Dropshipping Statistics 2026: Apps, Market Size and the De Minimis Effect
Dropshipping apps were installed on 398,254 Shopify stores in 2026, according to Store Leads. That is about one in eight live Shopify stores. Print-on-demand apps such as Printful (145,754 stores) now dominate. Apps tied to AliExpress are shrinking fast. DSers installs fell 57.0% in a year and AutoDS installs fell 79.4%, after the US ended duty-free de minimis entry in August 2025. Cheap parcels still pour into Europe, where 93% of low-value e-commerce items came from China in 2025.
Key statistics
- Dropshipping apps were installed on 398,254 Shopify stores worldwide in 2026, many with more than one such app, according to Store Leads.
- Dropshipping apps were detected on about 12.3% of live Shopify stores in 2026, roughly one in eight, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Store Leads data.
- Installs of the DSers dropshipping app on Shopify fell 57.0% year on year to October 2026, according to Store Leads.
- Print-on-demand apps took 68.4% of installs among the 20 most used Shopify dropshipping apps in 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Store Leads data.
- About 5.88 billion low-value e-commerce items under EUR 150 entered the EU in 2025, according to the European Commission.
Dropshipping market size
No government counts dropshipping sales. The only public market size figures are analyst models, so treat them as rough.
Grand View Research puts the global dropshipping market at USD 464.4 billion in 2025 and forecasts USD 2,180.8 billion by 2033. Its model implies growth of about 26% between 2025 and 2026 alone.
Read these figures with care. The free summary does not show the method or inputs. It also contradicts itself. It gives fashion a 37.4% revenue share in one place and over 34.0% in another, and it gives food and personal care a forecast growth rate of 16.7% in one place and 23.6% in another.
The forecast also sits awkwardly next to the measured data below. Installs of the big AliExpress dropshipping apps on Shopify fell sharply in the past year. Growth may be shifting to print-on-demand and other models, but no public source splits the market that way.
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The global dropshipping market was valued at USD 464.4 billion in 2025, according to a Grand View Research model.
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The global dropshipping market is forecast to reach USD 2,180.8 billion in 2033, growing 20.7% a year from 2026, according to Grand View Research.
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Asia Pacific had 36.0% of global dropshipping revenue in 2025, the largest regional share, according to Grand View Research.
| Year | Market size | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 464.4 | Estimate |
| 2026 | 583.5 | Estimate |
| 2033 | 2,180.8 | Forecast |
How many Shopify stores use dropshipping apps
Store Leads crawls live Shopify stores and detects which apps they run. It says most dropshipping apps are hard to detect, so its counts are a floor.
Store Leads detected dropshipping apps on 398,254 Shopify stores. Shopify had 3,225,094 live stores, so about 12.3% of stores, or one in eight, run at least one detected dropshipping app.
That share is a floor, not a ceiling. Store Leads says many of these apps do not change the storefront, so it misses some installs. Many stores also run more than one app. The top 20 apps add up to 441,365 installs, more than the 398,254 stores.
Most of these installs are print-on-demand, not classic dropshipping from AliExpress. The eight print-on-demand apps in the top 20 hold 68.4% of its installs.
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Dropshipping apps were installed on 398,254 Shopify stores worldwide in 2026, many with more than one such app, according to Store Leads.
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Shopify had 3,225,094 live stores worldwide in 2026 Q4 to date, according to Store Leads.
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Dropshipping apps were detected on about 12.3% of live Shopify stores in 2026, roughly one in eight, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Store Leads data.
How we calculated it: 398,254 stores with dropshipping apps (Store Leads dropshipping apps report) / 3,225,094 live Shopify stores (Store Leads State of Shopify report) = 12.3%. Detection is partial, so the true share may be higher.
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The number of live Shopify stores grew 15% year on year in 2026 Q3, according to Store Leads.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Live Shopify stores (2026 Q4 to date) | 3,225,094 |
| Growth in live Shopify stores, 2026 Q3 year on year | 15% |
| Stores with dropshipping apps detected | 398,254 |
| Share of live stores with dropshipping apps | 12.3% |
| Print-on-demand share of top 20 app installs | 68.4% |
Most popular dropshipping apps
Printful leads by a wide margin. It is installed on 145,754 Shopify stores, 3.8 times as many as DSers, the largest AliExpress-linked app.
The Store Leads list also includes review apps such as Ali Reviews and LAI Product Reviews. They are not dropshipping tools in themselves, so we leave them out of the model counts.
Source: Store Leads.
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Printful was the most installed dropshipping app on Shopify in 2026, on 145,754 stores worldwide, according to Store Leads.
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Printify was installed on 92,977 Shopify stores worldwide in 2026, up 5.4% year on year, according to Store Leads.
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The DSers AliExpress dropshipping app was installed on 38,280 Shopify stores worldwide in 2026, according to Store Leads.
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CJdropshipping was installed on 29,635 Shopify stores worldwide in 2026, according to Store Leads.
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Printful was installed on 3.8 times as many Shopify stores as DSers in 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Store Leads data.
How we calculated it: 145,754 Printful installs / 38,280 DSers installs = 3.81.
| Rank | App | Stores | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Printful | 145,754 | Print on demand |
| 2 | Printify | 92,977 | Print on demand |
| 3 | DSers | 38,280 | AliExpress and supplier dropshipping |
| 4 | CJdropshipping | 29,635 | Supplier dropshipping |
| 5 | Gelato | 26,710 | Print on demand |
| 6 | Tapstitch | 15,980 | Print on demand |
| 7 | Ali Reviews | 15,453 | Product reviews |
| 8 | Oberlo | 13,134 | Dropshipping |
| 9 | Trendsi | 10,099 | Fashion dropshipping |
| 10 | LAI Product Reviews | 6,529 | Product reviews |
| 11 | ShineOn | 6,073 | Print on demand |
| 12 | AutoDS | 6,032 | Dropshipping and print on demand |
Dropshipping decline after de minimis changes
The United States ended duty-free de minimis entry for commercial shipments on 29 August 2025. Before that, goods valued at or under $800 could enter without duty.
The split is stark. Apps built around shipping cheap goods from AliExpress and other Asian suppliers lost most of their stores in a year. DSers fell 57.0% and AutoDS fell 79.4%. Print-on-demand apps held steady or grew.
The timing matches the end of US de minimis. US de minimis shipments had grown about 10 times in a decade, to over 1.36 billion in 2024. Dropshipping from overseas suppliers relies on exactly these small parcels sent straight to shoppers. Since 29 August 2025 those parcels pay duty.
We cannot prove cause from install counts alone. Store Leads may also have changed how it detects some apps. But both apps fell hard at the same time while the wider Shopify base grew 15%. Both apps grew slightly in the latest quarter, DSers by 2.6% and AutoDS by 2.4%, so the fall may be levelling off.
Source: Store Leads.
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Installs of the DSers dropshipping app on Shopify fell 57.0% year on year to October 2026, according to Store Leads.
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Installs of the AutoDS dropshipping app on Shopify fell 79.4% year on year to October 2026, to 6,032 stores, according to Store Leads.
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The DSers dropshipping app lost about 50,700 Shopify stores in the year to October 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Store Leads data.
How we calculated it: 38,280 current installs / (1 - 0.570) = about 89,000 installs a year earlier. 89,023 - 38,280 = 50,743, rounded to 50,700.
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The AutoDS dropshipping app lost about 23,200 Shopify stores in the year to October 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Store Leads data.
How we calculated it: 6,032 current installs / (1 - 0.794) = about 29,300 installs a year earlier. 29,282 - 6,032 = 23,250, rounded down to 23,200.
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Installs of the Printful print-on-demand app on Shopify rose 0.4% year on year to October 2026, according to Store Leads.
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De minimis shipments into the United States rose from 134 million in 2015 to over 1.36 billion in 2024, according to the White House.
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US de minimis shipments grew about 10 times between 2015 and 2024, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from White House data.
How we calculated it: 1.36 billion shipments (2024) / 134 million shipments (2015) = 10.1.
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US Customs processed over 4 million de minimis shipments a day on average in 2025, according to the White House.
| App | Stores, October 2026 | Change on a year earlier | Stores lost or gained |
|---|---|---|---|
| DSers | 38,280 | -57.0% | about -50,700 |
| AutoDS | 6,032 | -79.4% | about -23,200 |
| Printful | 145,754 | +0.4% | about +600 |
| Printify | 92,977 | +5.4% | about +4,800 |
Cross-border sourcing from China
In 2025 the EU still let parcels under its EUR 150 customs duty threshold in without duty. Its customs data shows where cheap online goods come from.
About 5.88 billion low-value e-commerce items entered the EU in 2025, roughly 16.1 million a day. That is about 4.2 times the 1.39 billion items of 2022. China supplied 93% of the items and 78% of their value. The average item was worth EUR 8.82.
The receiving country is where the items were declared, which may not be where the shopper lives. The Netherlands fell 26% in 2025 while Hungary nearly doubled and Czechia more than quadrupled, which suggests parcel routes shifted between countries.
Europe and the US now point in different directions. The EU handled about 3.4 times as many low-value items in 2024 as the US handled de minimis shipments, and the EU flow kept growing in 2025. For the wider picture of online shopping in Britain, see our UK ecommerce statistics.
Source: European Commission, DG Taxation and Customs Union.
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About 5.88 billion low-value e-commerce items under EUR 150 entered the EU in 2025, according to the European Commission.
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About 4.67 billion low-value e-commerce items under EUR 150 entered the EU in 2024, according to the European Commission.
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Low-value e-commerce imports into the EU grew 26% between 2024 and 2025, according to the European Commission.
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Low-value e-commerce imports into the EU grew about 4.2 times between 2022 and 2025, from 1.39 billion to 5.88 billion items, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from European Commission data.
How we calculated it: 5.88 billion items (2025) / 1.39 billion items (2022) = 4.23. Both values from the Commission chart of low-value consignments in total imports.
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The EU took in about 16.1 million low-value e-commerce items a day in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from European Commission data.
How we calculated it: 5,883,298,994 items in 2025 / 365 days = 16,118,627 a day.
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China supplied 93% of low-value e-commerce items imported into the EU in 2025, according to the European Commission.
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China supplied 78% of the value of low-value e-commerce items imported into the EU in 2025, according to the European Commission.
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Low-value consignments imported into the EU had an average value of EUR 8.82 per item in 2025, according to the European Commission.
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Belgium received 1.37 billion low-value e-commerce items in 2025, the most of any EU country, according to the European Commission.
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Low-value e-commerce items arriving in Hungary rose 95% between 2024 and 2025, to 974 million, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from European Commission data.
How we calculated it: 974,059,710 items (2025) / 498,742,966 items (2024) - 1 = 95.3%.
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Low-value e-commerce items arriving in the Netherlands fell 26% between 2024 and 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from European Commission data.
How we calculated it: 935,897,890 items (2025) / 1,268,551,269 items (2024) - 1 = -26.2%.
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The EU received about 3.4 times as many low-value e-commerce items in 2024 as the United States received de minimis shipments, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from European Commission and White House data.
How we calculated it: 4,673,666,449 EU items (European Commission) / 1.36 billion US de minimis shipments (White House) = 3.4. The EU counts items and the US counts shipments, and one shipment can hold several items, so this is a rough comparison.
| Country | 2024 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 1,027,139,582 | 1,373,251,009 | +34% |
| Hungary | 498,742,966 | 974,059,710 | +95% |
| Netherlands | 1,268,551,269 | 935,897,890 | -26% |
| France | 732,650,269 | 862,258,499 | +18% |
| Germany | 277,942,337 | 474,601,930 | +71% |
| Italy | 324,950,429 | 399,098,051 | +23% |
| Spain | 201,633,354 | 219,570,179 | +9% |
| Ireland | 137,094,478 | 158,579,798 | +16% |
| Poland | 49,462,986 | 117,706,831 | +138% |
| Czechia | 23,814,043 | 106,172,925 | +346% |
| EU total | 4,673,666,449 | 5,883,298,994 | +26% |
Dropshipping stores by country
Store Leads reports where the Shopify stores using each app are based. The mix differs sharply between AliExpress-linked and print-on-demand apps.
DSers is the most international of the big apps. Only 31.6% of its stores are in the US, and France is a strong second at 11.5%. Print-on-demand apps lean heavily on the US, where 77.3% of Printify stores are based.
DSers stores mostly sell apparel (26.7%), home and garden (17.2%) and beauty and fitness (12.2%). For how small sellers use social platforms to find buyers, see our social commerce statistics.
Source: Store Leads.
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31.6% of Shopify stores using the DSers dropshipping app were in the United States in 2026, according to Store Leads.
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11.5% of Shopify stores using the DSers dropshipping app were in France in 2026, ahead of the UK at 8.7%, according to Store Leads.
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50.8% of Shopify stores using the AutoDS dropshipping app were in the United States in 2026, according to Store Leads.
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77.3% of Shopify stores using the Printify print-on-demand app were in the United States in 2026, according to Store Leads.
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26.7% of Shopify stores using the DSers dropshipping app sold apparel in 2026, the largest category, according to Store Leads.
| App | United States | Next largest countries |
|---|---|---|
| DSers | 31.6% | France 11.5%, UK 8.7%, Canada 7.0% |
| AutoDS | 50.8% | UK 7.2%, Canada 5.0%, Australia 4.7% |
| Printful | 69.3% | UK 6.0%, Canada 5.6%, Germany 2.6% |
| Printify | 77.3% | Canada 4.5%, UK 4.5%, Australia 2.6% |
How the sources measure dropshipping
Store Leads detects apps by crawling live Shopify stores. It says it finds only a significant portion of dropshipping installs, so its counts are minimums. Its yearly change figures compare against its own earlier counts, so a change in detection could move them. It covers Shopify only, not WooCommerce, marketplaces or TikTok Shop.
The European Commission counts low-value consignments, meaning imported items under EUR 150, from customs declarations. It uses this as an estimate of e-commerce items. It counts items, not parcels or orders, and the receiving country is where the items were declared.
The US figures come from a White House fact sheet that quotes US Customs and Border Protection counts of de minimis shipments. These are shipments, not items, so they do not compare exactly with the EU data.
Grand View Research's market size is a commercial model. Only a free summary is public, and that summary contains conflicting figures. We show it because it is the most cited estimate, not because we can check it. Widely shared claims, such as a 27% share of online stores using dropshipping, could not be traced to a primary source, so we left them out.
Frequently asked questions
How many Shopify stores use dropshipping?
Dropshipping apps were installed on 398,254 Shopify stores in 2026, according to Store Leads. That is about 12.3% of live Shopify stores, calculated by StatisticsGlobal. Detection is partial, so the true number is higher.
Is dropshipping declining in 2026?
Classic AliExpress dropshipping is. DSers installs on Shopify fell 57.0% and AutoDS installs fell 79.4% in the year to October 2026, according to Store Leads. Print-on-demand apps held steady or grew.
Why is AliExpress dropshipping falling?
The US ended duty-free de minimis entry for commercial shipments on 29 August 2025, so small parcels from overseas now pay duty. The fall in AliExpress-linked app installs began around the same time, though install data alone cannot prove the cause.
How big is the dropshipping market?
Grand View Research valued the global dropshipping market at USD 464.4 billion in 2025 and forecasts USD 2,180.8 billion in 2033. This is a model estimate, and no official statistics exist.
Where do dropshipped products come from?
Most cheap cross-border parcels come from China. China supplied 93% of low-value e-commerce items imported into the EU in 2025, according to the European Commission.
Which country has the most dropshipping stores?
The United States. It hosted 31.6% of Shopify stores using DSers and 50.8% of those using AutoDS in 2026, according to Store Leads. France was second for DSers at 11.5%.
Sources
- Store Leads, Top Dropshipping Apps on Shopify, Live report, accessed 7 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Store Leads, DSers: Dropship+AliExpress+AI Shopify App report, Updated 30 October 2026, accessed 7 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- European Commission (DG Taxation and Customs Union), EU Customs Union facts and figures: goods bought online, 2026 (Surveillance database extraction of 6 February 2026), accessed 7 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Grand View Research, Dropshipping Market Size, Share and Trends Analysis Report, 2026 to 2033, 2026 (free summary), accessed 7 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Store Leads, The State of Shopify in 2026, Updated 30 October 2026, accessed 7 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Store Leads, Printify: Print on Demand Shopify App report, Updated 30 October 2026, accessed 7 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Store Leads, Auto DS: AI Dropshipping & POD Shopify App report, Updated 30 October 2026, accessed 7 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Store Leads, Printful: Print on Demand Shopify App report, Updated 30 October 2026, accessed 7 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- White House, Fact Sheet: Suspending the De Minimis Exemption for Commercial Shipments Globally, 30 July 2025, accessed 7 November 2026. Link · Saved data copy
Changes to this page
- : Page published with Store Leads data updated 30 October 2026 and European Commission data for 2025.