> I don't consider the majority of drop-shippers to be economically productive businesses: they are charging a premium because their customers don't know that t

> I don't consider the majority of drop-shippers to be economically productive businesses: they are charging a premium because their customers don't know that they can buy the exact same SKUs from AliExpress. That's certainly selling drop-shippers short. They provide products, at prices people are willing to pay for convenience, trustability, etc. They handle complaints, shoulder the risk of returns and/or damaged in shipment items, pay for their own advertising/marketing and more. Many Tier-1 distributors enjoy their relationship with drop-shippers... and many customers enjoy that very same relationship too.