Many people love shopping on AliExpress, a Chinese online shopping site. After all, it's the 47th most visited website in the world.
It offers a wide range of products, from clothing to electronics, and shipping is often free.
But if you have ordered something on AliExpress before, you have probably experienced their biggest downside: long shipping times.
So if you’re like me, you have probably wondered if there’s a way to get your AliExpress orders delivered faster.
Well, let me tell you this, you obviously won't beat Amazon's shipping times, but there are a couple of ways to get faster shipping times on AliExpress!
This article will show you 6 tips to get that AliExpress shipping time down to a reasonable level.
Let's begin!
What are the benefits of faster shipping for your online store?
It doesn't matter if you're ordering products for your own use or your online store; it's always nice to have faster shipping times.
That's because if you buy something, you want to get it as soon as possible, right?
Customers on your online store will feel the same.
Some people will need a product in just a few days, while others will not feel like waiting a couple of weeks for the delivery and will search Google for an alternative.
Well, there goes another sale!
In other words, long shipping times have a negative impact on your conversion rate, and vice versa.
In my opinion, a higher conversion rate is the most significant benefit of having faster shipping, and I will tell you more about it in a moment.
But, faster shipping times have more benefits too.
For instance, faster shipping times make the order experience a lot better for your customers.
Especially after more than two weeks, most customers will get nervous and send you an email with a subject similar to “Where is my order?”.
And trust me, I get why they do that; I've been in their shoes a few times. In this day and age, more and more people are getting used to one-, two-, or even same-day shipping times!
Note: If your orders take a while to be delivered, it's better to keep your customers updated on the shipping process. It will save you time because you won't have to answer that many emails, and it will let your customers feel more comfortable. Click here to learn more about this.
All in all, it doesn't look that good for stores that have these longer delivery times.
So, can you still sell products online with AliExpress as your supplier?
Do long shipping times stop customers from buying?
According to a report from late 2017, most shoppers don't accept delivery times above 4.5 days. That’s down a full day from 5.5 days in a similar survey in 2012.
This maximum waiting time has now luckily increased to 8 days thanks to the pandemic.
Nevertheless, you would think it must be impossible to sell products with a two to three week delivery time.
But, I can tell you that this is not always the case:
Let me explain.
Would you wait for 2-4 weeks for a sandwich maker that you can also buy in the store next door?
I don’t think so…
But what if it’s a special sandwich maker, that you never saw before and is also in your favorite color? Would you care if you might need to wait for 2-4 weeks before it’s delivered?
In a case like this, most people won't think too much about the delivery time.
Instead, they will be fantasizing about how their new awesome sandwich maker will look in their kitchen.
Besides this, many dropshippers have built successful online stores with AliExpress as their supplier.
Still, it's always easier to make a sale when your delivery time is quicker.
So, let's find out how you can get faster shipping on AliExpress!
6 Ways to get a faster shipping time on AliExpress
As you know, you will have to deal with long shipping times when using AliExpress as your supplier.
Luckily, there are some ways to reduce that shipping time and get faster shipping.
Next up, I will give you six tips if you've been wondering: “How can I get faster shipping on AliExpress?”
Let's dive into them:
1. Filter on local AliExpress suppliers
My best tip to reduce your shipping times on AliExpress is to buy from suppliers with local warehouses.
For example, if your target audience is based in the US, you should try to find a supplier that can ship the product you're selling from the US:
When buying from an (in this example) US AliExpress supplier, the product is stored in a US warehouse.
This is great because before you've placed your order, the product has already covered the long distance from China to the US and has gone through customs at both borders.
As you can see, this can decrease your shipping time to as little as 4 days if you're lucky!
To help you find local AliExpress suppliers, we have written a guide that explains how to find local suppliers in three simple steps, which you can find here.
Note that it is focused on US sellers, but it can be applied to every country.
When you have found a local supplier, be aware that not all AliExpress sellers are honest. Some might still ship from China, even when it says “Ship from the US” on the product page.
This can be very annoying and cause frustration for both you and your customers.
Therefore, it's essential to avoid these suppliers.
Luckily, there are a couple of methods to spot these “fake” local AliExpress suppliers. For example, you can ask a supplier for tracking numbers of previous orders, on which you can see that they indeed ship from your customer's country.
You can find three other tips on avoiding fake local AliExpress sellers here.
2. Try to find “VIP” listings for your product
The second tip to get faster shipping on AliExpress is finding “VIP” listings for your product.
These are product pages on AliExpress that are mostly created for dropshippers.
AliExpress suppliers do this because you will probably be a repeat customer for them if you’re dropshipping. The chances are high that you will buy their product multiple times, and that is why they consider you like a VIP.
A VIP page can help you get faster shipping times on AliExpress because some suppliers will give your order a higher priority, which means you can get shorter processing times. Sometimes, your order will also be shipped using special shipping methods like YunExpress.
Besides these advantages, a VIP page can offer your product for a lower price, and suppliers won't put any additional promotions or invoices in the package.
Awesome, right?
Note: Another tip is to ask your supplier to create a VIP page for you if you have been working with them for a long time!
3. Test and find the best shipping method for your country
If you've ordered on AliExpress before, you may have noticed that some suppliers offer a whole list of possible shipping methods:
While all of them do come with an estimated delivery time, these are often inaccurate and very wide.
Most of the time, a shipping method will indicate a delivery time of 20 to 40 days. However, if you see two affordable shipping methods that both have an indicated delivery time of 20-40 days, then which one do you pick?
The best method of shipping is probably going to depend on your country. So, there’s only one easy way to find out: test out all the options!
Sometimes, a shipping method like AliExpress Standard Shipping will be the best, while in other scenarios, ePacket may be better.
Tip: For more information about dropshipping with ePacket in 2023 – if it's still possible or not, check out this article here!
And check out this article here to learn more about how to track a package from China.
4. Test multiple suppliers to find the one with the quickest processing times
Besides testing the shipping methods themselves, you should also try to test multiple suppliers.
That's because some suppliers will ship out your order in one or two days, while others will take as much as seven!
So, choosing to work with a supplier that has fast processing times can already cause a massive improvement for your shipping times.
Besides processing times, there are more criteria on which you can judge an AliExpress supplier.
If you're interested, you can find out how you can select the best AliExpress supplier here.
Tip: Ask the AliExpress seller before working with them what their average processing time is once you have placed an order.
5. Message your supplier before ordering with them
Here's another tip to get faster shipping times on AliExpress, ask your supplier a couple of questions before ordering with them.
For instance, you can let your supplier know that you're planning to dropship with them and ask if they can arrange a faster shipping method for your target country.
Some suppliers will be able to ship out your orders using faster shipping methods like YunExpress or 4PX!
Besides that, there are more advantages of contacting a supplier. For example, you can negotiate a discount and ask questions about the product.
6. Use an AliExpress alternative
This last tip won't really help you to get faster shipping on AliExpress, but you will be able to get faster shipping!
As you've read, you can do this by using an AliExpress alternative.
What I mean by this, is that there are many other suppliers out there that you can use for your dropshipping business.
If you pick a good supplier, preferably one that is located close to your target audiences, such as a US or EU supplier, then you will beat the shipping times of pretty much all AliExpress suppliers!
You can find 15 AliExpress alternatives here!
Conclusion
Let's be honest; delivery times on AliExpress can be a pain in the butt. It isn't easy to find an honest supplier with fast processing and shipping times that sells a winning product for a reasonable price.
However, just know that it isn't impossible.
Using the six tips in this article, you will be well on your way to get faster shipping times on AliExpress.
If you liked this article, I recommend checking out our full guide on AliExpress dropshipping.
Last but not least, don't forget my last tip. You don't have to use AliExpress as your dropshipping supplier; there are many more great suppliers out there!
For example, check out our list of the 91 best dropshipping suppliers, or you can take a look at what a dropshipping agent can do for your business.
Good luck with everything!
Getting Started with Dropshipping in 2023
So, are you ready to get started with dropshipping? Or maybe you have already started, but you’re looking to get some inspiration?
If so, then I suggest reading this complete Shopify dropshipping guide.
It’s a huge article, but it contains everything that you need to know to create your own Shopify dropshipping store in 2023. It’s like a dropshipping course, but then for free!
Reading this article will surely help you to get started and to stay motivated while beginning and continuing your dropshipping journey.
Just don’t forget that success takes time. Keep improving each and every day!
Shopify Dropshipping: A 20-Step Guide to Starting Your Store
And here are the articles I suggest you read next:
- How to Have a Fast Delivery Time When Dropshipping?
- Unique Dropshipping Store: 11 Amazing Tips to Create One
- Dropshipping Startup Checklist: 10 Things to Do Before Starting
- How to Find Winning Dropshipping Products? (Product Research Methods)
And also, if you didn’t create a Shopify account yet (to get your dropshipping store online), then you can click here to get a free 3-day trial + pay $1/month for the first 3 months!
