I’m about to go live with my website and I just want to make sure i’m collecting all the required shipping & any other taxes properly, if anyone here can help!
Background: I’m dropshipping to all countries using Aliexpress, but i’m based in Singapore. I don’t have a physical location or personally hold inventory/make shipments. All my products will be dropshiped directly by the Ali Express retailer to the location from where the order is recieved. I am terribly confused and unsure of how do i set up affordable shipping rates for the different countries (such that buyers are not put off!) and ensure that my products are delivered ideally within 2 weeks anywhere in the world!
Separately, is there any other tax apart from the shipping tax that i should worry about and charge customers? - If so what tax and how do i set it up in default?
Will be so…so…grateful for your help with the above!
In essence, e-packet shipping is such a cost-effective method of delivering products that you can account for the cost in your product price.
For example, if you sell household ornaments/decorations, and you know that your Aliexpress supplier will ship them using e-packet for a total of maybe $3, then you could simply include that amount in the product price and offer “free shipping” instead.
In other words, if you were going to sell your products for 10 dollars each with a shipping fee of 3 dollars per order, you could instead sell them for 13 dollars a piece but offer “free shipping”. I hope that makes sense?
When it comes to what taxes to charge, that is something you will want to check with a local authority or a tax expert in Singapore as we at Shopify are not in a position to provide tax advice. I did find some information on taxes in Singapore here that you may find useful, but I don’t know how relevant it is to your situation.
What kind of business are you starting and what are you selling? I’d love to hear more about your brand to see if there’s anything else I can suggest or recommend to give you the best start!
Thank you for suggesting e-packet as an economical option. What is the delivery time for this though? I sell fashion jewellery through my store using dropshipping done from various locations in China so am really struggling to find which service will be the best option for my requirement of: 1) ensuring delivery in 15 days, 2) be trackable, 3) Economical.
Further, A LOT of suppliers are now not supplying to India or if they do the shipping charge is REALLY HIGH - how do i deal with this? I have stretching my product price to include shipping but it still isnt enough and if i raise the prices too much then my site will not be that attractive to buy from.