Dropshipping vs Print on Demand – Complete Guide for 2025

For many cross-border e-commerce and dropshipping sellers, AliExpress may be the main supplier channel during the entry stage. However, as business grows, the platform’s shortcomings gradually become apparent — long shipping times, slow customer service response, and inconsistent product quality. In today’s fiercely competitive environment with rising customer expectations, these issues can no longer meet operational needs. Especially with the increasing popularity of emerging platforms like TikTok and TEMU, logistics efficiency and service experience have become critical factors affecting repeat purchases and brand reputation. Continuing to rely on AliExpress not only fails to guarantee customer satisfaction but also seriously limits brand development. Therefore, choosing more efficient, stable, and one-piece dropshipping-supported professional domestic suppliers has become a consensus among more and more sellers. This article will introduce several domestic dropshipping platforms worth your attention, helping you achieve a better balance between efficiency, quality, and customer experience. What Problems Does AliExpress Actually Have? AliExpress is essentially a retail platform targeting C-end consumers, not specifically designed for dropshipping scenarios. Although it has certain advantages in product variety and pricing, as market competition intensifies, its drawbacks have gradually surfaced. It is especially unsuitable for sellers aiming for long-term brand building and operation. Below are the most common problems sellers face and their direct impacts: Problem Impact Long shipping times (often over 7 days) Customers wait too long, leading to order cancellations or negative reviews High shipping costs Profit margins get squeezed, limiting marketing and ad budgets Severe hijacking and unstable links Pages just launched get delisted or copied by competitors first Lack of professional customer service and after-sales support Customer issues can’t be resolved timely, store ratings drop, affecting ranking Unstable product quality control […]

Running a Shopify store is a thrilling journey, but one thing that can make or break your business is shipping. Whether you’re selling locally or internationally, the cost of shipping plays a crucial role in shaping your customers’ buying decisions. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about setting up and optimizing shipping rates in Shopify. By the end, you’ll have a solid understanding of how to set competitive rates, compare shipping options, and use the best tools to streamline your shipping process. Shipping isn’t just an afterthought—it’s a fundamental part of the customer experience. Customers are more likely to abandon their carts if shipping costs are too high or unclear. In fact, studies show that 60% of online shoppers have abandoned a cart due to unexpected shipping costs. So, how do you keep your customers happy and still maintain a profitable business? In Shopify, shipping rates are one of the most flexible yet essential aspects of your store setup. They can make or break your business, especially when you’re dealing with different product sizes, weights, and destinations. Setting the right shipping rate can be the difference between a customer clicking “buy” or heading to a competitor’s site. As a store owner, you want to find the sweet spot between offering competitive rates and covering your costs. So let’s dive into how you can optimize your shipping rates in Shopify, starting with setting them up. How to Set Shipping Rates in Shopify Setting up shipping rates in Shopify may seem overwhelming at first, but trust us—it’s much easier than it looks. Let’s break it down step by step. Step 1: Creating Shipping Zones The first […]

You’ve probably heard the saying: “Price = Cost × 2.” Sounds nice, doesn’t it?But anyone who’s done dropshipping knows — if you really follow that, you’ll basically end up eating dirt. This article will walk you through, step by step: where your profits actually go, and how to calculate a realistic pricing strategy to avoid the nightmare of “the more you sell, the more you lose.” The Cost Components of Dropshipping  Don’t fool yourself into thinking the cost is just what you pay on 1688, AliExpress, or Temu. The real cost = product price + shipping + fees + marketing expenses + returns/customer service + taxes + your own salary/profit expectations. Let’s break it down: Cost Item Example Data (Selling One T-shirt) Product Cost ¥20 (AliExpress cost) International Shipping ¥15 (ePacket or Yanwen small package) Platform Fees ¥5 (e.g., PayPal + Shopify transaction fees) Marketing Cost ¥30 (Facebook ad spend) Returns/After-sales Allocation ¥3 (average 1 return per 10 orders) Other Expenses ¥2 (Shopify subscription, domain, customer service, etc.) Total Cost ¥75 Note: This doesn’t include your profit expectations yet. How to Calculate Your “Bottom-Line Price”   Many people set prices on a whim: “The product cost is ¥30, so I’ll sell it for ¥60. That should be enough to make a profit.” But in dropshipping, this kind of pricing is basically suicidal. Your costs are much more than just the product price — you have shipping, advertising, platform fees, after-sales costs, and more. If you don’t calculate these clearly, you might think you’re making money on a sale, but in reality, you’re losing. So let’s get clear on a crucial concept — the bottom-line price. What is the bottom-line price?The […]