2047 Comments (page 14)

is these information still apply to 2015? or something changed. i guess my question is if these information is outdated now 2 years after or no...?

Hey Will I would like to thank you very much for your great insight into this,actually i was inspired by your post to start my own blog as i have been doing this as a full time job for the past 5 years,if you would allow me to share a link to my blog i will really appreciate it, i share tips and advice for those who want to import as well and don;t know where to start.

Hello Kylie, I am now trying to make a deal through Alibaba but why they always charge so much for the sample?

Hello Will, Fabulous article! I am looking into starting an online boutique selling handbags, accessories etc. I would love it if we could chat. I have been researching manufacturers on alibaba and you have provided excellent advice for the appropriate steps to take. Thank you kindly and I hope we can chat in the near future :) Armaveni

That's great Armaveni! I hope you make it to our free live training on this on the 6th! startupbros.com/importing-empire-online-event

Hey George im intrested in speaking with you about business opportunity, I'm located in the US and by business partener in guangzhou China.

What if I cant get paypal or a bank account- any other paying methods?

Hi startupbros! Great website. So much info, and for free :-D I'm at the stage where I'm ordering samples and the manufacturers want $50+ for freight! Is this normal? Or are they just trying to see how foolish I am with my money. I'm only looking at small items. Thanks, Siobhan

G'day Mate!!!!! Love your website. what motivated you to set up a website to help others? what's in it for you? Don't get me wrong, I am very grateful!!!!! I am in Australia and need an online business idea. I am willing to try anything but don't want to lose the little savings I have. Any suggestions? Thanking you in advance, Chrissy

Hey, I noticed that most shipping required a very expensive cost for shipping. Is there a way to get free shipping either on samples and regular small/bulk orders ? I appreciate the article very much and thank you very much.

YEAH SIR PLEASE SHARE YOUR BLOG, ACTUALLY I WANT TO START IMPORTS FROM CHINA. CAN YOU SHARE THE TIPS AS YOU KNOW. I AM FROM PAKISTAN

Good stuff. Its all about a niche for sure. This has been on my mind importing and selling. I have a great career and a side service business. My curious and creative brain knows there is more. Thanks for the quick info and motivation!

Fantastic article and webinar! Do you have any Australian client success stories?

A ton! Australia is one of the three biggest non-US countries for clients. (The others being UK and Canada.) A ton of people do really well Down Under :D

Your advice has helped me decide on my path in life. It has been of the utmost help to me and can't thank you enough.

Last year, I sold some items on ebay as an affiliate - to be exact, a seller hired me to sell her items as there is a limit on the number of items a seller can sell on ebay. But some customers found out they are counterfeit. So I have stopped selling on ebay any more. I wonder if I can do the same for you.

Great article! However, it did bring me to one question. You discuss buying samples from these companies to ensure the items you may purchase are of good quality, etc. Despite this, I've noticed that many companies want to charge anywhere from $23 TO $50 in shipping costs. Therefore, if I'm only ordering one or two sample pieces, this ends up costing me quite a bit just to see if I like something. How did you negate this when ordering 3 to 5 samples at a time?

Thank you! This method is golden... We have flipped our affiliate money we have been saving since early 2010 into some serious money using this method. Just tip: Use this method as a rough guide. it works as it is. But you need to climb the ladder and get as far to the top as possible. Basically, we are now buying wholesale directly from the manufacture and selling to vendors on alibaba, DH Gate, Made-In-China, etc. as suppliers. All this while still profiting on Ebay and Amazon. Never stop! Thanks again for the guide. You have really helped us achieve success in our new business.

Tell me you used Paypal or Escrow? If you did you are covered by what seems to me like a scammer. If you didn't you are right, it is a hard lesson you will have learned from.

The reason I haven't started anything (I'm in Canada but I'm sure there are similar things in the US) is because of all the legal paperwork that keeps bringing me down. Before I can even start looking at products there is; 1. Getting a Business number 2. Business Name registration 3. Import-export program account 4. Product insurance 5. Customs broker (Unless you do it yourself which is another whole ton of work step list here: http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/guide-eng.html ) I could go on and on. Yeah sure maybe you could a few items shipped and they might think your buying for yourself and get past customs. But how long will that last before you get caught or get sued because someone stabbed themselves with the fork you were selling on amazon etc etc.

Will, You are hard nut as regards work. You are just a super star my man. Am following you. I am finding your path very exciting. Am busy searching what to buy and sell back home. I would want to buy Educational materials for kindergaten pre school stuff. Amy sites i have been on Alibaba hey its a hell of information and also to know whoz who? is a project but will run through the maze until i can find my cheese. Great work done by you will. Robert

I must admit, reading through this article got me thinking and re-evaluating my present situation. Great article mate *thumbs up*. I ventured into this importing business way back in 2004 to 2007 in London when I was in college. I must say i made alot of money selling Gucci shoes, Ghd hair straighteners, Nike shoes and other stuffs. Honestly, then i didn't know they were not authentic until i started getting lawsuit letters and my items getting banned on ebay, despite that my customers were always satisfied. Anyway, that was then and now it now. I am seriously looking to going back into importing business, to deal on authentic and genuine items with the hope of owning a branded business someday. But my major challenge is that, I have since moved to Africa as a result of my job. Is there any advice you can give to me to tackle the Africa market knowing that there are a lot of individuals in importation businesses here. Thanks!

if you want sample free, you should afford the shipping cost, and if you have your courier account, the delivery will be on your account. Then they will not ask for shipping cost from you.

This is an incredible article, glad I stumbled upon it and I am really grateful for your contribution to the world of entrepreneurship!

How to find a product who is in demand?

Read this a while ago, maybe one or two years. Come to reading it again and it is such a great article. Perfect advice for anyone starting out and I will definitely be following it. Thank you!

Everything is very open with a really clear explanation of the challenges. It was really informative. Your site is useful. Many thanks for sharing!

Probably this is one of the first articles that I ever read complete. Really enjoyed it. Though would like to get some more details on few things like a) Packaging/delivery b) How to do negotiations with Chinese.

We might be able to get blog posts on this out at some point, but for now check out the negotiation section (after product research) in the replay: www.startupbros.com/import-replay

Hey Will! annnnddd now there will be no sleeping for me! This article excites me. :) Can you explain escrow to me please? I understand what it means in terms of my mortgage (and maybe it's a similar thing, I don't know, but I am going to play stupid here), but I am confused as to how it is used in this context. Also, I am doing some simple, getting my feet wet, research and noticed that one product I thought of is being sold on Amazon by it's manufacturer only and no one else. Does Amazon have special contracts with certain manufacturers to allow the sales of products only produced by it's sole manufacturer? Thanks for all this information! I seriously have NOT been this excited about starting something in a long time! I can't believe you guys post this information for free. It's nice to know there are good people out there willing to help people they don't even know for nothing. I'll definitely be paying it forward somehow. THANK YOU! :)

Great article. I do online sales of gently used clothing and sports memorabilia. I've decided to take the plunge and have been looking to import. I've identified a few products and have samples on the way. A few of them have payment terms as T/T. Is this something I should avoid and stick strictly with PayPal? Thanks!

It depends on your risk tolerance and how much you trust the supplier. Without protection there is always the chance you get burned.

Hey! I was SO happy to stumble upon this article! I am currently living in China, teaching, but have had this GRAND and simple plan of having digitally printed leggings/swimsuits/simple stretchy dresses made here and sell them on Amazon. I don't want to go into specifics, but reading this makes me think I may be onto something! These prints could be considered copy wright no-no's, but, since I'm in the land of 'who's gonna do something about that, really...?' I'm wondering if that's an issue. I'd love to ask you a few questions, but don't want to in a public setting. If you have time/interest to send me an email I would be SO STOKED! Thanks!

Hi Dan, I used to own a sandal factory in China about 12 years ago. Speaking as an ex-factory owner in China, there really isn't much room to negotiate for price as they work on thin profit margin to begin with. You can find out the reasonable price by getting quotations from various suppliers and compare the prices and I bet you prices are pretty much the same. If the prices are very different, ask for samples to compare the quality because better quality deserves better price! My advice is don't even try to negotiate price for your initiate trial order! Think about how much can you save for 10 pcs of goods? Very little! In fact, most factories will consider your trail order as samples anyway. You don't really have any bargaining power to negotiate for price yet. You can negotiate for better price when you order more. As for shipping cost for samples, there is non negotiable as well. You can check the cost of shipping with DHL and just pay whatever the cost is. Factory will not subsidies your shipping cost. I hope it helps. Best regards, Terry

Hi Chris, I'm not sure how old your e-mail is, so forgive me if this response is way out of date, but you mentioned having a 'garage full of running gear in unpopular sizes'. Have you approached all the slimming/exercise classes in your area offering gear for the 'well proportioned' at knock down prices? Many attendees at these clubs often lose a lot of weight, and hence need new gear, but are still larger than the 'average' customer!

Hi Rupert, Bamboo processing is the area that I am planning to venture into. My country of residence is Ghana (West Africa). The country is endowed with this natural resource. Could we partner to add value and then sell it, if this is the kind of business you intend doing? Looking forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience. Regards. Kwaku.

Hi Will and other readers, Thanks for the great post with heaps of useful information. Interesting to find my go to for buying from China, Alibaba or Aliexpress, in your tips. Guess I'm on the right track! I found a website that is posting the best Aliexpress products recently and it has cut out most of my researching time. I thought it may interest you or your readers http://thieve.co/ You still buy through Aliexpress but I find I now spend way less time finding good products for good prices! Thanks again! Mike

Very article, very good!

Hi, I would highly recommend that you only use USA suppliers for supplements. There are some very good ones out there. Just start doing the research and you'll find them. Good Luck!

Kevilina, your plan sound great up to the point about who cares about copyright. If you infringe a copyright particularly a powerful companies one they will hunt you down no matter where you are. If they cant find you they will go for your customers. There's so much out there you just need to look a little more in depth and choose something that's not going to come and bite you later. Regards Jim

Hi Guys, I am a second year Gold supplier on Alibaba (Go Pro Now Ltd) its so great to see so many people still excited about importing. I have been doing it for twenty years and still get a buzz out of trying new things. 15 years ago I set up a web site selling watches. These were all Chinese made but nice finish and sold well. The problem is trying to get the value of the non branded piece appreciated by the customer. So recently I decided to go back into watches (just a little toe dipping exercise) and I hunted down 3 licensed Tissot dealers. One in Hong Kong, one in Sydney and one in the USA. Why Tissot I hear you ask? well they are a great mid range watch, have a high customer value and look great. I decided to go with the supplier in Sydney so I could avoid the import duty and put a few on EBay to see how they went after making sure there was a middle gap to make some $$ after the high fees ebay set. Well I sold them all over a 10 day period and cleared after fees 925.00 in profit. The cost of the investment was 964+tax but I claim tax back being a business. I plan to build on this and now have some Burberry and Armani moving through as well. The point of this is to show you that you can find something in your back yard that you can make money on. Look for a branded product you can buy locally from big importers. It saves you the hassle of all the associated paperwork and you get the benefit of their buying power. So look me up on Alibaba and say G'day! Cheers Jim

Hey dude. I'm seriously thinking of buying and selling, I simply typed in google "most profitable product to sell on the Internet" and you were at the top. Just wanted to tell you how helpful and interesting this was for me to read. I had a business that didn't work out but reading what you wrote has helped me understand what I need to do in this market. Thank you Rich Hannah

First off, I'm obsessed with this article. I've been interested in the importing business for some time and you have blown all my other research out of the water! The only thing I'm still stuck on, which you probably hear a lot, is picking a product. It seems like everything is so saturated already. Any extra advice would be much appreciated!

I am not sure what type of herbal supplement you are referring to. If herbal supplement like energy or herbal drink, it will go through customs but not FDA for CFSAN regulations. If herbal supplement like nutritional herb, it will not go through customs if they are not NDC listed. You have to be extremely careful with product labeling as well. Also, you might have to confirm with suppliers that these products, especially fish oil, have any ingredients of animal origin. Shipments arriving in NY and Savannah are often held up because of this. The good thing is that customs do not care who is supplier for products like those (I assume you don't import products like honey, garlic, etc). It does not matter whether supplements arrive in bulk or bottled. Hope it answers your questions.

The type of supplement I want only grows in China and surrounding countries. Only other area that I know of is Greece, Macedonia...I would love to buy American but they do not carry Sea Buckthorn. Also, I have begun testing any type of supplement I get from over seas for accuracy. Anything I can buy at home I do.

Hi,Dee,though I am not sure if you still need answer ,i still say something ,there is four type of prices offered to you when you negotiated with factory ,EXW ,FOB,CIF ,you can google those find out what does mean .if you talk with factory or wholesaler ,they can find shipping agent to ship your purchase directly to your country .as for the payment ,choose paypal .

hi i was reading your web page and i learned alot.i have been ordering fr aliexpress now for about 3 months.only had one bad experience so far.i would like to start selling at flea markets but i need a connections to some factorys in china i can start buying in more quantities. and mayb get a lower price then i get from the sellers. would u b able to send me some information on factories and how to contact them.im disable and im kn a fix income i would like totry and start a little business and hopefully be successful. thank you.any information and advise would b participated. thank u

Hi Will, I am interested in starting my own import/export business and thank you for sharing your experience. Why would you not recommend buying a product from China at a low price and sell in US? The example would be coffee cups that have brass knuckles for the handle. Would I have to be an affiliate of that company to sell their product to local coffee shops? Thank you,

So is importing no longer a cash flow stream for you and why or why not? I'm about to read the 2nd article and then go back and read the other links. If you answer this question in another link I will end up reading, please disregard and thank you for this info. I currently buy from thrift stores garage and resale shops and sell on offer up 5 mile AZ fb groups cl and eBay. Desperately trial-an-erroring my way to figure out what sells and what system(s) will work.

Hi Will !! First of thanks a ton for sharing your experience with every one. Will, i am planning to start my own import business in india and woould like to work on the same platform suggested by you. In you earlier messages you mentioned that to start this thing better would be to order the product in the small quantity and i have the same view on that. But the problem is when i approached two three suppliers problem which i was facing that my product pricing is very less and the double is the shipping charges. Just because of this landing cost my product is cost reaches to high and in that price i wont be able to sell my product because product price is not competitive. So you suggest what should i do but tell me a solution keeping in eye that first i am plannning to import with zero knowledge. Regards, Sandeep.

Wow...what a wealth of knowledge. Had many plans for the weekend. Now i am stuck and glued on every word. Hahaha! Going to open every link. Thanks a ton. Do you consult?

Very well done, so much good info. The gist of what I have read (correct me if I'm wrong please) is to find a product and try to sell it for less than what everyone else is selling it for? Unless you are inventing a product, the product is already being sold by someone, somewhere, therefore to get part of their customers/market share you must sell the same for less as it is highly unlikely you will find a new place/market for the product. Certainly if you q.a. your shipment, provide better service etc that helps but in the very beginning you won't have that reputation until you make sales. Which to me means you must be cheaper.

Clear, concise advice. The wealth of experience and knowledge of the ecommerce market is invaluable. massive thank you Clare

Hi there, Its very interesting article and valuable knowledge, really enjoyed reading. Thanks for sharing. I just started in this import and export business. Just recently got problem, one of the supplier asked "express No" i don't know what it means, can you tell me if you know what they are asking and they are from aliexpress. all i asked for some samples thats all.

hello i glad to read this article . it is great . but i have question . how can buy from Alibaba then sell in Ebay or Amazon with out shipping to me . because the cost of shipping in my is very high . thank you

Hello Will, I'm in the process of launching my own Custom Neon Sign company called Neon Chic. I just formed my LLC, working with a few possible suppliers now in China. One in which is building one sample out for me now. Once the order is placed the Sign takes 4 weeks to create and another two weeks to ship by boat. Not exactly an easy 1,2,3 product but I'm passionate about this so I'm willing to go the extra mile to assure this is going to work for me. I have a few questions below if you don't mind looking at Questions: Shipping: I'm currently having the supplier send products to nearby port in Long Beach. I'm having it shipped there instead of my location to cut cost down in the beginning. Neon Signs are not small objects so this has been a pain in regards to having to drive, rent a large U haul and transport it to my home location ( garage) I'm hoping that at some point I can find a company that will be able to handle the packaging a shipping once the product hits the US. Is there a point where I should start looking for this to be done??? Supply and demand: My biggest fear is that I'm spending a good amount of time creating this brand ( Neon Chic) getting the website built beautifully, Taking great product shots, top logo design, etc that I wont be able to fill orders out the gate and prospective customers will not be happy. This could hopefully be a huge success based on the uniqueness of the custom signs I'm creating I can't have this be an issue so I need to try and avoid this in anyways possible How many products should I order at a time? I have designed 10 custom neon signs with different meanings . How can I prepare myself if I do get multiple orders at once ? Paypal I must say this is a great takeaway. I have submitted my first order for a sample last week and was forced to go through Western Union and pay a $50.00 fee just to transfer the funds to an account in China. The supplier only provided me the name of the women that the money needed to be sent too and Id# This was scary to me because not only was this my first time I was paying a total of $450 in just shipping changes grand total $590 for the product and shipping. What is the best way for me to request my future supplier to take Paypal?? Negotiating Sample and product price How much should I suggest they built the sample for considering it only costs $87 USD to make. She charged me $97 Thanks again Will, Best regards Fahad Alshahrani

hi will.in the things not to do,you said not to give these suppliers your personal e-mail.is that from the supplier or suppliers you getting the your goods from. thank you.

I have been absorbing your information for the past two days and will continue to do so. One of the subjects I wanted to be sure of is only use "PayPal" to begin with. Regards, Pete

Hi Will, Thank you very much Mate for sharing your tips, how tos, to dos and not to dos on your blog re; importing items. While i was reading this blog I feel im destined for success. It seems i have pretty much covered 90% of what you have explained. So you blog was more like a validation for me that im heading down the right path. The only 2 things i could see which i didn't do was buy a sample from 2- 5 suppliers and and i have selected a semi- electrical device [it has gained a lot of interest however]...i did test the single sample and it has proven to be very good...that said...My first method of reselling was to go direct to industry related businesses for the product and also asked friends who were interested to jump on board by offering them a wholesale price to which they had a decent amount of room to earn as well...to my surprise most were very keen to help my business grow and excited to resell the item. It would be great to hear from you and any feedback you may have with what i have written. Regards, Troy Sydney Australia

Hi, thanks for the Article but I have a question. How many things can I import from china and don't have problems with U.S. Customs.

Hi , i just want to say that this 2 gentelman know what they talking about ! I like your site and your advise. I deal with chinese people since `95 and i can confirm anything you advise here. D'ont bargain with them BUT check the items very well ...be friendly and understand that 90% of the time price reflect quality . I start with jewellery ( cheap one ) and i made a Killing , but you have to control products because the chinese have another vision about a material, size , defect , and they are very approximative in general. I now deal in fashion ( ladys dress , belt , bags, sunglasses , caps and more ) i have a shop and i do good money selling 5 to 10 time my purchase cost BUT i have to check quality ALWAYS ! Even if i deal with the same people since years i cannot trust them and i have Always to check piece by piece ,if i don't want surprise...Dealing with them is great as long as you don't make to many stories and you know what you are doing . Thanks a lot for the post i really enjoy reading. P.s. to all the people starting a biz with China , you can make good money but don't go big right away , start slow , understand , and then scale it up BUT Always be aware and keep 2 eyes open .That's biz after all....

Almost all of them! Just don't do anything sketchy ;)

What's with taxes and import duties?

Hi Will, Thank you so much for your useful information. Can I keep in touch with you by your personal email ? I'd like to ask some questions about business.

First off let me thank you for this post. I have tried for many years to wrap my mind around importing things to sell. I understand the basics of everything that you have said in this post and your others. I am still having difficulty on finding key items that will sell without breaking the bank initially for me. There are so many products out there that it get really frustrating. If possible could I get some leads that will give me the momentum needed to start of on this journey

Great article thanks for the info! Question: how is the fitness market. I spotless lime to begin selling fitness items and was wondering if they're was too much competition. Any suggestions or advice? Thanks.

I'm wondering about the legal ramifications of purchasing products from China. What about the customer who buys a product that is for example, electrical in nature, and the customer gets hurt from it and wants to sue someone. If the product had the Black&Decker brand name on it, the customer would sue Black&Decker. But Since it's a product from China that is a no-name brand (or I've placed my brand on it), I'm going to assume that they are going to sue me. What do you think of these types of risks? Do Chinese products shipped to the U.S.A. have to go through Customs or some type of inspection? Does the U.S. government let U.S. Citizens import anything and sell it? How do you know if the Chinese product has been patented in the U.S.A. which could create another liability? Lastly, if the Chinese supplier is shipping F.O.B. then do you think I will have to incur any other expenses to get the products to me? Thank you so much for taking the time to read these questions. I appreciated any insight you can give. I really found your blog very helpful!

Thank you so much for the article which I found to be super helpful. Any advice for where I am at at the moment. . I found a great supplier and ordered a product after trying a sample to the value of £330 (I am in UK) those costs included the customs in China and shipping costs so looking at what my competitors where selling the item for I was on to a winner. . UNTIL now! The products have arrived in the UK and all of a sudden I am hit with a freight handling bill, UK customs bill, Tax bill, moving and handling bill, bill to get the goods from the port to my house, a bill for basically everything and anything which totals over £500 which I didn't anticipate. . Is there anyone who can give me advice on how to avoid or curb some of these costs?

Will thanks for the very informative article. I am starting a business that actually exports herbal medicine to other countries via Alibaba. we have just started operating on Alibaba, and want to connect with wholesalers, predominantly in China. Do you think this is viable on Alibaba or are there any alternative sites you would recommend me to use to gain more options in the market?

Fantastic enjoyable read, I am 25, in the UK and will be researching extensivley over the next 2/3 months to invest into a good product.

Hi Will, thank you for writing this article and sharing your experience. I found your information very useful and it inspired me to start thinking of my own business venture:) You only mentioned alibaba.com to order from, what do you think of www.alixpress.com I think they are great just to test if the product is going to sell or not since since you don't need to get minimum order. The only down side I find is kind of scatchy is that they don't use paypal payment system. What are your thoughts on that?

What do people say about a skincare company that says that they do not send samples as it is "against company policy" but that I can send someone to visit their facility. Does it sound like a scam? Should I even consider placing an order with them? Their minimum order is in the low thousands.

Hey Will - Have you ever used Alibaba.com to find suppliers and source from China? If you have, how was your experience like? Or do you have an article / blog that talk about Alibaba.com? I just started following your blog entry so I might have missed your previous posts.

I am very glad that I found your blog. I am looking to start my own business very soon. I was going to go the route of starting it as an ecommerce website and advertising on social media. But now after reading this article (which I don't know when it was posted) I feel like Amazon and eBay are the ways I am going to go. I read another blog of yours, I live in NYC, any advice on how I can do this? I am not that outgoing so I wont be handing out business cards or asking people to check out my page.

Hi. Thanks for the article. I have a question. It would seem that avoiding electronics would be the way to go from what I've researched so far. I've read that largely they are cheaply made, often counterfeited when you are talking brand names etc... I was looking into gaming laptops specifically. Everywhere I've read they I was told to NEVER BUY ELECTRONICS FROM CHINA. Maybe I'm naive but isn't this an incredible irony? I mean most of the worlds electronic gadgets are made in China!? Selling electronics seems to be one of alibabas major exports!? It's like a highly suggested against path of action yet the source of all the action!? What do you have to say about that? Thank you.

I would like to add a very important thing. If you want to import from China you should have eyes there. When you do a big order some times they send you bad items or do some things that can cause you loose money. We are an american company offering the service of being your eyes there to check merchandise, shipping, testing samples and others things in China. Which is very important for big orders.

Great Article! Do we need to register the company name before contacting suppliers in Alibaba? Alibaba is asking for a company name just to create a user id? Cant we just get a few samples to try before registering a company? Thanks

we need to know all gold members from alibaba.com are genuine if not how can we find.If supplier having paypal payment option those are genuine suppliers?

Hi Tim Is Western Union reliable to make payments to China. Never deal with them before.

Hey Will!! I sent you a inbox message on Facebook. But it might of went to the other folder! if you could check it when your not busy!! Thanks so much Melissa :)

Hi Will I live overseas, South Africa to be precise and I am exploring this venture, but I am thinking of using amazon as a fulfilment agency (FBA) as well as selling the products on amazon as with the latest bandwagon to hit the market, so that I am able to explore the US e-commerce market, I know that one of the golden rules to succeed with amazon is that you should always make sure that there is available stock for amazons clientele. How does one adapt your strategy with ordering minimum quantity in order to test the market first, like you pointed out in the above article, also please give me your view point on selling on amazon, am I just a goldfish swimming amongst sharks in the ocean or is it a viable avenue for me to venture into?

One of the easiest way to have money dealing with China is Drop Shipping scheme. You may privide intermediary servise, selling goods from Taobao.com for example. All you need is someone in China, who could purchase, consolidate and ship your clients orders. And a site which let people to place an order.

Hi Will, I read your article. Really awesome! I started searching for that "single profitable product" with high margin, and thought of waterproof pouch for Iphone. Light weight and simple... Anyway, I contacted like 10 suppliers of this crap (filtering only Gold members with PayPal), and they're all willing to negotiate the price for a MOQ of 100 pcs. The margin selling on Ebay/Amazon is brutal, almost 1500%! My problem is...how difficult it is to buy samples? They're all telling me "USD50 for one sample". Can you help me? Is this usual when you order samples from China? Are shipping costs that high in Asia? I’m looking forward to your reply. Thanks

Hey Will, Great Article. Good luck on what ever you are doing now. It's like in a movie, I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. Btw, would it make a difference on ones physical location on shipping from China? I live in Kansas City area where shipping might be steeper than in East coast or west coast. Should I move to out of State like in NY or LA or to Baltimore? Thinking of moving anyways. Please advise.

Hi! Thanks for this article! The only thing I think it's missing is something it really "worries" me, or maybe I just really wonder how it works with the "importation process / fees / taxes / being a certified importer"... or is just "let's order $5000 worth of products" and they come to your house? I'm pretty sure is not that second option. Would you give us some tips on that? Thanks a lot!

Hi bros! I have to say first of all that finding this website was a life changer for me. I have a question: I initially considered a product category that I wanted to sell in and started looking for deals in that category, but I'm not sure yet if that's the category I should definitely be in. I've created an Amazon seller account and started selling a single product in my category. I've already started some initial branding work, such as creating a company name, logo, etc. Now I'm considering products in other categories might be better bets. Should I convert my category-specific account into a general account to try a broader array of products? I've thought of creating multiple accounts for the different categories, but I'm concerned that would dilute my ranking and feedback. Or do you think I should stick with the first category a while longer and try to make it work? My results so far haven't been spectacular, but I can try to reduce costs, improve conversions, etc. Thank you very much for your website. There's nothing else like it out there. We're all lucky to have you here.

Hi, I am from India. I was figuring out what products can i consider to sell as a start up. I came across your blog & it gave me good knowledge about the business. I was searching through internet what is the shopping trend. I figured out that smartphones sells the most. But which smartphone? Also smartphones become obsolete as the time passes. Could you help me what product should i sell. I am completely new.

I read this blog and am super impressed! Guess what you just did... You have just made not just my day but my days of existence. We gonna have a millionaire coffee chat someday!

How much should I pay for samples? Product cost and shipping??

Hi Will, I am currently in the works of getting my first product imported to sell on Amazon. I have read several of your articles and have found them very very helpful and easy to read. I especially love the top 25 ways to get your product to rank on Amazon. No one else breaks it down step-by-step like you. One area of this whole process that is still rather vague to me (as I haven't actually had s shipment imported yet) is how the whole importing process works. Do you use a customs broker? Could you shed some light on the whole import process? Maybe even do what you seem to be so good at doing and walk us all through the process step-by-step!?! Thanks for all you are doing to help others help themselves! Angela

Hi, I have read several articles for you and I am impressed on how you delivered the idea so smoothly. I have several questions regarding doing small business with Alibaba: 1-When the supplier and I reach an agreement on specific product, do I only pay for the units to be delivered to my house? Pay for units + shipping? Or that depends on the supplier? 2-Once I get the products and found customers, how can I deal with shipping the products so I can get the most of the profit? Since I checked several carriers websites and realized that they cost slightly more to cut the profit. 3-Lastly, I have this supplier and This is the website: http://fdpromo.en.alibaba.com/company_profile.html#top-nav-bar Does the supplier look trustworthy based on the video uploaded, certificate, and clear contact information? Lastly, I would like to thank you guys for mentioning this kind of information to people. It is very helpful.

I came across this article by happenstance. The article isn't timestamped, so I don't know if the points in the article are still relevant. I looked at Alibaba. Is it normal for shipping cost to be half of the value of the shipment?

Awesome read I am glad that everything worked out for you, right now I buy things on aliexpress and flip them on eBay but sometimes the products in aliexpress are cheesy and you can easily tell they are fake the margins are great as long as a customers doesn't complain or ask for a return, long story short I eventually got kicked off eBay and banned because too many customers were returning my products, I need some help and advice from you. I had some fake eBay accounts but I can only sell so many products each month and I'm always hitting my limit, what other products can I sell and what else do I need to know to make some money....please please help me id very much apprecIate it, thank you

Hi, am really seeking your help. I want to start a hair business, where people from all over the world, especially the carribbean buy hair from me. I also want the best supplier. Help me make this happen

I had a question. I'm looking to order stainless steel part from China to build exstration machines.but it goes against your light stuff only rule.its a open market in the USA with only a few people doing it.i can build a machine from China for $600 and resale it here for $4000 to $5000 return.but it is heavy.what would be the best way to ship heavy things to Washington state.they told me by sea is cheapest. Do I need a tax I'd number to do this?

Rob, sea is by far the lowest cost way to ship heavy items. I ship cut and weld products from China to the UK and i pay about 0.50c per 2lb of steel door to door. A freight forwarder will help you out and have the know-how to do this for you. Upon entry you normally have to pay your taxes so get them to work out the cost for you to make sure you have it ready. Good luck! Jim

Thank you for this article. I would like to use Alibaba to by products but I am not sure how the process works a far as the shipping is concern. Should I ask the supplier to send the goods directly to my address. Should I pick up the goods at the port? Do I pay freight at the port or to the supplier? In percentage how much more the freight cost than the goods? I don't want to buy $200 worth of goods to end up paying $300 more on shipping. Thank you You experience is paying off. Sincerely, Noel Jaramillo

I am an Australian living in Shenzhen China and have my own LED company and Alibaba. I agree with most of what you say except the part about Paypal. Chinese Paypal is not the same as the western version and it costs a lot more to take your money. We a customer wants to pay for a sample order this is okay but I have had customers want to pay 20000 USD buy Paypal which is not logical, First I have to charge 10 % of the total for fees I am charged, then send to the money to my Australian Paypal in USD, change to AUD then withdraw, send to my HK account, change to RMB then send to China..... so it is not always the case that Chinese people have got too many bad rating at all, Paypal is great for the person paying but its not easy for the receiver to get there money. Please if you need any LED products or any other goods from China visit www.anboge.com

Hey Will Great writeup, extremely helpful, thank you ! Question, I am super security conscious and prefer not to use real names of employees when setting up account(s) on the foreign sites you mention to obtain product, meet distributors and manufacturers, etc - so any potential problems using "screen names" on these accounts ? Thanks ! Mark

Its great reading so many of you want to get into importing. Its kept me in a great standard of living for more than 20 years. One of the common things I read is that you see the cost of your sample and the shipping so high. As a gold supplier on Alibaba I get so many enquiries from people who really re trying to save a few bucks. Here is an easy lesson for you, recently I had a buyer who wanted to buy my crazy contact lenses. Commercial qtys are normally 200 pairs. She wanted 10 pairs. Firstly how can you make a living on 10 pairs? She was actually pricing herself out of the market by looking at only 10 pairs and heres why. 10 pairs @ 2.00 per pair = 20.00 Shipping 100.00 Total 120.00 (12.00 per pair) 200 pairs @ 2.00 per pair=400.00 Shipping 100.00 Total 500.00 (2.50 per pair) I hope you can see why you feel you get ripped when you are looking at buying one or two items. Shipping is normally a minimum up to a point and this example shows you why its important to think a little further forward. Thanks Jim