How to sell on AliExpress marketplace?

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AliExpress is available to customers all over the world and offers the widest possible range of products. It is therefore a major marketplace for sellers with millions of active customers. More clients mean more opportunities and more challenges. You’ve got to be on the forefront in several ways to outperform other sellers. In this article, I will introduce you to how you can start selling the Aliexpress marketplace, as well as provide other necessary information that you may need down the road. Let’s jump into the details!

What is AliExpress?

AliExpress is an e-commerce website or online marketplace of Chinese origin, which has been in service since 2010. Its concept is somewhat similar to that offered by Amazon: a website where the customer can find thousands of items separated into different categories. These goods are sold by different sellers who pay a fee on the market for each sale made. AliExpress has been planning to join Europe for three years, and Spain has been one of its major training camps, with three pop-up shops and now a permanent physical store in Madrid.

Benefits of selling on AliExpress

• There are no limits on the number of products you can upload.
• You can sell throughout Europe.
• You’ll be able to connect with Aliexpress through the API and integration modules of Magento, Shopify, PrestaShop, and WooCommerce if you have already had an online store on any of these eCommerce platforms.
• You can integrate your products on other marketplaces, such as Amazon and eBay, with Aliexpress.
• You can get access to AliExpress promotions and events, which can help increase your brand visibility and revenue (for example, at its physical store in Madrid).
• You can have the freedom to set your own return policies, so that your customers may be responsible for the shipping costs of their orders.
• You can create your own marketing offers.
• Aliexpress’s chatbot, AliMe Bot, offers 9 A.M to 5 P.M customer service for you.
• AliExpress University provides tutorials to help you start selling on the platform.
• The AliExpress Marketplace Service provides additional services for businesses, such as plugins for marketing campaigns.
• The AliExpress mediation service will help settle disputes between sellers and buyers in case of conflict.

Things to be aware of when selling on AliExpress

• Payments via PayPal are not accepted.
• Invoices on Aliexpress are issued monthly and there’s no automated, immediate invoice generation.
• €1 fee for transferring money from Aliexpress to your personal or company bank account.
• You cannot edit or remove products that are part of an offer, whether it’s your own product or AliExpress’s product until the promotion comes to an end.

• Aliexpress can issue account suspensions of 7-30 days, or indefinitely, for various infractions:

  • Providing an invalid tracking number.
  • Intellectual property violations related to products or images.
  • Making fake purchases to improve rankings.
  • Agreeing with the buyer to change a receipt date as prior to the actual date.
  • Fraudulent order shipments such as mismatches between descriptions and received products, empty shipments, or wrong products.
  • Unfair competition against other brands.
  • Sell at a loss to attract customer attention.
  • Offline transactions (methods not approved by AliExpress).

How to become a seller on AliExpress

Requirements for being a seller

Sellers who are companies and those who are sole traders can join the AliExpress marketplace. Your business must be licensed in the United Kingdom and you will need to include legal, tax, and personal information.

Steps for becoming a seller on AliExpress

The first thing you need to do is sign up for an AliExpress account. Choose the name of your shop well, and if you change your mind in the future, you can change the name of your shop only once. Attach the required tax and banking details and wait for your application to be reviewed and for registration to be approved, which usually takes 2 to 3 working days.

You will then get an email of confirmation or rejection. Now you can start customizing your shop and sell your items to AliExpress! You can also register a new brand of your own that is not already in the AliExpress database. In order to become an official shop, you can only sell items of your brand and must be approved by Aliexpress.

Step 1: Account Setup and Store Registration

This is simple. You can visit the account registration page and select the Join AliExpress button.

After that, you’ll get redirected to the “Create an account” page. Here, choose your tax country and further details as required.

After clicking the Continue button, you’ll receive the authentication code in the inbox. Type in your verification code.

Next is the Business information page. Enter the details required and click on Next. Your seller registration now is complete.

It takes 2-3 business days (maximum) for your registration to be reviewed, and you’ll get a notification after it’s completed.

Step 2: Category Enrollment

The Category Enrollment section gives you complete access to a wide range of products. In this stage, find the right category for products. Now you can download the product list subcategory. After you have installed a list of items, enter the type of product you want to sell and choose an online shop that is relevant to your business. Now, register for a brand trademark and trademark degree service.

Step 3: Annual Repayment Fee

You’ll be taken to the repayment tab. This charge is the annual fee charged by sellers for the maintenance of AliExpress.com. It provides a list of the contract price plan specifications for annual professional support in various categories.

Step 4: Shop Administration Page

Next comes the administration page of the store. In this phase, you’ve got a chance to brand your shop. You can select the name of a second-level website so that you can access it without entering your online store.

Step 5: Publish your Products

Last but significant stage, here you determine your store’s look and feel (User Interface Layout). It is also strongly recommended to make the product stand out with high-end photos and clear descriptions. After you’ve completed these 5 steps, you are officially allowed to sell on AliExpress.

How to start selling your products on AliExpress

What countries AliExpress will allow you to sell in

The AliExpress website automatically adjusts to the user’s country and language, and it is available in 18 languages. For the time being, sellers who want to use AliExpress can select the regions of the world where they want to sell their products, and from the following countries in the European region: Finland, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Spain, Slovenia, and Ireland.

What you can sell on AliExpress

The products that can be sold on Aliexpress fall into these categories:

• Books
• Car and motorcycle accessories
• Bags and suitcases
• Clothing accessories
• Consumer Electronics
• Computers and accessories
• Electronic components and systems
• Furniture
• Handicrafts
• Footwear
• Home and garden
• Lights and lighting
• Household Appliances
• Men’s Clothing
• Office and stationery
• Mother & Kids
• Sports and leisure
• Security and protection
• Tools
• Toys and hobbies
• Telephones and telecommunications
• Women’s Clothing
• Weddings and events

The following products might require special authorization before you can put them on sale on AliExpress:

• Fine jewelry, costume jewelry, and accessories
• Food
• Beauty and health
• Watches
• Hair extensions and wigs

Also, be aware of the list of banned items on AliExpress, which includes everything bad and illegal, such as:

• Medical Devices
• Hazardous Chemicals
• Precious metals
• Military equipment
• Weapons
• Tobacco and related products

Pricing policy and payment systems on AliExpress

All rates must include the VAT of the country where your product is being sold. AliExpress provides payments secured by Verisign SSL, by debit or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, American Express, etc.) The seller can only obtain payment if the customer confirms delivery of the item so that the deposit may take between 5 and 7 working days.

The deposit is made to Alipay, your AliExpress account. When the balance is open, you will be able to send it to a bank account of yours. Remember, however, that any withdrawal of money from your AliExpress balance is subject to a €1 commission.

How to ship products on AliExpress

Use the shipping templates to set up the shipping methods. Please note that you must use your own carrier. All AliExpress sellers can choose the method of shipping their goods, the courier company, and the costs. You can set up a variety of options, such as one for Free Shipping and one for Shipping Cost based on weight. Don’t forget to provide your refund policies and the return address.

What information your product pages on AliExpress should include

• Default language
• Product name: short, precise, and direct, containing brand, model, and keywords
• Category and subcategory
• Photos: 6 photos at a resolution of 1000 x 1000 pixels are recommended. They should be in the JPEG (white background) or the PNG (transparent background) format.
• Product details
• Country of issue of the product
• The minimum unit of measure (product sold individually or in batches)
• Detailed description
• Prices and stock levels
• Logistic data (weight and measurements)
• Delivery time

AliExpress commission fees

AliExpress sellers pay a fee of between 5% and 8% on the market for each sale, depending on the product type. Other than that, there are no additional costs: no fixed fees or an agreement charge, and you have the option to close your store whenever you want.

Final Words

I hope this article has provided you with a solid guide on how to sell on Aliexpress. Join the league of more than 10,000 happy sellers on AliExpress. You can then sell on AliExpress and reach 60 million active buyers around the world. Today, AliExpress is popular among sellers and customers thanks to the widest range of products available at an affordable price. Thus, considering the advent of regional e-commerce companies, it will be the focal point for trouble-free sales in the future. Above all, selling to AliExpress is a win-win scenario. Please feel free to leave comments below for a further discussion on this topic. :-)