While it may seem challenging and potentially costly, there are ways to make as much as $1,000 or more by getting one- to two-day shipping for new eCommerce businesses while using an AliExpress alternative. Let’s dive into how you can profit from one- or two-day shipping when launching your dropshipping business.
Turn to Amazon to Win With This Strategy
Hear us out here. Yes, we know that Amazon isn’t the most sustainable platform to rely on alone, but it is one of the keys to getting the ideal shipment setup for your business if you want to expedite shipping for your customer. The right strategy can help you get the best results when using Amazon as part of your approach.
To summarize, our expert went through the following steps:
- Received an order from a customer
- Went into his Amazon account
- Paid for the product and entered the customer’s details
- Marked the item as a gift
- Shipped it to the customer within two days
We’ve found a couple of ways to implement this strategy successfully, so let’s get started on this AliExpress alternative.
1. Saturated Products
One of the products our expert managed to make $1,000 per week with was a saturated product—specifically, a product in the resistance bands niche.
Today, resistance bands are among the most popular workout products out there. They help with strength-gaining exercises and are very easy to find at an affordable price, particularly on Amazon.
Seek Products With Ample Suppliers and Varied Pricing
When looking for the right product to target, whether it’s in fitness or another niche, the key is to find one with many suppliers offering the product at a wide range of prices. For instance, just looking again at resistance bands, there is such a wide variety of sets and suppliers at prices ranging anywhere from around $10 to $30.
When a customer orders one of these products, you would purchase it from Amazon through your account at a lower price and sell it at a higher one. Going back to resistance bands as an example, you might buy a set of resistance bands at the base price of $10 and sell it for closer to $30.
Increase the Value of Your Customer’s Order
Now, this isn’t simply about price markups; you want to add more value to your customer’s order than what they would get from Amazon without spending more on your end. In our case, we grouped the original product we ordered with about six to seven other niche-relevant digital products. These products included everything from workout guides and meal plans to complete glossaries for almost every workout you could do.
In other words, we sold a complete workout program in addition to resistance bands. We transformed a relatively mundane Amazon product that anyone could buy on that platform into a high-end bundle. That makes the markup worth the purchase. In the process, we were able to ship from the same supplier.
Don’t Worry About Customers Receiving Amazon-Labeled Packaging
One concern you might have with this AliExpress alternative is what customers might think if they receive an Amazon package instead of a package with your branding.
Based on our experience shipping thousands of products through Amazon, we have received zero customer complaints regarding their packaging. But if anyone asks or complains, you can simply explain that Amazon helped get your products to them faster.
This particular model is ideal because it allows for faster product shipping, which is ultimately what customers care about the most. You can also satisfy customers with high-quality digital products that help put you above Amazon.
Our expert not only made his customers happy with their orders with this strategy, but he also managed to get 60 influencers to work with him to grow his brand faster.
2. High-Ticket Products
The second strategy you can use is to go after certain high-ticket products, which entails the following steps:
Find Multiple Manufacturers of a High-Price Product in Your Niche
To start with, we took a look at some high-ticket products in the fitness niche. Using a portable pilates wheel as a launching pad, we looked for other brands offering the same type of product at relatively high prices.
We were able to find multiple pilates wheel systems from multiple manufacturers at various prices. Then we identified certain quality differences between them. What you want to do is meet the quality of the product sold at the higher price, which will allow you to sell it at the same price.
Look for a Less Expensive Item That You Can Transform into a High-Ticket Product
Once you’ve found that high-ticket item, look for another essentially identical product from another manufacturer that’s going for a slightly lower price. In our case, our high-ticket pilates wheel sold at around $89. The one we planned to sell was priced at $59.99. If we increase the value of the latter product, we can sell it at the former’s price.
The way we would increase the value of the cheaper pilates wheel would be to use the same strategy as we used with saturated products; sell it with a combination of valuable digital items. These products may include pilates workout guides, other similar fitness booklets, ebooks, and more.
This strategy also helps you ship products faster while maximizing dropshipping profits.
How to Create Profitable Digital Products That You Can Repurpose and Resell
Are you curious about how to get a hold of those digital products you need to boost your products’ value? There’s a simple strategy we’ve used that can help you create an endless inventory of niche-specific items.
Consider the pilates wheel—let’s say you want to create a workout guide. Here, you can find some popular YouTube video guides for pilates workouts. You can then hire someone on a site like Fiverr to convert these videos into text and image guides. You’ll then have your own digital products that you can rebrand and include with your pilates wheel product. This justifies your price markups.
Be Cautious With These Strategies and Transition Away From Amazon as an AliExpress Alternative
While both of these strategies we discussed can help you get orders to customers faster and boost revenue, it’s worth reiterating that Amazon dropshipping isn’t the most sustainable model.
For one, Amazon could become suspicious of your account if it appears you’re taking advantage of its lower pricing and placing many orders of the same or similar products. Also, customers may become more familiar with the products you’re bundling with your digital content and the brands behind them. That takes the attention away from your own brand.
At some point, you’re better off transitioning away from Amazon as your AliExpress alternative; when you can, switch to an American warehouse where you can fulfill your orders and promote your brand. This is precisely what we did with one of our seven-figure dropshippers who started with Amazon before establishing his brand’s proof of concept and turning to us.
Want to discover other ways to build a successful dropshipping business beyond this AliExpress alternative? Get started by reserving a seat at our free eCommerce masterclass with Peter Pru today.