A guide on wholesale buying from Aliexpress

Wholesale purchases on Aliexpress have become quite popular among entrepreneurs who want to get quality goods at a low price. The Chinese giant marketplace allows you to purchase goods in large quantities, which saves on transportation and delivery costs.

There are certain rules and nuances for wholesale purchases on Aliexpress. First of all, you should know that the minimum quantity of goods for bulk purchases depends on each individual seller. They can set different parameters for each type of product. Therefore, if you have a desire to make a large wholesale purchase, it is better to choose sellers who allow you to buy goods in large quantities.

In order for a wholesale purchase to be successful, you should carefully study the terms of sale and find out all the information about the seller. To do this, you should pay attention to the seller's rating, customer feedback, and delivery rates.

It should also be borne in mind that when making a huge purchase on Aliexpress, discounts may be available depending on the volume of the purchase. Such measures can help reduce the cost of bulk purchases and increase profits.

Buying wholesale on Aliexpress is a convenient and profitable way to buy goods in large quantities. It is only important to follow some rules to maximize the profit from your purchase.

Discounts and prices

Buying in large quantities on Aliexpress is a fairly simple process that has several steps, but before you start, you should carefully research the entire range of products and find the most favorable offers.

The first step is to calculate the costs of a bulk purchase and shipping orders. Keep in mind that free shipping is only available for some products on Aliexpress, so if you want to make a large purchase, you should calculate the shipping fee.

Contacting the sellers

It’s quite important to choose the right seller. If you know someone's feedback about the store, then you can trust their rating and make a purchase from them. If you don't know the seller, then you should pay attention to their rating and customer reviews.

Contact the seller as soon as you can. If the seller has the product you need, you can write to them to find out about the terms of wholesale purchase. As a rule, sellers allow you to get discounts depending on the number of goods ordered. Many sellers offer a discount from 1% to 5% according to the units that you buy. There’s also a trick: you can place an order and log out to leave a pending payment. After the seller contacts you themself, you should negotiate with them about getting a good offer and ordering a wholesale quantity with a great discount. Interact with as many sellers as you can, since the needed products are often being sold in various shops at once. 

You can place a large order on Aliexpress by going to the seller's page and clicking the "Add to cart" button. The next step is to enter all the necessary data and choose a payment method. Buying wholesale on Aliexpress is a profitable way to provide yourself with quality goods at a low price. The only important thing is to follow all the steps of a wholesale purchase and study the terms of the sale to get the most out of your purchase.

Prohibited products

Consider that you won’t be able to import such things as razors, knives, and weapons to most of the world’s countries. In the case of customs problems with these kinds of items, Aliexpress won’t take any responsibility when your package will be taken away. Check all the possible restrictions in your country before buying any stuff. 

Shipping terms and costs

The cost and delivery time of wholesale orders from Aliexpress depends on several factors, such as the number of goods ordered, the delivery method, and the country of origin.

Usually, wholesale orders on Aliexpress are beneficial because sellers offer discounts for large purchases. Shipping costs can also be reduced or even free if the order exceeds a certain amount.

Among the shipping methods on Aliexpress are free shipping, country-specific postal services, express delivery, and others. Free shipping can take up to 60 days, but depending on the country, it can be faster. Express delivery usually takes from 3 to 7 days and is more expensive, but it allows you to receive your order the fastest.

Delivery times may also vary depending on the country in which the delivery is made. Some countries may delay delivery due to customs or other reasons.

Since the cost and delivery time depend on many factors, it is recommended to contact the seller for accurate information. It's also worth estimating costs and considering delivery times in advance when placing a bulk order with Aliexpress.

Mandatory taxes and tariffs

Before placing a wholesale order, you need to consider all the customs nuances and possible taxes. 

Customs costs

They depend on the importing country. For example, there could be three possible charges in Europe:

• Duties for orders over 150 EUR;
• Customs handling fees;
• VAT for all orders (if the buyer didn’t paid it on their purchase).

Orders over 150 EUR

You will have to pay VAT together with the duties and handling fees right after it’s delivered to your country since this tax isn’t included in orders that cost more than 150 EUR. You only need to pay if your package is stopped. You can also contact the seller and ask him to include the VAT with your purchase if you don’t have an access to the invoice or just need to avoid any formalities. 

Orders less than 150 EUR

The only tax you’ll need to pay for orders that are cheaper than 150 euros is VAT. Aliexpress made it much easier by including the amount automatically. The buyers are also able to download an invoice from their personal panel. Sometimes VAT is also being included even if your package costs more than 200 EUR, but that’s an exceptional case.

Downloading purchase invoice

No need to ask the seller for it anymore. Just go to the main menu, choose “My orders”, pick the “View Details” button, and then click on the “Download invoice” option.

Deducting VAT as an expense

Your country should allow you to deduct the VAT tax as an expense in case you order wholesale for reselling it in your business. Thanks to this, you’ll be surprised after finding out that expenses may not be that high. 

Calculate the customs duty

Consider the customs duties when making purchases over 150€, as this will impact your potential profit margin. To calculate the customs duty for imports from China to the European Union, you will need to determine the HS Code of your item, as tariffs vary depending on the type of product. You can ask the seller for this information or search for it online using a product’s category and name. Keep in mind that these additional costs are important to avoid any surprises when receiving your purchase.

May I ask to separate my order?

If the total amount of your order does not exceed 150 EUR, you may ask the seller to send it in several packages to reduce duties and handling fees.

It may be more profitable since the shipping of a wholesale order could be much more expensive than expected. 

Buying wholesale from European warehouses

Anyone who lives in the European Union may order items from a local warehouse. The shipping is gonna be much cheaper and easier in that case: no handling fees and additional payments are required. Aliexpress offers more and more products directly from Europe, so there shouldn’t be any problems with finding such goods. 

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