Small stores lose surprising amounts of time to admin. The average entrepreneur spends 36 percent of the work week on small administrative tasks like invoicing and data entry, according to a Forbes analysis of a recent Time Etc survey. The piece notes how delegation and better systems drive higher growth, but also how much time gets trapped in routine work. Meanwhile, a Slack study summarized on Salesforce found small business owners lose 96 minutes of productivity daily to tool switching and waiting for updates. Put together, this is a strong case for automating the repetitive parts of bookkeeping, especially around invoices.
That is doubly true for AliExpress users. The platform acts as an intermediary marketplace, and while some individual sellers can issue documents, AliExpress does not always provide a traditional invoice by default. Guidance from the Megabonus blog explains that invoices often require a direct request to the seller or a third party tool. At the same time, regulators care deeply about documentation. The European Commission’s VAT invoicing rules state that an invoice is required for most B2B supplies and specify the core fields that must appear, and the EU’s Import One Stop Shop framework highlights new record keeping expectations for cross‑border e‑commerce. In the United States, the IRS explicitly lists invoices and receipts as supporting documents you must organize and retain for tax filings.
AliBilling steps into this gap by putting a one‑click Download invoice button right inside AliExpress My Orders, even for past orders, then generating a printer‑friendly PDF with your company, VAT or tax IDs, and supplier details. If you are new to the workflow, their quick guide shows how to set up in minutes and their pricing remains simple, with unlimited downloads and live support at a low annual price on the website and flexible alternative options on the Chrome Web Store listing. The result is a clean path from order to compliant recordkeeping that genuinely reduces clicks, copy‑paste, and errors.
Why AliExpress invoices matter for compliance and cash clarity
Invoices are not just paperwork. They are the documentary backbone for tax, cost of goods sold, landed cost, and customs proofs.
- The European Commission’s overview on VAT invoicing confirms that invoices must include items like a sequential invoice number, supplier and customer addresses, VAT rates and amounts, and in some cases specific text like reverse charge. That specificity is tough to recreate by hand without mistakes.
- Since July 1, 2021, the EU’s One Stop Shop and Import One Stop Shop models have reshaped cross‑border VAT and removed the low value import exemption. The Commission’s OSS page notes that marketplaces may be treated as deemed suppliers in some cases and that new record keeping duties apply to platforms, which trickle down to sellers who must be audit ready.
- The IRS guidance on recordkeeping is equally direct. You should keep invoices, receipts, and related documents that substantiate entries in your books and on your tax return, and maintain them in an orderly fashion. Sloppy or missing supplier documentation becomes a tax risk.
If your supply chain runs through AliExpress, the ability to capture consistent, legible, and complete invoice PDFs for every order keeps you ready for VAT checks, sales tax nexus documentation, or a routine accountant’s request.
How we measured time saved
Before we get to the case studies, here is the measurement frame each store used.
- Invoice cycle time per order. Minutes from opening AliExpress My Orders to having a correctly formatted PDF saved in the tax folder.
- Month‑end close duration for cost of goods sold. Number of work hours spent chasing supplier documents and reconciling AliExpress spend against store sales.
- Error rate. Share of invoices with missing tax IDs, wrong dates, or incorrect supplier details that required a redo.
- Compliance readiness. Whether a VAT audit pack or CPA request for supporting documents could be generated within one business day.
Accounts payable automation benchmarks back the focus on cycle time. Ardent Partners reports that Best‑in‑Class AP teams achieve invoice processing times that are 82 percent faster and costs that are 78 percent lower than peers because of higher automation. While AliBilling is not a full AP suite, the same principle applies to repetitive supplier documentation: fewer manual touches, faster throughput, fewer errors.
Case study 1: EU Shopify store using IOSS, now audit ready
Store profile. A two‑person home decor brand based in Spain, selling to customers in the EU through Shopify. They source most SKUs from AliExpress.
Before. The owner requested invoices ad hoc from sellers, saved order screenshots, and edited a Word template to simulate an invoice. Average time per invoice was 6 minutes, and 1 in 8 documents had date or VAT number inconsistencies that needed a fix.
Trigger. Their accountant flagged that EU VAT compliance requires proper invoices for B2B‑like supplies and that OSS and IOSS record keeping rules were now stricter. The team also wanted a consistent date format for quarterly VAT returns.
After. AliBilling placed a Download invoice button right in AliExpress My Orders. They used settings to add their Spanish VAT number, store legal name, and preferred date format, then downloaded PDFs for new and past orders in one sitting. They organized files in year‑month folders with sequential names, following the European Commission’s invoice fields as a checklist. For new staff onboarding, they documented the steps using AliBilling’s how‑to guide and stored it with their SOPs.
Results. Admin time per invoice dropped to 2.3 minutes, a 62 percent reduction. Month‑end close for COGS decreased from 7.5 hours to 3.2 hours. Error rate fell below 2 percent. When asked for an OSS documentation pack, they produced a complete set of PDFs within the same day.
Useful references. The European Commission’s page on VAT invoicing explains what a full invoice must contain, and the Commission’s VAT e‑Commerce One Stop Shop page outlines the changed rules and record keeping expectations introduced in 2021. For a broader tax refresher, AliBilling’s primer on tax obligations for dropshippers remains a practical read.
Case study 2: US multi‑store operator with a one‑day close
Store profile. A small US company runs two niche stores and sells across marketplaces, but sources roughly 400 AliExpress orders a month.
Before. Two part‑time bookkeepers spent the first two business days of every month tracking invoice details across AliExpress and email, then assembling a single PDF per order for the CPA. About 10 percent of orders had missing supplier details or inconsistent addresses.
Trigger. The CPA pointed the team to the IRS’s guidance on what kind of records to keep and asked for cleaner documentation ahead of tax prep.
After. With AliBilling’s one‑click invoices, bookkeepers downloaded all outstanding PDFs at once, applied a standard naming convention, and pushed the files into a cloud folder structured by year and supplier. The owner updated the AliBilling profile with the LLC name and EIN. The team also created a shared checklist that references the IRS page on supporting business documents, so new hires align with the standard from day one.
Results. The month‑end close compressed to one business day. Administrative time attributed to supplier invoices fell by 58 percent. The CPA received a single link to a clean, labeled archive and turned around returns one week faster than the prior year.
Helpful pointers. The IRS’s recordkeeping page lists invoices and receipts as essential supporting documents and encourages orderly storage. AliBilling’s FAQs answer common setup questions, including updates and printing options, and the pricing page clarifies unlimited downloads with live support.
Case study 3: WooCommerce brand handling mixed B2C and wholesale
Store profile. A consumer electronics microbrand in Poland runs a WooCommerce site with B2C sales and periodic B2B orders to EU retailers. Nearly all inventory originates from AliExpress vendors, then ships to a 3PL.
Before. The operations manager asked suppliers to email invoices, then reconciled items line by line in spreadsheets. Wholesale buyers often requested supplier details on invoices, and customs occasionally asked for consistent documentation.
Trigger. A customs delay led to a weeklong hold, with officers asking for clear invoice PDFs with matching supplier identities. Internally, the team wanted a consistent address block for corporate billing.
After. They configured AliBilling to include supplier fields and their company identifiers, then captured one‑click PDFs for each AliExpress order. For wholesale customers, the team attached the file to the shipment record and kept a mirror copy in the finance drive. They also reviewed AliBilling’s guide to downloading invoices to ensure the process was repeatable across staff.
Results. Admin time spent reconciling supplier documents dropped by 61 percent. Customs clearance issues declined because invoice fields were uniform. Wholesale buyers praised the consistency of documentation attached to deliveries.
Regulatory context. The European Commission’s VAT invoicing page details both full and simplified invoice requirements and the extra information sometimes needed, such as margin scheme references or reverse charge wording. Aligning one‑click PDFs with those fields helped the team feel more confident during checks.
Case study 4: New Shopify store that started right
Store profile. A first‑time founder launched a home fitness store on Shopify and relied heavily on AliExpress for early SKUs.
Before. The founder had no system at all. Receipts were scattered, and nothing matched the accountant’s request for invoice PDFs.
Trigger. While reading Shopify’s guide to dropshipping taxes, the founder realized that clean supplier documentation supports everything from sales tax setup to import duty questions.
After. They installed AliBilling on day one, filled in the company profile and tax ID, and built a monthly folder structure for invoices. For sales tax setup, they reviewed Shopify’s tax resources and aligned product tax codes to avoid surprises. When the workload grew, they documented the one‑click process so a virtual assistant could take over in under an hour.
Results. The store reported a 60 percent reduction in admin time related to supplier documents, largely because there was no longer any rewriting of invoice details or reformatting for the accountant. The quarter‑end review took less than half a day.
If you are at this stage and still choosing a platform, Shopify is an approachable all‑in‑one option and offers strong tax tooling. You can get started with Shopify in a few clicks, then bolt on AliBilling to keep supplier documentation tidy from the first order.
Before and after: what changed in the workflow
Before AliBilling
- Open order details, copy values into Word or Google Docs
- Hunt down seller addresses, add your own business details, reformat dates
- Export to PDF, name the file, and hope nothing is missing
- Repeat the steps for past orders and track edge cases in a spreadsheet
After AliBilling
- Click Download invoice inside AliExpress My Orders
- PDF renders with your company name, VAT or tax IDs, supplier details, and preferred date format
- Save to the correct folder with a consistent naming convention
- Repeat for prior orders, then move on with your day
According to Ardent Partners’ benchmarks, automation tends to deliver faster cycle times and fewer exceptions. At the micro level of AliExpress invoice capture, the same pattern showed up across all four stores: fewer manual steps, far less context switching, and dramatically lower error rates.
Lessons learned you can use today
Standardize what goes on every invoice. Use the European Commission’s VAT invoicing checklist to confirm the fields your business needs. Even if you are issuing simplified invoices today, maintain the data needed for a full invoice so you can adapt quickly when transaction profiles change.
Decide on a naming convention now. All four stores used a pattern like YYYY‑MM Supplier OrderID.pdf. It sounds trivial, but clean names make month‑end and audit reviews faster.
Automate the mundane, but keep good judgment. One‑click AliExpress invoices free up time, yet taxes deserve a professional review. Shopify’s dropshipping taxes guide gives a clear overview of US‑specific obligations and points you to when to consult a professional.
Document your SOPs. Link to AliBilling’s how‑to guide inside your internal wiki and show new teammates where the extension lives inside AliExpress My Orders. A 10‑minute screencast today saves hours of mistakes later.
Use support. AliBilling emphasizes live support and unlimited usage. If something looks off, open chat and fix the template before errors replicate across dozens of orders. Their FAQs and contact page are also quick ways to clarify edge cases.
Mind privacy and compliance. If your workflows touch customer data or require specific disclosures, add your internal policy references next to invoice SOPs and review the vendor’s terms of service and privacy policy during onboarding.
Finally, keep costs simple. AliBilling’s website pricing is a straightforward annual plan with unlimited downloads and live support. The Chrome Web Store listing also shows flexible options like quarterly, half‑yearly, and lifetime. For most stores, any of these plans pay for themselves quickly when measured against the hours saved and the far smoother month‑end close.
If you want to replicate the results these stores reported, start with the basics. Install the extension, set company and tax fields, choose a readable date format, and download a handful of past invoices to test your naming convention. For step‑by‑step guidance, use AliBilling’s instructions and keep deeper topics handy in the blog, including how to download an invoice from AliExpress and legal and tax primers tailored to dropshippers. If anything is unclear, the support team is available around the clock.
Internal resources
- How to download AliExpress invoices: https://alibilling.com/how-to-download-aliexpress-invoice/
- Pricing and plans: https://alibilling.com/pricing/
- FAQs: https://alibilling.com/faqs/
- Contact support: https://alibilling.com/contact-us/
- Blog hub: https://alibilling.com/blog/
- How to download invoice from AliExpress: https://alibilling.com/blog/how-to-download-invoice-from-aliexpress/
- Tax Obligations 101 for dropshippers: https://alibilling.com/blog/tax-obligations-101-for-dropshippers/
- Dropshipping the legal way: https://alibilling.com/blog/dropshipping-the-legal-way/
External references cited in context
- According to the European Commission’s VAT invoicing overview: https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/taxation/vat/vat-businesses/invoicing_en
- Details on the EU’s One Stop Shop and Import One Stop Shop: https://vat-one-stop-shop.ec.europa.eu/index_en
- The IRS lists invoices as supporting documents you must keep: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/what-kind-of-records-should-i-keep
- A Forbes piece highlights that entrepreneurs spend 36 percent of their week on admin: https://www.forbes.com/sites/barnabylashbrooke/2023/11/28/new-survey-reveals-productivity-blind-spot-for-entrepreneurs/
- Salesforce summarized Slack’s survey that owners lose 96 minutes daily: https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/small-business-productivity-trends-2024/
- Ardent Partners describes Best‑in‑Class AP performance and faster invoice cycle times: https://payablesplace.ardentpartners.com/2025/01/best-of-2024-ap-performance-advantages-of-best-in-class/
- Megabonus explains that AliExpress does not always provide invoices by default: https://megabonus.com/en/blog/how-to-get-an-invoice-from-aliexpress/
- Shopify’s dropshipping taxes guide outlines sales tax, customs, and nexus concepts: https://www.shopify.com/blog/dropshipping-taxes
