CJ Dropshipping vs Aliexpress: Which is Best for You

Is CJ Dropshipping better than Aliexpress when it comes to dropshipping? Or is it the other way around? You are about to find out. 

CJ Dropshipping and Aliexpress are two popular and powerful dropshipping platforms on the internet. They allow you to connect with dropshipping suppliers within and without China with a few clicks of the button. 

In addition, they both come with powerful features and tools that enable you to run your dropshipping business smoothly. These tools include one-click product import, plug-and-play integration with major e-commerce platforms like Shopify, Amazon, etc., and many more. 

Nonetheless, these two platforms have their differences. They have their strengths and weaknesses, and knowing them will help you know which is best for your business. 

And that’s exactly what this post is all about: to help you know these differences. In it, you will learn what Aliexpress and CJ Dropshipping are and their pros and cons.

Let’s get into it!

What is Aliexpress?

Aliexpress is simply a Chinese-based online marketplace where you can buy and sell products to customers worldwide. 

Founded in 2010 by Alibaba, Aliexpress has become so popular that it is quickly catching up with Amazon at a break-neck pace. 

In fact, Wikipedia has it that Aliexpress is the most popular e-commerce website in Russia and the tenth most popular website in Brazil. 

One of the reasons why Aliexpress is so popular is that you can buy products at highly competitive rates. And there’s nothing you want to buy that you wouldn’t find on Aliexpress, as tens of millions of products are listed on the website. These products are spread across hundreds of categories and sub-categories. 

On top of that, Aliexpress is very popular with dropshippers as most of the vendors on the platform offer dropshipping services. This means you can buy products from vendors on the platform, and they will ship them directly to your customers with your business name and logo on the packaging. 

What is CJ Dropshipping?

CJ Dropshipping is another online marketplace operating out of China. Like Aliexpress, there are also millions of products spread across several niches and sub-niches on CJ Dropshipping. 

Founded in 2000, CJ Dropshipping is also popular with dropshipping entrepreneurs. This means you can source and purchase products on the platform while CJ dropshipping handles shipping and order fulfilment for you. 

Much like Aliexpress, you can connect your CJ account with your Shopify, Amazon, Etsy, and even Walmart store. And you can do so in a breeze. 

Another interesting thing about CJ Dropshipping is that it has warehouses spread across several countries. They include Japan, the United States, Mexico, Thailand, Australia, and many more. As such, you can speed up dropshipping times by pulling products from warehouses nearest your customers. 

So, Aliexpress or CJ Dropshipping: which should you go for? To make the best decision, it’s best you know their pros and cons. 

Aliexpress Pros and Cons

Aliexpress is undoubtedly one of the best dropshipping platforms on the internet. Be it as it may, it has its strength and weaknesses. Let’s have a look at them, starting with strengths.

Aliexpress Pros

Diverse Product Listing

Aliexpress comes top when it comes to product diversity. As we earlier mentioned, you can buy anything on Aliexpress. Vehicle and motorcycle accessories and parts, gym equipment, consumer electronics, fashion products…you name them. 

The best part is that you can get these products at competitive prices because countless vendors on the platform sell at competitive rates. On top of that, you can get suppliers to bid on your quotations on Aliexpress.

In addition, you can find hot-selling, trending products on Aliexpress. But how, you may wonder? By using Sell the Trend. 

Sell the Trend makes it easy to find profitable products that are selling hot on Aliexpress with a few clicks of the button. 

As if that isn’t enough, Sell the Trend enables you to import these products into your store with hassles. Sign up for an account to see Sell the Trend in action. 

Multiple Shipping Options

Another feature we like about Aliexpress is that it offers multiple shipping options. 

For instance, you can choose to ship orders to your customers via Aliexpress Standard Shipping, which is usually free. If that won’t work, you can opt for Aliexpress Premium Shipping. Better yet, you can use your preferred carrier, such as FedEx, UPS, DHL, and many more. 

Buyer Protection

Are you worried your customers won’t get their orders on time, or will they get defective products? Well, you don’t have to because Aliexpress offers robust buyer protection. This means you can request a refund from a vendor if they fall behind delivery time or ship out defective products to your customers. 

Other pros include one-click product import into Shopify and WooCommerce, customer support, multi-language support, and many more. 

Aliexpress Cons

Lengthy shipping time: One thing you might not like about Aliexpress is that you might have to keep your customers waiting for long to get their orders. 

Complicated returns: returning products that don’t meet your customers’ expectations can be lengthy and complicated. 

CJ Dropshipping Pros and Cons

Now you’ve seen some of Aliexpress’ weaknesses, the question now is this: is CJ Dropshipping a better alternative? The truth is, you are in the best position to answer that – the best we can do is to highlight the pros and cons. 

CJ Dropshipping Pros

Several Warehouses

CJ has warehouses spread across Europe, America, and even Africa. This allows you to source products from warehouses nearest your customers, thus cutting delivery time in half – or even more. 

Dropshipping App

CJ Dropshipping has a powerful app that allows you to import products into your store and track your orders with a few clicks of the button. This app is available both on Shopify and WooCommerce. 

Top Notch Quality Control

You can source products from CJ with your heart at peace, knowing you will get high-quality products. This is because CJ puts extra time and effort into ensuring only quality products are shipped to customers. 

CJ Dropshipping Cons

Limited products: CJ dropshipping can’t hold a candle to Aliexpress when it comes to product availability. 

Complicated interface: You might not like CJ’s user interface, especially when you try it out for the first time. 

Aliexpress vs CJ Dropshipping: A Detailed Comparison

Let’s now compare these two dropshipping platforms, as doing so will help you understand how they differ and which is best for your business. We will compare them based on:

• Ease of use
• Product listing

Aliexpress vs CJ Dropshipping: Ease of Use

You want a platform that has a user-friendly interface and is easy to use. The easier a platform is, the smoother the experience using it. That said, let’s see how easy Aliexpress and CJ are. 

Aliexpress: Ease of Use

One of the things we really love about Aliexpress is how user-friendly the interface is. It allows you to find products and connect with suppliers at the snap of a finger. Plus, it offers a seamless checkout. 

On top of that, you can easily track your orders and coupons, add products to your wishlist, get help from support, and many more. 

In general, Aliexpress has an intuitive interface. If you have ever used Amazon or eBay before, you won’t have any issues using Aliexpress. 

CJ Dropshipping: Ease of Use

CJ’s interface is very similar to Aliexpress’s, although they are not exactly the same. The interface is easy to navigate, allowing you to easily find products quickly. 

Compared to Aliexpress, CJ’s interface is a lot more detailed. For example, there is a “videos product” section where you can watch videos of products in live action. 

In addition, there is also a print-on-demand section from where you can connect with suppliers that offer print-on-demand services. 

In short, CJ’s interface is more expansive and detailed. 

Verdict

CJ wins, but by a narrow margin. 

Aliexpress vs CJ Dropshipping: Product Listing 

Variety, they say, is the spice of life. Sometimes, all you have to do to stay competitive in dropshipping is to offer customers a huge variety of products. 

So, Aliexpress or CJ: which offers a more diverse product listing? 

Aliexpress: Product Listing 

Aliexpress is a behemoth when it comes to product offers. The platform has millions of products across hundreds of categories and sub-categories. In short, there is nothing you want to buy that you won’t find on Aliexpress. 

If you are wondering why Aliexpress has this huge amount of product listings, it’s because millions of sellers are active on the platform. 

CJ Dropshipping: Product Listing

CJ Dropshipping has an impressive product listing as well. Although we can’t exactly put a figure to it, we know that Aliexpress has more products. 

Verdict

Aliexpress wins.

Aliexpress vs CJ Dropshipping: Payment Methods

It’s easy to neglect payment methods when deciding on the dropshipping platform to use. This can turn out to be a huge mistake you might regret. 

Why so? 

Imagine not being able to process your customers’ orders just because the vendors you are buying from don’t accept your preferred payment option. This will inevitably lead to several cancelled orders. You can lose your reputation with your customers, and your business might tank. 

That said, which offers better payment options: Aliexpress or CJ Dropshipping? 

Aliexpress: Payment Options

Aliexpress offers a wide range of payment options. They include PayPal, Credit/Debit card payments, bank transfers, and its native payment gateway: Alipay. 

The coolest part is that you also have the option to pay on delivery, but this offer isn’t readily available. 

CJ Dropshipping: Payment Options

CJ currently offers 11 payment options, including PayPal, Payoneer, Wire Transfer and many more. 

Verdict

It’s a tie

Aliexpress vs CJ Dropshipping: Shipping and Delivery Times

You want your customers to get their orders in the fastest possible time, don’t you? You certainly do!

So which platform should you use to get faster, efficient shipping? Let’s find out. 

Aliexpress: Shipping and Delivery Times

Aliexpress offers several shipping options; the best option depends mostly on your budget and how long you are willing to put your customers on wait. 

For example, if funds are tight and your customers can wait it out, you can opt for Aliexpress Standard Shipping which has a waiting time of 15 to 45 days. Plus, it’s free!

If that won’t work, consider using Aliexpress Premium shipping, which is sometimes free but has a lower shipping time. 

Better yet, consider using third-party courier services like DHL, UPS, FedEx, etc. – they ship in less than three days, though they can cost you an arm. 

CJ Dropshipping: Shipping and Delivery Times

CJ Dropshipping is very much like Aliexpress when it comes to shipping: what you pay is what you get. 

For instance, shipping a 10kg parcel from China to the US can take up to 35 days and will cost you about $3. To ship much faster, you’d have to go for DHL, which you know costs more. 

Keep in mind that CJ hardly offers free shipping. 

Verdict

We give it to Aliexpress. Not because Aliexpress offers faster shipping, but because it has more shipping options and free shipping is usually available. 

Aliexpress vs CJ Dropshipping: Service Fee

Does Aliexpress charge a service fee? What about CJ? Well, let’s find out. 

Aliexpress: Service Fee

It might interest you to know that Aliexpress is free and there are no service fees. You will only pay a fee if you sell on the platform, but you will only be charged when you make a sale which is usually a tiny fraction of your sale. 

Plus, there are no registration fees. 

CJ Dropshipping: Service Fee

Unlike Aliexpress, CJ charges service fees. The service fee is calculated based on where you are shipping from/to, the weight and size of the parcel, etc. 

Verdict

Aliexpress is the natural winner as it doesn’t charge a shipping fee. 

Wrapping is up

Aliexpress and CJ dropshipping platforms we can vouch for any day,  any time. Nonetheless, they might not always be great for you; knowing their strength and weakness will help you decide which platform is your best option. 

Hopefully, you should be able to make a wise decision with all we’ve shared in this post. 

Are you still struggling to find the hot selling products for your dropshipping store? Sell the Trend can help. 

Sell the Trend makes it easy to find hot selling products and import them into your Shopify store, WooCommerce store, or Trend Shops with a click of the button. 

Ready to take Sell the Trend for a spin? Sign up for an account right away.