Let’s talk about shopping. This time, it’s about you can shop on Aliexpress online store and how you can ship the goods to Nigeria. Everyone loves to shop, it’s even rumored to cure depression.
Online shopping has become popular in Nigeria over time with the advent of online stores.
Today, I will show you how to shop from china via online shopping and have it delivered to your doorstep.
Aliexpress is a popular online mall which is a subsidiary of Alibaba, a United Kingdom owned company that sells items directly from China.
The difference between Alibaba and Aliexpress is that, aliexpress deals with retail, while Alibaba is for bulk resellers. Aliexpress is escrow service while Alibaba is “pay before service and pray afterwards”.
All items are from china and are extremely cheap. Aliexpress is better than a lot of sites due to its policies which I will break down.
Aliexpress accepts MasterCard Naira debit cards which is issued by a majority of Nigerian banks on request and is very secure.
This system is much better than paying via PayPal which charges for every transaction. Aliexpress operates an escrow system to ensure that the seller sends your goods and in good condition also, by escrow, it means you will pay for the goods and wait while the seller sends it from china, the money is debited but does not enter the hands of the seller, Aliexpress acts as middleman and holds it until you confirm and accept the goods in Nigeria.
(1) First step to begin shopping on Aliexpress is to open an account with them which would not take more than 2 minutes.
Please use an email account that is working and can be accessed easily. You must provide your residential address properly to ensure your goods aren’t sent to a wrong address.
If possible, go to the nearest post office and confirm your postal address. Your working phone number is also necessary so the post office can contact you when your goods arrive.
(2) Second step, begin to shop. Preferably use an android phone so you can download the application from google play store and you will be given a coupon to buy for your first order.
I would also advise you test your post office address first before bulk buying. Buy items worth or under 5 dollars and wait for it to arrive to be certain that your address is correct.
You also need to track all your orders, as they are shipped out so you can know the progress of your items. There are different shipping methods available on Aliexpress, some are free while others are not.
Free ones include china post registered airmail, Singapore post, hongkong post, yanwen logistics, flyt etc.
The ones that are not free are DHL, UPS, and EMS etc. the difference between the two is speed, the paid shipping can arrive in a week, while free shipping takes usually 20 to 60 days. So if you need the item ASAP, use DHL.
Advise When Buying fro Aliexpress Online Store
(1) Make sure you check the ratings of each seller to ensure that he actually sends out products or sends bad products to people, this is very important as it allows you decide if the seller is honest because some of them can be shady.
(2) Also, be extremely cautious. The ratings are usually under the item display and can be expanded to view all ratings.
(3) Compare prices in different shops before ordering, it helps you know the real value of the item you want to buy so you won’t be created.
An item may seem cheap in a store but it probably is cheaper in majority of the stores.
(4) Check the size properly when it comes to buying clothing, Chinese people are relatively small and their measurements are totally different from ours.A Chinese 4XL may be a L here in Nigeria. They provide measurements in centimeters, a tape can be used to crosscheck before ordering.
(5) Ensure you discuss with the seller before ordering to be sure he is readily available to answer your questions. Some sellers may have closed shop or probably died, but their virtual shop will remain, ordering in such shops will frustrate your experience. This one is non-negotiable.
(5) Don’t become an addict. Relax. Only buy what you need. Else you will have a room full of useless cheap stuff.
On the next part of this expose, I will discuss how you can start a business using Aliexpress, charges in the post office, how to retrieve your money if the seller fails to send or the goods are defective or incomplete and more
That’s the process on how to shop online on Aliexpress online store in China and ship your goods here in Nigeria. You can use this strategy to start your importation business. It’s currently rocking.
Let me know your thoughts on this post. Make sure you share it with friends and relatives.