AliExpress and Shein are among the most popular online shopping platforms not just in China but around the world. They are a go-to source for shoppers, dropshippers, and even retailers looking for merchandise at affordable prices.
However, while these platforms share some similarities, they cater to different shopping needs. Come along as we compare AliExpress vs Shein and highlight what each of them has to offer.
| Feature | AliExpress | Shein |
| Product Variety | Sells millions of goods in about 30 different categories ranging from personal care to home care and much more. | Sells different types of trendy clothing and accessories for women, men, and children. |
| Payment Options | Accepts major debit and credit cards, as well as bank transfers. | Accepts Paypal, bank transfers, and major bank cards. |
| Shipping | Ships to over 250 countries across the globe. | Ships to over 220 countries across the globe. |
| Shipping Options | Standard Shipping- it is affordable but takes 30 to 45 days. Express Shipping – may cost a bit more but could take less than 30 days. | Standard Shipping- it costs less but takes about 14 to 30 days. Express Shipping- costs a little extra but shortens the delivery time to about 5 to 7 days. |
| Return Policy | It has a 15-day return policy. Customers do not incur any return fees. | It has a 45-day return policy. Only the first return is free, customers have to pay a return fee of about $7.99 for every return after that. |
| Dropshipping support | Dropshipping is not prohibited and most suppliers are open to working with dropshipping stores. | Dropshipping is difficult as all product images are copyrighted and all orders are shipped in branded packaging. |
| Online Shopping Experience | Supports 18 languages from different regions to provide easy access to different nationalities. | It has multiple websites curated to meet the different shopping needs of different regions. |
目录
AliExpress
AliExpress was established in 2010 and is a subsidiary of the Alibaba Group. It is an international B2C online shopping platform that sells goods at very affordable prices.
How Does AliExpress Work?
AliExpress hosts thousands of product suppliers from China. Some of them are manufacturers while others are wholesale distributors. They all list different types of goods which are then organized in different categories on the AliExpress website and App.
Some of the categories include:
- Apparel for Men
- Apparel for Women
- Beauty and health
- Consumer electronics
- Cellphones and telecommunication devices
- Home and garden
- Education and office supplies
- Toys, kids, & babies
To put it briefly, the selection of goods on AliExpress covers almost all day-to-day items that most people require. You can browse through categories to find what you need or enter a keyword in the search bar and the website or app will bring up search results of what you are looking for.
The search results will include different goods from different suppliers. It is, therefore, up to you to:
- Click on the items you prefer,
- Evaluate the customer reviews on the product
- Evaluate the seller’s ratings
- Add the item to cart if you decide to buy it or keep scrolling through other options to find what you need
Payment Options
AliExpress accepts major credit cards, MasterCard, and Bank transfers. You will, however, need to sign up for an AliExpress account, choose a payment option, and enter your payment details. The details you provide will then be used at check out when you are paying for your purchases.
For your safety, it is important to always pay via one of the methods approved by AliExpress. Following the rules makes it possible for you to initiate a dispute and seek a refund if a seller does not fulfill an order or you are discontent with the products that they send. It can also help you avoid scammers as it is often unscrupulous sellers that try to suggest back-channel payment arrangements.
Shipping
Vendors on AliExpress ship orders all around the world. Most orders ship from China but AliExpress has also established warehouses in the USA and other countries. This sometimes helps to cut down on delivery times.
AliExpress offers Standard Shipping and Premium Shipping options. The difference between the two is that Standard Shipping costs less but could take 30-45 days. Premium Shipping, on the other hand, costs more and could take periods as short as 14 days.
It is advisable to find out what kind of shipping options the seller you select uses and whether they are traceable. This will give you an idea of how long delivery may take and a chance to evaluate the reliability of the courier.
Dropshipping
Dropshipping is relatively easy on AliExpress. Most sellers are open to it just as long as you reach out to them and mention that you would like to dropship through them. Some suppliers may ask you to simply indicate that you are placing a dropship order so that they know to pack it without any invoices, promo flyers, or store branding.
Still, it is advisable to order samples of the goods you would like to sell in your dropshipping store and evaluate their quality. This is because most goods listed on AliExpress are cheap but not all of them are top-quality items.
Ordering samples will enable you to establish whether the goods you plan to list in your store match the quality standard you wish to offer your customers. It will equally give you a first-hand experience of the seller’s fulfillment services. You will be able to tell how long your customers will have to wait for orders, how well the orders are packaged, and if the seller’s details are truly omitted from the packaging.
That said, it is possible to find a seller that sells quality merchandise but has poor fulfillment standards or is not willing to dropship. In such instances, it may be ideal to work with a dropshipping agent. They would collect or buy the items from the AliExpress supplier on your behalf and handle the dropshipping fulfillment too for a small fee.
Pros of AliExpress
- Product variety- AliExpress is a one-stop shop for everything. It does not limit your options to just one category.
- Dropshipping support– dropshipping via AliExpress is easy because the platform does not hinder it and most suppliers understand how to process dropshipping orders.
- Free returns – AliExpress has a buyer protection policy and allows buyers to initiate a dispute and seek a refund within 15 days of receiving their order. Customers do not incur any return costs.
- Multi-lingual support- the AliExpress websites and app support about 18 languages which makes it easy for shoppers from different countries to comfortably shop on the platform.
Cons of AliExpress
- Low curation– while the Chinese suppliers on AliExpress list lots of trendy items, the lists are not very thoroughly curated and so the product selection can get overwhelming.
- Scamming incidents– some sellers on AliExpress are not genuine in their dealings and can either fail to honor orders or deliver items that are completely different from what they listed. The buyer protection policy helps with this but it can still be a major pitfall, especially for inexperienced shoppers.
- Lengthy delivery times– it takes a rather long time to receive most orders from AliExpress and it may not be the best platform to shop from if you need an item delivered urgently.
Shein
Shein is an online store founded in China. It specializes in selling trendy clothing and accessories at affordable prices. It was previously known as SheInside but was later rebranded to Shein after the brand was bought out by Chris Xu in 2012.
Rebranding to Shein saw the company shift its focus more to serving the international market. As a result, Shein now has multiple websites that cater to different countries including the USA, Spain, Russia, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Middle East, and Australia.
Each country’s website offers a shopping experience that is curated for that specific region in order to serve customers better. The USA is, currently, Shein’s leading foreign market.
How Does Shein Work?
Shein has a network of manufacturing partners that supplies the fashion items listed on its website. Initially, the company focused on women’s fashion but it has recently begun branching out to accommodate kids’ and men’s clothing.
The designs are not provided at random. Rather, they are made specifically for Shein based on current fashion trends that Shein would like to offer to its customers.
The categories of clothing are well-organized to make it easy for customers to find what they need. Shein now also has a much better sizing guide where customers can find out the exact measurements of an item and make an informed shopping decision.
The shopping process works as follows:
- Search for the items you would like to buy by either using the search bar or scrolling through the listed categories
- If you see an item you want, click on it to evaluate the size
- Choose a size
- Click ‘add to bag’ if you wish to buy it
Payment Options
Shein accepts payments via major bank cards, transfers, and PayPal. However, you first need to set up an account so that you can set up your payment and shipping options before you can check out the items you buy.
Shipping
Shein’s main warehouses are located in China and Hong Kong. However, it also has warehouses in the USA and other locations. When you place an order it can be shipped from the warehouse that is closest to your location if they have it in stock. If not, your order will be processed and shipped from one of the two main warehouses.
As you shop, you can opt for either Standard Shipping or Express Shipping. The latter costs a bit more but will ensure that your order arrives in about a week as opposed to the typical 14-30 days that Standard shipping takes.
Alternatively, you can try and shop for many items at once as most orders above $100 or thereabouts usually qualify for free express shipping.
Shein currently ships to over 220 countries globally. Delivery times and costs are influenced by destination.
Dropshipping
Shein’s rules and model of operation do not really support dropshipping.
For starters, all goods ordered from Shein come packed in branded packaging. Consequently, even if you were to place an order to be shipped directly to your customer, it would be obvious that the goods were shipped from Shein and not your dropshipping store. This may not augur well with some buyers.
Additionally, Shein has a strict rule that resellers can not use any of the images on its websites or app to market clothes or accessories to buyers. They are copyrighted and you could get into legal trouble for using them. As such, you would have to order items and take pictures of your own for your dropshipping store. This can be both costly and inconvenient.
Given all these hurdles, the easiest way to dropship with Shein as your supplier may be to use a dropshipping agent. Your dropshipping agent would:
- Receive the goods from Shein
- Package them without the invoices and other Shein branding markers
- Ship them directly to your customers
It may also be advisable to aim for a dropshipping agent that offers product photography so that you can have images to create a product catalog for your dropshipping store.
Pros of Shein
- Trendy Products- the fashion items listed on Shein are curated to keep up with current trends which is often a great way to stay ahead of your dropshipping competitors.
- Fast shipping– Shein has an efficient shipping system. It processes orders within 2 to 4 days and delivery takes between 5 to 14 days depending on the shipping option you choose and your destination.
- Safe payment options- Shein payment systems are securely encrypted and have not been linked to any data-selling scams.
- A wide delivery network- Shein has multiple warehouses and ships to over 220 countries. This makes its goods accessible to customers all over the globe and is also convenient for resellers.
Cons of Shein
- Quality issues – the quality of items listed on Shein is not consistent. So shipping on the platform is often a gamble; most goods you buy will likely be of fair quality for the price but occasionally you may buy an utterly disappointing item.
- An unfriendly return policy– if you are discontent with an item that you bought from Shein, you would have to incur the cost of shipping the item back. Returns are only free if you pay for shipping insurance when ordering an item.
AliExpress vs Shein: Keys Differences and Features Compared
Dropshipping Policies
Neither AliExpress nor Shein has any firm policies on dropshipping. However, the rules on Shein certainly make dropshipping difficult compared to AliExpress which has no stringent rules that work against dropshipping.
Subsequently, it would be easier to dropship via AliExpress. Even importing product listings from the site to your online store will likely be easier and can be automated using dropshipping tools like Oberlo.
Nevertheless, if you are keen on dropshipping fashion items from Shein, then it would be wise to partner with a reliable dropshipping agent. They could help you achieve blind dropshipping and more seamless order fulfillment.
Product Variety
AliExpress undoubtedly wins the product variety battle against Shein. It caters to different product requirements and would, therefore, work well for resellers and dropshippers because they can find goods for different niches.
Shein is, nonetheless, a great platform if you have chosen fashion as your niche. It stays up to date with the latest design trends and offers affordable yet stylish pieces that would cost much more at high-brow stores.
Pricing and Discounts
At face value, AliExpress seems to have marginally lower prices than Shein. However, the truth is more nuanced than that. You will notice that Shein gives great value for money too. More so given the relatively good quality of its clothing items and accessories.
On discounts, Shein is quite generous with coupons and free Express shipping options for bulk purchases. Most sellers on AliExpress also offer great discounts if you buy in higher quantities.
Return Policies
Returning items bought from Shein is cumbersome because you either have to pay for shipping insurance for all your orders or risk having to pay the return fees. This can be a significant downside if you plan to resell Shein items because you may incur lots of costs if customers need to return items.
In contrast, AliExpress has a much more accommodative 15-day returns policy and a money-back guarantee if you follow the stipulated regulations for returns.
Shipping Timelines
Shein delivers within 14 days, in most cases. This is much faster than AliExpress which can take up to 45 days. In a nutshell, Shein is more reliable and effective when it comes to shipping.
AliExpress still has some catching up to do. If you are dropshipping through it, it may be best to either use a dropshipping agent to quicken the shipping process or be forthright and prepare your customers for long shipping times.
Online Shopping Experience
Both AliExpress and Shein provide good shopping experiences. Their websites and apps are easy to use and are accessible to shoppers even on mobile devices.
Both online marketplaces have also tried to cater to the specific needs of different regions. AliExpress has achieved this by supporting multiple languages but Shein has taken it a step further by curating individual websites for different regions.
Shein also offers a slightly better website design that is minimalist and makes it easy to find what you need. The detailed sizing chart also goes a long way I’m reducing shopping errors.
Legitimacy
Both Shein and AliExpress are legitimate online shopping platforms. They may experience some challenges and faulty orders but they are not scammer sites.
In Conclusion
AliExpress and Shein may compete for the same consumer markets but they each address unique shopping. AliExpress would be ideal for both individual shoppers as well as resellers and dropshippers of all kinds of goods. In comparison, Shein is specifically suitable for shoppers looking for trendy apparel and accessories.
In terms of dropshipping and reselling, using a dropshipping agent may be optional on AliExpress but it may be a necessity on Shein due to the platform’s rules.
Finally, no matter what platform you choose to shop or source goods from, we can help make everything easier for you. We provide efficient product sourcing services, seamless dropshipping fulfillment, professional product photography services, and much more.
Feel free to contact us for a consult at any time.