Why is AliExpress cancelling my order before funds reach my balance?

[NotEnoughRGB]

I am trying to wait until my customers funds reach my shopify balance to then pay for the order via aliexpress. HUGE PROBLEM THOUGH...

Aliexpress seems to be canceling my order because it "wasn't paid in time". What does this mean??? I cannot seem to find anything on why this would happen. Is it only on specific products or is this normal and I have to front the cost to the supplier? 

[Ivy]

Hello, @NotEnoughRGB.

Generally speaking how dropshipping works is: Your customer places an order on your store > Your store automatically sends this order to the supplier > You pay the supplier > Supplier prepares and dispatches the order directly to your customer. This does mean that you will have to pay your supplier to dispatch the order, so yes it is normal and expected behavior to front the cost of the item to the supplier. 

Are you new to dropshipping? If so, I have this free online course that would be really worth having a look over. It walks through all aspects of running a successful dropshipping store, from choosing products to marketing. I think it's really worth checking out! I trust this helps, thank you.