How to Add Alibaba Products to Shopify
Alibaba.com is a wholesale marketplace: you buy from manufacturers and trading companies, usually in quantity, at prices that drop as you order more. Ecopy can turn an Alibaba product page into a Shopify product with its images, variants and supplier name, which saves time when you are building a catalog around stock you plan to order. The price it brings in is a wholesale tier, not a retail price, so read the pricing section before you publish.
Last updated November 8, 2026
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Why import from Alibaba to Shopify?
- ✓Create Shopify listings for products you plan to order in bulk
- ✓Keep the supplier's company name on each product for your records
- ✓Bring in variants and variant images instead of rebuilding them by hand
- ✓Rewrite factory descriptions into copy written for your customers
How to import Alibaba products with eCopy
Install Ecopy and the extension
Install Ecopy from the Shopify App Store, then add the Ecopy Chrome extension and connect it to your store.
Open the Alibaba product page
Go to the product page on Alibaba.com. Alibaba products are imported through the extension, one at a time.
Set your price, then import
Replace the wholesale price with your retail price using your pricing rules, rewrite the text, then import as a draft or publish.
What eCopy imports from Alibaba
- ✓Product title and description
- ✓Product images, plus variant images when the listing has them
- ✓Variants, such as color or size
- ✓The price of the first quantity tier
- ✓The supplier's company name, as the vendor
Alibaba is wholesale, not dropshipping by default
Most Alibaba listings have a minimum order quantity and tiered prices: the more you order, the less each unit costs. That suits a store that buys stock, holds it in a warehouse or with a fulfilment partner, and ships from there. It does not fit the one-order-at-a-time model of classic dropshipping, unless a supplier agrees to ship single units for you.
Ecopy creates the product in Shopify. It does not place orders on Alibaba, negotiate with suppliers or track shipments.
Why the imported price needs changing
Ecopy takes the price of the first quantity tier on the listing. That is a per-unit wholesale price, and it usually leaves out shipping, import duties and taxes. Set your retail price from your real landed cost per unit: product, freight, duties, storage, fulfilment and payment fees, plus your advertising cost per sale.
Ecopy's markup and rounding rules apply to every variant at once, so set them from that landed cost rather than from the listing price alone.
Before you sell an Alibaba product
A listing on Alibaba is a supplier's offer, not a guarantee. Protect yourself before you order in volume.
- ✓Order samples and compare them with the listing photos
- ✓Agree the specification, packaging and delivery terms in writing
- ✓Check that the product meets safety and labelling rules in your country
- ✓Ask before you use the supplier's photos, or take your own
- ✓Avoid products that copy a brand, logo or patented design
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I add Alibaba products to Shopify?
Install Ecopy and its Chrome extension, open the product page on Alibaba.com, click the Ecopy button, set your retail price and import the product.
Which price does Ecopy import from Alibaba?
The price of the first quantity tier on the listing. It is a per-unit wholesale price, so replace it with a retail price based on your landed cost.
Can I dropship from Alibaba with Ecopy?
Ecopy creates the product listing only. It does not place orders on Alibaba. Most Alibaba suppliers expect a minimum order, so agree single-unit shipping with the supplier first if you want to dropship.
Does Ecopy import Alibaba variants?
Yes, when the listing has them, with variant images where the supplier provides them.
Is Alibaba the same as AliExpress?
Both belong to Alibaba Group, but Alibaba.com is a wholesale marketplace, while AliExpress sells single items at retail and runs a Dropshipping Program for online stores.
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