Coping with long shipping has been a major challenge for online retailers. In fact, many people have not started a dropshipping business because of the hurdles that come with delivery times. Having been in this business for 12 years now, I can confidently tell you that dealing with dropshipping long shipping times isn’t as deterring as it seems. But how can you handle it? In this guide, we will introduce methods on how you can deal with dropshipping long shipping times.
If you want to run a successful dropshipping business, offering fast shipping and excellent customer service are non-negotiable. People love extra-fast delivery times, which is why they visit Amazon as their choice shopping destination. E-commerce giants such as Amazon, offer shoppers the opportunity to search and compare different items using the search bar before making a decision. But when it comes to AliExpress long shipping time or dropshipping platforms from Asia, shoppers may have to wait about 2-4 weeks before they get their items shipped.
Even at that, AliExpress long shipping time platform still boasts a large supplier/audience base. Why? They offer great deals and cushion the effect of long delivery times with excellent customer service. As long as customers feel like you care about them with excellent customer support, they can be patient as long as you’d like them to be.
Why There Is Long Shipping Time When Dropshipping
Why are there long shipping times when dropshipping is a common question asked in our blog? There are a lot of factors behind this, including:
· Who your dropshipping supplier is – do they offer fast shipping?
· How many local warehouses does your supplier have worldwide? Dropshipping platforms that offer slow shipping typically don’t have local warehouses all over the world
· How close/far are your clients to the local warehouses?
· COVID-19 pandemic sent supply chains and logistics into disarray – shipping times have never been more uncertain than this. For example, due to the UK lockdown, items that are being shipped to that destination may have to exceed the maximum shipping times even if it’s from Amazon long shipping times.
Some Effective Ways To Deal With Long Shipping Time
Tackling the issues of long shipping time is quite easy when you employ these effective strategies.
1. Be Honest About How Long Shipping Takes
Honesty and trust are essential prerequisites needed to run a successful dropshipping business. Customers love to be carried along. How long is standard shipping time? You want to be upfront with them and highlight how long shipping will take. You can display this on every product page and translate it into different languages. For example, “This item arrives in 2-3 weeks,” is a simple and clear notice for anybody. So, whoever purchases the product will not expect so much.
2. Create A Shipping Information Page
Another effective strategy is to create a shipping information page that will reflect shipping times, shipping rates, shipping disclaimer, as well as refund policy. We always recommend that you let customers know that there are no refunds for long delivery times. You can also use this as a disclaimer, “Due to a high demand for some of our trendy products, please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery.” Even if they attempt a chargeback or a PayPal claim, they will lose the dispute provided you created this page and embedded these texts.
3. Check Supplier Reviews/Feedback
Before dealing with any supplier, a wise practice would be for you to check the supplier’s reviews. Every e-commerce and dropshipping platform has a section where buyers leave feedback/reviews about the product quality, shipping duration, and supplier’s communication. Don’t get into trouble by dealing with a supplier that has too many negative reviews that can be traced to poor shipping and delivery times. Invest time in searching for what other reviewers have posted about certain suppliers before doing business with them. If they have failed in terms of delivery with other customers, they will also fail with you.
4. Order A Test Product
Researching different suppliers’ shipping times and inspecting their reviews aren’t enough. You still need to order a test product to confirm these parameters. Make it a habit to always order a test product before dealing with any supplier. If you can, you can order different test products from different suppliers to note which offers the fastest shipment.
When you order a test product, you want to:
· Validate the processing time
· Know how long is the standard shipping time
· Take note of the product quality
· Experience the supplier’s communication skills
5. Offer Excellent Customer Support
This is perhaps, the second-best way to deal with dropshipping shipping time. If your supplier offers a long shipping time and your customer sees no issue with it and still decides to place an order, you need to play your part by letting him/her know that they are being cared for and attended to by humans. Many customers get nervous when they don’t get an email about the whereabout of the product which they ordered. I’d say this, it is wrong for a customer, after waiting for days or weeks, to email you and ask where his product is. The secret to unlocking a customer’s patient is to address their concerns. Send them assuring emails that their product is en route or simply provide a shipping tracking code for them to track their packages. In most cases, customers will be delighted and relieved to hear from you and will be excited to wait a little longer for their product.
6. Choose A Dropshipping Platform That Has Local Warehouses Worldwide
We saved the best for the last. The most effective way to deal with dropshipping long shipping time is to choose a dropshipping platform that has local warehouses throughout the world. Besides dozens of warehouses in China, many suppliers on SaleYee.com have warehouses in Europe, the U.S., Australia, and the Middle East. If you just don’t want your customers to wait 14-21 days to get their products, suppliers using the SaleYee platform are ideal solutions. Instead of the usual ePacket, you can choose to ship products to customers in their own country with local shipping options. This makes shipping faster and helps you maintain happy customers.
Conclusion
Long shipping time isn’t a virus. It has a cure, a simple one. As an online retailer, you need to be aware that customers love quick delivery times. If you have been experiencing long shipping times, with these tips on dropshipping long shipping times, you can overcome any challenges regarding a long shipping time. We wish you a happy holiday!
