Small startup, go the alibaba road or aliexpress

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Hello fellow warriors,

I want to start selling yoga mats and tried to find suppliers, but i am on a limited budget.
So i want to order low quantity probably without logo since it adds to the costs.
I want to sell the products using a big platform from another shop similar to Amazon.

I've looked for suppliers but i can't find a supplier which can send the products cheap from the China. The product price is cheap but the shipping prices are very high €270 from China to The Netherlands.

Does anyone have experience with this?
And would it be smart to order though aliexpress?
#alibaba #aliexpress #road #small #startup
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  • Profile picture of the author quadagon
    Look for some posts by Import Export seem to have experience in this. There should be some threads in the e-commerce section that should help you.
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    I've got 99 problems but a niche ain't one
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  • Profile picture of the author Importexport
    Originally Posted by SupplementNL View Post

    Hello fellow warriors,

    I want to start selling yoga mats and tried to find suppliers, but i am on a limited budget.
    So i want to order low quantity probably without logo since it adds to the costs.
    I want to sell the products using a big platform from another shop similar to Amazon.

    I've looked for suppliers but i can't find a supplier which can send the products cheap from the China. The product price is cheap but the shipping prices are very high €270 from China to The Netherlands.

    Does anyone have experience with this?
    And would it be smart to order though aliexpress?
    You can label the products in the Netherlands at relatively low cost, possibly using homeworkers to stitch them on.

    The mats will be costly to ship because of their bulk. Freight is charged either by weight or measurement whichever is greater, and in the case of Yoga mats they will be charged according to the size of the package, not the weight.

    You will be paying retail prices if you buy through Aliexpress.

    For more help on sourcing and shipping, see my AMA Ask Me Anything About Product Sourcing And Importing For Profit. ― Veteran Importer Here.

    Walter Hay
    (Importexport)
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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 MValmont
    Let's look at the facts;

    Right now you are making $0.

    You have two options at this point:

    1) Go to Alibaba and order a lot of units, will cost a huge fee upfront and a shipping cost also. You will then try to sell these items...If you can sell them, that's great, but there are no guarantee it will sell. Plus you have to wait for your inventory to arrive...minimum 2 weeks.

    2) You start by drop shipping. Meaning that you have your website, and you DON'T HAVE ANY INVENTORY. Once you make a sale, you dropship it from Aliexpress directly. THERE ARE NO UPFRONT INVENTORY COSTS AND SHIPPING COSTS WITH THIS. Yes, the margin will be lower, but yes you won't have to spend a dime in inventory + shipping ! Plus you don't have to wait for the inventory, you can start right now.

    Again, right now you are making $0. Which one do you prefer:

    Option 1: Make let's say $7000 per month after your first month, but you had to spend a few thousands to get started and there is a huge chance you will get stuck with your inventory. (There is a potential for a big loss with this method).

    Option 2: Make let's say $5000 per month (less revenu because margins are lower) after your first month, you started with pretty much $0, no risk, and now that the market is validated, you can go to Alibaba and make $7000 the next month.

    Which one do you prefer?

    Ps: Before someone says that I say all of this just because I have a course on drop shipping....Be aware that I ALSO have a course on Amazon FBA but I'm not pushing it because I really think right now drop shipping is superior
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  • Profile picture of the author tristatemedia
    i agree, i lost alot of money testing fba products even using the best software jungle scout. so drop shipping with no risk is THE BEST WAY TO GO ! BUT I AM ALWAYS SURPRISED THAT WILL WAIT FOR DELIVERY OF THEIR PRODUCT FOR A MONTH. BUT THEY DO WAIT
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