Where do you find dropshipping products for your Shopify store?
Many Shopify online sellers have asked themselves this question when they start an online business with the dropshipping model.
Many scratch their heads because they don’t know where to start or are overwhelmed with options! Alibaba offers competitive pricing and great variety in product selection, making it a clear winner if you are looking for a supplier’s website.
In the early days of dropshipping, the mention of Alibaba left a bitter taste in many people’s mouths. They automatically assumed that Alibaba products were lower in quality.
However, as the ecommerce industry expanded, more options are now available on the Alibaba website, even for sellers looking for high-quality items at lower prices. It is now a goldmine of options for product sourcing in your Shopify dropshipping store.
If you know where and what to look for, you can find the best deal and earn a decent profit!
This comprehensive guide is for small businesses using the dropshipping business model. Learn how to start Alibaba dropshipping Shopify, and you will find techniques for selecting products that offer a good profit margin and ensure repeat purchases from your customers!
Key Takeaways
- Alibaba is a global online marketplace where you can find products for your dropshipping e-commerce store.
- Alibaba offers many advantages for owners of small businesses that want to dropship, such as competitive pricing, high profit margin, product variety, and access to various suppliers.
- Use product research tools to identify high-demand products and easily source products from Alibaba for a lower price.
Overview on Alibaba
Alibaba is a Chinese-based global online marketplace. In 2023, it was the largest online wholesale marketplace globally, with a revenue of $129 billion.
The marketplace offers over 200 million products from 200,000 suppliers, most of which are in Asia. This massive product directory is why they’ve become known as the world’s largest online marketplace.
Although they are part of the same company, Alibaba is not the same as Aliexpress. Alibaba is a B2B marketplace, meaning it is the best place to buy for Shopify dropshipping store owners looking for products to sell.
Meanwhile, Aliexpress follows a B2C business model, wherein consumers buy products from the website.
It is a legitimate business despite the concerns over choosing Alibaba products for dropshipping. The company is listed as a publicly traded entity on the New York Stock Exchange.
It has an excellent reputation in the global e commerce industry.
Why Choose Alibaba for Shopify Dropshipping?
Aside from being a legitimate company, choosing Alibaba for your business has many advantages.
Competitive Pricing
Alibaba is a B2B company, which means you can find products at wholesale prices. It is a good place to start when you are looking for dropshipping products at lower prices for your ecommerce store.
It increases your potential to enjoy decent profit margins.
Wide Product Selection and Variety
In addition to its lower price, you can find dropshipping products on Alibaba for any category. It is easy to find products to dropship in your e-commerce store because you can source products for any category or niche.
Easily Find Potential Suppliers
Aside from finding plenty of potential product suppliers, Alibaba offers many options for suppliers for an e commerce store owner wanting to partake in dropshipping.
It is a platform perceived as the best place for sourcing products for businesses so that customers won’t shop directly from Alibaba.
Quality Customer Support
As mentioned, Alibaba is a B2B online marketplace. You can contact the supplier directly when you connect Alibaba to your dropshipping e-commerce store and encounter any issues.
The Alibaba team has its customer support to assist you in all matters related to your account.
Various Payment Methods
Alibaba offers various payment options that make paying for your orders from dropshipping suppliers convenient and easy. You can pay using the most convenient and efficient method, from PayPal to credit or debit card.
Private Label Solutions
If you want to sell custom products on your ecommerce store, you can also do so with Alibaba. Find suppliers that can provide custom products, allowing you to create your own brand even when dropshipping products.
Download this eBook to jump start your dream Shopify business today!Connect Alibaba to Shopify: Step by Step Guide
To sell Alibaba products to Shopify, you must learn how to connect Alibaba to your e-commerce store.
Step 1: Sign up for Alibaba Dropshipping.
Go to the Alibaba dropshipping page and create a seller account in this program. Click Sign In to find the link to register for an account.
Step 2: Fill in your information.
When you choose ‘Create Account’, you will be asked to provide the required information, such as your name, email address, mobile number, company name, and company address.
Once you complete the registration process, you will receive a verification email. Get the code sent to your email to complete the verification process.
After you have verified your account, you can access the Alibaba Dropshipping Center.
Step 3: Connect your Shopify Store to Alibaba.
Use your login information to access your Alibaba dropshipping account. On the Menu, click on My Store.
Click Add Store and paste your Shopify store URL.
Next, go to the Shopify App Store and find the Alibaba Dropshipping app. Once downloaded, install the app.
Your Shopify store name will appear under the Store Management section. It indicates that you have successfully linked your Shopify e commerce store to Alibaba.
How to Import Products from Alibaba to Shopify
To start selling Alibaba products to your e commerce store, you must first learn to import products from Alibaba to Shopify.
First, you must log into your Alibaba dropshipping account. Once in the dashboard, go to Search Products and look for the specific products you want to dropship.
If you have chosen the products you want to add to your e-commerce store, click on Add to Import List.
If you are satisfied with the products you’ve chosen, go to the Import List, and you can edit the product details, such as the title, descriptions, tags, price, and more.
If you are happy with the details, click on Push to Store. This will automatically add the products to your Shopify store.
Go to your Shopify store to verify that the import products action was successful.
Tips to Find Products on Alibaba for Your Shopify Dropshipping Store
Since Alibaba offers a vast product selection at lower prices, it’s a good place for sourcing products for your Shopify dropshipping business.
Here is a step by step guide on how to use a product research tool, such as ZIK Analytics, to find winning products with decent profit margins.
Once you log into your ZIK Analytics account, there are a few things you must take note of before you can research profitable products to sell online.
First, ensure the marketplace is set to Shopify, and the seller settings indicate Alibaba as your supplier website.
From here, I will share a few methods for selecting Alibaba products for your Shopify dropshipping store to increase sales.
Method 1: Store Finder
The Store Finder tool is available on the top-left hand side of the ZIK Analytics dashboard. Click on it to start finding other stores that sell winning products from Alibaba for your Shopify dropshipping store.
The Store Finder page looks like this, with a section where you can Search by Keywords or Exclude Keywords.
Under Store Type, you have a few options. For this purpose, we will choose Single Product Store as it makes it easier to qualify potential suppliers for your dropshipping business, especially if you want to focus on a particular product or niche.
There are additional settings that you can choose according to your business and the specific products you want to add to your store.
For this example, I will choose the Single Product Store and click Search.
The search results provide a few options of products. Make sure to look at the number of sold products and the revenue.
This store looks promising because it sold 3,480 products in the last 30 days and has a revenue of $173,896. The Shopify store was launched in August 2023, so it is impressive that they’re doing so well.
Look at this product. It is originally sold for $99.99 but is currently on sale for $49.97. It claims to provide relief for neck pain, tension headaches, and TMJ. The seller offers worldwide shipping and a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Use the Store Finder to do a competitive analysis on the store and the product.
The Shopify Store Sales Tracker shows that this product (and e-commerce store) has sold 847 times in the last 7 days and earned $42,325 in revenue. Now that is a good sign if you are looking for products to sell on your dropshipping store!
To find potential suppliers for this product from Alibaba, click on the Box icon next to the product. This will prompt ZIK Analytics to find similar products on Alibaba to sell online.
This Alibaba supplier lists the same product for $2.60. You can get more discounts if you buy more, allowing you to take advantage of wholesale prices for your store’s inventory.
But if you want to dropship, it’s still a good option for a supplier because you can get a profit margin of $47.37 for each product sold! The more products you order, the bigger the discount!
Method 2: Product Explorer
The next method to choose dropshipping products from Alibaba to your Shopify store is with the use of the Product Explorer. You will find it on the left-hand side of the screen.
The same idea is applicable for the Store Finder tool. You can input the keyword, if you have a specific product or niche in mind. Again, you can exclude keywords from your search. Make sure to change the settings to apply to your specific search.
The search provides you with a few product ideas to choose for your e-commerce store. Compare each product based on their price, 7-day sales, 30-day sales, and revenue.
This product is a good one to explore and perform further analysis on. It is sold for $19.95 with a total revenue of $52,328. It sold 570 times in the past 7 days and 2,623 times in the last 30 days.
Click on the Spy icon next to the product to get more data insights about the Dancing Cactus.
Now, let’s look for suppliers on Alibaba for this product. You will find many options for this product if you want to add it to your Shopify dropshipping store.
This Alibaba supplier lists the item for $1.55, but it could be as low as $1.30 if you order more.
For the price listed by the supplier ($1.55) and with the average selling price from the competitor ($19.95), you can take home a profit of $18.40 per sold item.
Using the ZIK Analytics tool, you are able to find high demand products at lower prices on Alibaba. The more items you can sell, the higher your profit!
Final Tips
Choosing suppliers for dropshipping products on Alibaba requires extensive research and careful vetting of suppliers. Start by choosing your niche to help narrow down your product selection.
From there, you can use product research tools, such as ZIK Analytics, to validate the demand for the product and find potential suppliers. It will save you time when sourcing products as you can get essential data with just one click.
To find reliable and trustworthy suppliers for your dropshipping e commerce store, always use the dedicated dropshipping portal on Alibaba to ensure you are working with reliable suppliers.
When searching for products and suppliers, always check the seller’s rating and reviews from previous customers. One or the other is good, but when you can check both that would be even better as it helps you find the best suppliers for your online store!
An additional tip to keep in mind is look for verified suppliers. Alibaba’s verification program serves as a way to authentic suppliers that are reliable and offers trade assurance of high product quality.
The verification is provided based on customer feedback and third parties. It also means the supplier has completed the necessary documents to prove they are a legitimate business.
And if you find your supplier, you can reach out to them directly about getting a sample order to verify the product quality.
These measures give you confidence when you select products from those suppliers, ensuring that you dropship only the best products your customers would want to buy at a reasonable price!
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