/Market Analysis & Strategy
Question
Is it still viable to dropship directly from AliExpress in 2025 or do I NEED an agent/3PL?
Posted by •10/30/2025
Real talk… I'm confused about logistics.
Some people say:
- “You can still start with AliExpress, it's fine”
Others say:
- “If you don't offer 5–10 day shipping you're dead”
I'm in the very beginning stages and can't really afford:
- Buying bulk inventory
- Paying for a 3PL warehouse
- Committing to stock for a product that hasn't proven itself
But I also don't want:
- 25-day shipping
- Chargebacks
- Angry customers
For those of you actually shipping **right now**:
1. Is it still acceptable to start with AliExpress suppliers if you’re honest about shipping times?
2. At what point (revenue/orders per day) did you switch to an agent or local fulfilment?
3. Is it better to have slower shipping and a working business… or wait until I can afford “perfect” logistics?
Some people say:
- “You can still start with AliExpress, it's fine”
Others say:
- “If you don't offer 5–10 day shipping you're dead”
I'm in the very beginning stages and can't really afford:
- Buying bulk inventory
- Paying for a 3PL warehouse
- Committing to stock for a product that hasn't proven itself
But I also don't want:
- 25-day shipping
- Chargebacks
- Angry customers
For those of you actually shipping **right now**:
1. Is it still acceptable to start with AliExpress suppliers if you’re honest about shipping times?
2. At what point (revenue/orders per day) did you switch to an agent or local fulfilment?
3. Is it better to have slower shipping and a working business… or wait until I can afford “perfect” logistics?
2 Replies
•10/30/2025
I went:
AliExpress → agent → small bulk in EU warehouse.
Timeline:
- Month 1–2: AliExpress, 15–25 days shipping. Lots of “where is my order” emails, but no disaster because I was honest on the product page.
- Month 3: Hit ~15–20 orders/day → switched to agent, dropped shipping to 8–12 days.
- Month 5: Biggest product doing 40+ orders/day → started sending small batches to EU warehouse.
If I tried to start at Phase 3, I would still be “planning” and not selling anything.
AliExpress → agent → small bulk in EU warehouse.
Timeline:
- Month 1–2: AliExpress, 15–25 days shipping. Lots of “where is my order” emails, but no disaster because I was honest on the product page.
- Month 3: Hit ~15–20 orders/day → switched to agent, dropped shipping to 8–12 days.
- Month 5: Biggest product doing 40+ orders/day → started sending small batches to EU warehouse.
If I tried to start at Phase 3, I would still be “planning” and not selling anything.
•10/30/2025
Unpopular opinion: it’s still fine to **start** with AliExpress if you treat it as Phase 1, not the final business model.
Here’s a simple way to think about it:
**Phase 1 – Validation (0–20 orders/day)**
- Use AliExpress / CJ / Zendrop
- Pick suppliers with:
- 4.7+ rating
- 1,000+ orders
- ePacket / decent line to your country (10–18 days, not 30+)
- Be honest about shipping time on the site
- Your goal: prove the product sells at all
**Phase 2 – Optimization (20–50 orders/day)**
- Talk to an agent
- Negotiate:
- Better shipping times (7–12 days)
- More stable packaging
- Slightly better pricing
- Maybe ship best sellers in small bulk to a local 3PL
**Phase 3 – Brand (50+ orders/day)**
- Custom packaging
- Faster, more premium shipping
- Explore local warehouses
Big mistake beginners make:
- They wait for “perfect” logistics before even proving they can sell 10 units.
It’s better to:
- Start with “good enough” (AliExpress with honest expectations)
- Get sales + data
- Upgrade when the numbers justify it.
Just don’t lie about shipping times and don’t stay in Phase 1 forever.
Here’s a simple way to think about it:
**Phase 1 – Validation (0–20 orders/day)**
- Use AliExpress / CJ / Zendrop
- Pick suppliers with:
- 4.7+ rating
- 1,000+ orders
- ePacket / decent line to your country (10–18 days, not 30+)
- Be honest about shipping time on the site
- Your goal: prove the product sells at all
**Phase 2 – Optimization (20–50 orders/day)**
- Talk to an agent
- Negotiate:
- Better shipping times (7–12 days)
- More stable packaging
- Slightly better pricing
- Maybe ship best sellers in small bulk to a local 3PL
**Phase 3 – Brand (50+ orders/day)**
- Custom packaging
- Faster, more premium shipping
- Explore local warehouses
Big mistake beginners make:
- They wait for “perfect” logistics before even proving they can sell 10 units.
It’s better to:
- Start with “good enough” (AliExpress with honest expectations)
- Get sales + data
- Upgrade when the numbers justify it.
Just don’t lie about shipping times and don’t stay in Phase 1 forever.