Dropshipping
Preview supplier products, connect CJ or AliExpress, choose a destination and variants, and add a quoted item to Products.
Use Dropshipping to browse supplier-listed products and prepare selected variants for your store. You can preview the marketplace before connecting a supplier, but searching and adding products require your own supplier connection.
Why and when to use Dropshipping
Use this section when you want to source an item without manually creating the entire product record. Runner keeps browsing separate from supplier-authorized actions: preview the catalog first, then connect CJ Dropshipping with an API key or AliExpress with OAuth before you search or add an item.
Availability and prerequisites
- Disconnected workspaces can browse the Trending, Low cost, and Under $5 preview shelves.
- Submitting a non-empty search or selecting Add to Store while disconnected opens the supplier connection prompt.
- Ship to starts at United States. A supported destination you choose remains selected while you browse.
- CJ Dropshipping supplies the catalog for supported non-US destinations. AliExpress products are available only when Ship to is United States.
- Before adding an item, select its variants, choose a valid fulfillment route and shipping quote, and set a valid retail price for every selected variant.
- Connect CJ with your own API key. Connect AliExpress through its OAuth authorization flow. One provider connection does not connect the other.
Open Dropshipping
Entry path: Workspace → choose a store → Store Operations → Dropshipping
Main controls
Marketplace controls
| Control | Why you use it | What happens when selected |
|---|---|---|
| Trending | Browse products with higher current supplier listing activity. | Opens the Trending preview shelf. |
| Low cost | Browse products with lower listed wholesale prices. | Opens the Low cost preview shelf. |
| Under $5 | Browse products whose listed wholesale price is below $5. | Opens the Under $5 preview shelf. |
| Search products… | Find supplier-listed items by words. | Submitting a non-empty search loads results when connected; otherwise it opens the connection prompt. |
| Ship to | Set the catalog and fulfillment destination. | Starts at United States and reloads eligible catalog results after a supported destination is chosen. |
| Supplier selector | Limit the catalog to CJ Dropshipping or AliExpress. | Switches the visible provider. AliExpress is unavailable for non-US destinations. |
| Product card | Evaluate one item. | Opens product details, variants, fulfillment choices, and pricing controls when available. |
| Connect supplier | Enable supplier-authorized search and import. | Opens provider-specific CJ API-key and AliExpress OAuth choices. |
| How it works | Review both connection methods. | Explains that CJ uses an API key and AliExpress uses OAuth. |
Product setup controls
| Control | Why you use it | What happens when selected |
|---|---|---|
| Back | Return to the marketplace. | Preserves the selected destination and leaves without adding the item. |
| Ship from | Choose a supplier warehouse. | Resets dependent fulfillment choices and checks available routes. |
| Ship to | Confirm the destination for this item. | Loads shipping methods for the selected route. |
| Shipping method | Compare delivery, cost, and estimated margin. | Selects the quote required before pricing and import are ready. |
| Margin control | Set a target take-home margin. | Recalculates retail-price suggestions using the current quote and fee. |
| Apply to all | Select and price all variants. | Applies the current calculation to available variants. |
| Variant checkbox / Select all | Choose which variants to add. | Adds or removes variants from the pending selection. |
| Your price | Set a retail price per selected variant. | Updates the pending price and displayed profit or margin estimate. |
| Add to Store | Submit the configured item. | Opens the connection prompt when disconnected; otherwise it submits only after the required variant, route, quote, and price setup is complete. |
Evaluate and add an item
- Open Dropshipping and review the preview shelves, or choose Ship to first. The default destination is United States.
- To search, enter a term and submit it. If Runner opens the connection prompt, connect CJ with your API key or AliExpress with OAuth, then repeat the search.
- Open a product card. For a non-US destination, use a CJ Dropshipping product.
- Select Ship from, confirm Ship to, then choose an available shipping method.
- Select only the variants you intend to sell and set a valid Your price for each one.
- Review the current delivery, cost, fee, profit, and margin estimates.
- Select Add to Store once it becomes available. If the connection prompt opens, finish the provider connection and return to the item.
- Wait for Runner’s explicit success message. Open Products and inspect the imported row, variants, prices, status, and description.
States and limits
- Preview shelves are browse-only evidence from the current catalog; they are not popularity, margin, or delivery guarantees.
- No products found means the current provider, destination, and search returned nothing.
- Checking destinations and Loading shipping methods are in-progress states, not proof that a route exists.
- An explicitly selected unavailable destination remains selected so you can see that no route is available; Runner does not silently replace it with another country.
- AliExpress supports United States destinations only. Choose United States or switch to CJ Dropshipping.
- A selected variant needs a valid price and an available shipping quote before import.
- Supplier connection, product, variant, inventory, price, and freight are checked again during checkout and immediately before order completion. If the live supplier state is no longer valid, checkout stops instead of using stale data.
- Add to Store does not by itself prove the storefront is published or that a future supplier order will remain eligible.
Troubleshooting
- Search or Add asks you to connect: Connect CJ with your own API key or AliExpress through OAuth. Browsing the preview does not count as a supplier connection.
- No results: Clear the search, review a preview shelf, confirm the destination, or switch to an eligible connected provider.
- AliExpress is unavailable: Set Ship to to United States, or use CJ Dropshipping for the selected non-US destination.
- No shipping method: Try another source warehouse or supported destination; do not invent a route.
- Complete setup to publish: Select at least one variant, a valid route and quote, and a valid price for every selected variant.
- Add to Store fails: Keep the visible error, recheck the live connection, quote, and selections, then retry only if Runner has not already reported success.
- Checkout stops after a disconnect or supplier change: Reconnect the same provider and recheck the item. If its supplier identity or live data no longer matches, remove it and import it again.
- The item is not in Products: Refresh Products and look for the exact item name. A loading state or button click alone is not proof of import.