Fulfillment

ETA

Estimated Time of Arrival — the expected delivery date communicated to the customer. In dropshipping, managing ETA expectations is the #1 support workload.

ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) is the expected delivery date communicated to the customer at checkout, in the order confirmation, and in shipping updates. In dropshipping, ETA management is the single largest support workload, because AliExpress-fulfilled orders often arrive 10-30 days after purchase — far outside what a 2026 Amazon-trained customer expects.

The operational fix isn't to hide shipping times. It's to set honest, pessimistic ETAs up front ("Ships in 2-4 days, arrives in 10-14 days") and then over-deliver. Setting a 14-day ETA and arriving in 9 produces a happy customer; setting a 7-day ETA and arriving in 12 produces a chargeback.

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Related terms in Fulfillment
3PL
Third-Party Logistics — an external warehouse that stores, picks, packs, and ships your inventory for a per-unit fee. The step between dropshipping and running your own warehouse.
AliExpress
Alibaba's B2C marketplace of Chinese sellers — the default starting supplier for most new dropshippers. Low MOQs, low prices, long shipping times.
Chargeback
A payment reversal initiated by the customer via their bank. Each chargeback is a full refund plus a $15-$25 fee — and too many will get your payment processor shut down.
CJ Dropshipping
A dropshipping agent that sources, stocks, and ships products — typically from China with US or EU warehouse options. Faster and more branded than raw AliExpress.
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