How to improve customer satisfaction when dropshipping items from China to the US?

Set your customers' expectations. You can use the phrase, "To deliver the highest quality, your package will take 4-6 weeks to reach you..." or something like that. People only get pissed off when you lie. So don't lie. EVERYONE knows EVERYTHING is made in china. This fact only negatively impacts you if YOU lie to YOUR customers. In the product description page, you can write that the item ships from China. People buy dropshipping products because they are cheaper and the same quality as Amazon. So, no problem to write that it ships from China. You should only list items that are available via ePacket shipping because it's the best. Also, treating this like an actual business helps. DON'T SELL ANYTHING EVER without ordering it yourself first to see the quality and shipping time. If it takes forever for you to get it, then it'll be the same for the customers.

It's not easy to find, but you can look for distributors that are close to your audience. That will shorten shipping times and the whole experience. Also, you can ship inventory from China to your location. Then when you send itmens to customers, it'll be faster, and you can customize everything and handle returns. You'd need to have enough volume, though.