New to the Importing FBA Business

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Hello Warriors,

I'm looking to start importing goods from abroad and selling them through Amazon with FBA. Obviously, it sounds easy to say but I'm kind of lost and I'd love some beginner advice. I'm also capable of investing large capital (up to tens of thousands) in goods right off the bat.

I've been reading through these forums for the past couple of days so I think I've got a bit of a drift of things but would love any resources to fill the gaps and if you could help answer some specific questions.

A little bit about me:

I'm actually not at all new to the export import world as I've been trading large printing presses for about 20 years. So the learning curve for me will be a little lower in terms of understanding international trade as I've already got resources for freight and trucking all over the world and have been doing it for a long time. Now here's my inquiry to you guys:

I'm currently in the US but I'm from India. A large part of my exporting goes to India and I'd love to import some products from there too. A large benefit is that I've got a VAST reach of contacts and associates that could help me along the way and getting products straight from manufacturers wouldn't be too difficult. It'll also be a breeze for me to obtain any licenses I might need as well as have people do quality checks on products. So much of the advice on here is about importing goods from China but I have a sort of home court advantage in India I'd like to advantage of, primarily as it allows me to largely reduce risk.

So I do have an inherent advantage in importing from India but the problem is... I have no idea what the hell to import. I've been trading in paper and large printing presses my whole life and never really traded in the retail world. So I'd love some help on understanding what it is I need to import and what I'm supposed to look for. And I'm definitely capable of importing from China as well but I need some beginner guidance.

Tl: DR: I got a lot of money I'm ready to invest in but I just need help understanding the process of selecting and selling goods through Amazon FBA. I'm also curious if anyone has read ImportExports book and will vouch for the knowledge contained in it.
#business #fba #importing #india #wholesale
  • Profile picture of the author DWaters
    I have a couple of suggestions. First search on this forum for posts by ImportExport. His posts should provide some useful information on the topic.

    You say you do not know what to sell. The simple answer is sell items that sell often on Amazon and that you can get at a good price. I often use camelcamelcamel for sales history and other details about how an items sells.
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    • Profile picture of the author Importexport
      @brownie4life, first regarding your last questions: There is a small thread in the product review section Walter Hay / Buy Direct From China anyone have the book? There are only a few answers, but scattered throughout the Warrior Forum you will find many posts by people who have used my book. I also have hundreds of very positive emails from people and I have quoted a very small number of them on my website.

      My book concentrates on importing from China because that is where most people want to buy, but it has a large section on importing from other places. Your experience with India will give you a great advantage, not the least being the ability to locate products that are not being sold by every man and his dog.

      Importing consumer products is quite different and I believe you will need the brief education my book provides on the processes involved. One important point to consider is that although you have the capital to invest in inventory, you should proceed slowly at first, beginning with small orders to test the suppliers and to prove the market.

      I have sent you a PM with some more information specific to your situation.
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      Use emotions and perceptions to build a great brand. Ask me about my book LabelsThatExploit. For safe sourcing and easy importing from 41 countries globally, see https://provenglobalsourcing.com
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      • Profile picture of the author brownie4life
        Thanks a lot for the advice and I think I'll be investing in the book. I wanted to expand upon what you're saying about importing from India:

        Do you think that there is still an advantage in importing from China over India although I have connections in India? The price of manufacturing in China is incredibly low and I'm struggling to find products where India has a competitive advantage in manufacturing. Although I'd be more comfortable with importing there vs China, do you think it's easier in China or do I just have to be smart about which products I'm importing.
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        • Profile picture of the author Importexport
          Originally Posted by brownie4life View Post

          Thanks a lot for the advice and I think I'll be investing in the book. I wanted to expand upon what you're saying about importing from India:

          Do you think that there is still an advantage in importing from China over India although I have connections in India? The price of manufacturing in China is incredibly low and I'm struggling to find products where India has a competitive advantage in manufacturing. Although I'd be more comfortable with importing there vs China, do you think it's easier in China or do I just have to be smart about which products I'm importing.
          Pricing ex India is often way more than ex China for similar products. The biggest advantage you have is your knowledge of India, so you might be able to find unique products.

          Quality problems exist in both countries and once you settle on what product to buy and which manufacturers to buy from, it would pay you to hire a quality inspection service. There are big, 100 year old European companies that are totally reliable, and cost is reasonable for shipments in excess of $2,000 or $3,000, but I would only use them if my orders exceeded $5,000.

          I have a relative who imported container loads from India, but to ensure quality he went to India and personally inspected the goods, and supervised the loading into the containers. He remained present until the container was sealed. This cost him a lot more than an inspection service would have charged, but he considered it worthwhile.

          There are considerable differences in business culture between India and China, particularly regarding bargaining, but with your experience and the help my book gives I don't think it will take you long to make the change.

          In short, although you have great experience in India, I would consider China first. India has a long way to go to catch up on China's export ability in relation to consumer goods.
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          Use emotions and perceptions to build a great brand. Ask me about my book LabelsThatExploit. For safe sourcing and easy importing from 41 countries globally, see https://provenglobalsourcing.com
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