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Started my AliExpress Dropshipping Adventure Yesterday!

by Jason Jacques
13 replies
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Hi everyone,

A little while ago I was exploring the dropshipping business model.

My intentions were to find suppliers in the Buddha related niche and launch under the name of "Buddha Pit".

After exploring my options I came across a popular thread on here for a "World of Harry".

I might have... umm 'borrowed' part of the name... and switched mine to: World of Buddha. I also decided to utilize AliExpress dropshipping with the free world wide shipping option.

Thanks to Yaros for the inspiration. I didn't end up reading far enough to learn about the plugin he's developed, but it sounds super promising. I dove right in to my own project after reading just a little into it.

Anyways, I would love your feedback. I hope to use this thread as a case study as he has for his project. You can visit mine at: Home - World of Buddha.

Let me know your thoughts!

Wish me luck!
#adventure #aliexpress #aliexpress dropshipping #dropshipping #ecommerce #online business #started #yesterday
  • Profile picture of the author Splatterfox
    Originally Posted by Jason Jacques View Post

    Hi everyone,

    A little while ago I was exploring the dropshipping business model.

    My intentions were to find suppliers in the Buddha related niche and launch under the name of "Buddha Pit".

    After exploring my options I came across a popular thread on here for a "World of Harry".

    I might have... umm 'borrowed' part of the name... and switched mine to: World of Buddha. I also decided to utilize AliExpress dropshipping with the free world wide shipping option.

    Thanks to Yaros for the inspiration. I didn't end up reading far enough to learn about the plugin he's developed, but it sounds super promising. I dove right in to my own project after reading just a little into it.

    Anyways, I would love your feedback. I hope to use this thread as a case study as he has for his project. You can visit mine at: Home - World of Buddha.

    Let me know your thoughts!

    Wish me luck!
    Doesn't look bad, even though there is a ton of competition in Buddha stuff your store is quite cool. A few things that popped to my mind immediately: the product pictures are a little small. I believe that many people who are interested in Buddha wall art for example want to see a big, detailed picture of it before deciding. Plus, on the "category" page the names of the different categories are mixing up with the pictures, you should adjust that as well.

    Good luck with your journey, its a really tough business but if you manage to be consistent in what you do and build a good marketing strategy, this might become a success.

    Since you are just starting out you might want to take a look at my video about why to have at least $500 aside for your dropshipping business to avoid a lot of trouble:

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    • Profile picture of the author Jason Jacques
      Thanks! I'll dive in and fix those issues on the categories page asap. For the pictures, I went with the recommended 800x800px I picked up somewhere. They appear pretty big on my computer?

      I definitely see your point with the wall art though.
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  • Profile picture of the author Victoria Gates
    I thought about starting a drop shipping business with AliExpress but there is an immediate problem.. Chinese New Year.. it apparently can cause 10-20 day lags in shipments which definitely sounds like the recipe for upset customers.

    What do you do in that case?
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    Victoria Gates - Digital Marketing Specialist
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    • Profile picture of the author Importexport
      Originally Posted by Victoria Gates View Post

      I thought about starting a drop shipping business with AliExpress but there is an immediate problem.. Chinese New Year.. it apparently can cause 10-20 day lags in shipments which definitely sounds like the recipe for upset customers.

      What do you do in that case?
      Chinese New Year is a headache for all sellers who buy from China, not only those who dropship from suppliers on Aliexpress.

      Those who buy inventory, even only small orders usually know that the New Year holidays mean that business in China effectively shuts down for near enough to a month, not just 10 - 20 days. I always give my students a reminder well in advance so they can place orders early enough to have inventory available before, after, and during the Chinese holiday period.

      Those who dropship from suppliers on Aliexpress are likely to encounter disastrous delays in addition to the already damaging "slow boat from China" delivery times they have to explain to their unhappy customers.

      Your "immediate problem" is an ongoing problem that leads to many unhappy customers.

      Consider instead buying small orders of inventory from real manufacturers in China, giving you control over your business, including prompt delivery, and at the same time enjoying profit margins that will blow you away.

      Walter Hay
      Provenchinasourcing.com
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      Use emotions and perceptions to build a great brand. Ask me about my book LabelsThatExploit. For safe sourcing and easy importing from 41 countries globally, see https://provenglobalsourcing.com
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      • Profile picture of the author Splatterfox
        Originally Posted by Importexport View Post

        Chinese New Year is a headache for all seller who buy from China, not only those who dropship from suppliers on Aliexpress.

        Those who buy inventory, even only small orders usually know that the New Year holidays mean that business in China effectively shuts down for near enough to a month, not just 10 - 20 days. I always give my students a reminder well in advance so they can place orders early enough to have inventory available before, after, and during the Chinese holiday period.

        Those who dropship from suppliers on Aliexpress are likely to encounter disastrous delays in addition to the already damaging "slow boat from China" delivery times they have to explain to their unhappy customers.

        Your "immediate problem" is an ongoing problem that leads to many unhappy customers.

        Consider instead buying small orders of inventory from real manufacturers in China, giving you control over your business, including prompt delivery, and at the same time enjoying profit margins that will blow you away.

        Walter Hay
        Provenchinasourcing.com
        Absolutely.

        I remember last Chinese new year: I had to refund around $25,000 worth of products because my supplier was not able to ship the products we ordered in time. Chinese New Year is a true pain and you have to think about it WAY in advance.
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      • Profile picture of the author automathings
        "Consider instead buying small orders of inventory from real manufacturers in China, giving you control over your business, including prompt delivery, and at the same time enjoying profit margins that will blow you away."

        This is the correct answer. The AliExpress dropshipping model has been beaten to death in the US. Perhaps you can buy some cheap clicks to target Russian customers though...
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  • Profile picture of the author Victoria Gates
    So for CNY 2017 when would you expect to see fulfillment start to drop? And then when would you expect to see things return to mostly normal? It says it begins Jan 28th.
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    Victoria Gates - Digital Marketing Specialist
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    • Profile picture of the author Importexport
      Originally Posted by Victoria Gates View Post

      So for CNY 2017 when would you expect to see fulfillment start to drop? And then when would you expect to see things return to mostly normal? It says it begins Jan 28th.
      Yes that is the official starting date, but in practice many businesses are so busy at this time of year that they are unable to process orders received after mid December. That's just a few days away.

      In addition to that, people begin to close down as much as two weeks early in order to beat the millions who will be traveling as soon as the official holidays start.

      To complicate matters further, the suppliers you will probably be using if you buy from suppliers on the Aliexpress site will not be manufacturers, even though most will claim they are, and they are at the mercy of the real manufacturers.

      In short: If you are dropshipping, placing orders at this time of year is even more of a lottery than usual, with increased risks of non delivery and if you are buying inventory you only have a few days to place and confirm your orders for delivery before Jan 28.

      The dropship suppliers will mostly tell you that they will deliver immediately, but I would not put my business at risk by accepting such promises..

      I began buying from China and other Asian countries in 1987 after 9 years of exporting to those countries, so I know how the system works.

      Walter Hay.
      Provenchinasourcing.com
      Signature
      Use emotions and perceptions to build a great brand. Ask me about my book LabelsThatExploit. For safe sourcing and easy importing from 41 countries globally, see https://provenglobalsourcing.com
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    • Profile picture of the author Jason Jacques
      Definitely a huge concern - I won't be able to stock any products, so I will most likely implement a site wide notice letting customers know of potential issues with shipping due to the holiday season and new years shipping lags.
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      • Profile picture of the author Splatterfox
        Originally Posted by Jason Jacques View Post

        Definitely a huge concern - I won't be able to stock any products, so I will most likely implement a site wide notice letting customers know of potential issues with shipping due to the holiday season and new years shipping lags.
        Don't make a notice only - if you know that things won't work out properly, don't sell at this point. Theoretically it seems fine to just let your customers know, but in reality you will still face a ton of refunds and chargebacks, no matter how clear you make your statement. This is a typical situation where PayPal may stop doing business with you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Digital00
    Since the date is 28th for chinese new year...........what time do we have to place an order from a manufacture? Would it be best to place orders end of February as opposed to now?
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    • Profile picture of the author Splatterfox
      Originally Posted by Digital00 View Post

      Since the date is 28th for chinese new year...........what time do we have to place an order from a manufacture? Would it be best to place orders end of February as opposed to now?
      Make an order as soon as they get back to work. It doesnt make sense to place one before, since no one will process it. If you use PayPal, the money is there immediately anyway so you might as well place it when they are back. When using bank transfer, it will take several days depending on your bank(s).
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  • Profile picture of the author aquasamo
    How is your business going recently ?
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