3 Steps to Search AliExpress for Dropshipping Products

If you’re finally ready to start your AliExpress dropshipping business, you know the importance of finding the best, profitable products to ensure your long-term business success.

This article detailedly discusses 3 systematic approaches that will help you search AliExpress to find the best, most-profitable dropshipping products. 

STEP1. Choosing Niches

First, while there’s nothing wrong with having a full suite of products in your dropshipping store, trying to cater to every buyer is not a good business strategy. It is far easier to focus on a specific niche and buyer. 

While niching down is not an exact science, the following simple ideas should help you choose a niche for your dropshipping business.

First things first:

1. Passion and interest

Dedicate time to considering what you like, and then create a brain dump list. Consider the products you buy online or recommend to friends and family, topics you could talk about for hours, your hobbies, etc., and write them down.

Once you have a healthy list of possible niche ideas, you can then start researching each to determine eligibility and profitability, which brings us to the next strategy:

2. Research your list to determine profitability

Market and keyword research helps you know how in-demand a product is by revealing the number of people typing that product keyword into their search engine bar. 

For example, if “bathroom accessories” is on your list of possible niches, keyword research will help you learn how many people are typing that keyword, and other related ones, into their search bar. 

Here, you can use premium or free keyword research tools. Google Keyword Planner is a good place to start; it will show you the monthly search volumes for each keyword/phrase or niche idea.

Let’s continue using our earlier example. 

◆ Keyword Research Using Google Keyword Planner

If we type “bathroom accessories” into the Google Keyword Planner, we can see that 100k-1 million people type this keyword into their search bars and have been doing so since 2018. 

That makes this niche evergreen because people consistently search for it month to month. It also makes this niche possibly profitable because many Google users are actively searching for that keyword. 

When using keyword research to determine which niches are worth pursuing, pay attention to:

• Average monthly searches: The higher the monthly searches, the better: it means more potential customers. It’s usually better to target niches with at least 1,000 month-to-month searches. However, don’t avoid products/keywords with lower searches because some niches may have lower-than-1,000 monthly searches but a highly engaged, ready-to-buy audience. Sound judgment is your best friend here.
• Search location: The Google Keyword Planner allows you to get more detailed results by changing locations. For example, if you want to target the Canadian market, you can change location to get a narrower idea of the search metrics in Canada.  

• Year over Year (YoY) Change: You want a low YoY change: the lower it is, the more evergreen the niche.
• Competition: Most keyword research tools will show you how competitive a keyword is. Ideally, you want to choose a niche with low to moderate competition. However, depending on the keyword you have in mind, you can also consider high competition keywords. High competition can indicate profitability; it means other eCommerce businesses are targeting and optimizing for that keyword. If you decide to target a high competition niche or keyword, pay attention to the bid range: the lower the bid range, the better, but don’t be afraid to experiment because with some niches, placing first on Google SERP could make all the difference to your business sales.

NOTE: It’s worth noting that Google Keyword Planner is not the only tool you can use to conduct analytical keyword research for your intended niche. You can also use other tools like Google Trends, Facebook Audience insight, MosterInsight, etc.

◆ Keyword research using Google Trends 

For example, using Google Trends, we can see that our earlier niche, “bathroom accessories,” has a somewhat stable search graph. 

Another noteworthy thing about Google Trends is that the related topics and related queries sections can help you learn more about your intended niche. In some instances, it can even give you product ideas. 

In this example, we can see that the terms “modern bathroom accessories set” and other related ones like “designer bathroom accessories,” “laundry basket,” “lid,” and “bowl,” to mention a few, are doing pretty well (search-wise), making this niche a contender.

Doing the keyword research part thoroughly and diligently will help you narrow down your list to one or two possible niches. However, you also need to conduct competitor research before pursuing a niche.

3. Competitor research

Keyword research should also help you unearth a ton of information about your competition. 

However:

Although tools like Google Trends, SEMRush, SimilarWeb, and other free and premium tools can help you conduct comprehensive competitor research, you don’t need it at this time. 

All you need is good-ol’ Google. Just head on there and type the list of niches or products you’ve narrowed down to, one at a time, then “spy on” and compare 7-10 retailers you find, preferably e-stores.

All you have to do is look at the products on offer, their price, the quality, and other things, like customer reviews, the shipping options offered, etc. It’s usually best to continue with a niche if it’s undominated by well-established, big-brand retailers.

Because your focus is AliExpress dropshipping, you should also use AliExpress to conduct competitor research. For example, in this case, typing out “bathroom accessories” on the AliExpress search bar reveals quite a lot:

We can see that various products are selling pretty well on the site, with some, like the shaving razor holder, having sold over 15000 products, which can be a good indicator of niche competitiveness.

Like most other analytical research processes, competitor research needs you to be thorough and objective throughout the process. Pay closer attention to other AliExpress and dropshipping stores and get deep into the weeds. 

You want to learn which products potential competitors are selling more of, their pricing, how they generate traffic, the strategies they use, and anything else you think will give you a competitive advantage.

Competitor research will also help you do one other thing, especially when you conduct it on AliExpress: it will help you determine profitability in this sense:

Once you find a potential niche, check out some competitors on Google, and then head over to AliExpress and type in your niche keyword, you’ll easily determine the markup difference between the wholesale and retail price. 

For example, let’s check out how profitable it would be to start a dropshipping business in the “bathroom accessories niche” using one product: an automatic toothpaste dispenser that has sold close to 100,000 products at $5.81, minus coupons:

For illustration purposes, let’s head over to Amazon and check out a similar product:

Although the products are a bit different, they are fundamentally similar, and we can see that this product would have a gross profit markup of $18.68, making it profitable.

This surface-level illustration shows that if you do the same with the niches on your list, it should be easy enough to determine if you have a profitable niche/product on your hands. 

After determining that, you can move on to building your AliExpress dropshipping business, starting with setting up your AliExpress account:

STEP2. Set Up Your AliExpress Account

One of the best things about AliExpress is that setting up an account is super easy: all you have to do is head over to the account registration page, fill out your details, and get started with easy-to-follow prompts.

It’s worth noting here that setting up an AliExpres account is not the same as setting up your dropshipping store. The account will only help you search AliExpress for product choices and interact with suppliers. Setting up a dropshipping store is an entirely different process you can do using WordPress, Shopify, Oberlo, or even AliDropShip. 

All these platforms integrate well with AliExpress. Most also have a plugin feature you can use to upload your product images and descriptions, with some even automatically pulling product images and descriptions from AliExpress.

AliDropShip has a very detailed video showing how to set up an AliExpress dropshipping store in 15 simple steps. I recommend watching it if you need to learn how to get started:

Embed video into the blog:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hZqs8ubo1Q 

With your account set up, the next step is to create your dropshipping store, then find products within the niche you chose earlier, which brings us to the next step. 

STEP3. Finding Products

After settling on a niche and setting up your account, there are various ways to search AliExpress for dropshipping products. 

1. Finding products yourself

Conducting research yourself is the easiest way to find profitable dropshipping products on AliExpress, and you can do it in several ways: 

1. Search by keywords

As illustrated earlier, once you’ve settled on a niche, you can head over to AliExpress and type your niche keywords.

Using our earlier example, we see tons of “bathroom accessories” related products.

And the great thing is that you can filter the results using metrics like the number of users who have bought products within a certain price range, shipping from, minimum and maximum price, free shipping, and even rating:

2. Search on AliExpress by Image

You can also use images to search AliExpress for dropshipping products. Here, you need to download the AliExpress app. 

After downloading and logging into your account, at the top-right hand corner, click on the camera gear, give the app the permissions it needs, and search away:

Click the camera icon:

You can also select an image from your gallery.

The app’s image search feature is so intuitive that if you took a half-decent picture, it’ll recognize the product and show you some options:

That’s all it takes to use AliExpress’s search by image feature.

3. Search AliExpress’s top-selling list

The AliExpress best-seller or top-selling list is another great place to research and find great dropshipping products. 

To get to this page, you will need to open a product page —you can open any product page—, then scroll down a little to find the top-selling list for that seller or store:

If you’d rather see a list of popular products on AliExpress, scroll down and locate the “All popular” page:

This link will redirect you to a page where you can browse the most popular AliExpress products by category:

4. Seller recommendations & more to love

You can also use the “seller recommendation” and “more to love” lists to search AliExpress for dropshipping products. 

Like most things on AliExpress, this process is easy too. 

Once you’re on a product page, scroll down until you get to both tabs:

If you don’t want to search AliExpress for dropshipping products personally, you can also use the services of a registered AliExpress dropshipping agent: 

2. Working with a professional AliExpress dropshipping agent

A dropshipping agent is an alternative to a dropshipping supplier. It’s a person or business that will source, store, pack, and ship products for your dropshipping store.

Here are some of the best AliExpress dropshipping agents:

1. Bestfulfill

Bestfulfill is one of the best, trusted, and dully registered all-in-one, AliExpress dropshipping agencies. With over six years of experience, 70 employees, and over 1000 drop shippers served, Bestfulfill offers core features that simplify the process of running and scaling your dropshipping business. 

Some core features include but are not limited to product sourcing, purchase on your behalf, stocking in a 3000+ square foot warehouse, product inspection, order fulfillment using custom packaging, warehousing, drop shipping, and A+ after-sales services. 

2. CJDropshipping

Established in 2014, CJDropshipping is one of China’s most reliable dropshipping agents that offers an all-in-one suite of services that include product sourcing, stocking, quality check, fulfillment and shipping, and warehousing in China, America, Germany, Indonesia, and Thailand.

3. Wiio Dropshipping

Wiio is another all-in-one dropshipping agency that offers a full suite of services, including but not limited to product sourcing, purchasing, stocking and warehousing, print on demand, and worldwide fulfillment.

4. Niche Dropshipping

Niche Dropshipping takes great pride in its ability to help small business owners source products from China with ease.

Besides helping you source products, the platform can also help you quality-inspect, purchase, warehouse, package, ship, and fulfill orders. 

3. Using AliExpress product discovery tools

Using AliExpress product discovery tools is another great way to search and find great dropshipping products on AliExpress. These tools make the work relatively easier, and by changing a few filter features, you can find profitable and trending products in a matter of minutes.

There are free and premium AliExpress discovery tools. The free ones will work just as well as the premium ones, but the premium ones usually have more features and tools. If your budget allows it, purchase a premium AliExpress product discovery tool to make searching for products on AliExpress easier and more efficient.

Free AliExpress Product Discovery Tools

Some of the best AliExpress discovery tools you can use freely are:

• AliExpress Dropshipping Center: This is a free-to-use AliExpress-launched platform that makes it easier to conduct product research, analyze products, and find suppliers for your AliExpress dropshipping store. The tool has a “hot-selling” tab that allows you to choose a date range and a very intuitive product analysis tool.
• Thieve.co: This platform curates a list of the best products on AliExpress. After signing up for a free account, you can filter by product category.
• Asify: This free-to-download and use Chrome extension reveals key information about a supplier, including their years of operation, processed orders, and the sales generated by each product.

Premium AliExpress Product Discovery Tools

If your budget allows it, consider the following premium or paid AliExpress product discovery tools:

• Niche Scraper: The great thing about this tool is that it allows you to sort products based on category, price, recent orders, competition, and many more features like AliScore and growth rate. Niche Scraper has a $49.95 per month subscription fee. 
• Sell the Trend: This AliExpress product discovery tool has advanced filter features to help you find in-demand products, new stars, and hot products. It has a 7-day free trial and costs $39.97 per month after that.
• AliShark: This tool has a $20-per-month subscription cost, which is a fair price because of all the advanced filter features you get, but you can also try it out for 2-days at $1.  

If you use these three ideas and the tools we’ve discussed effectively, you should manage to search AliExpress and find profitable dropshipping products. 

Top Tips for Searching AliExpress For Dropshipping Products

As you conduct this search and consider which products to purchase, remember:

• Cheap doesn’t always mean more profitable: When you search AliExpress for products, especially when you do so by keywords as we did earlier, you will get tons and tons of results, and it’s very tempting to go for the cheapest supplier, but that isn’t always the wisest choice. Remember to read the product descriptions thoroughly because cheap suppliers often compromise quality. Remember that usually, especially on AliExpress, the lower the price, the lower the quality.
• Check supplier signals: No matter how good the deal is or how much you stand to profit from drop shipping a product, never overlook suppliers’ signals like feedback (only patronize suppliers/products with a 90% feedback rating), store’s age, product description, what other buyers have to say about the quality, etc. Focusing on these key things will ensure that you only work with the best suppliers, which will ensure you get high-quality products that will satisfy your customers.
• Evaluate shipping choices: How effectively a supplier fulfills orders, and the shipping method they use can make all the difference in your business. Prefer and choose suppliers who offer ePack delivery over all others. You don’t want to use a supplier who always uses the cheapest, slowest shipping method available. AliExpress Premium Shipping is both cheap and efficient.

Conclusion

We have covered how to search on AliExpress for dropshipping products using three simple steps:

• Step 1: Choose a niche, which we covered how to do very comprehensively
• Step 2: Set up your AliExpress account and get your dropshipping store ready
• Step 3: Find products using different methods like keywords, image search, top sellers list, working with a professional dropshipping agency like Bestfulfill, and using free and paid AliExpress Product Discovery tools.

If you follow and implement the strategic ideas we have discussed, you should find tons of profitable AliExpress dropshipping products and create a thriving dropshipping business. 

Again, remember that working with a professional dropshipping agency can make all the difference if the process overwhelms you, especially when it comes to finding the best suppliers, sourcing/warehousing products, and fulfilling orders.