If you’re looking for a reliable, easy to use, and cost-effective way to dropship products from China then you should be considering AliExpress or DHgate. Dropshipping is an efficient way to make money online without having any inventory of your own.
In fact, listen to this: the Asia Pacific dropshipping market size is going to reach $200 billion by 2026!
This blog post will compare AliExpress vs DHgate for dropshipping so you can decide which one is right for you.
What Is Dropshipping?
Dropshipping is a retail fulfillment method where a store doesn’t keep the products it sells in stock. Instead, when an order comes through, the retailer locates the product from a third-party supplier and sends it directly to your customer.
Here’s Shopify’s official explanation:
How Does Dropshipping Work?
Dropshipping works by having a store owner enter all their information, including payment details, into the platform. Once they’ve done this it will give them access to suppliers who can provide items for sale through its online storefronts.
When an order is placed you are given the option of choosing from multiple shipping options that include things like regular mail or express delivery services. You then pay your supplier directly via AliExpress or DHgate and they ship out the product on your behalf.
That’s one of the best parts of dropshipping with AliExpress or DHgate as well: you don’t have to spend weeks or months finding suppliers and developing relationships. You can jump right into selling products and making money.
What Are The Benefits Of Dropshipping?
There’s no need for you to have any inventory or ship anything yourself which can save you money on things like storage space and shipping fees.
In addition, if done right then you’ll get orders almost instantly with very little work involved on your end after that first sale has been made!
This makes dropshipping perfect for beginners who aren’t sure how they’d be able to start making sales online but want to test out different business ideas. Heck, it’s great for any entrepreneurs that don’t want to stress about the hassle of production, inventory management, etc.
What Is AliExpress?
AliExpress is a popular online shopping website that sells many different types of products from all over the world. It’s main selling point is that it offers these products at drastically lower prices than you’d find elsewhere, which makes it perfect for dropshipping and sourcing wholesale items!
The site has tens of millions of users who shop there throughout the year so your potential customer base is certainly sizable if done correctly. One thing we must mention though is that Aliexpress does tend to have more fakes on their platform than other sites like eBay or Amazon do since they’re such an international marketplace with no regulations in place. This only becomes a problem when customers complain about receiving fake goods, so make sure to double-check that you’re not selling counterfeit items.
Is AliExpress A Good Supplier For Dropshipping?
As we’ll discuss further in this article, there are pros and cons to dropshipping with Aliexpress (like anything). But for the most part, we think Aliexpress is a great supplier for dropshipping. It’s not uncommon for brands to use Aliexpress and eventually begin white-labeling, creating their own products, and begin working with big brands.
Is AliExpress Safe To Buy From?
Yes, Aliexpress is 100% safe to buy from. While there are some risks that you’ll be dealing with when using the platform (counterfeit products), it’s not any different than eBay or Amazon. Just make sure to do your due diligence and double-check what suppliers are selling before making a purchase. Look at reviews and only purchase from sellers that are verified and have credentials.
According to Sitejabber, AliExpress won the 2020 Customer Choice Award and scored a 3/5 rating.
I’ve ran several dropshipping brands and used AliExpress for years. I never had a bad experience with them. Once again, perform your due diligence and you won’t have anything to worry about.
How Long Does AliExpress Take To Ship?
It depends. The product you are purchasing will determine the speed of shipping. Some products may take up to 45 days while others can ship in about a week or less. Epacket is the most common form of shipping from AliExpress and you can expect shipments to arrive within 1-2 weeks depending on where your customer is.
Even if you have to pay an extra $1-3, do it. The typical airmail can take months and needless to say, your customers probably won’t wait that long until asking for a refund or charging back!
What Is DHgate?
DHgate is a Chinese marketplace headquartered out of Beijing. It’s commonly used for dropshipping as the platform facilitates business between manufactures and businesses all over the world.
Is DHgate Good For Dropshipping?
Yes, it is. The product selection at DHGate is huge which allows you to find products with low competition but high demand!
Is DHgate Safe To Buy From?
Yes, DHgate is a trusted website you can use for dropshipping. The website has been around for many years and is one of the most popular places to buy wholesale products from China. They also have a very good customer service team that can help you with anything related to your store or order.
As you can see from Sitejabber, they have thousands of positive reviews. Although, they did only sore 1/5 on the Better Business Bureau and 1.3/5 on Reviews.io.
For example: If you run into any issues, they will provide detailed instructions on how to fix them so that you can continue selling online without interruption! Also, if there are ever any safety concerns about an item (i.e it’s flammable), DHgate won’t ship it out until they confirm it’s safe & legal to do so – this means less chance of returns due to damaged goods which increases your profits further down the line!
How Long Does DHgate Take To Ship?
Shipping times with DHgate depend on the shipping method you select when making an order. If your items are in stock, they typically take between 20 and 30 days to arrive. However, make sure to use ePacket shipping at a minimum to reduce shipping time to approximately 2 weeks.
What’s The Difference Between DHgate And AliExpress?
Okay. Let’s get into the main differences between AliExpress and DHgate when it comes to dropshipping.
Advantages Of AliExpress For Dropshipping
The best thing about dropshipping from AliExpress is the fact that they have so many different products available at such low prices. You can literally dropship from any category. There is also no fee like some dropshipping wholesale platforms.
With AliExpress, there is a minimal risk as well. Think about it… instead of investing thousands, tens of thousands of dollars, or more in inventory, you can simply list products and fulfill them one order at a time. Great, right?
Disadvantages Of AliExpress For Dropshipping
Alight, there are some downsides to AliExpress dropshipping. It isn’t perfect.
The first downside is that the products are really cheap on AliExpress. So, if someone comes across your store and sees an item selling for $20, but can buy it from AliExpress for only $15, then there’s no way that person will purchase from you. You’re going to have to convince people that what you offer is worth paying for. And, that means better marketing, advertising, and copywriting.
Another downside with dropshipping from AliExpress is how easy it is to get scammed by vendors who sell goods or sell broken or counterfeit goods. You have to make sure you vet each vendor for positive reviews otherwise it’s a large risk.
That brings me to my next point.
Advantages Of DHgate For Dropshipping
Next up, DHgate. With DHgate, you can buy wholesale goods from China at a high enough quantity to make reselling them for a profit worthwhile. You can order items individually or in large quantities.
One of the biggest advantages of using DHgate is that there are more suppliers listed on it than Aliexpress which means your options will be wider and competition lower. This also makes checking ratings and reviews much easier as well! However, this does mean that not every supplier is going to have good quality products, so double check before buying in bulk.
Secondly, many suppliers offer free shipping (including ePacket!) which allows you to save more money per order and offer a better experience for your customers. Refunds are also very easy to do through DHgate in the case someone would like their money back.
Disadvantages Of DHgate For Dropshipping
The main disadvantage of using DHgate is that there are thousands of online stores selling the exact same products. And, unless you white label through a specific suppler you build a relationship with, odds are people can get the same thing for less somewhere else. Like I mentioned before, though—good copywriting, marketing, and ads will hedge this.
Just like AliExpress too, you have to be careful not to re-sell branded or replica products as you can run into a lot of legal trouble.
Since most sellers are based in China as well, it can take a considerable amount of time for products to reach your customers. Unless, of course, you pay a bit extra for faster shipping.
Final Thoughts On AliExpress Vs DHgate Dropshipping
AliExpress and DHgate are Chinese marketplaces that dropshippers can use to source products. Both of them are free (in terms of any monthly fees or memberships), offer a large variety of products, and have little to no barrier to entry.
With that being said, what’s the difference? AliExpress tends to have lower prices while DHgates offers more coupons, sales, and promotions. The websites themselves are both easy to navigate although I personally have found that DHgate offers better customer service and refunds. DHgate accepts more payment methods if you wish to use something like UnionPay, Skill, etc.
If you need world-class media buyers to scale your dropshipping store to new heights, apply to become a Profitable Ads client. We help brands generate millions of dollars with paid ads.
