How to import products from Aliexpress to Shopify? 7 Simple Steps

ByTristan Published on

AliExpress is one of the most popular e-commerce stores in the world. At the same time, it is also one of the most popular and easiest platforms for people to source products for their dropshipping websites or stores. Every dropshipping store owner using AliExpress would need to import their products to their store. This article specifically is about importing products from AliExpress to Shopify. 

The Oberlo app or browser extension is one of the easiest ways to import products from AliExpress to Shopify as it specifically works with Shopify. However, you can also use other apps like DSers – Aliexpress Dropshipping and AliExpress Dropshipping Master. 

It’s an open secret that dropshipping is one of the hottest trends in retail marketing. You can eliminate the need for stocking products and consequently a warehouse as products are shipped directly from the original supplier. 

After you’ve done your research on AliExpress and have identified products you want to sell, the next thing is to import the products to your dropshipping store. There are several platforms that allow you to build your own online store of which Shopify is arguably the most popular. 

If you are looking for how to import products from AliExpress to your Shopify store, you are at the right place. Continue reading to learn more about importing products from AliExpress to Shopify. 

How to import products from AliExpress to Shopify

There are many ways you can import products from AliExpress to Shopify but the easiest way is to use the Oberlo app or browser extension. If you are using the Oberlo web extension, you’ll need to import products to your Shopify store using a laptop or desktop. 

The main reason behind the popularity and convenience of Oberlo is because it was designed to specifically work with Shopify. And this is why it’s so easy to import products from AliExpress to Shopify stores. 

To get the Oberlo browser extension, you’d have to download the Oberlo Chrome extension. Alternatively, you can download the Oberlo app after which the extension would be automatically added to your Chrome browser. We mentioned Chrome because it is one of the best browsers out there but you can also use Brave browser. 

After downloading the Oberlo extension, you may restart your browser to ensure that the installation process is complete after which you’d need to follow the following process.

So the whole process of importing products from AliExpress to Shopify is about first adding the products to your import list in Oberlo after which you’d import them to your Shopify store. 

So remember you’d need a laptop/desktop, Chrome browser, and Oberlo extension to import products from AliExpress to Shopify. 

Step 1: Go to aliexpress.com. Your journey starts from AliExpress, obviously

Step 2: Locate the products you wish to import by using the search bar. Navigate to the product after you find it.

Step 3: You’ll find the Oberlo icon in the bottom right corner in AliExpress if you’ve installed the extension on your browser. Click the Oberlo icon in the bottom-right corner to add the product to your import list in Oberlo.

The products will be on the import list of Oberlo by now. However, before you add the products to your Shopify store, you may consider editing the product details. By changing the product name and descriptions, you have the chance to make them unique and a lot more appealing to your customers. 

Step 5: Go to your Shopify store dashboard and click on apps. 

Step 6: Navigate to Oberlo on the list of apps. After that, click on it and navigate to “Import List”.

Step 7: You will find all the products you’ve imported from AliExpress here. Click on ” Import to store” to add them to your Shopify Store. 

Import AliExpress products to Shopify using their URLs

Without any doubt, the easiest way to import products to your Shopify store is through Oberlo. Should you be unable to use the Oberlo Chrome extension for whatever reason, you can import products to your store by pasting the URL of the products into the Oberlo app. It may be that the Oberlo extension isn’t working which we must admit doesn’t happen very often or that you aren’t using the Chrome browser.

Shopify itself recommends that you use Chrome when you want to import products from Amazon to Shopify. While we still expect the Oberlo browser extension to work on other good browsers, we wouldn’t be surprised if you are experiencing problems when using other browsers apart from Chrome.

So if this is the case, you may want another method to import products from AliExpress to Shopify. And this can be done by using product URLs. It’s a fast and straightforward process. 

1. You’d have to first go aliexpress.com and navigate to the product you intend to import to your Shopify store. 

2. Go to the product page and then copy the URL of the product. 

3. Go to your Shopify dashboard and then open the Oberlo app.

4. Navigate to ‘Import List’ cater which you’ll click ‘Add by URL or ID’.

5. Paste the URL of the product you copied and press ‘Add Product’.

6. Review and add to your store.

You can copy the product ID which you can find in the URL of the product. But it’s a lot more convenient for you to just copy the entire URL of the product.

Importing product variants to your store

One of the best things about Oberlo is that it allows you to import specific product variants to your Shopify store. There are times when you may not want to import all the available variants of a product to your store. You’ll find products with several variants on Amazon and Oberlo allows you to choose the variants you intend to sell and import them to your store. 

Let us use an example of a mobile phone case to drive home the point. You may have your eyes on a mobile phone case and then discover that there are 40 variants of that case that differ in color or design. 

40 is a large number and you may intend to select variants that you consider the coolest or most aesthetically pleasing. The good news, Oberlo allows you to deselect variants you don’t want and import those you prefer to your Store. 

Below is how you can select specific variants of a product:

1. Go to your Oberlo dashboard and then navigate to ‘Import List’.

2. You’ll find the variants tab next to the product that you want to import. Click on the Variants tab.

3. Here, you can deselect any variant you don’t want to import. Only the selected variants will be imported to your store. 

4. The selected variants will appear on the Products page in your Shopify admin.

Is Oberlo only for AliExpress?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions about Oberlo. You see, Oberlo is only designed for AliExpress as it is multipurpose. You can use Oberlo for dropshipping and importing products to dropshipping platforms. However, Oberlo is one of the best available but there are also other apps you can use to import products from dropshipping sites to your store. 

But if you intend to use Shopify or already have a Shopify account, Oberlo is one of the best options available. 

How to import products from AliExpress to Shopify without Oberlo

There are other tools you can use to import products from AliExpress to Shopify if you don’t want to use Oberlo. And we’ll be talking about some of them below.

DSers‑AliExpress Dropshipping

This tool easily pops among the top ten list of ‘Drop Shipping’ web extensions on the chrome web store. There are several reasons to use this tool with the most important one being the fact that it is included on the AliExpress whitelist. Also, you can place bulk orders with the DSers‑AliExpress Dropshipping tool. 

It’s also easy to search for, import, and edit information for multiple products with this tool, and creating discounts, product bundles, as well as BOGO offers can be done quickly. Other features of this tool include: 

  • Supplier optimization.
  • Allows you to find suppliers geographically.
  • Ease of managing several Shopify stores through a single account.
  • Sync and track shipping data automatically.
  • You receive real-time notifications and reports for changes and updates;
  • Cashback opportunities with Admitad;

AliExpress Dropshipping Master

This is another wonderful app that brings about a quick and seamless importation of products from AliExpress to Shopify. Below are some of the key features of AliExpress Dropshipping Master:

  • Global supplier network;
  • You can communicate directly with the supplier.
  • Reliable shipping and freight services.
  • Offers you secured payment channels.
  • Import and edit product information/price as needed.
  • Suppers bulk order.
  • Automatic data syncing and updates.

Modalyst ‑ Dropshipping

Modalyst is an official partner of AliExpress and also a member of the AliExpress Dropshipping Program. This makes Modalyst highly rated. You get the ability to connect your Shopify store directly to AliExpress and also integrate suppliers and products for dropshipping. This app will also send you updates automatically.

You can learn about more apps that you can use to import products from AliExpress to Shopify here.