How do I calculate dropshipping prices automatically?

Create a price rule in Build the Drop with a formula based on product cost, shipping cost and margin, choose a rounding mode and set it as the default rule of your space. Every product you import is priced with it, and you can preview the result before saving the rule.

Which variables can I use in a price formula?

Formulas use three tokens: product cost, shipping cost and margin. For example, (product cost + shipping cost) multiplied by (1 + margin) works well with a percentage margin. If your formula does not include the margin token, Build the Drop applies the selected margin after calculating the formula.

Do prices update when the AliExpress cost changes?

On Starter, Pro and Business, yes. During each sync Build the Drop recalculates prices with your rule and updates them in Shopify. Sync runs twice a day on Starter, four times on Pro and up to hourly on Business. The Free plan does not update prices automatically. You can also disable price updates per space.

Can I set a different price for a single product?

Yes. Any product can override the space rule with a custom price or a custom markup, set from the product itself. Product-level pricing always wins over the default rule of the space, which is useful for hero products you want to price aggressively, bundles, or items with unusual shipping costs.

Are price rules available on the Free plan?

Yes. You can create price rules, assign them to your space and use them when importing products on any plan, including Free. What Free does not include is the automatic update of Shopify prices when supplier costs change; that starts with the Starter plan.

Pricing that protects your margins — automatically

Formula-based rules · Every plan · Auto price updates from Starter

Define your pricing logic once. Build the Drop applies it to every imported product and recalculates automatically when your supplier changes their price — so you never sell at a loss again.

Available on every plan, including Free

Start free See pricing

Smart Price Rules in the Build the Drop dashboard

Formula

based pricing engine

Auto

recalculates on cost change

Free

rules on every plan

Stop recalculating prices product by product

Pricing dropshipping products by hand means a spreadsheet, a calculator and a lot of second-guessing. AliExpress costs change, shipping is easy to forget, and a single wrong price can turn a sale into a loss. As your catalogue grows from ten products to hundreds, keeping every price consistent with your target margin gets harder, and checking them one by one stops being realistic.

Build the Drop lets you write your pricing logic once as a price rule. A rule combines the product cost, the estimated shipping cost and your margin in a formula, with a percentage or fixed margin and a rounding mode (none, up, down or nearest). A live preview shows the result before you save. Each space has a default rule, you can preset a rule while searching so every import gets it, and individual products can override it with a custom price or markup.

You can create and use price rules on every plan, including Free. Automatic price updates are different: from Starter upwards, when a supplier cost changes, Build the Drop recalculates the price with your rule and updates it in Shopify during the regular sync. You can switch these updates off in the space settings if you prefer to manage prices yourself.

What you get with Smart Price Rules

All the tools you need, built into your dropshipping dashboard.

Formula editor — multiply, add, round

Build rules using multipliers (e.g. cost × 2.5), fixed add-ons (cost + $10), tiered margins by price range, and rounding options. All without writing code.

Automatic price updates

When AliExpress changes the cost of a product you've imported, Build the Drop recalculates the sale price in Shopify using your rule — automatically, with no action needed from you.

Several rules, one default

Create as many price rules as you need, for example one per niche or price range. Set a default rule for each space and pick a different one when you import a product.

Price range tiers

Apply different multipliers to different cost ranges. Products under $5 might need a 3× multiplier while premium items over $50 can work at 2×. Set it once, it applies forever.

How it works

Create a price rule

Go to Price Rules in your space and write your formula using product cost, shipping cost and margin, then choose how prices are rounded.

Assign it to products at import

When you import a product, select which price rule applies. The sale price is calculated instantly from the AliExpress cost.

Prices stay correct automatically

If the supplier cost changes, Build the Drop updates the Shopify sale price using your formula. Your margin is always protected.

Pricing strategies you can automate

Including shipping in the price

You offer free shipping to customers. A formula like (product cost + shipping cost) multiplied by your margin bakes the estimated shipping into every selling price automatically.

Clean, consistent price endings

You want prices that look deliberate rather than random decimals. Pick a rounding mode in the rule and every product in the space follows the same pattern.

Different markets, different rules

You run one space for Spain and another for the United States, each with its own currency and default rule. Products imported into each space are priced for that market.

Related guides

Price rules formula editor guide

Learn how to create pricing rules, use formula tokens, choose margin settings, apply rounding, and override prices for individual products.

Read guide

How to Do Dropshipping on Shopify with AliExpress [2026 Tutorial]

Complete tutorial to connect your Shopify store with AliExpress in 2026: finding suppliers, importing products and automating prices and order fulfillment.

Read guide

Frequently asked questions

Stop setting prices manually

Create your first formula-based price rule and let Build the Drop handle your margins automatically.

Start free View all features