Is it common for AliExpress orders to be delivered to local post offices?

[DroeCasi]

Is it normal for AliExpress to deliver the ordered items to the local post office (for customer pick-up) instead of the indicated Delivery Address?  I found this out when I did two test transactions and got an advice from AliExpress (for the first item) that my order is ready for pick-up at the local post office.  If this is the case, I may have to close my Shopify store as this is definitely not the customer expectation.  The second item seems to be following the same process based on the initial advice.

[Moira]

Hey, @DroeCasi!

This is Moira from the Social Care team at Shopify. Thanks for posting, and a very warm welcome to the Community!

You have asked a great question! From previous experience with merchants, I have found this means that the package was handed over to the local shipping company for final delivery. When you receive the "ready for pick-up" notification from AliExpress, usually the package will be delivered to the customer within one or two days. They are just letting you know that if you wanted to get ahold of the package as soon as possible then you have the option to pop down to the local post office and collect the item. Unless the seller has specified that the product needs to be signed for, and in that case, the postal worker attempts to deliver to the home and obtain a signature and if no one is home, the buyer has to go to the post office to pick it up.

This does all depend on the country and how their postal services work. In my experience, this applies to deliveries within the USA but just to be sure I recommend reaching out to one of the post offices your delivery went to and double-check.

TIP: At Shopify, what we really like about dropshipping is that it provides a lower-risk approach for independent businesses to test out new product ideas (and product lines) without having to own and pay for the product upfront. I suggest having a read of our ultimate guide to dropshipping for an in-depth look at this business model.

If you have any questions please feel free to thread those below.

Cheers!