When you decided to use the US distributor, did you have any hesitations that you were providing the distributor your customer contact information in fear that you, the middle man, can be cut out of your own business? Just being paranoid.
2047 Comments (page 11)
Brilliant descriptive infomation. How and where on alibaba can you check if someone is a gold customer
First great job , it was really interesting and list of knowledge . I have a question regarding shipping.Lets say I ordered 20 what ever item , is there is any kind of clearance or tax to be paid .or it will be received as a regular package to my location . Thanks a lot Moe
Hi It's really possible to do business without any experience .
Everyone starts from zero...
I really enjoyed reading this. You captured my interest and most definitely kept my attention. Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi I just wanted to know how exactly do you know who's a gold member.
it says it on the member's account
Hey, It was really instructive article to read, thank you for sharing your experience. The part i fail that online selling is choosing product.I live in Turkey and when i check the local websites like ebay i see that seasonal items are trending with summer.But if i try to find product from alibaba to sell this season it will probably be too late to get sample and than the real shipment. What products would you suggest me to focus on ? Thank you
Really nice article!! But I have question about how did you ship your inventory from China to US? Did you ship via sea or use DHL? and i also think USPS take a lot of margin from the sell, do you have any suggestion? Thanks
Start with DHL... shipping will definitely be one of your larger expenses.
Product selection is certainly one of the hardest parts.. it's important for you to spend a lot of time with that. See Will's other post on product selection for a step by step process
I am so thankful to you, though I am not in this business yet, but this world becomes better with people like you those who wants everyone to live a good life. Thanks a lot buddy, may god bless you and grows your business even more. thank you for doing such a great work!
Hey Will Great Article. I'm curious on branding. I had a friend who imported eye lashes from overseas and rebranded it by changing the packaging. Is this how branding is done? How do I know if I'm not infringing on any patents IE. (pump up bra, or cushioned socks, etc) How do I know if something is ok to rebrand and which ones are not? Thanks W
I have a good understanding of the whole import process from China and I am looking to do FBA with around 3 products in the same category. My issue is the whole branding idea. The products I am planning to import are generic but should I place my own logo, trademark my logo and go from there or should I just sell them as a generic brand.
It's much more valuable to brand them if you can.
Hey Will, You can just search to see if you're infringing patents. Something like "(your product) patent". That's how most branding is done, pretty awesome, right? As long as something isn't trademarked or patented you're free to rebrand
hi Alex, did you finally got some outcome from your products??? if you still interested in that product i know few suppliers who will be able to provide a great offer..!! let me know so i can follow up while im in china...!!! Regards.....!!!
I found your piece on product selection interesting after a google search via how to sell on amazon and how to select product, as I was looking into start selling on amazon and a terrible failure on ebay where after selling for 3 years and 9 months I was DEVASTATED by some bad business loans through kabbage and pay pal working capitol. All these mistakes were mine and no one else to blame but myself.... I am forced to debt consolidate and get two part time jobs just to keep from losing a rental house my grandfather left me which he earned with the sweat of his brow for his 73 of his 80 years. I am the worst business mind I feel now since US GRANT and I have no Unions to lead to victory in the civil war so I refuse to give up but simply and accept my failures, be it a very COSTLY learning exp..... However I have a VAST knowledge of vintage toys in many genres and my heart sank as I read your tell tell NO nos via high cost large shipping items, simply branching into too many unknown genres from everything from vintage die-cast Japanese die-cast robots that bring hundreds and often thousands of dollars to main stream items like Lego, G.I. Joe, Star Wars, transformers, etc..... I felt after reading it I knew that all now from my own short comings and if I could go back in time 3 years and 9 months with knowledge I have now I could make it all work.... After reading it all I realized I had fell victim too many of the bad ideas you had to learn yourself via trial and error, and now after getting boxes for free from USPS many different sizes and types I know EXACTLY what it will take to box it up and move it.... I did have a 2100 plus feedback 100% and 100k moved for both of last two years so I know how to find product that works, NOW I must realize I can never fall victim to this credit trap which has ruined by bus.... Kabbage alone had took 5k a month from me for 2 years until pushing me up to nearly 6k a month owed which FORCED me to sell everything at LESS then what I had in it more often then not. One month you can recover from this but I had 30k worth of stock 6 months back and I have 1k now and shutdown, had to close bank account just to keep them from over-drafing me into oblivion. Its a shameful situation as all I ever wanted to do was provide good product at fair price always buying back if not happy etc. and keep a roof over my fiance and my 20 month old baby boys head. But in the end ebay and the all the online lenders wanted too much, couldn't get anymore credit, couldn't even get loan verses my rental home, rough times, robbed Peter to pay Paul 476 times over until there was no way to keep doors open any longer..... Anyhow sorry about rant but I just figured here maybe I could learn the CORRECT way to run a business as I never kept good books and like that old guy told the American pickers, bear the guy from Texas-Like my daddy told me buy everything for a dime and sell it for a dollar you don't even need to keep books. so in the end that is it I am not clearing anywhere close to 90% lol..... Anyhow thanks for time any tips much appreciated/advice best of luck and take care.....
Hello Will, I am a teacher and I'm working with a group of middle schoolers on a summer project about international trade. We were simply going to take a field trip to the local port to see cargo ships and study the subject. However, after reading your article, I think it would be really cool if they could experience international trade firsthand by finding a product in China and selling it online. Our program is very short and starts in a week. Because we lack the time to do adequate research, it would be GREAT if you could help us identify a specific product that would be cool for a group of middle schoolers to try their hand with. I have looked through AliBaba and ebay but I just can't gauge what would be a good start for them. I thought about garcinia cambogia, the weight loss supplement but then I browsed through ebay and that item did not seem like it was selling well. Your assistance with identifying a good product for them would be MUCH appreciated. I have left my phone number. Please feel free to call me or respond via email.
Hi great article Is it nessasary to find a niche or can you just buy and sell what is "on trend" at the time instead of heading for one key demographic? I am new to the import business and looking for a career change and im sure i have the right head to do this properly. I have the start up cash but can't but dont want to take unnessasary risks. Any advice much appretiated.
Hi will Great blog we are just starting out in the importing business, we have been thinking for years to do this and never done nothing about it, time to go for it ,my father in law has a shipping business in china with his Chinese wife and he said he will help where he can, I am just asking for any product advise and how we can take advantage of his contacts. Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks tony
Hi Will, great article! I was just wondering, non-branded products, such as light bulbs. Did you ever have any safety issues? do these kind of things need some kind of certificate? I don't know much about safety standards in Asia. I don't want to buy something that could get me in trouble, like if it burnt down someone's house. Thanks, Liam
It depends from product to product but you should be safe with light bulbs I believe
hi.. i am from kolkata, india and want to start a new business in low investment and more income.. can anybody help me or guide me in my new journey
you're in the right place ;) make sure you're signed up for our newsletter and check out our other importing posts!
Hi Will, Absolutely fantastic article/information, I've always wondered how to get started importing and you have provided some invaluable information . I'm sure I will be back with questions, as you seem very willing to answer. Many thanks Will, Eddie.
Hi Will, Absolutely great article!!! Following your guide i found a product! I contacted few suppliers and i notices they're all working/getting the product from the same manufacture. In this case do you still recommend getting sample from more than one supplier? Thanks, Jenny
Great article Will I loved it, I have to get on top of this do some more research mad start my importing thanks a lot for sharing.
Hi,Will, Awesome article has lots of good information. The question is how to calculate the deliver cost from China to the US into the Alibaba product price and then compare that price with Ebay or Amazon prize in order to decide if a product is worth selling ( or having a good profit)? Because Alibaba's price is just FOB in China port， and the deliver cost from China to the US can be so high that in the end a good markup product might not be a profitable product to sell on Ebay. Thank you.
Hey Will im really interested in doing something like this, but even after reading i still have so many questions. If you could at all help me further through some of this stuff it would be greatly appreciated man.
Will - You are an inspiration to us all. Fantastic advice. Thank you for allowing us to benefit from your experience. I'm curious what your take is regarding product insurance. I already created an LLC. I wonder if adding product insurance would be like adding a belt to suspenders for a small company. We sell low voltage security cameras for the home and business. Given the manufacturer is in China, insurance companies quote insurance as if my company is the manufacturer. Not cheap!
The question is if you let your drop shipper handle the deliver process and gave them your customer's information, what if they contact your customer and steal your customer...
Will, I became very interested in importing car audio subwoofers after reading about how successful your friend has become. Would you be able to briefly explain how he very first started importing and selling "no name" subs. In your opinion, do you think subwoofers are potentially a good product to buy and sell as a small side business starting out small? (Yes I already had an interest in car audio, as I have my own subwoofer set up in my car, prior to reading your post) Hope my question makes sense, I would really appreciate any help you could give me.
Is it typical for Chinese manufacturers to indemnify their resellers of product liabilities? I suspect not and given that claims and lawsuits are likely to fall on the shoulders of the reseller (as if they are the manufacturer), I suspect general and product liability insurance is a must -- even for an LLC. What's your advice on the need to secure product liability insurance?
Thanks for the info Will. Good stuff and to the point! I've got a hypothetical situation for you. Lets say you worked for a large dominant distribution company like a Wal-Mart for instance. You had access to all of their information, as well as all of their parts in their primary warehouse at a small markup from cost, allowing you to buy at lets just say 10% over cost. You can't buy from Wal-Marts suppliers directly. Do you take the same approach you've taken and begin making side income on eBay/Amazon,...or take a different approach? I'm fairly new to the e-commerce biz, but do know I've got a lot of potential $ sitting in front of me that I'm not taking advantage of.
Wow! I managed to finally reach the bottom of this page! :D Great work Will! And I also have to say thanks to Jim, who has given some very insightful answers. I have recently started my own company, importing a variety of products, and creating a webshop that I belive will stand out from the rest. Not so much design wise nescessarily, but I will be offering a service nobody else does. Yeah, I am basically skipping a step (Ebay). It is bound to be a trial and error thing, but I belive in learn by doing and screwing up. And you never learn better than when you do mistakes. My advantage vs competition is that I am a manager of a large warehouse, quite close to the port in Oslo. That means free storage for my products, and I can also offer better freight terms than basically anybody else in Norway since we ship a lot of volume around the country. I have also good connections with both Schenker and the local transporting company in Norway, so I can push freight prices even lower. One of our clients is importing from China, and he is using our service for drop shipping. Anytime he receives a purchase on his webshop, an order is generated and printed out on a dedicated printer in our warehouse. This is then packed and shipped the same day. His customer then receives the package the following day. It works out really well, both for him and for us. He is currently on vacation in Spain, with very low shoulders! I have made a deal with him, and I will offer some of his products on my webshop aswell. This will hopefully see me off to a flying start, as each product I sell has a hefty margin. If anyone in Norway is in the process of expanding their business, let me know. I can offer a very good 3PL solution. My warehouse also offer pickup to customers, so they avoid freight cost. 10 % of the population in Norway lives within a few kilometers of our warehouse. And if any foreigners want to expand into the Norwegian market, our 3PL solution fits the bill aswell. Eirik
Hey Will, thanks for the great article! I have one question though, can all of this be done by people outside US? Because I live in Portugal and I would love to try this out and make some good money. Thanks
that was a great article it really insired me and with very good tips..Other people will ask for money to share this.You are a great man thanks a lot and i wish you the best!!
Steff, as a company you should have liability insurance. This kind of insurance is cheap given the product you sell. You need to offer a product guarantee off the back of the one you get from your factory. They offer a one year warranty then that's what you offer. Any claims then you are covered. Make sure a card goes out with the units that states they must register their warranty with you within a certain period to initiate the warranty. Good luck! Jim
Hi Mary, One of the best ways to get around the double up of handling charges when your starting out is to look for a supplier who will drop ship for you. That way its from China factory direct tot he customer. Nice and easy! Jim
Dear Will thanks a lot for your article. I'm from Russia and also work with Chinese people, I agree with every point) What was your business after 16?) online business as well?
Great article, not sure that Alibaba is the best place but its good to start somewhere like that i guess. The only way to really do business with china is not to do it only over the net, its important to finally meet the person you are looking to do business with, get someone who speaks Chinese to go with you and get them to ask questions, find out who owns the business and in this way you will eliminate middle men/woman. remember just because someone picks you up at an airport, takes you to a factory and walks around with you like they own it does not mean they do or even employed by that factory. It is important that the person who goes with you to the factory talks not only mandarin but also Cantonese or even better the local dialect of the area you are doing business. it is also worth remembering that most factories for similar items are usually only made in a few localised areas. It is (a) important to know which of these localized areas are generally making the better product, usually this will be in the south but not always (b) how long not only the salesman has been with the company but also the factory manager as well, often the factory manager is looking to set up his own factory one day so try to get his details to. (c) chinese protocol IS important, appearance is important. courtesy is important forget these all at your peril, being kind, honest and not to chatty but smile and shake hands and look clean shaven and wear business suit and offer to pay for the meal and be a little pushy about this, even do it quietly without them knowing. it is a sure way to impress. no one expects it and that is why it is impressive. do not think of them as your supplier but more as a friend. offer to take them out for dinner if they pay and say next time i must pay. Although business is done more like the way the snake move it is not the case with courtesy. this is much more straightforward. Kindness is appreciated. Small compliments also nice, but never let them think they have the deal sewn up, say very little yourself, your face should not give the game away, if you can just stick to the pleasantries this would be best and if possible let someone else negotiate for you. This can be helpful as most westerners do not know how to negotiate well, but be careful that no backhanders are being offered. If you ask for a lower price they will give it to you. no problem, they will also automatically lower the quality, that's how it is done in china and in fact at the margins worked on there is not really an option most of the time, however, it might be that you can consider some alterations that might assist in getting the costs down, i recently wanted an inline fan, i asked my brother in law to get the price down, he said if we alter the casing for recycled plastic we can get it down by $1 as i felt that this was probably a good thing i said go for it. Good Result. middle easterners buy differently than western people and frankly i think they have it right. they find out the relevant areas that the goods are manufactured. then set up many appointments, as many as 4 - 6 a day which is manic! but they get the prices and the samples and stay in the area for sometimes up to 2 months figuring who is best to buy from and negotiating to get the best deal. Although this is most definitely going to get lower standard goods a lot of the time, it is also true that the price will be very very competitive. hope this helps someone, if you need any help in china i have some good friends some who are extremely honest and can speak english. terry
The flower gardening is the hobby of growing flower gardens for decorative purposes. Special tools and techniques are needed for Bonzai gardening and those people who enjoy this type of gardening really enjoy the challenge of nursing these trees into the shape and style they want to create. You may berate yourself because you didn't handle the situations effectively.
Speaking on this subject, I know that they may be few and far between, but where would I look to find products that are cheaper to manufacture locally (here in the U.S.A.) than in China? The advantages are obvious and would be huge. Very nice info, BTW....thanks for sharing!
It's really informative..I like it will Michel. Actually i wana got some samples of jeans trousers and t shirts because I wana start a big shop of pents and shirts...so plz tell me about some suppliers n how can I contect with them..
Great article, but have just 2 question; 1. Will it create any problem if my suppliers shipped directly to my customers where the the customer can see the original price tagged on suppliers Product where i taking up excess price at this product? What should i do, will it better to ship on my place and then tag my Price as per me so that Customer can't trace the original price? 2. If It's ok with direct shipment then all the transaction may be tax free as foreign income (made through PauPal)? don't know. Plz expalin.
want to sale my top quality product as jackets, coats, and suits.
hello Mr. Mitchell, i have found some of the suppliers in China and i am having a conversation with one of them and they are asking for a courier account like Fedex/UPS/TNT/DHL account. Please tell me that is it the safe way of making a payment to them or should i ask them for a paypal. Your help would be appreciable. Thanks N regards Ankit Verma
What a great article! Really enjoyed it, Will. I have a couple questions...if you order a product that's already branded and is selling well on Amazon & ebay, is there any way you can wind up in legal trouble with the brand company? (If you're selling on amazon under their listing?) Also....what if you take that product and private label it with your own brand. What kind of legal trouble can you get into? What if that product design was created only for the original brand? Thanks!
hi Nick, maybe i can be ur interpretor next time when u come to China.
These tips are helpful for those who want to open a profitable business. Good idea, and we can learn from this post.
Hello! I'm really inspired by your post and is now taking actions! but I have a problem, I've contacted the supplier and just need samples. the problem is what will I use to ship the free sample to my door. I'm from the Philippines and the supplier said to use EMS express but it cost $22 just for the shipment. Is this really the price ? or should I tell the supplier to use escrow, fedex or something
Hi, interesting post, a little overly simplistic, certainly for anyone shipping into the UK. Here are some drawbacks from importing small quantities. - Factories are largely not going to be interested as they ship containers. (This is the same for anywhere in the world). Small orders are fine for samples but will be a lot higher in price and you will have very little haggling power for 5 or 6 pieces. - Shipping that few is very expensive, with import and export taxes you are going to have a very small profit margin if any. - Agencies in Hong Kong and China now sell directly through Ebay and Amazon. As they are selling single pieces they are rarely taxed and this makes them able to buy at better prices than you and sell without your expenses. - Not many big Chinese players use Paypal. It is TT or WU for payment. I agree always order samples first to make sure there is a genuine company. If you are only ordering small numbers you are not going to go bust anyway, even if they are dodgy. How do you do it successfully? - Order in large quantities and ship by sea. You will then have lower expense per item increasing competitiveness and more haggling power with the factory. - Manufacturing your own take on a successful brand or product is definitely a good way to gain market share and stand out. Remember if it was that easy everyone would be doing it. You are competing, often on the same platforms you are looking to sell onto, against the same wholesalers and manufacturers who are supplying you your goods. Ordering small never gets you good prices anywhere, you are wise to be aware of that. Just trying to balance the argument. Thanks
Hi! Thats very impressive and accurate description!! I am thinking in start a baby clothing business in Mexico, any recommendations? thanks!
Hello Will. I am so happy on finding help on all this. I've been bidding and buying stuff on ebay for two years now, my next step is to sell but I didn't want to get a bad name or reviews. I want to make sure everything is right before I start. Im getting to know ebay inside out and I only work with them so far because they use paypal.no luck with Amazon. I've been wanting to buy more bulk and wholesale in stead of nickel and dimming it. I only win 10% on my ebay bidding, so alot of time just for handful of stuff. But it was fun and a great experience. I'm over 40 yrs old and need to change my income, I can't swing the hammer forever. So far I read this page and LOVED it, I will be reading everything you have and probably be hearing from me again. Thanks Will.
Its that time of the year which is great in our business. Crazy contact lenses sell by the thousands leading up to Halloween. I have been a wholesaler for some years and guarantee you can triple your investment. The beauty of our business is you can order as little or as many pairs as you want, they are virtually indestructible and small enough to ship as a standard letter rate of 2.60 worldwide! Low cost, low risk, high return. Drop us a line to see what the potential is on colour and crazy contact lenses. Great trading to you all!!! Jim
Hi, Thanks for posting such a wonderful post regarding buying from china. Its helps to clear my 50% question. Enjoyed a lot to read your article. Keep posting such wonderful post. Regards, Santosh Paswan
Thanks for great article! but something i couldnt understand. please help me to understand it. We found a perfect supplier, We got samples, We liked the product and decide to buy, We sent money and they sent us for example 100 pieces of the product, everything is good till here but when 100 pieces of the product arrive my country's customs house, they will ask me "what are you doing? you ordered 100 pieces of a product but you dont have a trading company. so you are trading without paying any taxes." then i probably get punished for that. this is what i can not understand. i cant order bulk of products to my house as a regular person who doesnt have a legal company. But you are saying you did this when you are 16 years old so you didnt have a company either... Didnt you have any legal issues? My question is; is there a way to online trade without physically have the product in my country? or is there any service who forwards products to customers? i mean; i pay money to supplier, suplier sent product to forwarder, forwarder sent product to customer. or something like this? Thank you again.
Quick question for you Will. First off, I really appreciate this article, finally a breath of fresh air. I have been in contact with a few suppliers and the response I got back was: "Quotation: $25.90 usd / pcs Payment: Sample order: 100% pay in advance Formal order: 30% pay in advance by T/T, and 70% balance payed before lamps out of our company" They do accept paypal and escrow but was surprised to see that their main form of payment was the T/T. How do you feel about that? Do I reply back and say I will pay the 30% over Paypal or is the T/T payment standard? Thanks for your help!
I heard back from a supplier and this was their payment terms: "Formal order: 30% pay in advance by T/T, and 70% balance payed before lamps out of our company" Is that something that I need to negotiate through Paypal? Or is T/T fine?
Hi Josh, Just had a look at your question, it is pretty much standard for suppliers to ask for 30% advance by T/T and then 70% on sight of B/L. Its therefore really important that you double check, do payment fraud screening, Paypal is somewhat safe but remember once a company has the money in their paypal account they can withdraw and Paypal can't retreive the money if there is a dispute. Ideally you want to use 100% Escrow or a third party to help you with this in terms of negotiations and dual language conrtract drafting with the suppliers This is a common question we get asked every day. Hope this helps Kirsty
Hi Will: Great article with lots of info. Since last 6 months I was thinking of starting import business, but didn't really know where to start. I would appreciate if you can email your video for niche product selection. Also, in your reply to KeninSD, at the end in the last line you mentioned," but being 16 I decided to do other things." Can you please clarify what other things you do at present and do you still import from China? Thanks. Shiraz.
Great Article, I enjoyed reading it. I'm looking at getting into whole marketing and using FBA to move the product. Having a hard time finding a good viable niche, but it will come sooner or later.
We've got a post for that :)
Hey guys I am looking at getting some samples from China. The company is willing to ship me one. The product is free, but the shipping is $63.50. Is this normal or are they hitting for shipping and cost of product? I realize there is a cost of doing business. I just want to make sure this seems correct. Marc
Hi, After reading your article quickly realised I have made several mistakes too late already before I start. I'll keep this brief looking for a supplier in China for cheap florist supplies after deciding to set up some kind of floristry/craft business ( I have been running a small dog grooming salon for 20 years) and after deciding to work less hours fancied a career/hobby change was amazed that uk prices are quite expensive compared to Chinese suppliers. I contacted Alibaba unfortunately I naively gave them my correct e-mail and name all set for an identity take over now !! and my request for cost ect was perhaps a little naïve too. Would I require an import license and would this save me money ? Regards Deborah Bell
Hi mate nice artical ..I have a big group on f/b ..27k+ users so was thinking of this as a bas platform for me to start ..What kind of knickknacks would you consider i was thinking watches etc ?
This is an answer for Boris C. Hi Boris, I use a couple as I ship containers and do airfreight on other products. Try Aussie Freight based in Brisbane. I have had them bring stuff in from the states and right now are doing a full container from Holland for me. 07 3268 2800 ask for Colin, he owns it.
Hi Jim. When I see items on Alibaba where in descriptions OEM is mentioned, does that mean that product is protected from grey or parallel importing? Or this only relevant to popular brands?
Hi Grisy, Baby clothes sound great. Lots of new customers everyday. Think a little outside the square on this and you could make it awesome. New mothers and fathers want only what's best for baby, price goes out the window closely followed by money (trust me I have 3 kids). I think there is a good market in Organic fabrics. I would only want what's best for my kids particularly when babies. Also think a little more niche again and do a range for premature babies. Ultra small sizes. Good Luck!! and don't forget to get certificates backing up the organic side of things to give real value to the customers. Regards Jim
Jim, then company you recommended do world wide delivery of samples in parcels?
If you can't afford Aweber service, how can you afford being in importing business?
And how would setting up company help? You still own that company and still liable for what you sell.
You mean you licensed tool to your client or sold? Sounds like you make royalty each time it is used. By the way, logo can always be done with silk print or laser engraving. Why would custom tooling be needed?
I read that most suppliers will not work with you if you do not have a LLC or some form of legal business name setup.
Boris C. I use a company who are brokers in the UK. The reason for this is I ship from everywhere and don't have to be the sender or recipient to use these guys. I sit in my Brisbane office and arrange a pick up in London to deliver to Denmark (did this today). I download and email the shipping docs and the company sending it just sticks the prepaid docs on the parcel. fastlanecouriers or we delivertheworld same company and easy to find. They also have a link to pay via PayPal so its easy as. Cheers Jim
Hello Will. I have some questions please: 1. What's high margin of error? 2. How to find out supplier had it's PayPal shut down due to complaints? 3. On eBay for purposes of seeing what sells ,what's the difference between Sold Listings versus Completed Listings? If listing that is complete can end without sold outcome, how does that serve as an indicator? 4. Although small and not heavy, LED bulbs are more of a risk in terms of keeping quality control consistent and product liability. At least for quality control, one must not only find good supplier but also develop long-term relationship to ensure consistent quality control.
Very well put together post. Your insight and knowledge helped to clear up the majority of the confusion in regards to this process. One thing still confuses me though. I am importing a couple hundred custom hats from China and the preferred shipping method is DHL. Do I assume that the shipper will take care of everything to get these to my door step or do I need to be prepared to have shipping documents and forms ready? Also, should I be prepared to pay duties/taxes/tariffs? Any insight is very much appreciated. Thanks!
Hi, Thanks Will for being generous enough to let us know about that. I'm trying to start the business like you've written. I'm not familier with this tupe of business but i wanna do it. So i need your idea about what's good for sale and how i should get money from the customers? I mean about transfering money? And if you don't mind, would you please offer me some good supplier in any product think is good. I'm a girl and i really like to work in clothing and women stuff. I don't know if it's good! And the another thing is I'm new in U.S like 2years(i have green card)I don't know many people to get advice from them. I want make money to bring my family from Iraq and from war over there. i really apreciate if you help me to find a good one in supplier Thank you
is getting into selling p90x now a good idea or not because a lot of people stream get it for free and so on?
You should really point out that sites such as eBay take a charge of 10% per transaction.
Thanks for the article. Can you please or anyone explain the whole DROP SHIPPING process? Please would appreciate it if someone explains it in details. And would give out an example on it. I live in Dubai so how this would workout ?
Came across this post today and was very encouraged! Thank you for being a open book and willing to help. I greatly appreciated this!!!! I had a question.... I was actually thinking of visiting China to see if I could find even better deals then what is online at aliexpress and alibaba. Do you recommend that or should I save myself the cost of trip and go through the websites? Thank you again
Hello! Thank you for this great blog post. It helped a lot. A lot of things I already knew and did and most of them I realized I should be doing differently to avoid challenges later on. Not going to lie, I did not read through all the comments above, but I do have a few questions. If you wouldn't mind answering, it would be great. - You mentioned that the samples should be cheap. Now how cheap? I got my samples for 50$ each and the item itself in bulk order is below 5$. Is that a bad sign? or is it normal? - What do you know about taxes and what procedure do you undergo at the border? I will be importing to Canada, not US. So procedure is different, but it would be good to know at least approximately what it will be like, or what you have gone through. Basically I get the procedure up to the point of shipping. That's when it gets all cloudy. I know that there will be taxes and papers, but I'm not even sure where to start looking. Any advice or suggestions will be great. Thank you!!
Hi, Tracy; As a ONE of the Chinese Sellers, there are some factors which make Chinese products are cheaper: 1, Cheap Labor, 2, MASS Production in general and 3, Some of the sellers sell products equal to production cost(not making money) or even losing money to sell in order to have a Front Rank(it's much cheaper than a Commercial Advertisement huh?), 4, Some are really bad quality or not even similar to the product online which we call Hang a Sheap Head and Sell Dog Meat. So I would suggest you some points or hint you the advantages you might have: 1, Your unique design or select of the products you want to sell; 2, You understand the taste and shopping habits of the customers than a Foreign Seller / Chinese seller; 3, You can talk about your quality; 4, Compare the After Service and let the customers know These are for now i can think of, hope might be a little help.
Hi guys. Great information. Invaluable. I do have a question though, and would like some insight on what to do. Every time I request a sample, I am quoted a ridiculous price. What am I doing wrong? How do I get sample in my hands for a few bucks rather than paying some $40-90 nonsense for a single sample? Or are they misunderstanding me when I ask to get a single sample for testing? Best regards, Jason W
Hey Will Thanks a lot for your helpful information and i wont be the same in import business in terms of knowledge as a learner as before. My question is if you order online like alibaba is your product delivered straight to your house and the corrie company like fedex clear it for you or do you have to be a registerd importer with customs? second is,is there a safer way to buy online and import to avoid scams and that paying methods like paypal can be a risk if parcels dont get delivered or im not happy with my orders. last is what do you thinkof everbuying site,is it legit or not because i am skeptical about it.thanks Will :) l
hope I don't seem dim - but please could you explain why you would absolutely not buy from a chinese supplier that would only send 1 sample? I have been speaking to a gold rated Alibaba supplier who will only send 1 free sample but then you have to pay if you want more than one sample - do you think I should be at all worried by this?
I have a question for you, when ever we want to list an item in Amazon.com, you should specify the UPC or EAN code, where do we get this codes when we order from ALi baba website? is there any way, we can move around this? Thanks Parastoo
Hi Will, Great read, and a compliment to your ability to simplify a complex topic. My biggest question is, in your opinion, how would this fair in an Australian market with a tenth the population of the US? I understand you can still engage suppliers internationally, but unless you could drop ship immediately there would be no viable way to competitively deliver to US customers? Perhaps its a good excuse to travel :P Shane
I really did find this to be helpful. I was very much looking into buying phones,headphones, and other electronics. Do you think this is a good idea? I use aliexpress which is to me easier the alibaba, and I only buy from sellers with a percentage of 90% or higher.
To start off, electronics are really tough, we recommend steering clear.
Claire, Finding any supplier who is going to give you a free sample is amazing. Imagine 10,000 Clare's each asking for a freebie, the supplier would be bankrupt. Samples should not be expected free, you are looking to start a business relationship not screw someone down to giving away products. In a good will gesture most factories make you pay for samples and offer to credit the cost from your order. This covers them for tyre kickers which there are many of. As a gold supplier myself I cant understand the mindset of many who think Asians don't have a right to make profit. That's what feeds their families just like ours. Have a fun! Regards Jim
Andrew, another source of electronics is www.stepfly.com good honest chinese supplier. You can value add to things like a DS with a card with 400 games for very little. A great way to get a little more and a point of difference against the same item. These guys accept Paypal as well so worth a look. Regards Jim
Buddy,if i want to import from china and sell it on amazon for eg,do i havto register my company or any legal docs. neaded?
This is a helpful blog, I search "what is your opinion toward Chinese products" on Google and I found this article. Thank you Will Michell for sharing his knowledge. and I agree that Chinese guys are not good at creation, to be honest, in China, most of the owner of factory are richer but not knowledgeable. Yes we can copy any products existed in this world. so we marked as made in China, not create in China. But I believe few years later, create in China will dream come true. This is Patrick, manager of Jinjiang City Jiakeey Plastic Shoes Co., Ltd. we are manufacturer of various slippers, sandals, clogs and canvas shoes. but in fact, we copy Fitflop, just similar with the shape of Fitflop. not same brand, we have our own brand, IRSOE. I know that copy is illegal, but we have to do it, coz create a new brand is not a easy job. Next year, I will leave from this company, and set up trading company with my friends, one of them got a factory which is producing sports shoes, another one is a designer, we have our own goal, to create new shoes, not copy, be original. I hope that someone could share some ideas with me, how to operate it.
Hey, what do you know about the wedding market? I was thinking of starting out with jewelry or shoes in that market because eventually (LONG time down the road and after a lot of financial foundation) want to design and market wedding gowns. I figured, wedding and evening wear jewelry is more stable than gowns- changes less. I also know a girl who is selling fandom jewelry- like from Harry Potter and LOTR, etc, who is making a lot of money going to comicon's and other conventions like that. I thought maybe if I start out in the wedding industry in a small way, I can get my feet wet while making money and then when I have resources to invest I can get into designing. I have sold wedding dresses before:) Thanks for your article!! It was much more informative then anything else I have read on this subject. And I have been studying this for about 2.5 years now. Lisa
I'm leaving in japan and want to get started on this now, how much money do you think i will need and how about advertising, solo ads? Thanks great work.
Dear Sir, I am from India, I would like to know whether any import license needed to start business from China. Please guide me in this regard Thanks