ALD - Aliexpress Dropshipping and Fulfillment for WooCommerce

Importing is the easy part of AliExpress dropshipping

Filling a store with AliExpress products is quick. The hard part comes later: prices that change, texts with typos, delivery times you don't control and orders that have to be handled one by one. ALD – Aliexpress Dropshipping and Fulfillment for WooCommerce works in that territory: it brings the catalog into WooCommerce and gives you tools to organize it before publishing.

Think about what this model implies: you provide the store and the customer relationship, but the product, its description, its source price and its shipping depend on a third party. Whoever installs this is buying convenience for selling, not control over what they sell.

How ALD works with your catalog, from import to store

The plugin connects AliExpress and WooCommerce in two ways: with a secret key or with the WooCommerce REST API. After that you can import single products or entire categories.

Imported items don't go straight to the store: they first pass through an import list, where you manage and review them before sending them to WooCommerce. Once migrated, they can be edited like any other WooCommerce product.

Global product rules

• Product status: decide whether imported items come in as published, pending or draft. If you don't want anything going on sale without review, draft or pending protects you.
• SKU: with the {ali_product_id} shortcode, the AliExpress ID becomes the product's SKU in WooCommerce, which helps you trace each item back to its source.
• Automatic unique SKU: if the SKU already exists, the plugin generates a different one by adding an increment, so you avoid clashes when importing.

These rules are applied in the import list, before the product reaches the store.

Depending on your situation: three ways to start with ALD

If you're launching your first dropshipping store

ALD helps you build the catalog and set status and SKU criteria from the start, instead of fixing hundreds of listings later.

If you already sell and want smoother order handling

Keep in mind that the order fulfillment and automatic fulfillment functions go through the Chrome extension (see below), so it isn't a workflow that runs from WordPress alone.

If you want to stock a store by categories

Importing entire categories saves you from going product by product. Even so, every imported listing comes with AliExpress's texts and data, and it's worth checking the most important ones before publishing.

It needs the Chrome extension and may not suit your destination country

There are limits worth knowing before you commit:

• API functions such as fulfilling orders and automatic fulfillment require the Chrome extension to be installed, enabled and used with the affiliate consent the plugin asks for.
• When fulfilling orders through the extension, the developer's affiliate link is used. It doesn't change your cost, but it must be accepted to keep using those functions.
• AliExpress currently doesn't ship to certain countries, such as India or mainland China. Check that your target market is covered.
• Data coming from AliExpress (descriptions, offers, prices, shipping fees, availability, timeframes) may contain typos, be incomplete or out of date, and the plugin doesn't correct it. Review what you publish.

Frequently asked questions about ALD

Can I import entire categories?

Yes, as well as individual products.

Are products published automatically?

Only if you set it up that way. You can choose published, pending or draft in the global rules.

Can I edit imported products?

Yes. You manage them in the import list before migrating them, and afterwards they're edited like any WooCommerce product.

How does it connect to my store?

Through a secret key or the WooCommerce REST API.

Does it guarantee that prices and stock are correct?

No. The information comes from AliExpress as is, and it should be verified before selling.