Dropshipping with AliExpress has always been difficult due to the long delivery times.
Shipping times can vary depending on where you are shipping to. Dropshippers solve the shipping time problem by purchasing products wholesale and then hiring a fulfillment center in their country. This allows them to ship customer orders within 1-2 days.
Dropshipping is a risky business, and you should not spend more to purchase inventory, especially if your dropshipping products aren’t yet tested. There is a possibility that you end up with too many items, which may be either already owned by most people or not suitable for the current season. Dropshipping from AliExpress suppliers is a good option as a beginner.
How do you manage long delivery times?
You have 5 options to deal with long shipping delays when dropshipping AliExpress.
- Transparency with shipping times
- Dropship to the country where you have customers.
- Use ePacket to ship your order.
- Great customer service.
- Unique products are difficult to find.
Let’s talk about how each option can help with AliExpress’s lengthy delivery times.
Transparency with shipping times
Specify to customers how long it might take for the item to arrive. Dropshippers conceal shipping times in the hope that this will reduce conversions on their websites. Dropshipping businesses can be severely affected by hiding shipping information. Dropshipping business owners have had to deal with chargebacks, negative reviews, and refunds from unhappy customers, which has led some to quit dropshipping. This is something you wouldn’t want to do in your own store.
Customers may be willing to wait 2-3 weeks for products they can’t purchase locally or that aren’t available online. They will buy from you as long as your shipping times are clearly stated on your website. It’s better to make a few sales than spend so much on customer support and chargeback fees. If you have low refund requests, you will not be banned from the payment gateway.
Most people will not mind long shipping times if you are transparent. You can place your estimated shipping time in five areas on your website:
- Section FAQ
- Shipping Policy Page
- Description of the Product
- Page for Order Confirmation
- Shipping Confirmation Email
It is better to write your shipping times in weeks than in days. These five locations will be helpful to you.
Dropship to the country where you have customers.
AliExpress suppliers offer the option of shipping from other countries if they have warehouses. Find an AliExpress supplier that ships to the US if you are selling to the US. This can be done by sorting your search results by “shipping to countries”. You can significantly reduce the shipping time by ordering products from China. Keep in mind, however, that there are only a few suppliers who will ship to other countries. You might also find that shipping from China can be more expensive than ordering the products.
Use ePacket to ship your order.
Dropshipping providers offer free shipping to China Post, but it may take up to 3-4 weeks for your order. DHL and faster carriers will be more expensive. ePacket is faster than China Post and cheaper than DHL. ePacket shipping allows customers to receive their purchases up to a week before the usual delivery times. Choosing ePacket shipping reduces the risk of customer cancellation and increases the likelihood of retaining them.
While free shipping may save you some money, the longer delivery time might end up costing you more.
Great customer service.
When handling long delivery times, it is essential to provide excellent customer service. While you might be transparent about shipping times, some customers prefer to receive email support for any questions or concerns. Customers can feel confident that they are being helped by someone who is available to them when they need it. While bots can be used to automate certain responses, there are some issues that require human intervention. This is something your customer service should address.
Unique products are difficult to find.
People will buy your product if it is unique and not available anywhere else. You should find a niche or product that isn’t available in brick and mortar shops or dropshipping sites. This will help reduce, if not eliminate, the shipping time issue.
Last Thoughts
Dropshipping is a lucrative business you can continue to run over the long-term. To make more money, you don’t have to trick people. While it may result in fewer sales, being honest about shipping times will not hurt your business. This will prevent you from having to deal with problems such as chargebacks, refunds, or bad reviews that could lead to a collapse of your business. It’s time to implement these strategies in your dropshipping business.
