Thank you for this article. Very informative. My question is when starting out were there specific sellers permits or licenses you need in order to begin buying from suppliers overseas and then selling them where you live. I'm am looking to get into this business and i do want to start out on the right foot and have all licenses and permits needed to conduct business legalling.
2047 Comments (page 18)
Hi, Loved this article! I have started on this too! Would be amazing if you could advise me on a few things? Would be great if you could get in touch
Love your blog!!! So helpful for someone like me who is just getting into this kind of business. I was wondering what you think about trying to "pilot" sell your samples to see how well they do?
Do you have to pay import fees?
Loved your article! Very inspiring. Question for you-I currently live in China and am looking for some way to make profit on Amazon. Do you recommend this model or do you have any other recommendations for Chinese who are looking to export? Thanks!
Hi Will, Thanks for sharing and motivating. I'm from India, please suggest me a product.
Hello, I found your article extremely helpful but I am curious if the importation process was difficult. I read a suggestion to pay a customs broker, did you have to do this? I am still doing my research. Do you have any insight?
Hi Donna, yet another Aussie looking at the possibility of starting an e-business as a second income leading into retirement in 10 years or so. If you want another person to brainstorm with let me know.
What a great article... I have spent over month where to start and trying to kick myself to make a step to selling products online. THANK YOU for sharing your experience. I still dont know what i am going to sell but... i definitely know I want to do it!
It helps to start with what you know the most about then what you like! Don't make it more complicated than it needs to be in order to start :) You want to wake up excited to sell!
Hey Victoria, So a lot of people make the importing process more difficult than it actually needs to be. We use a company called FBAprep.com and they are awesome :) Otherwise when you order on Alibaba just use your suppliers shipping account. They will make sure that it gets to your country and if there is any taxes to pay then you will get a bill when the package gets to your front door. You can ask your supplier how much that will be and choose the best supplier that way. There is never a hidden cost if you talk to your supplier and keep an open line of communication.
Thank you so much for reading :) We want to inspire you to the maximum!! We actually don't suggest products to anyone. Just make sure that there is demand, you like it, small, light weight, and easy to ship!
You have a better chance than anyone else to do this business model. You can visit the factories and do the Quality checks yourself. You can select the best products and send them to Amazon FBA in the United States! You have an incredible opportunity being in China.
That completely depends but the short answer is yes. You always have to pay duty tax. If you talk to your supplier they would tell you how much it is. Just keep an open line of communication.
Hey! I would love to know what you mean by pilot selling? I recommend that you order your samples and immediately put them up on Amazon! You can sell them quickly in order to figure out demand for your product.
Hey Crystal https://startupbros.com/ecommerce-workshop/ Check out out next workshop! We cover everything you need to know :) You do not need seller permits or licences to get started. You are just buying products from a website and selling on Amazon totally legal :)
Hey Tracy, https://startupbros.com/ecommerce-workshop/ Check out our next workshop. If you are buying from alibaba you are buying unlicensed products and you can sell that under your own brand.
You can buy and sell from Aliexpress :)
https://startupbros.com/ecommerce-workshop/ Come on the next webinar!
Hey Hussein, https://startupbros.com/ecommerce-workshop/ Check out our next workshop! I think you'll love it!
Keep Kicking butt! Will loved writing it :)
Hey Larry, https://startupbros.com/ecommerce-workshop/ Come on our next webinar! I think you'll really enjoy it. I would say that you need $250 to start.
Thank you for reaching out and reading the article :)
Hey Chris, if you found the article useful, we would love to have you on our live webinar! https://startupbros.com/ecommerce-workshop/ Check it out!
No way. Most people on the planet are not even on the internet. Every single day someone new is on the internet and every single day someone gets more money they want to spend. There are millions of potential products to choose from and sometimes you just have to try a few before one sticks.
Hey Isabella, https://startupbros.com/ecommerce-workshop/ Check out our next workshop! I think you'll really enjoy it.
Hey, I will pass on the comment to Will! I know he will be excited that you found the article useful!
Hey Hussein, when you are just starting out and create an amazon seller account, you should connect it to paypal in order to collect payments from any transaction you do.
When the packages come to your door you get a bill and can pay the fees online.
Hey! I would recommend receiving the products before selling them!
Hey Zoe, yes you can. As long as they are not branded photos you can. Also you can ask your supplier for some pictures and they would not mind helping you out normally.
Just be completely up front and honest with your emails. Tell them what you are looking for and how much you would like to pay and they are normally receptive to that.
Super glad we can help!
If you're not sure where to start, then we have something that will be a huge help to you: https://startupbros.com/ecommerce-workshop
If you're not sure where to start, then we have something that will be a huge help to you: https://startupbros.com/ecommerce-workshop
Hey Tony remember samples don't always mean free. Samples mean a small order. And if you have someone willing to send you samples with a 40 dollar shipping, I think that is a great deal that you should jump on. That is the lowest you should expect shipping to be from a large volume supplier.
Thank you so much :)
I'm glad that we can help you out! Don't be a stranger okay :) Keep in touch!
Hey Mark! Get after it man! You can do it :) If you're not sure where to start, then we have something that will be a huge help to you: https://startupbros.com/ecommerce-workshop
just so you know 29 dollars us for shipping is not expensive. The idea is to find products that you can have a profit after shipping.
Hey Cara, you always have to pay taxes. You are a sole proprietor right now but even as a sole proprietor you should pay taxes.
You are allowed to return bad products and the supplier has to accept the refund. The reason why you make small orders is to confirm quality. Suppliers won't normally change quality mid shipment.
Hey Anshul, Thank you so much for reaching out. Just keep hustling and take action!
Hey Nicos, I think you should always get the smaller orders and send them to your house. Once you confirm that the quality is good then you can begin to use a company like FBAprep.com to take your products from China to the United States.
Thank you so much for reading it!
Always in USD. Paypal if you can!
Thank you for being awesome!
Hey Jessica, yes you have to always pay for shipping. These are large suppliers and it's expensive to ship small orders. $25 to $100 dollars is perfect for shipping. You shouldn't expect to pay more or pay less.
Hey Lodi, That is technically illegal. You can't buy something branded with the idea of undercutting the market of branded products. You cannot sell under someone elses brand. But you can buy similar products that do not have a brand and sell them. That is completely legal.
If you're not sure where to start I have something that will be a HUGE help: https://startupbros.com/import-replay
If you're not sure where to start I have something that will be a HUGE help: https://startupbros.com/import-replay
Alibaba.com is the best place to find suppliers! No place better :)
Hey sara, if you buy unbranded clothing you are more than welcomed to put your own brand on them and sell them as your own. Dresses are not trademarked. Dress brands certainly are trademarked.
If you're not sure where to start I have something that will be a HUGE help: https://startupbros.com/import-replay
So, to get a sample you are basically buying one to sample not getting them to send you a 'free' sample per say. Correct?
Yea, exactly. Most people hear the word sample and think free but the way we mean it is to say "small order". I wouldn't even say 1 but maybe about 5 to 10 so the shipping costs can make a bit more sense.
are there other ways to sell a lot of items other than ebay or amazon
Hey mate, I'm from australia and I've literally just went through so muuuch of what you have described!, I think I've also nailed a few products that will sell very well, I've also noticed instead of me shipping 50 of one item out of China from Alibaba.com , I can ship say 10 items for FREE on AliExpress, and just pop in several orders as I need them, saved so so much on shipping!. I may not have explained this very well but it's just a little trick I've found to work, just negotiate!. I'd be interested in talking to you more and reading your other articles! Thankyou!
Hey thanks man for sharing. From Africa hahaha. I miss one part. If I sell my products on Amazon, do I ship the products to Amazon warehouse and Amazon ships directly to customers? Also, what do I need for Amazon, eBay and Craigslist to responsible for customers complain if I see on these sites? Thanks again man for helping out.
Hey so you are looking for a third party company like fbaprep.com where they would be the ones to take your products from China and prepare them to be sent to Amazon FBA. Customer complaints need to be handled by you first. But you won't last very long on Amazon with customer complaints they will quickly suspend your account. There are companies that you can look up to handle feedback you get on your listings.
Do you recommend using "Fulfillment by Amazon". I can't remember if you mentioned this. Also, if I find a drop shipper, will they ship everything to Amazon for me, or is this redundant? Apparently Amazon handles the customer service if you choose FBA.
Awesome post full of useful tips! I understand outsourcing products from China already being made, but how do you get packaging for the product with your company name/logo on it? And what about when you're just testing out a product, selling your samples-should it be packaged showcasing your brand, or just simply in a box or envelope? Thanks!
Hello Will, Amazing entrepreneur spirit you have and after reading your article, I am more than excited to plunge and try my luck on seeing items online via Amazon. 2 questions for you: 1) If your supplier drop ships for you, how are you able to conduct quality control over the products shipped to your customers? 2) When a customer complains; worse sues you, how do you handle it?
Hey, So you are saying i go on to alibaba..find an interesting product to sell..order samples (15-20 pcs of any one product ) from alibaba that is ofcourse manufactured in china and have them shipped to india..then make an account on amazon india and sell those 15-20 pcs and ship them out myself and see how well or how quickly do they sell.. and then if they do sell almost immediately, continue buying more pcs from alibaba itself or directly get in touch with the supplier, buy from them , have them ship to india and continue the process until i am selling big quantities and the supplier can himself ship out the goods from china to the respective clients.. I am absolutely nw to this so help me know if i have understood properly?! Thank you
Hi there, Thought this was a great article. I'm considering buying off alibaba and selling on ebay/amazon. I am unsure how the branding works though. I have seen a few products on alibaba which are already branded by a company. Would I need to continue to sell the product under their brand, or could I re-brand the product myself? Also, if i sell the products under the existing brand, will they take a cut of any profits I make? Thank you, Mark
Actually, when i first saw you on Google, i was sure it was going to be a: want to read more, buy my very cheap E-book... but you actually threw it all in there. Awesome. I recently pulled away from working for money myself, and have money work for me now, and I can honestly say: most of your ideas are absolutely spot on... and others are just absolutely new ideas to me. So thank you so much for your advice and your openness. Keep on keeping on, brother.
What if i already have a product and a supplier from China.. but of course i wanna test run it.. i'm based out of India... should i upload the product only on amazon India or amazon USA also and see how that goes.. Do you really think just uploading the product on amazon can give me a realistic approach on wether how good or bad the product is .. Is just selling on amazon enough?! So i buy 15-20 pcs say for example of a piggy bank.. if it sells out quick.. what next...cause most companies take 2 months to fulfill orders.. How many pcs would you advise i buy next?! Does it make sense i have the goods shipped to india first and then to the respective buyers or do i save a lot if i ship it out directly from China?! Eagerly awaiting your feedback Thanks much
Is just uploading on amazon enough to sell? or do i also invest in marketing? If yes how and where?! Thank you
Hey Javier, if you are going into this with the idea that someone is going to sue you then you already failed. You cannot predict everything that's going to happen and someone suing you is very unlikely that I wouldn't even worry about it. If you plan on using Amazon to sell I would not recommend drop shipping. You need a third party company like FBAPrep.com in order to do the inspections for you. You want to avoid customer complaints by providing excellent customer service.
Hey Dakota, so getting the logo on your product is as easy as asking the supplier to do it and send you a picture of what it looks like. You don't need custom packaging to start and you don't need to show your brand to start. prove that there is a market first.
Hey Josh, so yes you want to use fulfillment by Amazon. Use FBAprep.com to take the products from china to the US and they will prep and send it to FBA for you.
https://startupbros.com/rank-amazon/ https://startupbros.com/amazon-ranking-hacks/ Check out these two articles just for that!
Selling on Amazon is more than enough to figure out if a product is good or not :) If you're not sure where to start I have something that will be a HUGE help: https://startupbros.com/import-replay If you sell out quick it does not take 2 months to fulfill orders. If you use Amazon FBA then you could ship within 48 hours
If you don't know where to start I have something you would love! https://startupbros.com/import-replay
Hi man. i'm newbie and i have a question that how can i import my goods from alibaba to my amazon warehouse?Thank you
Wow.. The most sincere "how-to-make-money" article I've ever seen online. Quite educative and inspiring. Thank you Will.
Hey i love how you inspire people to buy and sell products! you inspired me and i just have a question, I'm from the Philippines and there is no amazon here, how will I now sell my products? Your reply will be greatly appreciated :)
Is there a link for us to see an example of what you would say to a supplier when inquiring about their product?
If you're not sure where to start I have something that will be a HUGE help: https://startupbros.com/import-replay
If you're not sure where to start I have something that will be a HUGE help: https://startupbros.com/import-replay. Please check it out and let me know what you think!
Thank you so much for being awesome! Will was pumped to write it :)
A little confused on the selling on Amazon part. After reading I was just looking around seeing exactly how it would work. I saw popcorn makers were hot right now, so i imagined buying like 10 from alibaba (assume they were perfect), I then want to sell them on amazon, and that's where I'm confused. It's $40 a month? And every time I want to sell a different product I have to decide on a whole business name and everything even just to try to sell the samples? Thanks!
If you're not sure where to start I have something that will be a HUGE help: https://startupbros.com/import-replay
This is an inspiring article, but my question is this, is it online that one can sell? what if one look for a store, stock the products materials after importing and start to supply and selling in retails to customers? because am about making my first move
Great article!!! Very informative and easy to follow.. its all about the idea and the branding. Cutting costs and maximizing profits!! I'm giving it a shot... Had a friend selling Yoyo's.. sold company for 2 million.
Haha there is no such thing as a bad product! I know people selling awkward medical supplies!
You can absolutely do that! We have had people sell to hospitals :) It might even be quicker and easier selling in person!
Hi your message was very inspiring. Thank you very much, I want to buy product from ebay and sell it back to friends and family I am wondering what is the best product to buy. and sell?
If you're not sure where to start I have something that will be a HUGE help: https://startupbros.com/import-replay
Hi, When it comes to UPC codes when adding products to Amazon, I get confused. Does the supplier provide me with the needed UPC codes? If not how do I find out UPC codes? Please assist, also thanks for the great advice.
Hi Will, Is there a link to download your Product Research Workbook v6.5? I was able to download another version but it looked different than the one you were using in one of your webinars. Please let me know and thanks in advance :) Lizzy
The best and honest advice I have read about this topic. It is just what I am after and I feel you have given me what is needed to get started. Thank you for sharing and may you be rewarded for your kindness and willingness to help others.
Can you help me for finding out the product, Also amazon charging 40$ per month is too much for the new people.
You need to look at what you would be signing up for. If you are going to sell less than 40 items per month then you won't need to pay the $40 per month. You would pay 1 Dollar per item. It's great to start that way.
Glad the article is helping! Get out there and kick some butt!
startupbros.com/workbook That link should work :)
You need to buy them :) https://www.barcodestalk.com/
Hi, Thanks for the great and very honest article.Would it be possible to provide more information on how to use shopzilla and mysimon. I have done a research ,but still do not know what these website are for and how we can use them. Thanks a lot.
Great information! I just have one question. Instead of having products shipped to home first before shipping out to amazon, is there a way to have products shipped straight from china warehouse to Amazon warehouse?
Thanks for the reply! How am I able to use it though? It only allows me to view.