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One question we often get asked by our readers is, how long does it take AliExpress to ship an order? The truth is, there is no straightforward answer to that question, but we will try our best to give the best possible answers.
First off, what is AliExpress?
AliExpress is undoubtedly one of the most popular eCommerce platforms on the internet today. Unlike your regular Amazon, which operates from the US, AliExpress has its base in faraway China.
AliExpress has numerous unique features, and one of them is that it gives you the chance to buy good stuff at low prices and resell them. This makes it ideal for dropshipping.
However, one of the major issues shoppers and dropshippers have with buying on AliExpress is that the shipping time can be annoyingly long. Sometimes, it can take as long as 60 days.
That said, shipping time on AliExpress depends on many factors. We will be looking into these factors in this post.
In addition to that, you will learn about the various shipping options AliExpress offers and how to expedite your shipping without breaking the bank.
Let’s get into it!
AliExpress has several shipping methods, which are both paid and free. They are as follows:
AliExpress Standard Shipping happens to be the most popular shipping method, and for a very good reason: it is very cheap. In fact, often, sellers on AliExpress offer Standard Shipping for free.
Standard shipping is ideal for dropshipping because it will help save you money on shipping fees and improve your profit margin.
What is the wait time for standard shipping?
Well, this depends on the product you are buying and your location. For example, if you are located in the US, expect to wait for about 15 to 45, sometimes 50 days.
Keep in mind that Standard Shipping on AliExpress isn’t free all the time. But they don’t cost so much either.
For as little as $3, you can have your product shipped to the US or UK, and in less than 2 weeks. It could be earlier if you are lucky.
Another cool fact about Standard Shipping is that it allows you to track your order using a tracking number. Although, tracking isn’t always available, especially if you are shipping for free.
Cainiao is a logistics outlet founded by the parent company of AliExpress; Alibaba. The goal of establishing Cainiao was to make shipping within and without China a lot faster.
Cainiao Standard Shipping costs a little more than the regular Standard Shipping and is a bit faster.
ePacket is a shipping option that is very popular in China and Hong Kong and is powered by the United States Postal Service (USPS).
The idea behind ePacket is to make shipments to Europe and America faster, hence, why ePacket shipping is mostly done by air.
Sellers on AliExpress often offer ePacket shipping for free. In cases when they are not free, they cost as little as $4. The coolest part is that it offers real-time order tracking at no additional cost.
ePacket shipping may not always be ideal for some reasons. Firstly, ePacket shipping is only available in about 40 countries. Secondly, you can’t ship an order worth over $400 with ePacket.
Also, the maximum allowable weight of the product you can ship via ePacket is 2kg.
ePacket shipping might be fast, but might not be fast enough for your liking. AliExpress certainly knows this, hence why you have the option of shipping via DHL, FedEx and UPS.
Expectedly, shipping via DHL, FedEx and UPS costs way more than conventional Standard or ePacket shipping. Expect to pay $57 upward in shipping fee for something as little as a wristwatch.
The perk, however, is that your gets delivered much faster – sometimes three days.
If you said China, you would be very much correct. Nevertheless, China isn’t the only country AliExpress ships from – the United States, Turkey, and India are some other countries AliExpress express currently ships from.
AliExpress gives you the option of selecting the country you would like your order to be shipped from. To choose your preferred country, click the Ship from dropdown box and pick a country of your choice.
If you select the United States, for example, AliExpress will ship your order from a seller whose warehouse is based in the US. This means a faster delivery time.
AliExpress also ships from some European countries such as Spain, the UK, Germany, etc.
Shipping on AliExpress can take a pretty long time. How long depends mainly on some factors, such as the shipping method you are using, the location your order is coming from, your location, and the quantity of products you are buying.
Another factor that influences shipping time on AliExpress is holiday periods. Orders placed on popular holiday periods such as China New Year, Christmas, and Black Friday might take longer to deliver.
But how long does it actually take AliExpress to deliver products? The answer depends mostly on the shipping method you choose and your location.
Assuming you are based in the US, here are the expected delivery times for each shipping method:
Delivery time on AliExpress is not only dependent on your shipping method and location; a lot of other factors can play a role. They are as follows:
Size and weight of your order: Some carriers have limitations as per the allowable order weight and size. If your order exceeds those limits, you might have to wait a bit longer because the courier company will need some time to make adjustments.
Political instability: orders usually take longer to deliver during times of political unrest. So, take note of that when buying on AliExpress.
Are you scared that you might lose your customers due to the notoriously long wait time on AliExpress? Your fears are valid!
As such, you might want to find ways to expedite your orders on AliExpress. Here are some steps you can take to expedite your orders and make them arrive at your customers’ doorstep much quicker.
This one is a no-brainer. If a customer based in, say, the US places an order on our dropshipping store, the smart thing to do is to ship the order from a vendor based in the United States as well.
Doing this will help reduce delivery time and cut shipping fees significantly.
Lucky for you, AliExpress, as you have already seen, gives you the option to ship orders from a country of your choice.
You might not always get the option to ship from a country of your choice. When that happens, your best bet is to pay for premium shipping.
AliExpress has a couple of premium shipping options to choose from. They are as follows:
Sellers on AliExpress are aware that most people buy for dropshipping purposes. So, they won’t be surprised if you request faster shipping before placing an order.
They might ask you to pay a little more, but it will be well worth it.
AliExpress allows you to filter products based on their shipping times, specifically, products with a 10-day shipping period.
The coolest part is that such products cost little to ship.
Are you looking for some Aliexpress alternatives with possibly faster shipping times? We’ve got some in store for you.
DHGate is, to a large extent, similar to Aliexpress and is also one of the largest eCommerce outlets in China. On DHGate, you can buy products in wholesale or retail quantities.
There is an extensive collection of product categories to select from and thousands of available products you can buy.
Similar to Aliexpress, DHGate supports ePacket shipping. In addition to that, DHGate gives you the option of shipping your order via China Post Air, EMS, DHL, etc.
Shipping time on DHGate is slightly faster than Aliexpress. At times, it can be slower, depending on the supplier you buy from.
Printful isn’t a dropshipping platform per se, but rather an on-demand printing and fulfilment eCommerce company based in the United States.
Printful is ideal for retailers looking to get into T-shirts, Hoodies, Leggings, Mugs, etc. printing?
How does Printful work?
First, you create an account with Printful and connect your store with your product listings. Once a customer places an order, it will be automatically shipped to Printful’s warehouse for fulfilment. Shipping is handled for you out of the box.
Shipping time on Printful takes 2 to 7 days within the US and 8 to 14 days outside.
DX is the place to be if you want to buy good stuff cheaply and still have them delivered on time.
Delivery time on DX takes 1 to 15 days, depending on the country you are shipping your orders to. The best part is that you can ship your products for free on DX.
As for payment, DX allows you to pay for your orders via PayPal or Credit card.
Dropshipping from Chinese suppliers can be understandably frustrating. As such, you might want to buy from US or Europe-based suppliers.
In such an instance, Spocket is the best platform to look at. Spocket is a dropshipping platform that connects you with suppliers and product manufacturers based in the US or Europe.
Spocket supports integration with eCommerce platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, and a lot more.
How long does it take AliExpress to ship an order? We hope by now you have found answers to that question.
Delivery time is a deal-breaker when it comes to dropshipping with AliExpress. Faster delivery means more customer satisfaction and, hence, more sales. Slow or delayed delivery can rob you of your customers.
Hopefully, you have learned tips and tricks for making delivery time on AliExpress Shorter with all we’ve shared in this post.
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