Dropshipping

Connect CJ Dropshipping or AliExpress, choose and publish supplier products, and fulfill orders by paying for them in your supplier account. Disconnect a supplier safely when you stop using it.

Dropshipping lets you sell supplier products without holding stock: when a customer buys, Runner sends the order to your supplier, and you confirm and pay for it in your supplier account so the supplier ships it to your customer.

Entry path: Workspace → choose a store → Dropshipping

Older layouts can show Dropshipping inside Store Operations. Use the entry your project shows.

How dropshipping works

To stop using a supplier or switch supplier accounts, see Disconnect a supplier. It’s a separate task with its own checks, not part of the everyday workflow.

Before you start

• Your own supplier account. Use a CJ Dropshipping account or an AliExpress buyer account that can pay for orders. You pay the supplier for each order separately from what your customer pays you.
• Owner or admin role. Only a workspace owner or admin can connect or disconnect a supplier. Other members see Only a workspace owner or admin can connect this supplier. Ask them to do it.
• A store market. Dropshipping destinations come from your store markets. Without a market, the page shows Add a market to choose a shipping destination and browse products.
• A payment service. Customers can only buy after a payment service is connected under Apps.

Supplier connections belong to your organization, so every store in the workspace uses the same CJ and AliExpress connections. CJ and AliExpress connect separately; connecting one never replaces the other.

1. Connect a supplier

You can browse the Trending, Low cost, and Under $5 preview shelves without a connection. Searching, opening live product data, and adding products require a connected supplier.

English callouts highlight the controls. Select the image to enlarge it.

Connect CJ Dropshipping

1. Open Dropshipping and select Connect supplier (or Manage suppliers).
2. In your CJ Dropshipping account, open Apps → API, then select the API tab. Copy the key with type API Key from the API Key & MCP Token column. If you don’t have one, select Add API to create it. Select View CJ instructions in Runner if you need CJ’s own steps.
3. Paste the key into CJ API Key and select Connect CJ Dropshipping.
4. Wait for the dialog to close and CJ Dropshipping to show as connected.
5. Search for a product to confirm that your CJ catalog loads.

In CJ, open Apps (1) and API (2), select the API tab (3), and copy the key from API Key & MCP Token (4). Select the image to enlarge it. Keep your key private; this example hides key values.

If you see We couldn’t connect CJ — double-check the API key and try again., copy the key from CJ again and retry. This message means CJ rejected the key. If you see CJ didn’t respond. Try again in a moment., CJ had a problem while checking the key; try again shortly. If you see CJ is limiting requests for this account. Wait a few minutes, then try again., the key can still be valid: CJ is limiting calls to your CJ account, for example because another app uses the same key. Wait a few minutes, then try again.

Connect AliExpress

1. Open Dropshipping and select Connect supplier (or Manage suppliers).
2. Select Connect AliExpress. Your browser leaves Runner and opens AliExpress sign-in.
3. Sign in with the AliExpress buyer account you will use to pay for supplier orders, and approve access.
4. When AliExpress returns you to Runner, look for AliExpress is connected. If you started from a search or a product, Runner returns you to it instead.

If you see We couldn’t open AliExpress sign-in. Try again., start the connection again from the same Runner account.

AliExpress access expires. AliExpress sets how long access lasts. Runner shows Your AliExpress authorization expires soon and emails workspace owners and admins 7 days and 1 day before it expires. Select Reconnect AliExpress and sign in with the same AliExpress account. If access expires, searching, importing, and new AliExpress orders stop until you reconnect.

The recording reviews existing CJ and AliExpress connections, then returns to the catalog. It does not connect, disconnect, buy, or import anything.

2. Browse and choose a product

English callouts highlight the controls. Select the image to enlarge it.

1. Choose Ship to. It starts at the United States when that is one of your markets, otherwise at your default market.
2. Browse a shelf or search. Use the supplier selector and filters to narrow results.
3. Open a product card. Check the images, the variants you want to sell, stock (in stock or Out of stock), and the supplier price.
4. For each variant, review the Reference shipping method and Estimated delivery time. These are supplier estimates, not delivery guarantees.
5. Select Back to compare other products. Your destination stays selected.

3. Review and publish a product

The product page combines product setup, market, pricing, and shipping in one place. Selecting Add Product to Store creates the product and publishes it to the selected market.

Configure product details and prices

1. Choose the Target market.
2. Select only the variants you intend to sell. Skip variants that show Out of stock.
3. Choose a Reference shipping method for each variant and check its Estimated delivery time.
4. Enter a markup in Set your markup, or type a price for each variant in Retail prices.
5. Check the cost breakdown and the Average estimated profit per unit. Make sure each price covers the product cost and the supplier shipping you will pay.

CJ quotes supplier costs in US dollars. When your market uses another currency, Runner shows converted amounts for reference only.

Choose target markets

• Each import publishes to one market at a time. Prices are saved in that market’s currency.
• To sell the same product in another market, return to the product in Dropshipping, choose the other Target market, enter prices in that currency, and select Add Product to Store again.
• Every variant of the product needs a price in the market’s currency before it can be published there.

Set up shipping

• Customers pay your store shipping rates for their market, not the supplier’s shipping cost. Include the estimated supplier shipping in your product price or your shipping rate.
• A new market’s Shipping cost is the rate customers pay. Enter 0 for free shipping. You can change delivery options later in Shipping.
• Supplier costs vary by delivery address. At checkout, Runner rechecks your supplier connection, stock, price, and shipping for the customer’s address. If the supplier can no longer supply the item, checkout stops instead of accepting an order you can’t fulfill.

Publish and check the result

1. Select Add Product to Store once your variants and prices are set.
2. Wait for Published. You can select another market to publish this product there. A Changes saved message with Preview store also appears.
3. Open Products and check the product, its variants, prices, images, and description. You can edit the title, description, and images there.
4. Preview the store and confirm that the product appears in the market you chose.

Dropshipping products don’t track inventory in Runner; the supplier’s stock is checked at checkout. The Inventory column in Products shows a dash for them.

If you see The result is not confirmed. Retry the same request before changing this selection., select the same action again without changing your selections, then check Products.

Older stores can show a different product page with Ship from, Ship to, a shipping method list, and Add to Store. The same rules apply: choose a route and quote, set a price for every selected variant, then add the product.

4. Fulfill orders

When a customer buys a dropshipping product, fulfillment has two halves. Runner places the supplier order for you. You must then confirm and pay for it in your supplier account. The supplier doesn’t ship until you do.

What Runner does automatically

• After checkout, Runner creates a supplier order in your connected CJ or AliExpress account. You don’t need to click anything in Runner to send it.
• One store order can create several supplier orders, one for each supplier, warehouse, or shipping method.
• Each supplier order appears in the store order’s Dropshipping fulfillment section with its status, Shipping Method, Warehouse, Items, and Last updated time. Tracking details appear once the supplier ships.
• If a supplier order can’t be created on the first try, Runner keeps retrying and shows Pending Creation meanwhile.
• Runner updates supplier status when you open the order, when you select Refresh Status, and in a daily background check for orders placed in the last 90 days. For older open orders, select Refresh Status or contact support.

Runner does not pay the supplier and does not mark the store order as shipped for you.

Fulfill an order step by step

1. Open Store Operations → Orders and select the order.
2. Find Dropshipping fulfillment. Wait until the supplier order shows Created or Unpaid. If it still shows Pending Creation, check back later; Runner is retrying.
3. Pay for the supplier order in your supplier account:
   • CJ Dropshipping: sign in to CJ, open your orders, and find the order whose number contains your Runner order number (for example, …-1042-0 for order 1042). Confirm the shipping details and pay for it from your CJ balance or payment method.
   • AliExpress: Runner shows Manual payment required and the AliExpress supplier order IDs. Sign in to the connected AliExpress buyer account and pay for each listed order.
4. Return to the order in Runner and select Refresh Status. After payment, the status moves to Processing, then Shipped when the supplier dispatches it.
5. When every supplier order in Dropshipping fulfillment shows Shipped, select Mark as fulfilled on the store order, then Mark as Shipped. Enter the Shipping carrier and a Tracking Number from the Dropshipping fulfillment section. This records the shipment on the store order your customer sees.
6. When every supplier order shows Delivered, select Mark as Delivered.

Mark as fulfilled and Mark as Shipped apply to the whole store order, including any items you ship yourself, and you can mark an order shipped only once. If an order has several supplier orders, wait until all of them have shipped, then send the other tracking numbers to your customer directly.

Supplier order statuses

Cancel or refund a dropshipping order

When you select Cancel Order on a store order, Runner automatically asks the supplier to cancel its supplier orders. You don’t need a separate step in Runner.

• CJ Dropshipping: Runner sends the cancellation to CJ while the supplier order hasn’t shipped. CJ decides whether it can still be cancelled.
• AliExpress: Runner can only stop the order before it is created in AliExpress; AliExpress doesn’t accept cancellations from Runner. After that, Runner shows Manual cancellation required and Do not pay; cancel these supplier order IDs in AliExpress. Cancel those orders in your AliExpress account.

After you cancel, open the order and check Dropshipping fulfillment. Pending Cancellation means Runner is waiting for the supplier; Cancelled means it’s done. If the status doesn’t reach Cancelled, cancel the order directly in your CJ or AliExpress account, and don’t pay for it.

• A refund doesn’t cancel the supplier order. If you refund a customer without canceling the order, the supplier can still ship it and charge you.
• Supplier costs aren’t refunded by Runner. If you already paid the supplier, request a refund from CJ or AliExpress.

Disconnect a supplier

Disconnect only when you stop using a supplier or need to switch supplier accounts. Disconnecting removes your CJ API key or AliExpress access from the organization. It affects every store in the workspace.

Before you disconnect

1. Open Store Operations → Orders and review every order with a Dropshipping fulfillment section for this supplier.
2. Pay for every Created, In Cart, or Unpaid supplier order, or cancel it.
3. Wait for Pending Creation and Processing orders to be created, shipped, or cancelled.
4. Record the shipment on each store order with Mark as Shipped once all of its supplier orders have shipped.
5. Set this supplier’s products to Draft in Products, or delete them. After you disconnect, customers can’t check out with them.

Disconnect

1. Open Dropshipping and select Manage suppliers.
2. Select Disconnect for CJ Dropshipping or AliExpress.
3. Read Disconnect CJ Dropshipping? or Disconnect AliExpress?: You won’t be able to add new products or get updates from this supplier. Products and orders already in Runner stay.
4. Select Disconnect to confirm, or Cancel to keep the connection.
5. Check that the supplier no longer shows as connected.

If you see We couldn’t disconnect CJ — it’s still connected. Try again. or AliExpress is still connected. Disconnecting didn’t go through. Try again., the connection is still active. Retry, and don’t assume it was removed.

What changes after you disconnect

Troubleshooting

• Search or Add Product to Store opens the connection dialog: Connect CJ or AliExpress. The preview shelves don’t count as a connection.
• No results: Clear the search and filters, confirm Ship to, or switch supplier.
• A country can’t be selected in Ship to: Add a market for it, then choose it again.
• An order is stuck in Unpaid: Runner never pays suppliers. Pay for the order in your CJ or AliExpress account.
• The customer hasn’t received tracking: Runner doesn’t copy supplier tracking to the store order. Use Mark as Shipped with the tracking number.
• Refresh Status fails with “That didn’t go through — the order is unchanged. Try again.”: The supplier connection may have changed since the order was placed. Check Manage suppliers, then manage the order in your supplier account.
• Checkout stops for a dropshipping product: The supplier connection, stock, price, or shipping changed. Reconnect the supplier or import the product again.
• A product shows the wrong result after Add Product to Store: Check Products before retrying. A loading state isn’t proof that the import finished.
• For exact error messages, see the Dropshipping catalog error playbook.

Related guides

• Orders
• Products
• Shipping
• Inventory and variants
• Connect CJ Dropshipping
• Store Operations overview