Hey Will, Super informative article. Thank you for sharing all this info. My question is: is it normal for sample shipping cost to be $30-$60? I'm sure this may depend on the actual product but something that doesn't weigh much. I just want to confirm so I know I'm not getting hustled by someone. Thank you in advance. Best, K
2047 Comments (page 20)
My advise is you just find a good shipping company with offices in your country and China and tell the supplier to send the goods to the same company and you negotiate with the shipping company yourself. Cos most of the time they exaggerate the shipping cost. Am in Zambia and that's the method I use and it's cheap
I have some questions in regard to buying products in bulk from different distributors.
Won't I have to worry about patent infringements if I have something manufactured in china?
No Jason. You don't infringe on any kind of patent by selling products that suppliers make. You would be infringing on copyrights if you try to sell "Brand New iPhones from the manufacturer". You can't use someone else's brand to sell your products. You can sell anything that a manufacturer makes under your own brand or no brand at all. The inventor or the can opener is not the only person that can sell can openers.
Great Article Will! So, so insightful. Could you please share more about price negotiation with suppliers. Thank you.
Hi Will, Great info and nicely written. I do have a friend that will live in China for the next two years and come back every month for work. We think to bring back product directly without through him personally. Is this an advantage? Do we need any import permits/docs since we are not dealing with a supplier? Thanks!
Hey Mitchell. I just recently learned that Amazon will be building the 7 or 8 Canadian headquarters right in my backyard, hometown of Calgary...(would this reduce prices for me on shipping or could I start like 'Ground delivery' business delivering products to companies that request them...Or wouldn't they just hire an in house employee to keep costs down? ) With your expertise is the anything u seen in plain site that I could try an earn a profit. I don't understand the business world to much yet, but I'm slowly learning!!! thanks for your time, it is greatly appreciated!
Hi I am not so old either and I am thinking about starting a small amazon buisiness to. This post really inspired me, but what is the minimal starting capital? It's fine if I can only sell 10-15 products at a time.
Hey Willem, so happy that you're motivated to starting an Amazon business! We have a post: https://startupbros.com/how-to-sell-on-amazon-fba/ that outlines everything you need to get started. We recommend to start selling on Amazon you would need $150 to get started! It's completely able to be done!
I currently live in China and am looking into purchasing (via taobao) a relatively small order (100 units) of a toy that is currently extremely popular in the states. I'll then send the product to the states and they will sell it using amazon/ebay. Do you have any advice for something like this as it's brand new for me?
Hey do you ever worry about the types of incoterms used between you and your suppliers. Does your shipment come directly to your door or you have to pay transportation cost and so on?
You did not mentioned import cost, customs, CNF agent cost and other cost related with importing from China
Hey, thanks for advice and tips about starting a business. When i was reading it i felt like my mind is not in the present. I read each word that you time without skipping it. What an amazing journey you have been through.
You should write a book about your adventures as an entrepreneur. You have a vast wealth of knowledge which needs to be shared.
Great article Will, I had a different disaster happen with importing business years ago, back in 2006 importing hot tubs and swimming pools from China, but as soon as the credit crunch hit, currency conversion rates, change of spending habits killed that high end product. Ever since I have pivoted and stuck to smaller and more affordable items. Keep up the good work!
"And best of all, I didn’t even have to touch the product – my supplier even handled all shipping & returns." -How did your foreign supplier handle this? -Was your inventory software linked to your supplier's local distribution point in the U.S. so that when an order comes in, it is sent directly to the warehouse? -This would makes things soooo much easier!
I haven't had luck with this. The shipping cost from China is always so expensive. Combined with ebay/amazon fees and having to pay for additional shipping to customers, I can't seem to make it work.
Can you sell things that have a patent on them? Can you get in trouble for trying to sell things ? I want to sell something but I’m nervous..
Hey Dee, what products are you trying to sell? You are more than able to sell products with patents on them. Things like potato peelers have a patent on them but multiple companies sell them. Now, you can't sell products under a registered trademark brand that belongs to someone else. The registered trademarks are more important than patents. If only people with the patents could sell products then there wouldn't be many sellers, brands, and businesses in the market.
This was incredibly insightful and well written. This is something that I started considering a long time ago and I have slowly become obsessed with the idea of an online business such as this. I do have one question, is there any type of licensing or permits you would need to start importing like this? Specifically in Illinois. Thanks! Mike
Hi, I’m in major need of advice please! I’m starting my own business of selling organic play dough. I will be making the dough with homemade, organic ingredients. I’m currently interviewing suppliers on Alibaba looking for the perfect packaging. Here’s my question: do you think it’s important to trademark my name? I have a feeling this will be successful with so many parents going the organic route with their kids these days. Thank you, I’d appreciate your response. As someone who is just starting out, I’m excited, worried and confused all at once.
Totally agree, seems like no one wants to get into the real issue of imports , they love to go on detail the experience of their business model , what about duty tax, what about the amazon University assimilation, the own product UPC codes ,etc,etc, not easy,,do you guys know that the duty tax for importing polyester garments from china like leggings is 28%, if you buy $1000 dollars of this products you pay $280.00 only on duty tax, not counting shipping cost , wiring money fee, and before that you need to open an LLC with legal obligations on collecting taxes ,also own a computer, cell phone, camera to take pictures , own a car ,open bank account ,quick books program , have an accountant, and I can go on and on,,
Good point. Very cool writing, but the topic of amazon/ebay fees is not covered here at all. I briefly looked at Ebay fees, which are as high as 25% of the COST. Still checking this in case I'm missing something, but this is just too much. The only way to make money with these fees is if you're the original manufacturer of the product.
I think you're talking about running this as a full time operation. He was doing this as a 16 year old kid. No company, fairly small scale and probably no duty taxes, etc... But yeah, other things always apply, which is why as he said, by the time he ended this, he didn't really have a whole lot of money to invest into anything else. Like anything else, ideas like this sound great until you start doing the numbers!
Thank you, Will! This was incredibly helpful. One question though: why do you believe Facebook is not a good channel to sell stuff? I mean, I bought a lot of stuff that came up in my feed obviously from sponsored campaigns. Thx!
Wow I must say thank you for this great content. I am back after one year to say thank you than you thank you.Your blog has changed my life. Finally started my drop shipping business after i found your site last year January and I can honestly say I have made a good amount of money in this one year. Thank you for all you do here.
its great to read about its worth reading it although I am already into import but lots of thing are eyewash . I would appreciate if you could explain more about logistic ,like for part load shipment and for small container load what kind of precaution should be taken care of . thanks again for sharing such a wonderful experience
How can I get companies on alibaba to post samples out cheap? A 100g item they charge me £75 and say that’s their cheapest freight, so it’s expensive to receive a a sample from several companies and some have been poor quality Thanks Jo
I am curious on how make profit when the shipping cost is so high?
Hi, After reading this, I felt it was a very honest and enlightening post. I am from India and I am thinking of importing readymade clothes and selling them online (via Amazon/eBay) as well as through a simple brick and mortar shop. Do you think clothes will sell? You haven't mentioned the legal hurdles - import/export licenses, other legal regulations, shop licenses etc. Did you face any legal/government problems?
About putting coupons/directing costumers to your own web-site...isn't that against Amazon's policy? Do costumers care about that (do they maybe look at it as some sort of spam)?Or you can freely include in package whatever promotional material you feel like? Is breaking that policy serious thing,that could get your account suspended immediately?Or it isn't such a big crime (you can get away with it here and there)?Your thoughts...
Great stuff man. I will be re-reading this article, but I got most of it. I have an idea for importing and a direct contact. But I want to diversify and not rely on just one supplier....time to ACTUALLY do it and see if it is a success or failure - I'll learn and evolve either way. many thanks foe the article bro.
How did you do accounting and taxes as a 12 years old?
One question, Will. Do you dropship, import or use send to FBA? Thanks
Do you think having a fb page /shop is an avenue of choice for sales?
Hi, I'm Joseph from Italy and I need information about drop shipping. Many people and companies promote that buying from China and reselling is a good way to make money but no-one explains that if you want to sell regularly you may pay taxes and customs duty (here in Italy). Is it the same in USA? Is there a country where you can avoid this kind of taxes?
I have the same question, here in India, customs really suck. Need to pay alot of money for clearance. Would like a guide about how all this work.
In regards to shipping, should I always go with the fastest shipping method from Alibaba? I really don't want to wait a month before I receive my order with the cheapest option.
Very informative. I have chosen a supplier from China and we’ve bargained already. But the problem is the custom here in the Philippines. The supplier can send to the Phil and I need an agency to release it for me for some taxes like import tax n clearance etc. And that’s the main problem since I do not have idea on the cost. Pls enlighten me. Thanks.
I love plant and I’m in a group of plant lovers of almost 50k members so I want to venture on a ceramic and resin pot ang garden supplies. The price fr China supplier is so good but I’m afraid of the shipping cost and tax here In The Philippines. I am hesitant to start with 500 products but I really wanted those product. I want to start with around 100 at first so I can check the easiest n cheapest way of getting them. Besides LCL or by sea what other means do you suggest if for bulk order? I am an avid client of eBay and they send it thru ems with very little tax but I am not sure if the supplier can send them that way too. Thanks in advance
I have janitorial supply company I want to know how can I purchase the item directly from China to sale at a cheaper price in the US. I sale paper towels, toilet tissue, dispenser and chemical, vacuum and etc....
In the USA you don't get hit with customs unless the item you bought is more than around 800 USD. The only way I have heard of avoiding customs is to ask your supplier to mark down the cost of the item on the packaging. (Essentially, lying to the shipping company.) But that might be dangerous, especially if you you are being sent an abundance of items.
Whyyyyy do all of these articles make it sound so easy? "Ah, ok, I'll just go find a product to sell! Dr. Ben reached $1,000,000 in revenue essentially selling potato chips!" I know it's not going to be easy, and I never expected that it would be, but I've been banging my head against my keyboard for a week now trying to find ONE thing that looks like it's worth a damn to sell, and I feel like I've just been wasting my time. Where's the disconnect? It seems like everything I look at already has 234634 different versions from 0764309 different vendors on amazon.
I'd love to have that video
Hi Will, Amazing article! Quick question...You suggested against using Social Media for marketing, but what do you think about using Social Media Influencers to promote your products?
All these look and, maybe, are so promising BUT how could you help someone living in a country other than the US ? Because the laws are very different from country to country...
When Buying with Alibaba.com into UK have taxes ect to pay . Do you know if still make items profitable
I would like to import things from China to Kenya but am not sure which products to start with. Your help is highly appreciated
If a manufacturer only accepts T/ T as payment method, what does that mean, is it safe, and why don't they accept Other methods?
How were you importing stuff into US without paying Import Duty/Tax ? Did you use an agent to import ? All this is not covered.
What about customs Handling fees? I'm in South Africa and heard it can be quite annoying.
If you guys take a closer look, he actually mentioned avoiding ordering big stuff to dodge hefty taxes. Smaller items and samples are super easy to pick up at the post office. They don't usually tack on big taxes, but you just tack it onto the item cost. That way, you can nail the right selling price. Don't forget to do a quick price check with similar items like he suggested.
hello just read your article and using it to my knowledge. btw thank you so much i have learn so much more then any youtube video i seen. my question was, so if i buy a product online and ship it to my country and i sell it in amazon. Do i give the product whatever name i want or does the company from alibaba supplier have copyright and i have to put it as they have it.
Very helpful! Can you advise about customs, handling and shipping in general (before being able to drop ship). Thanks!
Hello , I've read your blog and it's amazing and very insightful. I feel like it's missing one important point. shipping the items. I've looked into getting samples but they are charging me ridiculously for the items to be shipped to me. one supplier asked if I have my own. so would you recommend that? I have found products just need help with the shipping part of it all.
Hey , I am from India and have read your story and having the same diffuculty of finding a product as i want to source from China and start in India through ecommerce. I am already selling in India by my 3 instagram portals with 33k 28k 15k followers but want to find a product that i can source from china and sell here in INDIA
Hi Rishabh, You can try to source the products from alibaba/1688/taobao etc.
Hi Will, I was wondering if negotiations should be done before or after the samples are requested/received? Thanks!
Hi Will. I'm still an amateur trying to find my feet. I want to buy human hair extensions from China. I initially thought of flying to China from South Africa to buy them in bulk. I thought I would be avoiding the scams of importing. I've learnt a lot from this article. Please help! Thank you
Hi, I would negotiate after the samples. Why are going to waste time if samples don’t fit you.....
also interested in doing this
Hi Will, I am very new to this field and I am so lucky to find your valuable article to read before I actually starting my business. It’s really help me alot. I didn’t know where to start? What to do next? But now I know. So thank you for sharing your experience with us. One thing I would like to ask you. I would like to buy baby unisex clothes from Alibaba.com, do you think it’s a good idea to start with? Your advice would be highly appreciated. Kind regards, Sobia Grigoras
Great article Will. I'm curious as to why social media advertising didn't work for you or why you don't recommend it. Can you elaborate on that?
Hi Will Mitchell, I am intrigued and all I can say is that this is the most detailed article I've seen. Please send me an e-mail to know that you have read this message. I am new into this business and would like to know more. Thank you!
Hi Will, Great information and very generous to supply it. My question is how does drop shipping work with Allibaba. Do you buy a bulk order and they keep it at their wherehous and how do they take the order from us? I may not be so clear with my question, so if you think it would be easier to email a simple break down on how drop shipping works. Thank you very much.
You were 16?! So, did your parents help you get all this set up? I mean you couldn't have even had a credit card to buy samples through paypal! How much did your parents teach you or help you? We are looking for 21st century income solutions for our teenagers right now (and for ourselves) and Amazon FBA is what we keep coming back to but the time investment to learn enough to not lose our shirt is agonizing.
Awesome post, just wanted to know that how they sent samples ? They sent it via Fedex or DHL ? Or they sent it as FOB ?
Alibaba will not provide drop shipping service, it is a wholesale website, qty requested is big.
This is not strictly true, Alibaba is just a platform for suppliers to sell on. Dropshipping depends on the individual suppliers and your relationships with them as stated above by Will.
Heya, my bf is selling products online under a TM biz name. He is about to register his name federally, but wants to know if he has to include all classes of goods in the TM registration. He gets most of his stuff as generics from China. Not sure if he even can register these or why he would, since they're everywhere. It's all cat themed, which is huge right now. It works with the local biz, which is doing really well and is also set up for services registration. We just don't wanna get caught registering generic goods that shouldn't be considered, but at the same time don't want to be in a spot where we should have taken that protective measure.
Hey, my bf has a successful local business. He is applying for a TM for services there and one for his online biz of product sales. While some of the items are original (as in the art on the screen printed tees), some of the goods are generic unbranded items from China. He doesn't want to spend any more $ than he has to and these items don't really make much sense to register since they're so widely avail anyway. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks!
Hi Will I live in South Africa and we are not as much connected to the internet like in the US, what channels can you recommend i use. Also I am still struggling with find a well profitable product, please do assist me, in choose the best product and setting up my e-commerce. Thank you hopping to hear from soon.
Sir, Really nice story of yours is motivational to starting up aspirants. I have narrowed down suppliers for buying toys. They are responding with price. But how to calculate my overall cost price. Shipping cost + customs cost. Will I get direct to home delivery? How much should I pay to customs? Can I clear goods from port directly or will the product come to my address or should I go through forwarding and clearing agent? How much will be their costs? Initially I’m planning to go with samples of around 10 to 20 pieces.. Should I register as company then start importing? Do I need to get import licence? I have not yet started Any business. Pls guide me. Thanks
Does this work in other countries too, specifically India and SE asia?
Great article! I have no idea how to handle the shipping aspect. I've found products that will sell that I will also brand, but I travel and don't have a home base. I need to find a distributor I guess but have no idea how to go about that. Any articles written about that? Thanks!
Same question!
At the time social media advertising wasn't as robust as it is now. But I think there are a lot more things that can move the needle forward that isn't advertising. People tend to think you can just throw up a random product and the ads are all that matter. I didn't want to downplay social media but I do want people to focus on the product research, the potential customer and product quality. Hope that makes sense!
Hey Sobia, I'll be completely honest with you. Anything you're passionate about or interested in is a good place to start. From there you can test hundreds of ideas but you have to be interested in first. Baby clothes is always going to be needed so it's a big enough market for anyone. :)
Hey Alex, just replied to Marcus :)
Once you’ve got your product do you put your own label on it? Or simply onforward what your purchasing?
I am from South Africa as well ,I am also travelling to China next year. If you did travel please share your experience
Hey Nikki. Depends on what you're trying to accomplish. You can choose to test the product out first and try to sell it without a label and once you prove that the product will sell you can invest in creating a brand and placing a label on the product.
Hi there thanks for this. I was wondering what are your thoughts on attending tradeshows/expo to meet suppliers in china ? And do you have any recommendations of good ones to attend?
Hey. I’d like to start selling some specific product, like the way Lilly Ghalichi is selling her lashes, I want to sell something under my name and brand and need to find the right supplier and packaging and everything. What do you think and do you have any tip?
Hi Will, This story was very motivational. I've been looking to start my own buying and selling business and I've searched everywhere for information on how to get started but no luck. Its been months and I still didn't know where to start. Just when I was about to give up I came across this article and man, I'm so glad I did. I know so much more then I did before. I have been struggling to decide what products I wish to sell and I've decided to start of with Sports Equipment such as Boxing Gloves, Focus Pads etc. I'm doing things a little differently from you. I'm planning to get my goods from my home country Pakistan instead of China, and sell them here in the UK via eBay and Amazon. I have family in Pakistan who find suppliers, buy the goods and ship them to me. I'm trying to get as much information as possible before I start and your article helped me alot. You've even covered the things I didn't think about which is good. I would as you for one favour if you don't mind. How do I track my expenses such as how much I paid suppliers, shipping into the UK, selling to customers, shipping to customers, eBay/PayPal fees, Profits made etc. How do you do yours , would you have a template you could maybe share with me. I would be so grateful. It's mainly because I have to pay Taxes and it'll be easier for work out everything. Thanks Will.
Sir Thank you for your advice. I am a new starter and want to do trading of chines product for India. But want to know how much is the investment in the beginning as I am short of money,. I have to arrange for the same. From whom we should buy and how we pay for the same. What product should we buy? Is there any registration for the same? Is there any licence required? Do the product come direct to my address? regards Sunil Chari
Hi I'm from Australia and the idea of getting products from China to the US or UK for Amazon is a little daunting but even tho Amazon is here now I would think the US and UK markets are so much bigger it would be smarter to start there- thoughts? You also didn't mention the Amazon packing and shipping service - did you not use that? C Cheers Lynne
Hey fantastic article any hints on or any more ideas of what to sell and how to look out for a good idea I’m going to fly out to turkey to a warehouse
What about paying taxes from your e-commerce website?
One of the greatest things that holds constant throughout this entire piece, is the fact that you just kept spending and trying, spending and experimenting over and over again. SO, many people are afraid to let go of those dollars, that will eventually make them a fortune! Awesome post!
Great article! But I'm shocked you didn't elaborate more on shipping! I'm in the process of shipping my products from China and the estimate I got was almost $1000 USD for one carton that's only 24 kg!! The MOQ is 3 cartons, so this is $3000 USD right off the bat...I'll be spending this on a venture unknown, and this seems like a massive risk. I understand any business can be risky, but $3000? Wow.
What about importing from China to US, what kind of paperwork and preparations are needed? With and without the tariffs in place by Trump administration.
Hey GT, thanks for reading :) If you are importing from China to the US with Alibaba or another supplier directory you don't have to worry about paperwork. They have a network of importers that make sure everything gets to the right place. Anything under $800 USD is not taxed coming into the US. If there is any paperwork for you to sign the person delivering the package to your house will have you sign it then. You are the one placing the orders but not the one who is actually importing.
Hey Kristina, we cover shipping completely in another article :) Here: https://startupbros.com/how-to-sell-on-amazon-fba/ We talk about supplier negotiations in the article I linked. You should try and find multiple suppliers that way you can leverage different quotes and drive costs down between suppliers :)
Hello Will.. I read your article and this is really very inspiring and encouraging to start a new b2b business. I am Abhishek and from India 🇮🇳. I set up my mind to import goods from chaina at cheap price and sell it over India at a good profit margin. My product would be kids toys. The reason why I chosen this product is because in this toy business 95% of toys imported from chaina. Indian manufacturers are not that much capable and smart to manufacture toys. I need ur sincere advice that is this would be the right ✔ business to start and how much profit margin I can book. I really appreciate your valuable comments. Thanks -Abhishek.
That's awesome! Glad you found the guide useful. Make sure to ask any questions :)
Hey will what's your opinion on selling adult toys at least it's not seasonal haha
Hey John, so it's perfectly okay to sell adult toys. The only problem is that you can't sell them outright. There are some requirements you need to meet before given permission to sell. Here they are: Received at least 50 orders on Amazon. Registered for more than 90 days on Amazon. So, you will need to begin selling other products (outside this category) first, until you meet these two requirements, you will not be able to submit an application. Hope this helps :)
Great tutorial. Need advice with importing goods for a weddings and events business. Can you provide advice for that, reliable suppliers and shipping as well?