Wish vs Aliexpress

Are you looking to start an eCommerce or dropshipping business? Are you looking to buy quality products at wholesale prices direct from China? Chances are you’ve been introduced to Wish and AliExpress. These sites are huge and for newcomers, it can be a bit confusing.

Don’t worry - we’ve got a summary of each for you and some pros and cons. The goal here is to help you see what these sites offer and how they work.

They both provide fairly similar products, roughly the same pricing structures and even the same quality, so today we are going to look at Wish vs AliExpress. 

What Is Wish.Com?

The Wish.Com platform became fairly well known over the last few years, mainly due to their odd, interesting or downright awful Facebook and Instagram adverts, or the thousands of YouTube videos that purchase products from the site. 

The platform is a members only (you have to sign up to be able to find products) website, split into multiple categories, from hundreds of sellers and vendors. 

The products are pretty varied and range from £0.01 'jewellery' pieces to £1000 computer cases, and everything in between. 

The inventory of Wish seems to stretch into eternity. Type anything into the search bar, and they seem to have it. The app is well-known for niche goods and budget buys, covering categories like electronics, office gadgets, beauty goods, and fashion.

However, there are premium goods available on Wish also- you can find authentic brands and refurb electronic goods by utilizing Wish’s Brand Directory.

The sellers on Wish number in the 200,000 range- there are LOTS of vendors to choose from, and the number seems to be growing. There’s plenty of merchants to choose from when sourcing your goods. And thanks to Wish’s personalized homepage for customers, it becomes easy to browse, choose and buy items that match your interests, without having to hunt around. It makes for a frustration-free buying experience.

Shipping

One pain point among buyers is the length of time it takes to get your stuff once ordered. Yes, the prices are dirt-cheap, but you have to be aware of the shipping speeds. The vast majority of Wish sellers- over 85%- dropship from China and this means it can take anywhere between 2-4 weeks to get your stuff.

Some customers don’t mind, but others do, and this is one of the biggest complaints seen on the app when reading reviews. Buyers looking for goods to ship fast should use Wish 2-day or Wish Express.

Selling & Fees

Ultimately, if you’d like to start a business on Wish, it’s an ideal place to do it: the app is safe and secure. They authenticate brands using their brand registry for appropriate goods. Plus, sellers have to meet the criteria if they want to peddle their stuff. You should review the Merchant Registration Page for more information on what it takes.

Fees for selling on Wish are not calculated every month. Instead, you will pay a fee based on the total value of a customer’s order. This fee is usually 15%. So, suppose you sold an item for 10.00 plus 2.00 shipping. Wish will take a $1.80 fee for selling – this is 15% of $12.00.

Product Promos

Another great thing about Wish is the ability to promote your products. You can use ProductBoost, Promoted Products, or Trusted Store to boost your visibility and generate more sales.

In sum, Wish is a great place to start selling OR source your goods for resale.

Pros

• The platform is safe and secure for shopping, buying, and selling.
• Sellers must meet eligibility requirements to offer their goods.
• The app receives a healthy amount of traffic, with 2 million orders being placed each day.

Cons

• The length of time to get your goods is long- everything comes from China so expect up to 1 month of wait time.
• Some users complain that products are not as pictured, or the quality is low.

What Is AliExpress?

The eCommerce giant known as AliExpress is China-based, and you might think of it as the Chinese Amazon.com. The parent company is Alibaba, and this retail group is known for showing products from thousands of suppliers worldwide. Many may know about Alibaba, or Taboa

It’s a great place to source your goods, get them at fair prices, and respond to the increasing consumer demand for online shopping.

They have been a popular place for buying products, especially cheap products, due to their varied payment options, API access and integrations with a large number platforms, including Shopify and AliDropShip. 

DropShipping

It’s a great place to start a dropshipping business, not only thanks to the selection but the languages offered. You can view the website in 8 major languages, such as English, Dutch, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, Polish, and French.

The stuff you can get from AliExpress is virtually unlimited. You can find furniture, toys, clothing, books, accessories, electronics- basically anything you want.

Once you click the search bar and type in what you seek, you will find plenty of suppliers that offer it, along with the ability to do a background check on the buyer before you go for it.

Also, customer reviews are available too. Everything is quite cheap, as you will be buying from Chinese companies that do not spend as much on materials and labour.

Major platforms such as Shopify have an API connection through their Oberlo app that will search and import products into your store without much effort. For years AliExpress was the unknown silent partner for DropShippers due to the low priced products and the fact many stores would happily send their products to any address that you supplied. 

Selling On AliExpress

If you’d like to sell here, you may do so- but be prepared to pay an annual fee for that. Bear in mind they do have payment plans available for this also. You must also register for an Alipay Business Account, and provide the required documents that verify you as an authentic business. If you are a seller working out of your home, you may wish to turn back: AliExpress only works with people who have a registered business.

Payment

AliExpress offers many different ways to pay- you can use classic debit or credit cards, or you can pay using iDeal, AliExpress Pocket (gift card), Boleto, and more. We’ve noticed that PayPal and checks aren’t accepted by most sellers, but major cards such as Maestro, MasterCard, Visa, and others are.

Shipping

One thing to note about AliExpress is the shipping times. Many sellers offer free shipping, but the caveat is that you may have to wait a while to get your items. It could take upwards of a month to get your goods.

In some very rare cases, items could get lost, which if you are DropShipping these 

Tracking numbers are also a bit slow to receive; we’ve noticed that after you place your order the tracking number takes a few days to come to your email/AliExpress account. This could be due to the seller being slow, or it could be that the item isn’t sent out right away.

Premium shipping is available, but the name says it all-you will be paying a bit more for this service. However, your goods will reach you in about 3-10 business days.

Returns & Refunds

Let’s begin by pointing out that AliExpress will not approve 100% refunds if:

The order was not delivered due to reasons beyond the seller’s control: for example, customs is holding the package.

The order could not be delivered because of circumstances within your control: e.g. you gave the wrong address for shipping.

Only one dispute per order can be filed if you would like a return or refund. So, make sure you have all the facts in order before submitting your request to avoid headaches and frustration.

Pros

• Goods are low-priced and free shipping is available for most products
• Payment methods are varied and safe
• The selection is large and ideal for dropshippers
• Eight languages offered for AliExpress

Cons

• PayPal not accepted by the majority of sellers
• Shipping can be slow and tracking numbers aren’t always available right away

Wish Vs AliExpress - Which Is The Best Platform To Use?

It really comes down to what you want to use these platforms for, if you are just someone looking for cheap stuff to buy, then both of these platforms can help with that itch. 

Though from experience Wish is usually a little quicker, with some of the sellers offering 10 day shipping, rather than the 30+ that you will find on AliExpress. 

Of course if you are someone getting into DropShipping and you want the ability to purchase products on one of these sites, change the address and get it shipped off to your customer, then you are going to be shifting your gaze towards AliExpress.