For over a decade, the one-stop shop for nearly all beginners venturing into dropshipping was AliExpress. The platform earned itself a reputation as the go-to for small scale entrepreneurs wishing to purchase products directly from Chinese suppliers due to the vast catalog of product offerings as well as an English interface that is user-friendly with no minimum order cap on items required for purchases. But now in 2025, as competition grows and expectations from consumers change, the question that is on the minds of many is: is it worth starting out on Express?
The answer varies on what areas you are focusing on – accessibility, delivery speed, product deliverables, or long-term profitability. With the emergence of other AliExpress competitors and the growing databases of suppliers alongside tighter logistics, the standing of AliExpress in the supply chain, particularly for novice sellers, has changed fundamentally.
AliExpress: The Appeal That Built an Industry
Established by Alibaba Group in 2010, AliExpress was the first platform to offer, and unlike alibaba.com which served bulk B2B orders previously, single unit purchases directly from wholesalers and factories in China. AliExpress gave Western entrepreneurs the unprecedented ability to conveniently procure singular items that they wished to resell, without the prerequisite of maintaining a resale inventory.
Its accessibility remains its biggest strength. An individual can start dropshipping right away with a Shopify or WooCommerce store, and begin sourcing from AliExpress within minutes. Integration tools such as DSers, Oberlo (now defunct but replaced by apps like Zendrop and CJdropshipping), and Easync offer near automated product imports with order fulfillment and price syncing automation.
Even today, AliExpress boasts over 100 million SKUs available under thousands of categories. For people just starting out with little financial backing, the platform still stands as one of the few risk-free entry points—all that is needed is an internet connection, with no warehouse, inventory, or contractual obligations.
The Hidden Costs of Convenience
What simplicity AliExpress offers, it struggles to execute efficiently. The most prominent drawback is the shipping times. Despite advancements through logistics initiatives like AliExpress Standard Shipping and Cainiao, delivery to North America or Europe can still take anywhere from 10 to 30 days.
In the era of Amazon Prime, where two-day delivery is a minimum, this adds a great deal of risk. Long shipping times not only result in abandoned carts, but an increase in customer support issues, refunds, and chargebacks.
Quality control also differs significantly. Because AliExpress sellers are independent shops and not conglomerate retailers, the product images and descriptions are often inaccurate. A novice soon realizes that the \$3 Bluetooth headset they purchased comes in the form of a shoddy imitation that is a headache to customers and tarnishes brand loyalty.
Increased Competition: CJdropshipping, Spocket, Zendrop
A number of supplier platforms have come up to provide better vetted products and faster shipping alternatives within North America or EU and seek to address the restrictions posed by AliExpress.
For instance, CJdropshipping offers product sourcing from Chinese factories, but with more stringent quality control and international warehouse options. Shipping from CJ’s US warehouse is as quick as 2-7 days.
Spocket and Zendrop have further specialized in the US and European market by focusing on pre-vetted suppliers. These platforms do serve brands looking to decrease turnaround times and enhance customer satisfaction, but they do carry more expensive wholesale prices and narrower item selection.
According to a 2023 SaleHoo comparison, while AliExpress products had a slightly higher estimated profit margin, they suffered from up to 30% lower customer satisfaction ratings compared to customers sourcing from Spocket or Zendrop.
Conflict Resolution and Payment Safeguards
For the buyer’s protection, AliExpress has an automatic escrow system in place that releases funds only when the item has been marked as delivered. However, refunding money takes time, while resolving refund disputes needs extensive photo documentation and communication with the seller.
The Zendrop platform has customer support integration, branded invoicing, and even account managers at entry level plans. This is a stark difference from what offered by AliExpress. Those services which are bundled with membership dues or product prices still help beginners avoid losing time and reputation.
Final Verdict: An Excellent Introduction that Lacks Depth
AliExpress continues providing powerful support to absolute beginners looking to test out product ideas or enter ultra low-risk niches. This is due to its vast inventory and integration with ecommerce platforms, offering plenty of choices for advanced market research during soft launches.
Those aiming to scale further, build a brand around an idea, or focus on long-term customer retention need to switch to suppliers who can ship products quicker, have better quality assurance, and provide customer support. This isn’t a preference, it’s a requirement.
The year is 2025 and aside from aliexpress, all other platforms have a more sophisticated infrastructure. Up to now, it is still recommended as an entry point, but the sandbox stage of growing a business. Understanding the demand for a product, automating the fulfillment stage, and moving up the supply chain allows for growth beyond what’s currently available.
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