Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions about Build the Drop, Shopify, and AliExpress dropshipping.
Build the Drop is a dropshipping management platform that connects your Shopify store with AliExpress. It automates product imports, price calculations, and order fulfillment so you can focus on growing your business.
Yes, Build the Drop currently integrates with Shopify as the e-commerce platform. You need an active Shopify store to connect. We plan to support additional platforms in the future.
Yes! AliExpress is our primary supplier integration. You can search millions of AliExpress products directly from Build the Drop, import them to your Shopify store, and have orders fulfilled automatically.
You create a Price Rule in your space — for example, a 30% margin multiplier. When you import a product, Build the Drop applies the rule to the AliExpress cost price and sets the selling price in your Shopify store automatically.
Build the Drop monitors your Shopify orders. When a new order arrives, it automatically places the corresponding order on AliExpress and links the tracking information. You can monitor everything from the Orders section.
Yes. Build the Drop uses the concept of 'Spaces', where each Space connects one Shopify store with its AliExpress account, price rules, and settings. You can create multiple Spaces under the same account depending on your subscription plan.
Yes, Build the Drop offers a free plan with limited product imports and one Space. Paid plans unlock more products per space, multiple spaces, and advanced features like product scoring and priority support.
You can reach our support team through the Help section or by emailing support. Paid plan users receive priority support with faster response times.
The product score is a 0 to 100 rating that helps you quickly evaluate a product's overall potential. It is based on 7 dimensions: delivery, image, rating, sales, stock, supplier, and video.
Stock sync frequency depends on your plan. FREE syncs once per day, Starter syncs twice per day, Pro syncs four times per day, and Business includes unlimited stock sync.
Yes. You can use a per-product override when you need a custom price for a specific item, even if your space already has a general price rule.
If you cancel, your account is downgraded to the FREE plan and stays active. You keep access to the platform, but your limits and available features will follow the free plan.
A Space is a workspace inside Build the Drop used to organize your operation. Each space has its own settings and is built around one Shopify connection and one AliExpress connection.
Yes. You can add team members to a space and assign roles such as owner, admin, or member, depending on how you want to manage access and responsibilities.
Price rules use supported tokens like {{productCost}}, {{shippingCost}}, and {{margin}} to calculate your selling price. You can choose a Percentage or Fixed margin and apply rounding modes such as None, Up, Down, or Nearest.
Yes, higher plans support multi-store setups. In practice, spaces are the best way to organize multiple stores, since each space is designed around its own store setup and supplier connection.
The analytics dashboard gives you visibility into your operation with plan-supported insights related to product and store performance. It helps you monitor what is happening and make better decisions.
Auto-pay is a feature that helps automate order placement and payment steps for eligible orders, reducing manual work. It is included in plans that unlock advanced automation, such as Pro and above.
You connect your AliExpress account from within a space so Build the Drop can link that supplier source to your workspace. Each space manages its own supplier connection.
Build the Drop lets you configure currency, locale, and country at the space level. This makes it easier to adapt each workspace to the market you are targeting.
Build the Drop offers a free plan that lets you import up to 50 products and manage basic AliExpress dropshipping. Paid plans unlock unlimited products, automated price rules and bulk order fulfillment.
Unlike DSers (AliExpress-only, limited pricing logic) or AutoDS (complex, expensive), Build the Drop focuses on clean UX, powerful formula-based pricing, and multi-supplier support — so you're not locked into AliExpress long-term.
Currently Build the Drop supports one AliExpress connection per workspace. You can create multiple workspaces on PRO and BUSINESS plans to manage separate stores.
Yes. Your price rules are formula-based (e.g. cost × 2.5 + €2). When AliExpress updates the supplier cost, your retail price recalculates automatically, maintaining your margin.
Build the Drop detects the stock change during its next sync cycle and automatically sets the Shopify product quantity to 0, preventing overselling.
This is a limitation of the AliExpress affiliate API itself, not of Build the Drop. AliExpress access tokens expire 60 days after they are issued, and the platform does not support silent token refresh. Once the token expires, any action that needs to talk to AliExpress — placing orders, checking stock, importing products, syncing tracking — stops working until you re-authorize the connection. To renew, go to Integrations in your space, click 'Connect AliExpress' again, and complete the OAuth flow. The whole process takes about 30 seconds and keeps the connection valid for another 60 days. We send an email reminder a few days before the token expires so you do not get caught off guard.
Auto-pay needs three things to be true at the same time: (1) your plan is PRO or BUSINESS, (2) the 'Auto-place orders' toggle is on in your space settings, and (3) AliExpress confirms auto-pay is enabled for your account. The status badge on the AliExpress supplier card reflects AliExpress's side — if it says 'Auto-pay not active', it means the connection has not been set up on AliExpress's end. Log in to AliExpress, enable auto-pay in your account, link PayPal as a payment method, then go back to the supplier card and click 'Refresh status' to re-check. Build the Drop will only auto-place and auto-pay orders when all three conditions are met.
Four steps: upgrade your plan to PRO or BUSINESS, open the space settings dropdown and toggle 'Auto-place orders' on, link PayPal to your AliExpress account on AliExpress's website, and finally go to Dashboard → Suppliers → AliExpress and click 'Refresh status' on the supplier card to confirm AliExpress has auto-pay enabled. See the full guide 'How to enable AliExpress auto-pay' for the full walkthrough.
These are two independent switches on opposite sides of the integration. 'Enabled in AliExpress' reflects what AliExpress reports about your account — specifically, that PayPal is linked and auto-pay is turned on in your AliExpress payment settings. 'Enabled in Space' reflects what Build the Drop has been told about your space — namely, that the 'Auto-place orders' toggle is on in your space settings. Orders will only be auto-placed and auto-paid when BOTH are enabled at the same time. If either is off, the integration will not place orders automatically.
The status on the supplier page is a snapshot, not a live feed — it reflects the last time Build the Drop asked AliExpress. After changing auto-pay on AliExpress's website, come back to the AliExpress supplier page and click 'Refresh status' to ask AliExpress again. The badge will update within a few seconds.
No. The auto-pay flag lives on AliExpress's side (it's tied to your PayPal linkage) and is independent of the OAuth token that Build the Drop uses to talk to AliExpress. Renewing the connection only refreshes the token; it does not touch the auto-pay flag. You should only need to set up auto-pay on AliExpress once.
Yes. The 'Auto-place orders' toggle lives in each space's settings, so you can mix and match: leave a space in passive mode while auto-placing in another. The AliExpress side is shared across spaces because it depends on a single PayPal linkage on your AliExpress account, but the Build the Drop switch is per-space.
We're actively building Temu integration and expect to launch it in late 2026. Join the waitlist to get notified first and receive an extended trial.
Temu offers extremely competitive prices — often 30–70% cheaper than AliExpress on similar products. For dropshippers this means higher potential margins. The main challenge is reliable API access, which is what Build the Drop is solving.
Yes, though currently it requires manual work. Once Build the Drop's Temu integration launches, you'll be able to automate product import, pricing and order fulfillment to Shopify.
Absolutely. Build the Drop is designed as a multi-supplier platform. You'll be able to import products from both AliExpress and Temu into the same Shopify store and manage them from one dashboard.
Yes. DHgate is a popular choice for dropshippers due to its low MOQ and competitive pricing. Build the Drop will automate the entire workflow from product import to order fulfillment.
DHgate has millions of sellers with varying quality. Build the Drop will include supplier rating filters and product review data to help you choose reliable DHgate sellers for your store.
We're targeting a 2026 launch. Join the waitlist to get notified and receive priority access.
Yes. Build the Drop is a multi-supplier platform. You can import from multiple sources (AliExpress, DHgate, Temu) into the same Shopify store.
Banggood is excellent for niche dropshipping in electronics, DIY and RC categories. Shipping times from their EU/US warehouses are faster than AliExpress for many products.
Build the Drop is building the most complete Banggood management tool — product import, smart pricing formulas, stock sync and order fulfillment, all in one dashboard alongside other suppliers.
We're targeting a 2026 launch. Join the waitlist and we'll notify you as soon as it's available.
Yes. Build the Drop supports multiple suppliers per workspace. Mix Banggood and AliExpress products in the same Shopify store and manage them together.
Yes, many dropshippers use Shein as a supplier for fashion stores. Build the Drop will make it significantly easier by automating product import, pricing and fulfillment.
Shein's ultra-low prices can yield strong margins on a fashion Shopify store. The key is fast trend detection, accurate pricing and reliable fulfillment — all things Build the Drop automates.
We're aiming for a 2026 launch. Join the waitlist to be notified immediately when it goes live.
Build the Drop is the first multi-supplier platform with formula-based pricing. You're not locked into one supplier — mix Shein with AliExpress, Temu and others in the same Shopify store.
Build the Drop offers formula-based pricing that DSers lacks, multi-supplier support, and a cleaner UX. If you want more control over margins and plan to diversify beyond AliExpress, Build the Drop is the better choice.
No — Build the Drop is a management layer on top of Shopify. Your store, products and orders stay in Shopify. Build the Drop connects your supplier accounts and automates the repetitive parts of dropshipping.
Absolutely. Install the Build the Drop app on your existing Shopify store and connect your supplier accounts. Your current products stay untouched.
Build the Drop checks your connected suppliers on an automatic schedule and pushes stock changes to Shopify for you. How often depends on your plan: from once a day on Free up to every hour on Business.
Yes. Build the Drop works with all Shopify plans including Shopify Basic, Shopify, Advanced and Plus.
Yes, dropshipping is permitted on Amazon as long as you're the seller of record and you don't use other retailers' packaging. Build the Drop follows Amazon's dropshipping policy guidelines.
Yes, though it requires careful attention to shipping times and Amazon's seller standards. Build the Drop will automate the stock sync and order routing to minimize late-shipment penalties.
We're targeting a 2026 launch. Join the waitlist to get notified first and receive an extended trial period.
Yes. The goal is a true multi-channel dashboard — manage the same product catalog selling across Shopify, Amazon, eBay and more, sourced from multiple suppliers.
Etsy allows dropshipping if you design or create the products yourself, or if the products are vintage (20+ years old). Build the Drop helps you manage compliant Etsy dropshipping operations.
Personalized, niche and handcraft-style products work best on Etsy. Build the Drop will include Etsy-specific optimization tools to help you find winning products.
We're targeting a 2026 launch. Join the waitlist to be among the first to try it.
Yes, eBay dropshipping remains profitable in 2026, especially in niche categories. The key is fast stock sync to avoid cancellations and formula-based pricing that accounts for eBay's fees — both things Build the Drop automates.
Yes, AliExpress-to-eBay is one of the most common dropshipping models. Build the Drop will automate product import, pricing and order routing between AliExpress and eBay.
We're targeting a 2026 launch. Join the waitlist to get early access.
Yes. BigCommerce has robust APIs and no transaction fees, making it ideal for dropshipping at scale. Build the Drop will provide the supplier automation layer on top.
BigCommerce has advantages for large catalogues (no per-product limits, no transaction fees) while Shopify has a larger app ecosystem. Build the Drop will support both, so you can choose the platform that fits your business.
We're targeting a 2026 launch. Join the waitlist to get notified first.
Build the Drop is building the most complete WooCommerce dropshipping solution — not just a plugin, but a full management platform with multi-supplier support, formula-based pricing and automated fulfillment.
Yes. AliExpress-to-WooCommerce is a popular dropshipping combination. Build the Drop will automate the entire workflow: import, pricing, stock sync and order fulfillment.
WooCommerce is highly flexible and free (you pay only for hosting and plugins). It's great for dropshipping, especially if you want full control over your store. Build the Drop removes the main pain point: manual supplier management.
We're targeting a 2026 launch. Join the waitlist to be first in line.
PrestaShop is a solid choice for dropshipping, especially in Europe. It's free, flexible, and has a strong ecosystem. The main gap is supplier automation — which Build the Drop fills.
Build the Drop will be the most complete PrestaShop dropshipping solution — not just a module, but a full management platform with multi-supplier support and formula pricing.
We're targeting a 2026 launch. Join the waitlist to get notified.
Magento is ideal for large-scale dropshipping operations that need flexible catalog management, multiple stores and advanced pricing. Build the Drop adds the supplier automation layer.
Both work for dropshipping. Adobe Commerce adds B2B features and cloud hosting. Build the Drop will support both versions.
We're targeting a 2026 launch. Join the waitlist to get early access.
Yes. Facebook Shops supports dropshipping — you list products and fulfill them from a supplier when a customer buys. Build the Drop will automate this entire flow.
Facebook Shops gives access to billions of social media users and integrates with Instagram Shopping. It's a powerful additional sales channel for dropshippers.
We're targeting a 2026 launch. Join the waitlist to be notified first.
Yes, through Instagram Shopping. You list supplier products on your Instagram shop and fulfill orders from a supplier. Build the Drop will automate the entire flow.
Instagram is excellent for visual product niches — fashion, beauty, home decor, fitness. The engaged audience and in-app checkout make it a powerful dropshipping channel.
We're targeting a 2026 launch alongside Facebook Shops. Join the waitlist to get notified.
Yes. TikTok Shop allows dropshipping — you list products and fulfill from a supplier when a customer buys. Build the Drop will automate this for you.
TikTok Shop is one of the highest-opportunity dropshipping channels right now. Products can go viral overnight. Build the Drop will help you handle the order volume without manual work.
We're targeting a 2026 launch. Join the waitlist to get notified first and receive an extended trial.
Initially AliExpress, with Temu, DHgate, Banggood and others coming as we expand supplier integrations.
Type keywords (e.g. 'wireless earbuds') or paste an AliExpress product URL directly into the search box and press Search. Your last search is saved in the URL so you can come back to it anytime.
Yes! Paste the full AliExpress product URL into the search box and press Search to fetch that exact product instantly.
Make sure your AliExpress account is connected (the green logo in the top bar). If connected, try different or broader keywords. Results only appear after you run a search.
Click 'Add' on any product card. The product is saved to your Import List where you can configure it and publish it to your Shopify store.
Tags set in the toolbar are automatically applied to every product you import during the current session. Useful for marking a batch of products with the same category or campaign.
Select a price rule in the toolbar and it will be applied automatically to every product you import during the current session — no need to assign it manually one by one.
The number of products in your import list depends on your plan. Check your subscription page for the exact limit.
A price rule is a formula that automatically calculates the selling price of a product based on its supplier cost. Instead of setting prices manually, you define a rule (e.g. cost × 2 + shipping) and it applies to all products using that rule.
The formula editor lets you build price expressions using variables like {{cost}}, {{shipping}}, and constants. For example: {{cost}} * 2.5 + 1.99 would set the price to 2.5× the supplier cost plus a fixed €1.99 margin.
Yes. Each product in your import list can have its own price rule. You can also bulk-assign a rule to multiple products at once using the bulk action in the products page.
Products without a price rule keep their original supplier price. You can still set a custom fixed price for individual products from the product detail panel.
Yes. When stock sync runs and detects a price change from the supplier, the rule formula is re-applied automatically so your selling price stays up to date without manual intervention.
AI content generation automatically creates optimized product names and descriptions for your import list products. It saves you time and improves the quality of your listings before publishing to your store.
Your monthly AI credits equal the maximum number of products allowed on your plan. For example, a Growth plan gets 300 credits per month. Each credit lets you generate content for one product.
AI credits reset automatically at the start of each billing month. Unused credits do not roll over to the next month.
When your credits are exhausted, the generate button will be disabled until your next billing cycle. You can still edit product names and descriptions manually at any time.
No. AI generation only updates the product name and description inside your import list. The original supplier listing is never modified. You can always revert by editing the fields manually.
Build the Drop syncs stock automatically for all products in your active catalog. How often depends on your plan: once a day on Free, twice a day on Starter, 4 times a day on Pro and up to every hour on Business. When a supplier runs out of stock, your Shopify product is updated automatically in the next sync cycle.
When Build the Drop detects that a supplier product is out of stock, it automatically sets the corresponding Shopify product to 'Out of stock' and marks it as unavailable for purchase. This prevents overselling before you manually realise there's a problem.
Yes. From the product detail view inside Build the Drop you can trigger an immediate stock check for any individual product. For bulk manual sync across your full catalog, this is available on higher plan tiers.
Stock sync is currently active for AliExpress products. As additional supplier connectors (Temu, BigBuy, etc.) become available, stock sync will be enabled for them automatically without any additional configuration needed on your side.
Build the Drop flags out-of-stock products visually in your catalog dashboard so you can see at a glance which products need attention. Email notifications for stock changes are on the product roadmap.
Build the Drop fetches real buyer reviews directly from AliExpress for each product you've imported. Reviews include star ratings, written text and, where available, customer photos — the same social proof that already convinced buyers on AliExpress.
Yes. After importing reviews for a product, you can filter and curate which ones appear on your storefront. You can filter by star rating (e.g. show only 4-star and above), include only reviews with photos, or manually exclude specific reviews.
No. Build the Drop includes a built-in display plugin that adds a review section to your Shopify product pages. There's no need to install or pay for a separate review platform. This saves you the typical $15–$30/month cost of standalone review apps.
Reviews are linked at the product level. Each imported product has its own set of imported reviews. If you import the same AliExpress product twice (for example in two different spaces), each instance has its own review set that you manage independently.
Build the Drop imports publicly visible review data in the same way a user would read reviews on AliExpress. However, you should always ensure the reviews you display accurately represent the product you're selling and comply with your local consumer protection regulations.
No. Build the Drop places orders directly with AliExpress on your behalf from the dashboard. You never need to open AliExpress, find the order, copy the customer's address or paste tracking numbers manually.
Once AliExpress marks an order as shipped and assigns a tracking number, Build the Drop pulls that number automatically and updates the Shopify order. This triggers Shopify's built-in shipping notification email to your customer — no manual step required.
Before placing an order with AliExpress, Build the Drop validates the customer address format. If there's a formatting issue or an unsupported country code, the order is flagged for your review rather than placed with potentially incorrect data.
Yes. If a customer's order contains products from different suppliers, Build the Drop splits the order automatically and routes each item to the correct supplier. All suppliers receive their portions in a single bulk fulfillment action from your side.
Bulk fulfillment in Build the Drop processes all your selected pending orders simultaneously — there's no hard cap on the number per action. On high-volume plans the batch size is optimised for maximum throughput, allowing you to fulfill hundreds of orders in a single click.
Before sending the batch to AliExpress, Build the Drop checks each order for issues (invalid address, out-of-stock item, payment problem). Orders with errors are flagged and excluded from the batch — only clean orders go through — so errors don't block your entire fulfillment run.
Yes. When you run a bulk fulfillment, Build the Drop routes each order to the correct supplier automatically — even if your pending orders span AliExpress and other connected suppliers. You don't need to run separate batches per supplier.
Yes. From the Orders panel you can filter by date range, supplier connector, order status or any combination before selecting orders for bulk fulfillment. This lets you run targeted batches — for example, fulfilling only today's orders from a specific supplier.
The analytics dashboard refreshes in near real-time as orders are placed and fulfilled through Build the Drop. Revenue and order count data typically reflects events within a few minutes of them happening.
Yes. If you manage multiple Shopify stores via Build the Drop Spaces, the analytics dashboard lets you view performance data per Space and compare stores side by side — helping you identify which brands or niches are performing best.
Yes. Build the Drop's analytics includes per-supplier metrics: average fulfillment speed, number of orders placed, order issue rate and stock reliability. This helps you make data-driven decisions about which suppliers to use or avoid.
Yes. The Products section of the analytics dashboard ranks your imported products by revenue and by order volume. You can quickly identify your top performers and your slowest movers, then act accordingly — doubling down on winners or replacing underperforming listings.
The affiliate program lets you earn a 15% commission on every subscription paid by merchants you refer. You share your unique referral link and get paid automatically via Stripe whenever someone signs up and pays.
Go to your dashboard and click 'Affiliate' in the sidebar. Fill in your legal name, tax ID, and address, then click 'Create affiliate account'. You will be redirected to Stripe to complete your payout setup. Once your Stripe account is active, you will start receiving commissions automatically.
Your commission rate grows with you. You start at 15% and can reach up to 30% based on the number of active referred merchants with a paid subscription. Only paid plans (not free accounts) count toward your tier. The tiers are: Standard (up to 100 paid referrals) → 15%, Pro (101–500) → 20%, Expert (501–2,000) → 25%, Elite (2,000+) → 30%. The rate is calculated dynamically each time a referred merchant's invoice is paid.
Commissions are transferred to your Stripe account automatically when a referred merchant's invoice is paid. Payouts follow Stripe's standard transfer schedule (usually 2–7 business days). You must complete Stripe Connect onboarding before any transfers are made.
Your referral link adds a ?ref=btd_xxxxxxxx parameter to the Build the Drop homepage. When someone visits via your link, their browser stores a cookie valid for 30 days. If they sign up within those 30 days, the referral is attributed to you automatically.
Yes. In the Affiliate dashboard, click 'Change referral code' and enter a new code (minimum 4 characters). Your referral URL will update immediately. Make sure to share the new link — old links with your previous code will no longer track to your account.
The referral cookie lasts 30 days. If the person signs up within 30 days of clicking your link — even if they close the browser — the referral will be attributed to you.
A commission shows as 'Pending' when your Stripe Connect account has not completed onboarding or has restrictions that prevent transfers. Go to your Affiliate dashboard and click 'Continue on Stripe' to finish the setup. Pending commissions will transfer automatically with the next successful invoice from that merchant once your account is active.
Build the Drop uses a four-tier commission system that rewards you as your referral network grows. Your rate is determined by the number of your referred merchants who are on a paid plan at the moment each invoice is paid:
• Standard: up to 100 paid referrals → 15%
• Pro: 101–500 → 20%
• Expert: 501–2,000 → 25%
• Elite: more than 2,000 → 30%
Free-plan accounts do not count. You can see your current tier and progress in the Affiliate dashboard.
An active paid referral is a merchant who signed up via your referral link and currently has an active paid subscription (any plan except Free) on Build the Drop. Free accounts, cancelled subscriptions, and past-due payments are not counted. The count updates automatically, so your tier can change between billing cycles.
Your commission rate is recalculated each time a referred merchant pays. If paid plan cancellations bring your active paid referral count below a tier threshold, the next commission will apply the lower rate. This makes the system fair and directly tied to the real value you deliver.
Stripe will ask for your full legal name (or company name), date of birth (individuals), home or business address, tax ID (NIF/VAT/SSN depending on your country), bank account details (IBAN for EU), a government-issued identity document, and a mobile phone number for two-factor authentication.
Most accounts are verified automatically within a few minutes. In some cases Stripe may take up to 2 business days if they need to review your documents manually. You will receive an email from Stripe once your account is active.
No. Commissions from billing events that happen while your account is in Pending status are not transferred retroactively. Only commissions generated after your account becomes Active will be paid out. This is why we recommend completing the Stripe onboarding immediately after registering.
Restricted means Stripe needs additional information or one of your documents has expired. You will receive an email from Stripe with details. Go to your Affiliate dashboard and click 'Continue on Stripe' to re-enter the onboarding flow and provide the missing information. Once resolved, your account will return to Active status.
Yes. During Stripe onboarding, select 'Business' instead of 'Individual'. You will need your company's legal name, registered address, VAT or tax number, and a bank account in the company's name. Individual and business accounts are both supported.
Stripe accepts a national ID card (front and back), a passport (photo page), or a driver's license (front and back). The document must be valid (not expired) and show your full legal name exactly as you entered it during onboarding.
Generate an 8-character code in the dashboard, then enter it in the Shopify app. The code expires in 10 minutes and links your Shopify store to your BuildTheDrop account securely.
Stock syncs automatically, and how often depends on your plan: from once a day on Free up to every hour on Business. Higher plans are the best fit for stores with fast-moving products.
Yes. Each Space in BuildTheDrop can be connected to a separate Shopify store. Create a new Space for each store you want to manage.
The product inventory is updated automatically in your Shopify store so the item becomes unavailable to buyers.
The number of products you can import depends on your subscription plan. Check the Billing section to see your current plan limits.
A Space is deactivated automatically when your subscription plan no longer covers it — typically after a downgrade or a payment issue. Deactivation is reversible and your data is never deleted. Upgrade your plan from the Subscription page to reactivate the space immediately.
No. Deactivation is not deletion. All your products, orders, price rules, settings and integrations stay exactly as they were. Only the automation stops: no new orders are placed with suppliers, no prices are recalculated, no stock is synced and no AI features run. As soon as you reactivate the space, everything resumes from where it stopped.
Go to the Subscription page and upgrade to a plan that includes the number of spaces you need. The deactivated spaces come back online automatically — no manual setup, no reconnection of suppliers or stores, and no data loss.