage, reputation, and further customers’ trust.

Does it sound like an opportunity of a lifetime?

Dropshipping in South Africa: cons of the local market

If you live in South Africa and run a dropshipping business here, you should remember some region-specific aspects of it:

Not every AliExpress seller can deliver products to this country

It’s a fact – but not a problem.

Some Chinese manufacturers can’t arrange delivery to South Africa – but, it shouldn’t disappoint or discourage you!

The best thing you can do is filter these sellers out at the very beginning of your AliExpress search. To do this, take a look at the top right corner of your AliExpress page. There, in the ‘Ship to’ field, your location should be recognized by the system automatically.

If the automatically set country is wrong, choose the correct option in the dropdown menu.

To make it even more convenient, you can also change the default currency shown by AliExpress – don’t forget to save your settings!

As a result, after applying all these filters, you can confidently browse AliExpress and have no worries about the seller’s capability to send the items to your country. If the products are shown to you when these filters are on, you can totally add them to your store!

The delivery options can be inconvenient for your buyers

That’s another issue you need to consider if you want to dropship to South Africa.

In fact, here’s the thing: there aren’t many shipping services that can deliver AliExpress products to South Africa for free. Plus, it commonly takes them over a month to deliver orders. For quicker delivery, you need to pay a higher shipping fee.

Yes, it might be unpleasant. But, there are a couple of tricks that will improve this situation!

Look at this product page. By default, this seller will send the item to South Africa by the China Post Ordinary Small Packet Plus. This shipping method is provided free of charge, and the estimated delivery time here is 42-59 days.

To choose alternative shipping terms, click on the tiny arrow next to the name of the default shipping provider.

A window with available options will open, and there, you’ll be able to find something more suitable.

To pick the best alternative out of all the available options, please, read this article.

And, don’t forget that even a long delivery isn’t always a bad thing. Buying a product with month-long delivery is better than being unable to buy the product at all. 😉 So, if you’re selling the products that aren’t available in your country, your buyers will be happy to have at least some way to get them.

Not all globally recognized payment providers work smoothly in South Africa

Probably, the most popular global payment gateway that is used for eCommerce businesses worldwide is PayPal. Technically, it works in South Africa, too. Still, many users claim it’s inconvenient (the money must be withdrawn from the account 30 days after receiving it, it’s obligatory to have a credit card to use this system, etc.).

There’s nothing to worry about, though! As an owner of a dropshipping store, you are not obliged to only work with PayPal. There are lots of other worldwide payment systems that you can easily integrate into your site.

For example, if your online store is built with the AliDropship plugin, you can use any of these payment gateways for it. Or, if your dropshipping website is built on WooCommerce, you can use any of the payment gateways from this list.

As you can see, dropshipping in South Africa, indeed, has a number of special regional characteristics. However, with wise management, you can easily overcome all these obstacles and sell dropshipping products on the South African market. By the way, that’s exactly what our forum contributor Daniel does: as he shares it in his forum thread, he targets the buyers from South Africa. And, as he says in his inspirational success story, he makes $80-$150 per month with this activity – not bad, right?

Dropshipping from South Africa: pros of overseas markets

If you live in South Africa, it doesn’t mean that you can ONLY dropship to South Africa.

Dropshipping is the business model with no geographic boundaries at all, so if you want to sell your products to Portuguese stay-at-home moms, or to Japanese students, or to Canadian retired people – it’s up to you to decide.

Certainly, this business strategy gives you a number of serious advantages:

You can start without any official registration

Legally speaking, when you’re dropshipping, it doesn’t matter where you live and what your target country is. AliExpress sellers readily cooperate with any buyers. They don’t even ask whether you are a private individual or a company representative. Plus, they don’t mind if you ask them to ship the order to a country different from your place of residence.

So, you may only feel the need to register your business officially when it grows to a certain scale. That’s what our client Mousslim did when his monthly dropshipping profit hit the mark of €67,000 – check out his story to learn more.

There are no limits on the choice of products

If you are planning to sell your items to South-African customers, naturally, you can only pick the items that can really be delivered to this country.

At the same time, if you’re going to sell your products to people from European or American countries, you can choose from a much wider range of items. So, here you can fill your store not with the items you CAN dropship, but with the items you WANT to dropship!

There are no geographic boundaries

When you don’t need to tie your business to a specific geolocation, you can make really interesting niche stores that are appealing to diverse customer segments across the globe.

For example, in your store, you can unite cooking enthusiasts, or embroidery fans, or followers of a specific sports activity – and it won’t matter for you where these people come from!

You will be able to create a niche shopping destination that is attractive to a specific fan group; and, for a number of reasons, this store will be much more appealing to them than a giant marketplace like AliExpress itself.

You can work with richer customer segments

It’s not a secret that from country to country, the purchasing power of an average citizen differs a lot.

If you’re choosing your target market at your own discretion, nothing stops you from concentrating on the people who can easily afford online shopping and don’t mind spending a little extra. In this case, you can lure them by creating the right environment for impulse purchases.

As you can see, working on a foreign market is as appealing as dropshipping in South Africa. Maybe, it’s just the perfect business strategy for you.

Dropshipping from South Africa: cons of foreign markets

At this point, you might be wondering: are there any downsides of dropshipping on a foreign market?

The entrepreneurs choosing this strategy should consider the following aspects:

Probable language barrier

What language will you choose for your dropshipping store? What language will you use to communicate with your customers?

These are vitally important questions to answer. Do you know at least one of the globally spoken languages (for example, Mandarin Chinese, English, Hindustani, Spanish or Arabic)? If you do, you can aim your business at a global community of this language speakers. But, if you only speak your native language, you won’t be able to work with a worldwide audience.

Unknown customer profile

Targeting the people who live outside your home country, you need to know much more than their first language. You should understand their mentality, know their wishes and demands, learn the promotional channels they trust, etc.

To do this, you need to go through the region-specific marketing reports, and research your audience. Sometimes, it might be a time-consuming task – especially if you don’t know where to look for information, or don’t know the local language well.

Unfamiliar legal terms

If you work in a foreign market, it’s important to know the laws of the countries you’re targeting. Some countries may have a limit on the volume of imported goods, or a ban on some particular product types, or a specific tax system, etc.

This is why you need to dedicate some time to reading the official documents of the targeted countries. You will have to pay special attention to tax laws and regulations and customs policies. They will let you understand the amount of tax your buyers will have to pay (if any), and what types of products you can’t import.

Usually, these regulations allow you to do dropshipping business easily. Most likely, there won’t be any tax fees on importing small-scale packages. And, the commonly forbidden types of imported products are drugs, explosives, weapons, and other life-threatening things that you’re highly unlikely to dropship. 🙂

So, if you want to run your dropshipping business in some foreign markets, you can easily pull it off! That’s why another AliDropship forum user from South Africa was recommended to start exploring the US market. And actually, lots of entrepreneurs target the customers outside their home countries: for example, our client Pirn from Estonia targets the USA market and enjoys his $10,000+ monthly revenue, which is totally awesome!

That’s it!

Now you know your options of dropshipping in South Africa, and we hope it will inspire you to move your own business forward!

Read about dropshipping in South Africa.

Should Your Online General Store Be Similar To AliExpress?

September 1, 2021 by Timur Y.

If we compare general stores vs. niche stores, we will see that niche dropshipping stores have lots of advantages. That’s what AliDropship’s experience shows. However, some beginners insist on creating an online general store with a wide range of goods. Moreover, they also want to make it look just like AliExpress. From this article, you’ll find out what’s the best approach to making a proper online general store!

What is a general store?

It’s a store selling products from different categories and niches. Most of these goods have little or nothing in common. Unlike a general shop, a niche store sells only products related to a common niche.

When creating a general dropshipping store, some entrepreneurs try to copy as much as possible from AliExpress. This includes copying product categories, banners and design, certain functionality aspects and so on.

However, in most (if not all) cases, such an approach will bring no use. Moreover, copying AliExpress can and will cause troubles of different sorts.

In this article, I will show you why entrepreneurs should always build unique online stores – and what are the best ways to do it.

Let’s start with the basics!

Is it wise to copy AliExpress design?

In short, the result of duplicating AliExpress’ design elements looks just like the picture below.

When dropshipping from AliExpress, one simply resells goods at a higher price. So, buyers can purchase the same goods directly from AliExpress without having to overpay. Then why do people prefer dropshipping stores to AliExpress? There are two general reasons.

First, some of them don’t know about the existence of AliExpress. Second, some of them do know about this platform… but don’t trust it.

Since any business wants to attract as many clients as possible, these people are a part of your target audience, too. But can you really expect them to buy from an online general store that looks very similar to AliExpress – but has higher prices?

In contrast, a unique design can easily earn customers’ trust. As we recommend focusing on more or less narrow niches, an individual choice of colors, banners and logos can emphasize the theme of your store, thus adding emotional value to the shopping experience.

What should your domain name look like?

A typical mistake of online general store owners is to use a domain name that contains references to AliExpress. These domain names can look something like alibaba-online, or your-aliexpress, or aliexpress-store, etc.

First of all, such names clearly show that all the products come from AliExpress, which doesn’t help you create a memorable brand identity.

Second, using a domain name very similar to the one used by a famous brand may be considered a scam.

Some fraudsters create a website identical to the original one except for its domain name – which also looks similar. For example, the original name ‘myonlinebank’ is replaced with ‘myonlimebank’. The idea is to convince visitors that this is the site they were looking for.

If you follow the same pattern, people will most likely think that this is some kind of scam.

Besides, choosing such a domain name will definitely hurt your search engine optimization efforts. Ideally, the names of the store and the niche should be identical (or at least related) to the domain name. It makes SEO much easier. From this point of view, general store names can’t really reflect one particular niche because they sell all kinds of goods. But referring to AliExpress in the domain name makes things even worse.

If the domain contains the word AliExpress or Alibaba, you’ll have to compete with these sites. Guess who’s going to win this fight!

4 main rules to run your online general stores successfully

And now, we’ll go over the 4 most important business aspects for a general store owner. Here they are!

#1 Create your product offer thoughtfully

In most cases, you need about 50 products to begin your dropshipping journey. Later on, as your business progresses, you will be able to broaden your product range depending on the market situation, your buyers’ preferences, etc.

A common issue here is that some entrepreneurs import not just dozens, but thousands of goods. It’s just as if they were trying to import the whole AliExpress to their store thinking that the more the better. 🙂

Still, you need to remember that an excessive amount of items in your store can influence its technical performance.

To make sure your site works smoothly, quickly, and correctly, import not more than 400-500 products to a WooCommerce-based store, and up to 10,000 products to a WordPress-based store.

#2 Don’t forget to edit the newly imported products!

This issue often originates from the previous one. When you import hundreds of goods at a time, you simply have no time to edit them all. As a result, you leave product titles, descriptions, and images as they are – exactly like the ones on AliExpress!

Such titles don’t simply look confusing to a store visitor. They also make it perfectly clear you’ve taken this product from AliExpress, and inspire your potential customers to just go there and find the original item. So, if your aim is to trigger impulse purchases and make the store visitor add your offers to the cart immediately, work on your product pages.

Always follow these recommendations to edit your newly imported products! Or, take them from this database of pre-edited items if you want to start promoting and selling them as soon as possible 🙂

#3 Identify the highest profit margin products

Let’s say there are 350 products in your store. Does it mean that you need to spend thousands of dollars promoting each and every one of them through paid ads?

It wouldn’t be a wise investment, of course. As an owner of an online general store, you need to single out the most hype, trendy, demanded products out of your product range – and focus on them in your promo campaigns.

For this purpose, feel free to use Google Trends – a free instrument showing the change of interest towards this or that Google query. Besides, keep an eye on our product selection articles: as soon as something promising appears on the market, you’ll be the first one to know!

#4 Experiment with your promo campaigns

The best promotion channels for online general store owners are social media like Facebook and Instagram. They allow you to create and launch paid ad campaigns in a very flexible way. You’re the one to determine the product you’ll be promoting, the campaign duration and budget, and the audience settings. It gives you unlimited opportunities to discover a unique marketing mix that works best for you – most likely, it will be slightly different for every product you’re advertising!

If you need assistance with your promo campaigns on social media, check out this Facebook & Instagram Ads service! You’ll get more than just catchy texts and visuals for your ads: your package will also include the best target audience settings and detailed guides on launching the prepared campaign.

Conclusion

The whole point of creating a dropshipping store is to offer appealing, purchase-provoking products through your website and encourage impulse buying. The best way to do it is to create a memorable brand identity and be inventive in your promotional efforts.

Obviously, you won’t achieve it by copying AliExpress’ design elements, functionality and domain name. And thankfully, you have plenty of alternative options to consider!

If you’re looking for winning online general store ideas, check out Premium dropshipping stores. These are long-running dropshipping websites with a verifiable track record, steady profits and stable traffic numbers. What would you say about the opportunity to benefit from THEIR success?

Read about online general store.

How To Find AliExpress Trending Products For Dropshipping?

July 26, 2021 by Olga L.

What are the basics of selecting AliExpress trending products for your store? Let’s learn how to filter and evaluate AliExpress items for this purpose!

The financial success of your eCommerce business heavily depends on the product offer you choose for your store.

By modifying your product strategy, you can raise your venture to new heights and boost the store performance significantly.

In order to do that, you need to ensure that the items you select and import from AliExpress meet a wide range of relevant criteria, and appeal to a wide customer audience.

So, how can you choose AliExpress hot products to sell that will make your business thrive?

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Before going to AliExpress

Before you start searching for top-selling products on AliExpress, you must have a clear idea of what kind of goods are in demand. How do you come up with product ideas and check them? Well, there are at least four methods.

Check out social media

On social networks and similar platforms, people talk about different stuff including shopping. They discuss the problems they face and products that solve these problems. Therefore, if you manage to find groups and threads like this, you can get a clear idea of what kind of goods can sell well.

Visit social media, Quora and Reddit to find discussions related to the niche of your store.

Check out other online platforms

Another way to get an idea or two is to visit popular marketplaces – and first of all, Amazon. To find hot goods, simply sort offers in particular product categories. Also, check the customer reviews to see if these items really solve customers’ problems.

Use Google Trends

One can also check the demand for a particular product type with the help of Google Trends. It shows how the search volumes change over time, which can tell you if the interest is rising or dropping.

Do keyword research

And finally, one can use any keyword planner to check search volumes of different queries. A large number of queries clearly indicates high interest in a particular product type or category.

If you already know what product types you’re looking for, then it’s time to search for top-selling items on AliExpress.

How to use AliExpress to look for trending products to sell

Earlier, we’ve already provided you with an insight into AliExpress and its specific features. This blog entry will tell you more about the reasons why AliExpress is a great place to look for products.

How can you narrow down the choice of products available on AliExpress? First of all, you need to enter the focus keyword into the search bar.

The number of items you’ll get will be quite significant. It all depends on the niche, of course, but anyway, you will need to narrow your choice down further.

To do that, first of all tick the following boxes:

Free Shipping

You will only see the items that can be shipped to any destination worldwide with no additional charges. Many AliExpress sellers offer free shipping, and that’s the best option for a dropshipping business.

4* and up

When you tick this box, you will see the items that have a high AliExpress customer rating.

Often, after this, you will still see too many items. So, one may find it too complicated to browse all the options. In this case, simply change the sorting parameters. Normally, the system shows you the best matching results first, but you can amend these settings, and look through alternatives you didn’t see before.

If you click the ‘Orders’ button, you will first of all see the items that are most frequently bought by AliExpress visitors. Most typically, these items are quite cheap. Normally, they come with a wide variety of customer reviews, and we will further explain why this is important.
If you click the ‘Newest’ button, you will first of all see the items that appeared on the platform most recently. This feature is exceptionally important for those who have already added items to their store some time before. There is no doubt that you should renew your product offering from time to time. This is why it is convenient to monitor only the fresh offers.
If you click the ‘Seller rating’ button, you will first of all see the items that got the highest recognition from customers.
Finally, if you click the ‘Price’ button, you will be able to sort the results by price: either from low to high, or from high to low.

Please note that you can narrow down the choices even more! To do this, adjust some additional search settings: price range, the opportunity to purchase a single product only, etc. Apart from this, you can modify the search query itself in order to look for a very specific product type.

The best products to sell: what features do they have?

Long story short, you have narrowed down the product options. Now you’re ready to browse through the available offers and choose the perfect dropshipping products to sell in your store. What are the most important product parameters to pay attention to?

Product description

Your store visitors will surely be interested in various consumer properties of the items you offer. Therefore, you need to ensure that each and every particular product you are going to add to your store has an exhaustive description that covers all the necessary aspects: size, color, weight, material, etc. Imagine your potential customers asking you the most typical questions about this product’s features. Will you be able to answer them?

Product photos

Bright and clear pictures are an integral part of a satisfactory product description. Ideally, it’s best to only pick the products that have enough high quality photos in their description. Take a look at this article to learn more about pictures and other elements of product descriptions that give additional value to your store.

Customer reviews

It is possible to import customer reviews on your product page along with the description and pictures. These reviews will have an exceptional value for your potential buyers, so pay attention to their quantity and content.

Also, note that you shouldn’t focus on 5-star reviews only. It’s Ok to have a couple of 4-star reviews either as it looks more realistic. Just make sure the complaints in these reviews are not critical.

Product rating

Along with seller rating, this parameter will let you know if previous customers highly valued this particular offer. In other words, you can estimate whether this product will enjoy high demand from your target audience.

The number of orders

The products you add to your store should have a commercial appeal to you. Therefore, you need to estimate in advance whether the profit you will get from this particular item will be satisfactory for you.

How to choose the right trending products on AliExpress quickly and easily?

No matter what search criteria you set, you need to always remember that you don’t necessarily have to browse all the available options manually. Imagine looking through thousands of closely similar items!

Modern and convenient technical solutions help you set some specific search criteria, use them to find trending products on AliExpress, and then automatically add these items to your store. Such an effortless import has an additional advantage. The auto-updating system integrates with AliExpress easily. It amends the product info in case the original seller decided to change something.

In other words, you won’t have to systematically visit all the AliExpress product pages and carefully check whether there is something new.

Now, you know how to choose AliExpress trending products and sell them in your store. Benefit from automated dropshipping solutions to make this task even easier, and enjoy your fruitful business!

Read about aliexpress trending Products.

Best Dropshipping Suppliers On AliExpress And Beyond

June 25, 2021 by Olga L.

Is AliExpress the only source of products to dropship? Today, we’re going to discuss the alternative ways for online businesses to find dropshipping suppliers! Also, we’ll explain how to make the best choice of products to sell from suppliers on AliExpress.

Usually, when talking about choosing the right products for your dropshipping store, we assume that you import these items from AliExpress. Still, it is not the only option.

Directories in your search of the perfect dropshipping suppliers to import products from

What do dropshipping newcomers do before making the very first steps on their business journey? That’s right! They look for reliable business partners to ensure the success of their future venture – dropshipping wholesalers. Such companies are called dropshippers, but people often use this term to refer to dropshipping retailers.

Sometimes, they look for suppliers on their own by simply going through Google search results. Unfortunately, wholesale manufacturers and suppliers are far from being good marketers.

Some people expect to easily find lots of dropshipping manufacturers and suppliers with high quality products at wholesale prices on Google. Well, they will be disappointed. Unless they’re lucky enough, they’re unlikely to succeed in their search. Not to mention the fact that many wholesalers are not ready to do dropshipping.

Thus, due to having little to no experience in this field, they don’t only look for counselors and advisors. They also search for middlemen who can connect them with the most appropriate business partners.

Most typically, these middlemen are required for product-related tasks. So let’s imagine that the entrepreneurs know what they would like to sell. It might be difficult for them to establish contact with reliable and trustworthy manufacturers anyway.

This is why these beginners turn to dropshipping directories. Simply speaking, these are the specially assembled databases of trusted wholesale distributors.

There, you can find detailed information about suppliers. It’s all about their fields of activity, manufactured products, addresses, and, sometimes, financial position or sales value.

Thus, a dropshipping directory is a database of wholesale suppliers grouped by category, market or niche. Many directories carry out special checking procedures to ensure the suppliers are legitimate and genuine wholesalers.

How do directories work?

So, entrepreneurs make a payment to get access to a dropshipping directory database. After that, they add the images and descriptions of the selected products to their ecommerce stores.

Then, the traditional dropshipping business model works as usual. The customer orders placed on the dropshipping site get sent to the manufacturers. These suppliers, in turn, provide the full range of the necessary product-related dropshipping services.

They store items, arrange shipments, provide sellers with tracking codes, etc. If required, they also customize the delivered packages by designing them in the style of the dropshipping store they work with.

Sounds like a good option, doesn’t it? You get access to multiple wholesale dropshippers and can easily fill the inventory of your online store with top products. Your supplier will take care of packing and shipping the orders to the buyer.

However, few dropshipping businesses actually use directories.

Why directories aren’t commonly used to find dropshipping suppliers

It might seem that these verified lists of well-reputed suppliers are a smart decision for dropshipping newcomers. Unfortunately, some of the directories’ downsides might cause serious problems for the entrepreneurs.

Paid access

The majority of directories charge a fee for access to their database. You either need to make a one-time payment or pay a yearly/monthly fee.

Pricing difference

Some suppliers listed in dropshipping directories have a specific pricing strategy. In order to buy something from them at a wholesale price, you need to officially confirm that your business is legit. Then you need to be approved as a wholesale seller. Otherwise, you will purchase their products at usual, retail prices.

Business preferences

Usually, dropshipping directories consist of large-scale companies that are looking for long-term profitable partnerships. Many of them don’t consider working with small online businesses. Especially it refers to newcomers who are unlikely to order large consignments of goods.

Partnership limitations

It’s quite typical of these well-known manufacturers to dictate the terms of doing business. There might be requirements for minimum order size, or maximum allowed price markup, and so on. Certainly, it limits a dropshipping store owner’s activity quite significantly.

So, it is reasonable to pay for getting access to a dropshipping directory only if you deal with the following.

1) looking for appropriate product ideas

2) researching the market offers

3) looking for a highly specific product category that can’t be easily found elsewhere.

So, have you already chosen the niche? Have you understood what products you are going to sell? Then, you can find decent suppliers from some free ecommerce platforms on your own.

The best alternative option to dropshipping databases is AliExpress.

This is an ecommerce platform of global reach that contains products from millions of distributors worldwide.

The reasons to search for dropshipping suppliers on AliExpress

There are enough reasons why AliExpress is much more suitable for dropshipping products from suppliers than any dropshipping directory.

Product range

Generally, it is typical of manufacturers to focus on a narrow product segment. They are also likely to deal with a limited number of related categories. For example, they sell children’s clothing, toys, and stationery.

Or they concentrate on consumer electronics, gadgets, and gadget accessories, etc. In fact, it is clear. Managing an extended stock is quite a complicated and laborious task.

However, AliExpress is a huge ecommerce platform with an extensive variety of products. It facilitates the interaction between countless sellers and buyers. Any supplier can post their offers on the platform. And now, it has resulted in over 100 million products currently presented on AliExpress.

These products fall into various categories. So entrepreneurs can choose any items they fancy and adjust their dropshipping stores to a specific target audience’s interests.

Free access to the database of dropshipping suppliers

Please remember that dropshipping directories usually limit access to their databases. As a result, entrepreneurs can’t browse the list of wholesalers and their products before making the necessary entry payment. It certainly causes a significant problem to the newcomers, who can’t know for sure if it will pay off.

At the same time, AliExpress doesn’t charge any entry fees. The registration on the platform is free, and you don’t need to log in if you want to explore the products. Plus, the platform provides the ground to evaluate the seller’s performance and reliability.

Therefore, it lets businessmen choose only the best products from the dropshipping providers. It includes the business operation length, the percentage of positive buyers’ feedback, the number of orders placed by visitors, etc.

Zero fees

Dropshipping directories don’t simply charge monthly or yearly membership fees. By the way, these fees vary depending on each separate provider.

What’s more, they can also ask for a restocking fee. This is compensation for stocking and delivery expenses. It’s relevant for the cases of customers’ returns when items have no actual defects.

However, you shouldn’t worry about this if you work with suppliers directly through AliExpress. You don’t have to pay anything to start working with the distributors from the platform. Moreover, you certainly don’t have to make any additional payments during the whole process of business collaboration. All the expenses associated with refunds and returns are going to be your dropshipping suppliers’ headache.

No limits on markup

Unfortunately, dropshipping directories put your possibilities of making a decent profit at risk. It refers to some limits on markup. Entrepreneurs have to set a so-called recommended retail price on the seller’s items.

In other words, the initial price can only be increased by a limited sum of money. In most cases, it’s not more than 15-20% of the starting cost. Otherwise, the partnership agreement can possibly come to an end.

Meanwhile, the sellers from AliExpress don’t insist on a specific price. The items on AliExpress have very low prices in comparison to identical products elsewhere.

It means the possible markups, and, therefore, the profits, can be quite impressive. Even several-fold price increase in this case will not affect end buyers negatively. It will still result in adequate financial gains for the store owner.

No limits on sales volume

Again, dropshipping store owners are quite often obliged to place a certain amount of orders when they sell goods from directories. Unless they do, dropshipping suppliers can refuse to continue dealing with these entrepreneurs.

It’s never going to happen if you work with a seller from AliExpress. It’s not even necessary to bring to the suppliers’ attention that you order their products for dropshipping purposes.

No legal requirements

Most commonly, large-scale manufacturers and distributors only work with officially established companies. Some of them even prefer only businesses registered in the US.

However, none of this is necessary to contact a manufacturer on AliExpress. The platform is extremely popular with private individuals. Even with those who make purchases for their own use and not for reselling. This is why local dropshipping wholesalers gladly work with everyone regardless of legal status.

Global reach

The ultimate benefit of starting a dropshipping business is the possibility to reach an unlimited number of customers. In most cases, they are the people who aren’t able to get these products in their own countries offline.

General wholesalers mostly offer shipping within Europe or the US. AliExpress, in its turn, makes it possible to arrange a delivery literally to everywhere in the world. It allows you to enlarge your target audience significantly.

Obviously, AliExpress is not the only online ecommerce platform created for clear communication between manufacturers and buyers. Still, our own research has indicated that for the purposes of dropshipping, it is probably the best solution on the market. Feel free to click the following links and learn about the possibilities and limitations of Amazon, eBay and Etsy for dropshipping.

Now you are aware of AliExpress benefits. So you are probably wondering how to pick the most reliable business partners on this platform? We know the answer!

How to choose the best dropshipping suppliers on AliExpress

Filter the product search results

The hunt for the perfect AliExpress suppliers starts on the search results page.

When you are writing your product query in the AliExpress search bar, don’t forget to tick the “4* &Up” box. In that case, only the high quality items will be shown to you.

Sort the results by the number of orders. So you will see the most frequently purchased items at the beginning of the product list. Take a look at the screenshot below.

Thanks to these simple actions, you won’t waste your time on poor quality items from questionable sellers. You will only deal with worthy offers that are tried and true. Moreover, they are approved by other buyers.

Explore the seller stats

Well, you need to go to a single product page on AliExpress. There, you can mouse over the store name and view the seller’s statistics.

You can learn how long the store has been operating, view the feedback score from previous buyers, etc. You are even able to see some additional helpful stats.

Look at the screenshot below.

As you can see, that’s a pretty young store. Even though its performance isn’t very bad. It doesn’t look inspiring either.

It seems that in their feedback, the buyers often note that the sold items don’t fully match their descriptions. What’s more, there are some communication issues, and the shipping time is quite long.

How do you figure out whether you still should trust this seller? Go to the next step!

Examine the potential dropshipping suppliers’ product reviews

Within the seller’s store, pick 8-10 items that have the highest number of orders, and go to their product pages.

Go to the Feedback tab on each of these product pages. There, read the customers’ reviews super carefully. It will help you understand what exactly is good and bad in the seller’s activity.

Pay special attention to the reviews that contain pictures. With the help of these photos, you can roughly evaluate the quality of the product. Beyond this, you can understand whether the buyers’ claims are fair.

Sometimes, people get annoyed by some tiny details that are not really relevant. The things that are just a one-time ‘glitch’ in the interaction.

However, sometimes several different buyers point out the same difficulties they had during the purchasing process. And that’s a bad sign. For example, it is highly important for the suppliers who offer clothes.

Do various buyers write that several different products don’t match the expected size? It might mean that the seller offers irrelevant size charts. Certainly, it doesn’t show this store in a positive light.

Check the potential suppliers’ shipping terms

On the product page, look at the available shipping costs and terms. Check whether the seller can ship your order to the country where the majority of your potential buyers live. Whether it’s the United States or any other.

Click on the tiny arrow to change the country of delivery. That’s how you’ll see whether the seller offers cheap and quick delivery directly to your customers. Your buyers wouldn’t want to wait for their orders for a long time and overpay for the short delivery times, right?

Such research is going to give you a better understanding of the seller’s activity. Eventually, you will certainly clarify your perspectives of cooperating with this distributor and make the right decision.

Want to deal with trusted and reputed sellers only? Check out AliDropship Insights – a FREE database of the best AliExpress sellers to partner with, the best niches to take, AND the most promising products to sell!

Tips on working with dropshipping suppliers

Don’t hesitate to contact suppliers

The sellers on AliExpress are entrepreneurs just like you. And they are always glad to cooperate if it brings them more sales. Therefore, if you’ve found a good supplier and his products are selling well, send him an email. Or contact him if you have questions.

In any case, this cooperation can result in many benefits.

Be polite and adequate

Always talk to a supplier in a friendly way, be polite, and keep your end of the bargain. Try not to cause unnecessary troubles and don’t forget to thank the partner for little and big favors (like unusually fast shipping or an extra discount).

It will let you build strong relationships with the seller and make things easier in the future.

Check the orders before redirecting them to the supplier

Although with the AliDropship plugin, you don’t have to fulfill orders manually, it’s still a good idea to check customer information before ordering the products on AliExpress. Buyers often make mistakes: they fill in the wrong fields or leave them empty.

As a result, the order may get sent to the wrong address, thus causing problems not only to you but to the supplier as well. Avoid such situations!

Check your emails regularly

Also, make sure you regularly check the messages you get from your suppliers. They may face an unexpected problem that needs your attention. Not responding in time can lead to shipping delays or worse.

And if there’s a problem and it was the supplier’s fault – don’t get mad! We all make mistakes, and most of them are not worth destroying your relationships. But of course, if a particular seller keeps making mistakes, you may want to reconsider working with him.

Find multiple dropshipping suppliers

Working with only one wholesaler is definitely easy. But it’s dangerous as well! If something happens, you will lose all your inventory at once.

That’s why our team recommends finding at least several suppliers. It doesn’t mean the more the merrier, though. If you have 8 suppliers, you can feel more or less safe and it’s not that difficult to manage them. Having 30 suppliers will hardly make any difference except managing them will get really tough.

We hope that our little research helped you understand how to find the best dropshipping suppliers. And we’re looking forward to seeing you fill your store with the most awesome offers from great sellers! Don’t you have your online store? Then, go and start your business to benefit from it!

Read about dropshipping suppliers.

46 Best Pet Products To Dropship From AliExpress

June 8, 2021 by Timur Y.

Who doesn’t like pets? With so many people around the world taking care of cats, dogs, birds and other fluffy friends, this niche has great potential. Presenting the best pet products to dropship in your store!

According to Statista, there are almost 194 million cats and dogs in Europe alone (as of 2019). Which means there is about the same number of owners and potential buyers.

Moreover, products for pets aren’t just useful or necessary goods that people just have to purchase for everyday life. Such products can and should evoke emotions. Whether owners buy bowls and toys for their pets, most of them are ready to wait longer or pay more as long as you’ve got something special to offer.

On the other hand, in order to beat offline retailers, you need to offer unusual goods and preferably additional value. For example, a blog containing useful information about how to take care of pets will do just great. That’s why AliDropship team highly recommends keeping a blog.

Follow this link to learn more about dropshipping pet products.

And now let’s take a look at the best pet products you can find on AliExpress.

Best pet products to sell: Collars

This is probably the first thing you think of. After all, collars are dog must-haves! Collars can be both a useful device and a fashionable accessory. Moreover, today one can find lots of models for small and large dogs including electronic collars. Such models are designed to make pets more visible at night time.

Many people also buy collars for their cats, which is especially useful if you let the pet outside. This way, one can make it clear that the cat is not a stray animal. On top of that, certain collar types work as flea and tick repellents.

So, here are some of the most popular collar types:

LED Dog Collar

Price – US $3.27-5.65; rating – 4.7; number of orders – 26,067

Anti-Flea Collar

Price – US $2.00-2.63; rating – 4.4; number of orders – 6,703

Customizable ID Tag

Price – US $0.88-2.84; rating – 4.8; number of orders – 1,846

Cat Collar

Price – US $0.98-1.73; rating – 4.8; number of orders – 3,031

Harnesses and leashes to dropship

Many pet owners prefer harnesses as an alternative to collars. They are safer, which is especially important for small dogs. At the same time, they provide better control even if you have a large pet.

Another type of popular pet products is leashes. So, if you want to dropship must-have dog items, here are a few ideas:

Nylon Dog Harness

Price – US $8.54-11.39; rating – 4.8; number of orders – 9,256

Breathable Mesh Dog Harness

Price – US $3.14-7.58; rating – 4.8; number of orders – 3,581

Cat / Small Dog Harness

Price – US $2.47-3.39; rating – 4.8; number of orders – 1,362

Retractable Dog Leash

Price – US $17.95-31.06; rating – 4.9; number of orders – 1,697

Pet beds and covers

If you’re looking for the best pet products for dropshipping, you simply cannot do without pet beds. You can also think about dropshipping covers and blankets for pets. Birds also need cages. As for cats, there’s stable interest in cat beds despite the fact that cats mostly prefer cardboard boxes.

Soft Dog Bed

Price – US $13.07-51.33; rating – 4.7; number of orders – 28,434

Cat House

Price – US $11.86-17.17; rating – 4.8; number of orders – 2,806

Waterproof Pet Bed

Price – US $11.99-48.49; rating – 4.8; number of orders – 2,494

Car Seat Cover For Dogs

Price – US $38.56; rating – 4.9; number of orders – 14,411

Pet Blanket

Price – US $0.69-3.50; rating – 4.6; number of orders – 1,300

Parrot House

Price – US $4.10-4.24; rating – 4.9; number of orders – 478

Hamster Hanging Nest

Price – US $7.09-9.48; rating – 4.8; number of orders – 814

Best pet products for grooming

Almost all dog and some cat breeds need someone to take care of their fur. Even if the pet feels just fine, neglecting this duty will result in hair floating all over the place. That’s why grooming tools are pet must-haves. Same goes for claws.

Cat and Dog Grooming Glove

Price – US $3.06; rating – 4.8; number of orders – 16,607

Electric Flea Terminator

Price – US $4.42; rating – 4.6; number of orders – 1,489

Claw Cutter

Price – US $1.31-2.93; rating – 4.8; number of orders – 1,030

Pet Hair Remover

Price – US $3.75-5.32; rating – 4.7; number of orders – 32,254

Best pet feeding products

Pet food is another important issue for owners. While dropshipping food from AliExpress may be risky, there are many items for pet feeding, with automatic food dispensers becoming top picks (although some of them are pretty expensive). Dog owners may also be interested in portable water feeders and pouches for dog treats.

Cat Water Feeder

Price – US $11.07-19.42; rating – 4.8; number of orders – 2,469

Pet Food Scale Spoon

Price – US $17.46; rating – 4.8; number of orders – 2,304

Bowl for Slower Eating

Price – US $2.13-5.54; rating – 4.8; number of orders – 1,841

Portable Water Feeder

Price – US $11.41-14.27; rating – 4.9; number of orders – 1,821

Pet Treat Pouch

Price – US $6.11; rating – 4.9; number of orders – 1,861

Pet Automatic Feeder

Price – US $20.13-31.23; rating – 4.8; number of orders – 210

Hamster Food Bowl

Price – US $1.12; rating – 4.6; number of orders – 645

Best pet toys

Toys have proved to be among the best pet products as they are relatively cheap and cute. A lot of owners buy such items for their dogs and cats.

Moreover, toys are good for an animal’s health because they make pets move around, run and jump. After all, some pets suffer from obesity too. Some toys even provide mental stimulation. Thus, dropshipping pet toys is an excellent choice.

Plush Cat Toy

Price – US $0.89-1.29; rating – 4.7; number of orders – 3,842

Cat Stick Toy

Price – US $1.27-2.77; rating – 4.6; number of orders – 2,738

Ball for Cats and Dogs

Price – US $0.54-1.21; rating – 4.5; number of orders – 1,697

Suction Cup Toy for Dogs

Price – US $6.71-12.27; rating – 4.6; number of orders – 1,717

Bird Toy

Price – US $0.39-2.59; rating – 4.8; number of orders – 1,440

Pet supplies for cleaning

Taking care of a pet means not only playing with it or petting it. Responsible owners put a lot of effort into their pets’ hygiene. Besides, one also has to clean the house and the streets too (if you own a dog).

So, here’s a list of interesting deals you can offer in a dropshipping store.

Silicone Bathing Brush for Pets

Price – US $9.44-10.49; rating – 4.9; number of orders – 1,150

Dog Paw Cleaner

Price – US $3.90-8.90; rating – 4.8; number of orders – 2,020

Finger Toothbrush for Dogs

Price – US $2.26-4.26; rating – 4.8; number of orders – 5,714

Dog Poop Scooper

Price – US $16.09-23.58; rating – 4.7; number of orders – 449

Portable Poop Bag Dispenser

Price – US $3.75-3.77; rating – 4.9; number of orders – 2,279

Dog training products

Looking for cool dog products? Then how about offering your customers devices and items for dog training? When one raises a dog, it’s very important to teach it discipline. Otherwise, the pet will become uncontrollable. So, add some of these goods to your inventory.

Mind that some dog lovers may not like products featuring electric punishment.

Electric Training Collar & Remote Control

Price – US $31.24; rating – 4.8; number of orders – 8,983

Pet Training Dinner Bell

Price – US $3.99; rating – 4.9; number of orders – 1,985

Anti-Barking Device

Price – US $6.01; rating – 4.6; number of orders – 5,974

Dog Training Whistle & Clicker

Price – US $0.56-2.32; rating – 4.7; number of orders – 1,549

Best pet products in other categories

Your potential clients may also get interested in other goods for pets. First of all, pay attention to dog clothes as such items are quite useful if the owner lives in a cold climate. On the other hand, some owners pick clothes for esthetic purposes.

On AliExpress, you will also find a number of useful products such as scratching mats, carrying bags and so on.

Warm Dog Jacket

Price – US $4.99; rating – 4.8; number of orders – 8,373

Dog Raincoat

Price – US $6.31-18.32; rating – 4.7; number of orders – 1,900

Pet Shoulder Bag

Price – US $9.49-20.99; rating – 4.9; number of orders – 3,662

Car Seatbelt for Dogs

Price – US $4.55; rating – 4.8; number of orders – 2,025

Cat Scratching Pad

Price – US $9.97-17.83; rating – 4.5; number of orders – 788

Pet Selfie Stick

Price – US $4.69; rating – 4.9; number of orders – 225

As you can see, AliExpress offers a great number of pet products with free shipment options. These items have good potential as long as you make sure to work only with trusted suppliers who have high scores. So, if you chose to build your dropshipping store around this niche, you’ve got a lot of choices.

Don’t feel like creating a dropshipping store on your own? Order a custom store from AliDropship designers team and get a website fully ready for launch.

Read about best pet products.

Custom Online Store: Best Way To Start Dropshipping For Beginners

May 25, 2021 by Timur Y.

Are you planning to start dropshipping? Then a custom online store is just what you need since you can get a professionally made product within a couple of weeks.

Starting a business has never been easy. Besides all the risks and marketing hardships, one has tons of technical issues to attend to. You also need to choose a niche and find products to sell, take care of the design of your ecommerce store, create social media accounts for promotion, etc.

Sounds complicated? Perhaps, someone will find it quite easy to design an online store or find profitable products. But it’ll definitely take a lot of time and effort. However, ordering a custom online store can save you both.

What is dropshipping business?

Dropshipping is a business model based on reselling goods by sending them directly to customers from suppliers (be it wholesalers or manufacturers). Sounds a bit confusing, but it’s simple.

In the standard model, you have to buy all those goods beforehand and place them in a warehouse. Only then you can start selling them as a retailer.

However, in dropshipping, you start selling without actually having any products in the warehouse. In fact, you don’t even have a warehouse because you don’t need it!

You promote the goods online through a dropshipping website where you provide potential customers with all the necessary information. It includes product images, descriptions, prices, delivery time and methods, etc.

When a customer places an order, you contact your supplier, buy the given product and ask the partner to send the item to your client. So, there’s no risk of stocking up on goods that will eventually not sell. You only order products after somebody buys from you. And you don’t have to take care of the shipment.

The AliDropship company creates solutions for dropshipping businesses that sell products from AliExpress, Asia’s largest online platform where you can find thousands of goods at wholesale prices.

What is a custom dropshipping store?

A custom dropshipping store is an ecommerce website made by AliDropship team for a customer in accordance with his or her preferences and instructions.

Simply speaking, you tell us what niche you prefer, what products you’re going to sell, and what kind of design you expect to see. Let’s say, you want to sell pet products and want the store to look all fluffy and cute. Roger that!

The team makes suggestions and if you’re happy with the plan, we get to work. In about 2 or 4 weeks, you get a fully functional online store ready to dropship goods from AliExpress.

Let’s learn what you get in detail.

Niche analysis

Choosing a proper niche is one of the most important steps to building a successful online shop.

When picking up a broad and popular niche, one usually has to face serious competition. In this situation, one has few chances to beat other online stores. On the other hand, a narrow niche will attract too few customers. Your best choice is to find the happy medium with enough customers and moderate competition.

At the same time, even a potentially profitable niche doesn’t guarantee success unless it’s something you enjoy. You will have to promote the store on your own. So, it’s highly important to understand the target audience, to know the subject and to enjoy what you’re doing.

From this perspective, passion is the key to success. If you don’t have anything in mind, AliDropship’s team will help you identify the best options. Furthermore, we will analyze your suggestions and tell you how many products there are, what the level of competition is and how risky the niche looks.

AliDropship also offers a standalone service, Deep Niche Research, that will help you find 3 profitable niches, 5 best AliExpress suppliers and top 10 countries to sell the products to.

Professional web design

Are you good at drawing, picking up and mixing colors? If not, then how about asking professionals for help? Web design is very important if you want to make a successful online shop.

You could compare a website to a brick-and-mortar store. When people visit a site, the first thing they see is the colors on the homepage, the logo, the background, etc. Just like when you enter a shop for the first time. Those who don’t like what they see are likely to leave right away.

That’s why you want a professional design. When you order a custom online store, our designers create a unique and clean design, as well as a logo, header images, favicon, banners and other elements. As a result, you get a truly appealing and competitive website that makes visitors feel cozy.

Technical matters

Aside from all these artistic issues, you also have to deal with a number of purely technical matters when creating your own dropshipping website. AliDropship’s team will take care of such tasks as mail service setup, Google Analytics integration, currency set up, etc.

First of all, we install PayPal and a number of the most popular payment gateways on your site such as 2Checkout, Stripe, PayU, and others depending on your country of residence and where you’re going to dropship goods to.

Products for your custom online store

Even after you’ve chosen a niche for your ecommerce shop, you still have to find dropshipping products. Although AliExpress has hundreds of thousands of goods in all categories one can imagine, you can’t just grab any random item and expect high results. Therefore, finding the best products on AliExpress is a must.

Moreover, your business is going to depend on dropshipping suppliers very much. Since in this business model, products are sent to customers by the supplier directly, it’s crucial to find responsible and reliable suppliers.

When you order a custom store, along with the website, you get 50-500 (depending on what package you pick) best-selling pre-edited products from the most trusted AliExpress sellers. All these products will have pre-edited images, titles and descriptions and will require no editing at all.

Promotion boost

After the team finishes the work, you become a full owner of your own dropshipping store and have to start promoting it. Many small businesses use social networks to reach their audience and advertise products and services. Search engine optimization can attract visitors to the site as well.

To help you get started, AliDropship’s team will create and install top-class design for your social media accounts as well as integrate social media buttons and widgets on the store. Depending on the package, you can have materials for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube promotion. We also provide basic search engine optimization.

If you order the ultimate package, you will also get one promo video and a social media promo plugin.

Custom online store: what you get?

Niche analysis
Professional design and custom-made logo
Mobile-friendly website
Design for social media accounts
50-500 top pre-edited products within your niche
Search engine optimization
100% ownership of your new business
Life-long support

And remember, you get all this for a one-time payment as we charge no extra fees. After the purchase, all you have to do is start promoting your store. Whatever you earn belongs only to you!

With a custom online store, you can start a dropshipping business without spending days to make one on your own. This shop is ready to be launched and start making money as soon as you get it.

Read about custom online store.

120 Best AliExpress Stores For You To Dropship From

May 21, 2021May 20, 2021 by Artyom K.

Do you have an online store? Are you looking for reliable suppliers to team up with? Are you dealing with a dropshipping business model? Then, you’re at the right place! Today we will provide you with the list of 100 best AliExpress stores to safely run your business.

In practice, one of the most essential aspects of running a reselling business is the selection of reliable suppliers. Actually, the better your suppliers perform their functions, the more satisfied your customers are about your store. That’s why choosing trusted suppliers is a great investment in your online store’s reputation.

So, today we’re going to help you get a smooth start in dropshipping or expand your ecommerce business. We will present to you our newest compilation of the best AliExpress stores you can safely team up with and benefit from such a partnership. We are going to tell you which tools we have used when selecting the stores for the article, what you should pay attention to, etc.

Are you a regular customer trying to find AliExpress best sellers to safely buy from? Not a problem, this article will be of great value even for you since you can get a list of the most reliable suppliers on AliExpress.

Well, let’s get started!

How to choose the best AliExpress stores to team up with

How to search for a store on AliExpress to safely deal with? In fact, this is not a challenging task for you. However, there are some aspects you need to keep in mind. Let’s take a look at a specific example.

We choose a category, let it be jewelry.

What are you supposed to study?

1. First of all, pay attention to the supplier’s store rating.

2. Then, look at how long a supplier has been operating on the platform.

3. After that, check how many followers a supplier has.

We suppose it’s clear. The more followers and the higher rating suppliers have, the more reliable they are in terms of dealing with them. And, the longer suppliers have been performing on AliExpress, the more promising they look to you as a dropshipping store owner.

Would you like to learn more about selecting a trusted supplier on AliExpress? Read our article on how to find a supplier for your online store.

In fact, this is useful to know how to choose a trusted supplier. But what if I tell you that you don’t need to know that?

To facilitate your business management, AliDropship has done all the work for you: we created a database of the best AliExpress stores, products, and niches for you to benefit from!

Sounds tempting, doesn’t it?

But there’s more! This database is absolutely FREE-OF-CHARGE!

Meet our Top Suppliers Insight!

AliDropship Insights is a base of best selected products, suppliers, and niches for you and your dropshipping store with absolutely free access. And all you need to start using it is signing up! Nothing more!

Insights from AliDropship can become your unique instrument when running a dropshipping business. To learn more about it, read our detailed article about AliDropship Insights. And we are moving on!

Best AliExpress stores by categories

We have already found out that you can use AliDropship Insights to save your time and efforts when looking for reliable suppliers. So we go to Insights from AliDropship, sign in, and click ‘Top Suppliers Insight’.

Then, we see a list of the best AliExpress stores which are divided by categories. Since the interface is as simple and convenient as possible, it won’t be challenging for you to take advantage of it.

So, here comes the list of the best AliExpress stores!

Women’s bags and wallets stores

Women’s bags and wallets are considered a perfect niche to start a dropshipping business because it provides you with an opportunity to create a really cool online store. Here are some reliable suppliers on AliExpress for you to team up with.

Men’s clothing stores

Dropshipping men’s clothes is a very profitable business. However, when people buy clothing from online stores, they risk getting goods of inferior quality or even a wrong size. That’s why we recommend you deal with only trusted clothing brands on AliExpress. Here they are!

Women’s clothing stores

Dropshipping women’s clothing is a far more popular business. And why not? Hundreds of thousands of women buy from online clothing stores, since it’s a lot more beneficial for them.

However they also risk running into an unfair seller who is highly likely to make a mistake when preparing an order and sending them the other size, or even the other product. And so on, and so forth. In order to avoid such situations, you need to know which women’s clothing stores on AliExpress are trusted.

Kids and baby clothes store

Reselling kids and baby clothes is also a great scenario for your dropshipping store. You have an overwhelming number of children’s clothes at a lot lower prices compared to offline stores. That’s why look at AliExpress best sellers list in this niche!

Men’s and women’s shoes stores

Shoes dropshipping is not generally considered as a tempting niche to build your ecommerce business with. There’re several issues you should pay particular attention to in case of shoes dropshipping: size, quality, competitions with well-known brands, etc.

However, if handled properly, a shoes online store can easily let you make a fortune. You need to deal with trusted suppliers who can provide you with high-quality products, accurate size charts, etc.

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Health and beauty stores

As a rule, we don’t recommend you deal with health & beauty products, especially, the ones that are put on your face or body. You don’t need extra refunds and unhappy customers, do you?

However, if this is your hobby, and you’re very professional, you can try to build a health & beauty dropshipping store. In case you want to minimize risk when dropshipping health and beaty products, you need to deal with trustworthy suppliers only. Here is the list of AliExpress top sellers within this niche.

Toys stores

If you decide to do toys dropshipping, remember that a low-quality or defective toy can upset not only a child, but an adult also. So, in order to avoid these situations, we recommend that you work only with reliable toys suppliers.

Sports stores

Sport goods are extremely expensive nowadays. That’s why many people prefer to buy them from online stores. So if you want to sell only AliExpress best-selling and high-quality sport products, here is a list of the best sports sellers to partner with.

Drone stores

In one of our articles we have already told you about the benefits of dropshipping drones. So we can only add that when dropshipping high-tech products, you don’t need to focus on suppliers with the bargain prices.

That’s why, if you don’t want to undermine your store reputation by reselling poor quality products, it would be better for you to look for the most reliable drone suppliers. Here they come!

Cell phones stores

Dropshipping cell phones is one more promising niche for you to make a fortune. But in case of dealing with cell phones, you should pay particular attention to such issues as initial price, markup, phone’s functionality and quality, etc.

So if you don’t want to lose lots of customers who are unsatisfied with the quality of product, delivery time, etc., look at the list of trusted mobile phones suppliers!

Jewelry stores

Jewelry is going to be a very profitable niche since the initial price of such products is a lot lower than in offline stores. That’s why it remains to you only to choose the reliable suppliers and let your customers enjoy the purchases in your online store!

Stores with watches

There is a wide range of different top brand watches on the market. However not many people can afford to buy them. So it can be you who will offer them an opportunity to buy high-quality watches with a broad range of functions at lower prices. For this, you need to know the most reliable watch suppliers, and here they are!

Car accessories stores

Selling automotive products is a lucrative business nowadays. All products related to cars cost a lot in offline stores. However, in some cases, their initial prices can be several times lower than in brick-and-mortar stores.

That’s why all you need is to know the suppliers who are ready to provide you with cheap and unique products of high-quality.

Sunglasses stores

To date, dropshipping sunglasses is a booming industry! Practice shows that they are in a strong demand. That’s why if you would like to start a sunglasses store, it’s high time to go to AliDropship Insights and choose the best AliExpress brands and stores for your business.

Power banks stores

Power banks also refer to high-value items. And if you want to be sure the product specifications meet the ones which were stated, you should look at our list of the best stores on AliExpress!

Stores with headphones and earphones

When buying both headphones and earphones, the main aspect to focus on is the quality of sound. But how can you check it out? In practice, the main way to do this is to find suppliers with the positive feedback. That’s why here is a list of best AliExpress stores with the highest rating in this niche.

Phone cases stores

Phone cases of high quality can also cost a lot in offline stores, despite the fact that their original price on AliExpress can be several times lower. The main aspect you should focus on when dropshipping phone cases is to find a trusted supplier who won’t put defective goods in packages, and so on. That’s why here is a list of the best AliExpress stores with phone cases!

Stores with smartwatches and wristbands

It’s hi-tech products again! That’s how you can be sure that you deal with the best AliExpress stores only. Here they come!

To sum up: best AliExpress stores to partner with

So, when dropshipping, you need to understand that in most niches you won’t succeed if ordering from all suppliers in a row without thinking.

Most products have their individual specifications which have to necessarily meet the ones which stated. And if there are some discrepancies, you risk losing the biggest part of your clients. What is more, your business can be marred by permanent returns, refunds, etc.

AliDropship, in its turn, aims at helping their clients at every stage of running your dropshipping business. For this reason, we’ve created AliDropship Insights. With this tool, you have an opportunity to find the best AliExpress stores, best-selling AliExpress products, and the most promising niche for your dropshipping store. BTW, this is absolutely free!

So, go to AliDropship Insights, sign in, and use our absolutely free tool! We wish you only trusted suppliers with fast shipping options, high-quality items, positive reviews, and satisfied customers!

Read about best AliExpress stores.

Want To Dropship Sunglasses? Check These Product And Seller Options!

May 18, 2021May 17, 2021 by Laurence L.

What should you do if you want to dropship sunglasses for profit? Which products and suppliers deserve your most careful attention? Let’s figure it out!

Is it really a good idea to dropship sunglasses?

Being well-protected never goes out of style. And nothing expresses style better than a great pair of sunglasses.

What’s more, let’s look at the statistics. According to Statista, revenue in the sunglasses segment amounts to more than $20m in 2021. Meantime, PR News Wire says, the global sunglasses market is projected to be a USD $38.84 billion market by 2024.

Well, it becomes clear that it’s a booming industry and will always be in demand. It’s also a universal market and caters to men, women, boys, and girls. It is not only a staple in fashion, but is also an essential for health when it comes to sun protection of the eyes.

So, are you unsure of what product to start your dropshipping business with? We highly suggest sunglasses – these are an item and industry that is sure to always bring in income!

How to easily find the best sunglasses suppliers for your store?

We know firsthand that reliable dropshipping suppliers with dozens of thousands of orders and fast shipping are a must-have for you in case you’re going to dropship sunglasses or whatever you want. With AliDropship, we have all the intel on best sellers from AliExpress.

Don’t you know where to find the list of trustworthy suppliers with thigh-quality and trending products for your dropshipping business? Just sign up for our AliDropship Insights and get eyes on the top-ranking AliExpress sellers and high-selling products for any niche absolutely FOR FREE!

We’ve gone ahead and done some of the work to make getting started easier for you. Here are some high-performing sunglass manufacturers and suppliers you can trust!

Sunglasses suppliers: top AliExpress brands

Brand: KACHAWOO

Rating: 98%

Followers: 112,000+

Years in Business: 9

Brand: KEHU

Rating: 97%

Followers: 88,000+

Years in Business: 7

Brand: LONSY

Rating: 97%

Followers: 35,000+

Years in Business: 11

Brand: MERRY’S

Rating: 97%

Followers: 1,000,000

Years in Business: 8

Brand: Peekaboo

Rating: 97%

Followers: 193,000

Years in Business: 8

Brand: Ralferty

Rating: 97%

Followers: 157,000

Years in Business: 8

Brand: ROYAL GIRL

Rating: 98%

Followers: 210,000

Years in Business: 8

Brand: runbird

Rating: 97%

Followers: 38,000

Years in Business: 8

Brand: yooske

Rating: 98%

Followers: 9,000

Years in Business: 6

Brand: CIVICHIC

Rating: 96%

Followers: 369

Years in Business: 4

Brand: SUNGLASSES 2020

Rating: 98%

Followers: 153,000

Years in Business: 7

Brand: Veithdia

Rating: 98%

Followers: 298,000

Years in Business: 8

Brand: XIU

Rating: 98%

Followers: 122,000+

Years in Business: 11

Brand: car unique

Rating: 92%

Followers: 3,000

Years in Business: 4

Brand: JackJad

Rating: 97%

Followers: 7,000

Years in Business: 4

Brand: TOYEARN

Rating: 96%

Followers: 2,600

Years in Business: 3

Best examples of sunglasses to dropship

If you’re ready to sell, let’s take a look at some top-selling choices from our high-performing sunglass dropshipping stores. We’ve got a ton of looks for you:

KACHAWOO Vintage Gold Sunglasses

KACHAWOO Fashion Rimless Sunglasses

KEHU Unique Ladies Luxury Oversized Big Sunglasses

KEHU Heart-Shaped Sunglasses

LONSY Fashion Round Sunglasses

LONSY Cat Eye Sunglasses

MERRY’S DESIGN Classic Retro Rivet Polarized Oval-Framed Sunglasses

MERRY’S DESIGN Classic Retro Rivet Polarized Square-Framed Sunglasses

Peekaboo Small Rectangle Sunglasses

Peekaboo Vintage Retro Gothic Steampunk Mirror Sunglasses

Ralferty Polarized Magnetic Clip-On Eyeglasses

Ralferty Polarized Square Clip-On Night Vision Eyeglasses

ROYAL GIRL Luxury Rimless Sunglasses

ROYAL GIRL Oversize Vintage Gradient Sunglasses

Sunglasses 2020 Polarized Sunglasses for Men

2020 Sunglasses Polarized Retro Square Sunglasses for Men

VEITHDIA Unisex Polarized Aluminum Sunglasses

VEITHDIA Men’s Vintage Polarized Square Sunglasses

XIU Metal Mirror Lens Steampunk Sunglasses

XIU Metal Retro Vintage Steampunk Sunglasses

Steps you need to take to start dropshipping sunglasses

Do you think you’re ready to officially start up your sunglasses dropshipping store? That’s great! It remains for you only to follow our easy four steps below to ensure you are off to a good start.

Create a store

Getting started is easy with AliDropship.

All you need is to download the AliDropship plugin for either WordPress or WooCommerce or purchase a custom dropshipping store and let us set up your new business for you from scratch.

Have a particular idea of sunglasses you want to sell? You’ve got it with the AliDropship plugin (or just let us know).

Select suppliers

If you’re on your own, we’ve cut through the hundreds of thousands of AliExpress sellers to make finding the best retail and wholesale suppliers with high-quality products quick and easy – with just a few clicks.

Would you like to get access to the whole list of trusted retail and wholesale sunglasses suppliers on AliExpress? If so, it’s time to get our AliDropship Insights and filter suppliers based on niche type, number of followers, ratings, and years in business.

Choose items

Choosing what items to sell for profit is also a breeze when you have AliDropship Insights. You can go about it two ways:

As noted above, you can find items by filtering from top-performing suppliers. Once you find the right ones, start looking at what their best-selling items are to get any idea of what you want and can sell.
Or, with AliDropship Insights, you can search for products instead of suppliers. See what items and niches have the highest AliExpress order amounts and dropshiping sales.

Make sure your store is search- and user-friendly

Once you have chosen and imported your items to sell, make sure your website’s pages are informative and SEO-friendly. Check that product titles and descriptions are keyword-rich while clear in conveying what the product and its attributes are.

Don’t you know how to build a SEO-friendly website and get cost-effective organic traffic? This is Sellika that will help you!

Be sure to launch ad campaigns to drive traffic to your store and also utilize social media to further drive potential customers to your online store.

Don’t you know how to make the most of your store’s social media accounts or does it take you lots of time? Say no more! Social Rabbit by AliDropship is the tool you’ve always dreamed of!

Check analytics over time to observe what is working and what isn’t. Your stats can help you decide what pages and places on your website you can improve, and also tell you what items sell well.

Sunglasses are incredibly lucrative and an ever-growing industry, making it a smart choice for dropshipping. With our plentiful suggestions (and our handy plugin solutions), AliDropship can help you set up your new sunglasses dropship store easily!

Read about sunglasses dropship.

How To Find A Reliable Supplier For Your Dropshipping Store

May 5, 2021 by Denis K.

In dropshipping, the success of the whole venture highly depends on the reliability of your business partners. But, how to find a supplier for your online store that won’t let you down? Let’s figure it out!

How to find a supplier: what defines the best suppliers

What would you want from your perfect supplier?

Some people prefer their business partners to set low prices on their products. The others believe that the most important thing is the supplier’s aspiration to keep their end of the bargain.

Actually, both of them are wrong and right at the same time. Ideally, you need to strike a balance.

Low prices are necessary to make your online store competitive and profitable. At the same time, your business partners’ credibility should put your concerns of having a bad relationship with customers to rest.

Another thing worth mentioning is that the fewer suppliers you have, the better.

Imagine a buyer ordering several various items from your online store. If all of them come from different distributors, what are the odds that your client gets all the goods at the same time?

To be honest, probably low.

Of course, this delivery disruption might irritate customers. Thus, you need to focus on a limited amount of business partners for your online store to keep your clients pleased. Moreover, sending many orders to one supplier will definitely reward you with a discount.

Considering all of these points, choosing a business partner poses a serious challenge.

Your suppliers can either ruin your online business or make it flourish.

Fortunately, it is possible to fix these issues if you are dropshipping with AliExpress.

There, you can easily find plenty of sellers. The range of items each of them has can perfectly suffice your needs – not to mention their knockdown prices!

All you need to do is to compare the suppliers’ prices and evaluate their credibility. Weighing up AliExpress offers doesn’t cause any troubles with AliDropship Google Chrome Extension. It’s fast and convenient.

However, you need a closer look at the process to make the right choice.

How to find a supplier: points you need to consider

How to find a good supplier on AliExpress? What is the first thing you need to pay attention to when searching for a suitable supplier for your online store?

Of course, it’s their prices.

Although low prices play a big role, they may distract you from the other important sides of the issue. Meanwhile, you can’t go without them to pick a reliable business partner.

So, how to find the best suppliers for your business? Here are some things you should keep your mind on.

1. Supplier’s online store rating

Today, it’s really hard for businesses to conceal their flaws. The Internet made companies strive to provide only the best service. Bad-quality performance is brought to light in the blink of an eye. And this could be fateful for a company.

If you own a small business, it’s not a big problem to identify the problem and sort it out. But, what if your company is, let’s say, Uber? Then, if your driver messed something up, the whole organization takes flak for this.

However, companies like Uber, Amazon, and AliExpress have a solution to take the heat off them and weed out the weak links in the chain.

They allow customers to rate their drivers, sellers, etc. This way, consumers can better understand whether these people are trustworthy or not.

So, the first thing you should pay attention to while choosing your suppliers is their rating on AliExpress.

Go to AliExpress and open the product page you like. There, at the top of the screen, you will see a tab with the name of the supplier’s store.

Click on it to move on to the main page of the distributor. Now, you see the whole range of the items this supplier offers.

Apart from that, you can see whether this AliExpress store is well-customized, filled with appealing pictures, etc. But what we need now is its rating. It is 97,7% as it’s shown in the image below.

What’s the conclusion?

The rating is really high. This means that the customers appreciate the quality of the products and services and in return provide the seller with high-rated positive reviews.

It’s the first sign that this supplier is worth working with.

Rating is the most important thing you need to look at. As a rule of thumb, if a seller’s rating is lower than 95% – you should look to find a better one.

2. The time the supplier has been active on AliExpress

Well, if suppliers find favor with customers, it’s surely great. But, does it mean they are reliable? Could you be sure they won’t upset you?

Only time will tell. The time they’ve been in business.

The longer suppliers have been operating on the platform, the more confidence they instill.

On AliExpress, you can easily find the data. Look at the picture below.

As you can see, this seller has spent 3 years on AliExpress and achieved a rating of 97,7%.

The combination of good quality and longevity should do the trick, shouldn’t it?

3. Did you find a supplier with a “Top Brand” sign?

One more thing that can strengthen your confidence in your suppliers is the “Top brand” sign.

You’ve already made sure the sellers’ stability is tested by time and their products’ quality is satisfactory. To help you make up your mind, AliExpress marks the most reliable and successful distributors with a special sign.

It shows that you can safely trust this supplier.

4. The number of followers

If someone says that 90% of their clients give them a lot of praise, it sounds great, right? Of course it does!

But what if they have only 10 clients? It’s not so striking now, is it?

To get the whole picture, it’s important to consider the number of followers a supplier has. A case in point is the image below.

It’s not difficult to notice that this supplier has quite enough followers to take the rating seriously.

5. The last 6 months suppliers rating

Sometimes, it might be tempting to jump at the opportunity to work with a high-rated supplier.

But, a high rating, longevity, and a huge number of followers could hide some important details. Some sellers tend to show some decline in their performance over time.

For example, they had been providing great service for 3 years. But, 4 months ago something happened. The quality of their goods and service has been going down since then.

Of course, customers have been giving lower grades to the sellers in these 4 months. However, this doesn’t reflect much on the overall rating due to the plenty of previous good grades.

That’s why you need a closer look at the rating dynamics.

To do this, just click on the “Testimonials” tab as shown in the picture below.

You will find yourself on the seller’s feedback page. There, you can see the supplier’s rating in the past 6 months.

It matches the overall score, so this supplier keeps up the service at a high level.

6. The last 3-6 months feedback

Since you’re on the seller’s feedback page now, you can find more valuable details there.

Along with the distributors’ ratings for the last 6 months, it’s important to know how often people buy from them.

You can explore the supplier’s feedback in detail to understand how many orders the seller has had in the last 1, 3, or 6 months. Apart from that, you can look into customer reviews to learn more about the product’s quality.

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7. The quality of visual materials

Marketing is a crucial part of dropshipping. While searching AliExpress for reliable suppliers, you should think of your future promotional campaigns.

You need to design your online store perfectly and create appealing promotional posts. For this purpose, good visual content is vital.

The good news is that you can find great product pictures made in the same style right on AliExpress stores’ pages. Look at the image below.

Your product page’s content should be engaging and informative. Without enough good-quality photos of the products, it’s impossible to achieve. So, you need to make sure that AliExpress sellers’ product pages contain multiple quality photos of the product taken from different angles.

It is also great if the seller provides product videos.

It’s better to see something once they hear about it thousands of times.

What is really crucial for online shopping is visibility.

You can write brilliantly detailed descriptions of your products. But, it may not conjure up a clear picture.

Customers want to be sure an item is the exact thing they need. They want to see it with their own eyes.

Many AliExpress sellers have such videos on their product pages, like the one you can see in the picture below.

Summing up how to find a reliable supplier

One of the most essential parts of being successful in dropshipping business is having a good reputation. And a big part of this depends on your business partners. The wrong choice could cause big troubles for you.

However, if you know how to find reliable suppliers for your online store, you can create a flourishing ecommerce business and operate it more smoothly. Your pleased clients are going to come back over and over again.

Well, now you know how to find a supplier for your business! Simply follow these guidelines and enjoy your business growth. If you have any questions left, please write them in the comment section below: we’ll be happy to clear it up.

Learn how to find a supplier.

VAT Explained: What Is VAT And Do Dropshippers Have To Pay It?

May 4, 2021 by Timur Y.

Sooner or later anyone who’s thinking about launching a business faces an issue that causes severe headache – taxes! In this particular article, we are going to talk about value added tax (VAT).

What is VAT?

Value added tax, or VAT, is a type of tax that is levied on the value of goods or services added at each stage of production, distribution, or sale to the end customer (consumer). Also known as the goods and services tax in some countries, it’s a consumption tax that is paid by the final consumer who ‘consumes’ products and services, but in practice, VAT is paid at each stage of the supply chain.

Sounds too complicated? Let me explain it in simple terms.

How does VAT work?

Let’s imagine a supply chain that consists of three stages: a farmer who grows apples, a food-manufacturing plant that makes apple juice, and a retail store that sells the juice to end customers. Now let’s get to numbers.

For simplicity, let’s suppose the farmer only puts his own efforts into growing apples. He doesn’t buy anything from other businesses. In this case, he has no expenses and his added value equals the price at which he sells the apples to the plant. So, if he sells the apples for $100, the VAT is applied to this sum.

If the value added tax rate is 20%, the farmer will have to pay $20 to the government. But he doesn’t want to lose money and includes this sum into his final price which increases to $120.

The food-manufacturing plant buys the apples from the farmer and pays him $100 + $20 that goes to the government. The plant makes apple juice and wants to earn $200 as profit (added value). In this case, the plant will have to pay $40 as VAT.

But the plant has already paid $20 to the farmer, so it sells the juice for $360: the cost of apples ($100) + the farmer’s VAT ($20) + the profit ($200) + the plant’s VAT ($40). In this case, $40 goes to the government, while $20 goes to the plant as compensation for the farmer’s VAT.

Next, the retail store pays $360 for the juice and wants to make a profit of $400. But it has to pay $80 to the government as VAT and wants compensation for the plant’s VAT. So, it sells the juice to an end customer for a total of $840: the cost of juice ($300) + the plant’s VAT ($60) + the store’s profit ($400) + the store’s VAT ($80).

As for the end buyer, he or she pays $840 for all the juice bottles including $140 as VAT, but he or she cannot get this sum back.

So, as a result, the customer doesn’t pay the money to the government. Instead, the businesses in the chain do it. But the end consumer pays the tax to businesses so that they could hand the money to the government. The VAT that the customer must pay equals $140. It is the sum of the VAT the businesses have already paid to the government: $20 + $40 + $80 = $140.

But what about dropshipping? Do you have to pay value added tax? In most cases, you do.

When you purchase a product from a supplier, the price already contains VAT he/she pays to its government. So you don’t have to worry about it. But you must also collect VAT from your customers to compensate for your expenses and hand the tax to the government.

The AliDropship plugin lets you include taxes in the total price of your products. You can set the tax name and rate, apply it to the price alone or to the cost of shipping as well, and even bind the settings to countries, regions, or cities. Here you can learn more about tax settings in the AliDropship plugin.

Let’s take a look at tax systems in the most popular countries for dropshipping – the UK, the US, and the EU.

Disclaimer: The content of this article is provided for informational purposes only and should not be regarded as legal advice on any subject matter. We strongly recommend consulting a professional tax advisor before taking any action.

Value added tax in the United Kingdom

After the UK left the European Union, its tax regulations changed. Here’s what you need to know.

If you want to sell products in the UK from overseas, you have two options. You can either use an online marketplace or sell goods from your own website.

And since this is the case for dropshipping, you have to register your business for VAT in HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs). You can do it online or by post. After that, you’ll get a 9-digit VAT number.

If the cost of the consignment of goods doesn’t exceed £135, VAT is calculated based on the price at which you sell products to customers. If the cost exceeds £135, VAT is calculated at the point where the products cross the border.

The standard VAT rate in the UK equals 20%. But for some categories of goods, the government applies the reduced rate (5%). Some product categories are VAT-free. To see the full list of VAT rates in the UK, follow this link.

You can also read our article on dropshipping in the UK to learn about other taxes and customs regulations in the kingdom.

Sales tax in the United States

First of all, the government of the United States doesn’t collect value added tax. Instead, end customers pay sales tax.

It’s a consumption tax imposed on goods and services sold within a state’s jurisdiction. While VAT is collected at each stage of production, sales tax is collected only at the final stage (consumption). Still, from a retailer’s point of view, sales tax is basically the same as VAT.

The problem here is that the federal government doesn’t collect sales taxes. It is the responsibility of the states. As a result, sales tax rates are different in each state, and so are the rules (to some extent).

For example, California has the highest sales tax rate equaling 7.25%, while Delaware imposes no sales taxes at all. You can see all sales tax rates by state here.

Previously, a business didn’t have to pay sales taxes unless it ‘had a nexus’ in the given state. To have a nexus means to have a physical presence in a state: to own a brick-and-mortar store, a warehouse, etc. However, after the new Supreme Court ruling (South Dakota vs. Wayfair, Inc.), this requirement is no longer in force.

In simple terms, it means the following. Previously, if your business didn’t have a large enough presence in a given state and a customer from this state purchased something from you, you didn’t have to pay the sales tax. The same goes for businesses registered outside the US.

But now, according to the new ruling, it doesn’t matter whether you have or have not a nexus in a given state – you do have to pay the sales tax anyway.

Nevertheless, to collect sales taxes, your business must be large enough: to have annual sales not less than $100,000 or make not less than 200 separate transactions in a given state per year.

It means that if your dropshipping store receives less than 200 transactions from this particular state and makes not more than $100,000 from this particular state, you don’t have to pay the sales tax to the government of this state.

But if your business exceeds this limit, you will have to register your business with the given state’s tax authority. Unfortunately, each state has its own requirements, so it’s impossible to give a general recommendation here. Just visit the corresponding state’s website to learn the details.

Value added tax in the European Union

Goods imported into the EU countries with a value of up to €10-22 (depending on the country) are exempt from import VAT. But if their value exceeds this limit, import VAT must be charged.

If your business is located outside the EU, the responsibility to pay VAT lies on the importer of record. Usually, it is the end customer. The problem here is that the customer must pay the tax when he or she receives the parcel. It often becomes a very unpleasant surprise and can lead to more refunds.

To solve this issue, one can register for VAT in the country where the products cross the EU border. It’ll make you the importer of goods liable for collecting and paying VAT. In this case, the consumer will pay the full price (including import VAT) at the checkout. Or you could just warn customers that they will be charged with VAT.

But different EU countries have different VAT rates (from 17% to 21%), while some countries exclude mail orders from this exemption. What if you sell goods to an EU country different from your country of registration?

If your business is registered in the European Union and sells products to end customers living in another EU country, you apply the VAT rate of the country where you are registered.

But it works only if the sales generated in the given import country do not exceed the threshold of this country. These thresholds vary from one EU country to another:

If you exceed the threshold, you will have to register for VAT in that country and charge its own VAT rate instead of domestic VAT. VAT rates differ depending on the country as well:

From July 1, 2021, these rules will change. EU and non-EU businesses importing goods with a value up to €150 will be able to join the Import One Stop Shop (IOSS) Scheme. It will let you declare and pay VAT in a single monthly VAT return.

You must collect the tax when accepting the payment for the goods (i.e. at the checkout). Then you pay it to the country where you registered your business for the Import IOSS.

Otherwise, the customs broker will collect VAT.

If the imported consignment of goods has a value exceeding the €150 threshold, import VAT is paid to the customs. It may also require a regular VAT registration in the country of importation.

The government will replace the old VAT thresholds with a new uniformed threshold. Small businesses registered in an EU country and selling less than €10,000 of goods to other EU countries, will be able to charge domestic VAT. Otherwise, they will charge the VAT rate of the country of import.

As you can see, the tax system of the EU is probably the most complicated because each country has its own rules and tax rates. So, consulting a tax advisor is a must here.

We hope this information has proved useful and now that you better understand how to collect and pay VAT, you are ready to launch your dropshipping business!

Read about VAT in dropshipping.

How to start dropshipping in South Africa

2 ways to run your dropshipping business in South Africa

Dropshipping in South Africa: pros of the local market

Dropshipping in South Africa: cons of the local market

Dropshipping from South Africa: pros of overseas markets

Dropshipping from South Africa: cons of foreign markets

Is it wise to copy AliExpress design?

What should your domain name look like?

4 main rules to run your online general stores successfully

#1 Create your product offer thoughtfully

#2 Don’t forget to edit the newly imported products!

#3 Identify the highest profit margin products

#4 Experiment with your promo campaigns

Conclusion

Before going to AliExpress

Check out social media

Check out other online platforms

Use Google Trends

Do keyword research

How to use AliExpress to look for trending products to sell

Free Shipping

4* and up

The best products to sell: what features do they have?

Product description

Product photos

Customer reviews

Product rating

The number of orders

How to choose the right trending products on AliExpress quickly and easily?

Directories in your search of the perfect dropshipping suppliers to import products from

How do directories work?

Why directories aren’t commonly used to find dropshipping suppliers

Paid access

Pricing difference

Business preferences

Partnership limitations

The reasons to search for dropshipping suppliers on AliExpress

Product range

Free access to the database of dropshipping suppliers

Zero fees

No limits on markup

No limits on sales volume

No legal requirements

Global reach

How to choose the best dropshipping suppliers on AliExpress

Filter the product search results

Explore the seller stats

Examine the potential dropshipping suppliers’ product reviews

Check the potential suppliers’ shipping terms

Tips on working with dropshipping suppliers

Don’t hesitate to contact suppliers

Be polite and adequate

Check the orders before redirecting them to the supplier

Check your emails regularly

Find multiple dropshipping suppliers

Best pet products to sell: Collars

LED Dog Collar

Anti-Flea Collar

Customizable ID Tag

Cat Collar

Harnesses and leashes to dropship

Nylon Dog Harness

Breathable Mesh Dog Harness

Cat / Small Dog Harness

Retractable Dog Leash

Pet beds and covers

Soft Dog Bed

Cat House

Waterproof Pet Bed

Car Seat Cover For Dogs

Pet Blanket

Parrot House

Hamster Hanging Nest

Best pet products for grooming

Cat and Dog Grooming Glove

Electric Flea Terminator

Claw Cutter

Pet Hair Remover

Best pet feeding products

Cat Water Feeder