90 Comments (page 1)

Great article! Wow... You guys are awesome. What if your supplier refuses to budge on MOQ?

Awesome article Edmund! Any courses you would recommend to learn the ins and outs as quick as possible? Ideally if there was some sort of mastermind that would be great

Hi Hin, We've just launched a program to help with exactly what you're talking about. Check your email :)

This is great. Love the detail in all the steps. Thanks.

Solid info. I was wondering how the whole import process worked.

Hey Kyle, Interested too in the course! :) BTW, I have questions with returns. Do you return those to China?

I'll send you an email now :) The returns process will depend on your specific situation. If you just get samples and they're not as they should be you may be able to negotiate with your supplier to have them send a better product over. Other times you may decide to eat the cost (maybe try to sell it on eBay) and switch suppliers.

1 word... Awesome! I stumbled onto your blog looking for business validation methods. I didn't know I'd be spending so much time here reading all the great info! I have a list of 10 ideas for products that I can sell that meet all the important criteria you've laid out. I've narrowed my list to my favorite 3. Now... Before I contact suppliers, my question is, how many samples should I request? I will be selling on amazon, as I feel it's the best outlet for me and a place to methodically scale my business. Thanks for all the fantastic information!

Awesome! This helped me a lot. Right now I'm in China as an exchange student, so as soon as i get home I will start. Thanks again :)

It's never too early to start researching products!

I have received the samples from Alibaba and your tutorial has come at a excellent time. I unfortunetly do not have much money because of which I am stuck between registering a company without which I cannot sell, and buying more stock. Have you ever thought of going to retailers and setting deals with them?

Absolutely! You will want to read up on making deals with retailers beforehand but it's a great option.

Awesome! I wonder how important is to check gold supplier years. A lot of suppliers are only one year gold supplier. Is one year enough to trust them or should I rather check those with higher years? Thanks

Did you have any success with that? I feel if I start this it will become a business that I would like to expand on, did you have any business such as this that you could expand and turn it into your own brand just from importing? Any good articles or reads you suggest on making deals with retailers?

I personally ran my importing business only online. We have a few clients that work with retailers and it's a more straight-forward process than you'd expect. We don't have any public articles on making deals with retailers (although that's a great idea!) but we talk about it in our coaching program a bit.

You want to give more weight to the suppliers with more years as a gold supplier. You can think of the gold supplier emblem as "necessary but not sufficient". If you can only find newer suppliers then don't let that be a sticking point, just be cautious.

Thanks for the reply, Did you ever think about importing from china and turning products into your own brand? Do you think that would work? Last question... I promise..

WOW! This sounds like awesomness, very detailed article. I was just planning to order some polymer clay from alibaba and flip it locally. Do you think it is worth going local or online is the best choice?

You rock! Especially from the point of view of a local freight forwarder in China. Your email template of discussing MOQ with Chinese supplier is awesome. Besides, there are tons of useful information worth reading and thinking. Only one advise: New importer can let the supplier contact the courier for freight delivery if small quantity or samples. Because the courier cost is cheaper if prepaid than collect at most cases. So here's the step. 1. Let the supplier quote the courier cost. 2. Get the courier cost by oneself from the local courier branch or online. 3. Compare firstly, then decide.

I'd compare prices but if you're getting a fairly large quantity then online is usually better.

Hey guys! this info is INSANELY GOOD! I have a quick question, If I list a product on Amazon and post some ads on Facebook and Amazon, how do I know which sale came from Facebook and which one from amazon ads or just because someone searched for my product? theres a accurate way to keep track on this? one more question, how much is it Facebook Pay per click? thank you very much for your guidance buddy.

Glad you liked it Jonas, thanks for checking it out! I believe you'll be able to track that in Amazon's Reports section. But I should say - start with Amazon ads! They've been VERY effective for our clients.

Nice article Edmund!!

Hi, thanks for your this blog post it is really inspiring. I am trying to get started with importing from china myself though not to sell on amazon but in brick and mortar stores in my country. May be later i will give amazon a shot as i am not from the US. Thanks for the tips i am following them and i hope everything works out for me.

Hey Guys, This is some awesome info!! I met Edmund in Austin, TX at a training seminar, very bright dude! Quick question...Have you ever asked a supplier to make changes to the product you inquired about? I would like to make some improvements before getting samples. Is this something they can do? Thanks a bunch!

Hello, My name is manoj and I am from india.I would like to thank you for providing these important tips.your article is a real booster for enterpruners but your mentioned tools are not so effective in India. Sir,I was wondering if you can help me out to find a good niche product for India or help me out with tips to find a good product. I am thinking to get on USB flash drive to import is my idea correct. Hope you help me out.I shall be very greatful to you. Thank you, Manoj

Hey! Great article, very informative. I have a question though. I'm thinking about importing Bones Red skateboard bearings. Would this be illegal since it's a brand name? Or should I go ahead and do it anyway? Thanks! Jon

That's illegal sir! Definitely don't import other brands

Hi. Awesome article thanks. Quick question. When you import from China, do you firstly ship the product to yourself and then only once you received the physical goods, do you ship to the end customer (once they have ordered over amazon)? Or do you mainly wait for Amazon orders to come in and then get the supplier to ship directly to your customer?

Hey Kyle, I am a newbie from the UK. We live on a small island lol - this stuff is way over my head but I want in. Do you have a dummies guide to get me started up selling on Amazon. Happy to pay for the course stuck in a rut 9 - 2- 5 no end to this recession - need out. Stress, work and worry making me not only unhappy but affecting health so came across this site from reading about alternatives to the Amazing Selling Machine ( way tooo expensive and saturated - too many people waiting for the enxt course). I need to do something now. Many thanks in advance if you can point me tot he right direction

Hey Guys, Loved the article! I could use a little more information on the shipping process. I'm trying to get some samples shipped for products that cost ~$40. They are quoting me $300 for air freight which seems high. How can I schedule the shipping myself so that I can choose the dates/prices when they are the ones shipping the product to me? Any help you could provide would be much appreciated!

Hey Ibbi! We actually work with a ton of UK folks to start these businesses. Email [redacted] and we'll get you some details :)

Great article. Although your First Contact email would be much more professional if you spelled Sincerely correctly. I'm not being a wiseass, just trying to help anyone who may copy/paste the note. :-)

Great information! I'm confused regarding the facebook audience selection, do you mean by audience as my fb friends? or the other non friend users? Also if you could explain more how enhance selection for specific buyers. Thank alot

Hi Chris.i've got e scaly the same question.did you get any answers?

Exactly. Predicted text sorry

How do you choose a price to sell your product for? Also does Alibaba pack each individual product or would I have buy packages to sell my products in from a separate supplier? To sell to a buyer when I'm selling online.

Great article!.I cant agree with it more, im from China,i have been sending goods to some other counties since 2011.What the author wrote dose be right,looks like you are a chinese.I sent a lot of goods to many midest and africa countries ,but nothing to europe, if so what should pay attension to? thank you

hi Edmund, Thanks for the post. do you order from china and ship to your buyer directly from china or do you ship to yourself before you ship to your buyers? Best Regards

Hi, Thanks for the post. do you order from china and ship to Africa? do you ship to your buyer directly from china or do you ship to yourself before you ship to your buyers? Best Regards

Hello to every one, as I am really keen of reading this blog's post to be updated on a regular basis. It contains nice stuff.

Awesome :)

This was a great read! Very useful and practical information, thanks man. "here we are focused on one thing and one thing only, ‘How to make money’. Because money makes us happy and buys us nice things." Lol true, true.

Amazing. Would I be able to try out get started with this kind of business living in Ireland but exporting from china? Is that possible?

Doesn't really matter. I work at an import department and 90% of chinese "sales managers", as they call themselves, don't speak terrible english. Plus the fact that i'm not a native English speaker myself eighter, i've had no problem reaching targets etcetera.

The take away is: have a friend who will buy $600 dollars worth of merchandise sight unseen, with no other product information other than your assurance that you think the product is "awesome."

It's nearly impossible to find well-informed people about this topic, but you sound like you know what you're talking about! Thanks

This is an awesome tip for importation, but how much do one really need to start up this business.

I ship to Vancouver, Canada and then pick up by bicycle with trailer and 2-3 months later (weather dependent ) return to Goshen, New York where I custom package all orders, paid for or not, and then send first class to all buyers. While I have lost well over my own self worth and all hope doing business this way, I am 100 percent confident I will someday make enough to purchase a free Big Mac. It's not an easy life; but at least it's a horrible one. Thank goodness I enjoy warm, bacteria tainted water and moldy, mostly eaten Papa Johns Pizza crusts salvaged from yesterday's garbage next door to my tarp covered barrel of a home. Thanks for reaching out to me, I look forward to sharing my success.

Who is shipping the product to the customer? Is it you or the supplier? How does this work? thanks

Hi, thanks for the blog. I would like to know; do you have to received the order first before shipping to your buyer or everything would be processed online without you dealing with the goods physically? Hoping to read back at your earliest convenience. Regards

Hi, thanks for the wonderful article - explains the process from start to finish! Really helpful! I have one question - I'm new at Alibaba and since I only have a very small business at the moment, I go to the Alibaba Wholesale market (low MOQ). In your article, you mentioned hiring inspectors when your orders get bigger. Does that mean I won't need inspection at this time? Are the suppliers on the Wholesale market more or less certified/guaranteed by Alibaba? Thanks for your reply!

Hi Mack, my name is Jack from China, I run a import and export company, I can source the cost effective product, pls contact me if you have any interest to buy something from China. thanks.

Hello, I’d like to know more about your trainings Thank you

Hey Elen. If you email [redacted] we would love to answer any question you have.

In the short term, with low MOQ, you could probably just order one of your own units and inspect it yourself. It won't be as thorough as the inspection company, I think, but that could prove cost effective for you when you're starting out.

Amazon. You have all your units shipped to Amazon fulfillment centers and they take care of the packing and shipping.

Sounds like the friend is running a hotel successfully and bought 20 units (a REALLY small order, considering the average size of a hotel) for testing. This was nothing but a beta test to try out consumer response.

Do you need a registered company to sell on Amazon? What about taxes, VAT, etc?

it is very useful,thank you

Because I'm still at the planning stage, I have many questions and fears. Would you please help me to get started. To let you know, I'm from Yemen and because of that I can't resell on Amazon, and I can do it on eBay. The second thing, can I deal with the shipping from China to the buyers without leaving my country? By the way, your words are very useful and inspiring.

A detailed and helpful article Thank you

Wow, Edmund you might have changed my life with this, thank you and God bless you.

Thanks for checking out the article :)

If you're buying in bulk, I think the only option that would make sense is to ship the products to yourself and then sell it to customers because you can't ship to amazon directly as it may create conflict

You're absolutely right Nagendra. At first ship the products to yourself, learn what the Amazon warehouses are looking for and then you can ship the products yourself. Once you know how to do the shipping process yourself you can outsource the prep to companies like FBAinspection.com because you know exactly what steps you need to outsource for your specific product.

Will Amazon warehouse my product and ship directly?

Amazon can and will warehouse your product for you. And they will ship it to your customer at no cost to you. That's what allows you to have prime shipping on your product listings.

Very good article ,Thank you !

In shipping details what to enter in alibaba.com while ordering,also where to mention DHL or Fedex on alibaba.com page

Amazing. Thank you

Thanks for reading the article :)

Import from Alibaba Step1: Message all possible supplier for your product requirement Step2: Evaluate and Filter the supplier based on Parameters Step3: Negotiate Price and Terms and Place the order Step4: Transfer the Deposit so they can start the production Step5: Hire inspection Agency or Import agent to Inspect the cargo Step6: After all satisfactory result Pay the balance and Ask the supplier to Export the goods Step7: Once Shipment arrives Customs Clear the goods and Release the cargo after paying the Duties and taxes. Importing can be time consuming and tedious; to make it hassle free and risk free always take the help of Professional Import Agent to help you in this entire process. Once you conclude the supplier you can forward the same to a Professional Agent who will then give you final estimate costing of import making it easy for you to make a final decision on purchase plan.

Hi Can you imagine I've had an Alibaba account for more than 11 years, have never even made a cent from it. Back then even when my vision was clear ecommerce was a scary territory for me being new to desktops and all. But I still have a question, since I'm not based in the US won't it affect my order turnaround time and costing drastically to sell on amazon? I'M afraid I might price myself out of market

Nice, Article Thank you for sharing valuable information.

Hey Richy, thanks for reading the article! Let us know if you have any questions :)

Living outside the USA is not a huge problem. Your first few orders can be a little bit more expensive but once you make larger orders you can hire a middle man to handle all your warehousing in the united states.

Hi will how do i habe amazon warehouse and ship my product

Hey zaid, when you create a product listing on Amazon you can select "fulfilled by amazon". Then they give you shipping labels you can print out to use so you can send your products to them. Afterwards they handle the rest.

Very good job. Normaly anybody first wants to get some money out of you for such good advice. Thanks.

Thank for the feedback Bruno! Let us know if you have any questions at all :)

What kind of licensing you need if you buying products from Ali baba. Example A t-shirts for the company located in US and you are the middle man. Buying for $5 and selling for $10.

Hey Shain, depending on what you're selling you may or may not need a license. I don't recommend selling anything you need a license for. For example, if you're selling a t shirt with no branding then you don't need a license. But if you're looking for "Nike" or something with a brand, that would be against the law. Does that make sense?

We would love to answer any questions you might have. Email us bros@startupbros(dot)com so we can talk.

Dear, Edmund Lowman. I salute you about this good advices thank you so much..

Thanks for checking out the article!

Guys thank you very much for all the information you provide !!! Really helpful, to the point and no BS :) There is out there a lot of trainers who charge a lot and do not give even half of the information you offer for free, and then you realize that u just wasted your money and time for basic things.

Hey Marina, thank you so much for reaching out and reading the article! You're absolutely right and we love giving away as much information as possible. If you run into any trouble or have any questions at all, don't hesitate to email us.

Any tips on importing electronics and computers

Thank you for this information! I am trying to start a selling-online business but I am having so much trouble (haven't done this before), specially with the shipping costs from Alibaba. I tried Aliexpress and even with the 'low shipping prices" in comparisson with Alibaba, products still don't seem profitable. Any advice?