Importing from China - What's your best advice and/or resource?

by ryanjm
68 replies
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I'm about to begin importing products from China for my e-commerce site. We currently dropship from U.S. suppliers, but I've found their sources, and we can now brand these products as our own while increasing margins. I've bought the book "Building an Import / Export Business" by Weiss and am about to start reading it.

I was just wondering if anyone has any good bits of advice that they wish they had known when they first started importing from China and dealing with the manufacturers there.

So far, I've ordered samples and know the MOQ and price per unit. What I'm unsure about is whether to negotiate the price per unit, and what the process is for getting those items from there, to here. Who pays for insurance, what taxes/fees will I owe, do the items get inspected upon arrival in the port, and if so, by who? Some of these suppliers are saying 100% T/T up front, but to me escrow seems more appropriate until I can inspect the items myself.

Anyway, hoping this book sheds light on these issues but also would appreciate any insights from the experienced here. Thanks.
#advice #and or or #china #importing #resource
  • Profile picture of the author Danceparty
    The best advice I can give you is not to send western union, EVER.

    Deal with escrow or TT only and usually a reputable manufacturer will require 30% upfront, 30% when it's loaded and ready to ship out, and the rest against a bill of lading.

    I don't have much experience importing containers but talking to a freight broker will clear up a lot of questions and headache. I imported some product by sea before and it was a complete disaster and headache, however the product was top notch

    If you're doing airfreight, your carrier will charge you customs and taxes which are about 10% of total declared value. Hope that helps
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    • Profile picture of the author kmcvay
      Originally Posted by Danceparty View Post

      Deal with escrow or TT only and usually a reputable manufacturer will require 30% upfront, 30% when it's loaded and ready to ship out, and the rest against a bill of lading.

      I don't have much experience importing containers but talking to a freight broker will clear up a lot of questions and headache. I imported some product by sea before and it was a complete disaster and headache, however the product was top notch
      I was the marketing director for a firm which imported dragon boats from a manufacturer in China for several years.

      I would strongly recommend the services of a freight forwarder. Having used DSV for several years, and received good service, I was surprised to discover that the freight forwarders I contacted quoted lower rates and even better service.

      It really pays to shop around, particularly when you're dealing with container loads, because small problems can (and WILL) quickly screw your bottom line.

      For instance: A container was held up at a rail depot in western Canada because our shipper forgot to include an insect inspection certificate. The container sat on a rail siding for a week until the shipping agent was able to convince some nameless bureaucrat that the Chinese Gypsy Moth hadn't infected the container. A freight forwarder would have made sure the inspection was carried out before the container was sealed.

      Another instance: Customs bureaucrats decided to destuff a container, probably because they weren't familiar with our company. During the destuff, one boat (with a retail value of $8,000) was damaged, and we were charged $1000 for moving the container to the shipping agent's warehouse. It took nearly two years to get the Chinese insurer to pay our claim, and it also took a year to get the boat repaired so it could be sold.

      Good luck :-)
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      • Profile picture of the author Javimetal
        Probably few people will accept escrow for a big order. And TT is also not a safe way. If you don't know the seller way you can use L/C.
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        • Profile picture of the author WeavingThoughts
          Originally Posted by Javimetal View Post

          Probably few people will accept escrow for a big order. And TT is also not a safe way. If you don't know the seller way you can use L/C.
          What is TT and L/C?
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          • Profile picture of the author Danceparty
            Originally Posted by WeavingThoughts View Post

            What is TT and L/C?
            TT = Telegraphic Transfer (or wire transfer)
            L/C = Letter of Credit (or Escrow)
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            • Profile picture of the author Importexport
              Originally Posted by Danceparty View Post

              TT = Telegraphic Transfer (or wire transfer)
              L/C = Letter of Credit (or Escrow)
              Just a slight addition:

              Escrow works in a similar way to Letter of Credit, but is not quite as extreme in the requirements.

              A letter of credit is issued by your bank, and contains absolutely every tiny detail of the order and shipment method include shipping date. If you specify some condition in a Letter of Credit it is very difficult and can be costly to get your bank to modify it if you want to.

              For example something as simple as altering the date of shipment because your supplier encountered some production problem, or even had a fire that caused delays. Changing that date will cost you.

              The L/C does give you protection though, because if the delivery date is critical, you do not have to accept the shipment or pay for the goods. Conditions may also include things such as colors, sample matching, packaging, etc. Every t must be crossed and every i dotted by your supplier or your bank will refuse to pay them.

              Escrow services are provided by companies other than banks, and changes are slightly easier to make if necessary.

              If using escrow services, make sure that the business is reliable.

              In my book I include a detailed explanation of all trading terms, but I also explain how you can import easily without needing to know all the rules and regulations.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom101
    The number one tip I would give is to spend a long time sourcing to find the right supplier. Remember that most are legitimate, and while there exist straight out "alibaba scams" and fraudulent suppliers, the bigger problem are the "legitimate" that sells poor-quality merchandise. These are the ones hurting your business Big Time when your customers start complaining that the sofas you sold them two months earlier are starting to come apart!

    You can negotiate on price per unit and even shipping costs if your supplier is taking care of that process for you. There is usually not much room for large drops in the manufacturers price.

    If you do not pay for inspection, then the merchandise will no be inspected upon arrival in the China-port.

    And yeah western union is not recommended.

    TIP: Check Chinas Yellow Pages to make sure your supplier is a registered company.
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  • Profile picture of the author Anton543
    The problem with importing from China is that most of the products on those popular sites offering wholesale prices have already saturated eBay to a point where the margins are extremely small. Bringing stuff in, paying eBay/paypal fees and you are left with pretty much nothing unless you can sell huge quantity.
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  • Profile picture of the author alksense
    Originally Posted by ryanjm View Post

    I'm about to begin importing products from China for my e-commerce site. We currently dropship from U.S. suppliers, but I've found their sources, and we can now brand these products as our own while increasing margins. I've bought the book "Building an Import / Export Business" by Weiss and am about to start reading it.

    I was just wondering if anyone has any good bits of advice that they wish they had known when they first started importing from China and dealing with the manufacturers there.

    So far, I've ordered samples and know the MOQ and price per unit. What I'm unsure about is whether to negotiate the price per unit, and what the process is for getting those items from there, to here. Who pays for insurance, what taxes/fees will I owe, do the items get inspected upon arrival in the port, and if so, by who? Some of these suppliers are saying 100% T/T up front, but to me escrow seems more appropriate until I can inspect the items myself.

    Anyway, hoping this book sheds light on these issues but also would appreciate any insights from the experienced here. Thanks.
    I've brought in about 20 40' containers from China to the US so I have some experience with his...

    Regarding negotiating pricing; with the first supplier I worked with I was able to start getting discounts on repeat orders but they were relatively small (started a 2% and went up to 5% as I moved more and more volume). This supplier was HUGE and they were constantly backlogged with worldwide orders because the quality of their goods was so high so they really did not have to give discounts. They did it more as a sign of good faith for continuing to do business with them.

    The second supplier I worked with was not as large and they were "hungrier" for our business so we were able to negotiate better prices with them. However, we kept most of our business with our first supplier because they were easier to work with and had more of a "corporate" feel. The slightly larger price tag was worth the ease of working together and the feeling of security knowing they're not going anywhere.

    Regarding taxes, importing, trucking, ocean freight - I freaked myself out about that too in the beginning but the truth is you don't have to worry about it at all. Just hire yourself a good freight broker and put them in contact with your supplier and they will arrange everything together. If you need a reference for a freight broker PM me and I'll send you my guys info. They will let you know of all of the fees, send you quotes for different shipping vessels and lead times with each, then you take your pick.

    Regarding payment terms; we would pay 30% to put our orders into production and then pay the 70% balance only after the container had been released to the trucking company from the supplier (in route to the port). We would have to pay the 70% by the time the container reached the US.

    One other thing to take note of is that ocean shipment eta's are truly just ETAs and you should never rely on them... things happen; storms, backups at the ports, container inspections.. these will probably all worry you at at first but it's no big deal, it will just mean waiting another week or so for you goods.
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  • Profile picture of the author EcommerceBusiness
    I've brought in containers before... Make sure your margin is there for unanticipated expenses including, damaged and inferior product. Negotiate depending upon volume, it is very common. DO NOT pay 100% up front. Use an agent to process your imports to avoid nightmares of the learning curve. And lastly, if you can afford to go to China, do it, meet who you are dealing with and see the factory. When I went, I spent a week and saw 12 or so factories meeting with each... Some were definitely more reputable than others. The airfare was 1200 and a real nice hotel was only 30-40 us per night. Less expensive suppliers are not always better..... ASK for references!
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  • Profile picture of the author elCapitan
    How easy is it to slap on your own custom logo on products? Do they (Chinese manufacturers) take care of that, or does that happen here once you have the product?

    Thanks,
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    • Profile picture of the author Tom101
      Originally Posted by elCapitan View Post

      How easy is it to slap on your own custom logo on products? Do they (Chinese manufacturers) take care of that, or does that happen here once you have the product?

      Thanks,
      Most Chinese manufacturers take care of that for you in China.
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  • Profile picture of the author sivricmarijan
    I am also interested in this...where can I find vendors from China? Is Alibaba good for this?
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    • Profile picture of the author alksense
      Originally Posted by elCapitan View Post

      How easy is it to slap on your own custom logo on products? Do they (Chinese manufacturers) take care of that, or does that happen here once you have the product?

      Thanks,
      Most suppliers will do this for you.. sometimes for free and sometimes at a cost. You will have to ask each supplier that you contact.

      I knew NOTHING about importing when I started and when we unloaded our first container I saw my company's logo printed across the side of every box. I had no idea our supplier was going to do this but it was a HUGE bonus and it looked great!

      We eventually began having them tag our products as well.

      Originally Posted by sivricmarijan View Post

      I am also interested in this...where can I find vendors from China? Is Alibaba good for this?
      Alibaba is great, that's where I found all of my suppliers but like with any online business you have to watch out for the scams. My advice would be to NEVER send ANY money via Western Union (even to purchase a sample) and only work with suppliers who have a history and already have a reputation.

      Good Luck
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  • Profile picture of the author zenji
    I would review china import formular. I believe Brendan is good. Helped a few mates start importing from China
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  • Profile picture of the author loops55
    If you take a look at Alibaba, you can see some companies can put your own logo on the products without any extra costs.
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  • Profile picture of the author vj3660
    Don't do TTs. Because one of my friends supplier vanished after a TT and now he is getting help of Chinese embassy to locate them.He lost around 8000$ and he was importing chemicals.Never go above 1000$.

    **He was importing stuffs from this guy for a year or so but for LCs but supplier started to push him for a CC and vanished.Other thing is ask them to sign the agreements in chinease. Later what we found from the embassy was name and the signature was different.But we couldn't identify it since signature was in Chinese.**
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  • Profile picture of the author gadgetgirls
    this a good reference:

    goo.gl/OVWcx
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom101
    My company is working on a website called Tradesparency.com. It is basically Yelp.com for suppliers and manufacturers, and it could be a good resource for those of you who are looking into importing from China and other countries.

    I think the industry miss reviews and ratings so that we can avoid the really bad suppliers. Hopefully, this can do something about it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chuck Loon
    Did anybody tried Taobao.com?
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    • Profile picture of the author KatPD
      Wish I could, if only i could read and write mandarin. There are 'agents' that can help you do this for a small fee or %. worth looking into
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      • Profile picture of the author Evolved
        I deal with smaller items which are sent via air. Only once have I had a large container shipped, but I used a freight forwarder who also took care of package release, import duty fee's etc. Make sure you take those fee's into consideration when working your numbers (profit, cost, shipping and stuff)

        As far as payment, usually its 50% up front or I've even had only 30% up front. I've personally never been scammed and worked with a decent amount of suppliers already. You just gotta have some common sense. Any supplier that sounds like a bullsh*tter I just tell them up front and then stop talking with them. Always sample too. Because everyone you talk to is gonna have a bad habit of making THEIR products sound the best. So you really want to test them yourself and see whats best. With time I've found cheaper suppliers with higher quality items.

        Once you build a relationship it's no problem doing Western Union. Example...they would rather get $5,000 from you every month then steal $5,000 from you once, you know. But first time around, I wouldn't recommend Western Union.

        BUT!! And im only saying this because it happened to me today for the first time and im pissed as hell. Western Union froze my money which I sent to China yesterday. I called and they needed to interview me first before they release the money (mind you i've been using them for over a year with no issues). They asked the dumbest questions and at the end said "ok your answers are fine and we just need 2 more documents before we can release the money to China". They wanted to see my last 2 invoices and my last 2 debit card statements. Im gonna contact my supplier in China and see If i can send payment another way cause Western Union really pissed me off today and I dont even want to use them anymore.
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        • Profile picture of the author redfc
          Originally Posted by Evolved View Post

          With time I've found cheaper suppliers with higher quality items.
          Mind share with us the supplier names? You can PM me if don't wish to reveal them in public.
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      • Profile picture of the author dreamsru
        Originally Posted by KatPD View Post

        Wish I could, if only i could read and write mandarin. There are 'agents' that can help you do this for a small fee or %. worth looking into
        Found youtube video for converting Taobao.com site into English.

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        • Profile picture of the author Importexport
          Originally Posted by dreamsru View Post

          Found youtube video for converting Taobao.com site into English.
          Tabao when translated into English is of very little help to most people. The translation makes little sense in many areas and there are parts that cannot be translated.

          Several sites offer to deal with Tabao on behalf of the buyer, but they only make a bad situation worse. Tabao is one site that has many suppliers of fake products and that should always set the alarm bells ringing.

          Also, the middle men who offer to deal with Tabao for you could not care less about who they place your order with, so you have no idea of the reliability of the supplier.

          Why would anyone use a sourcing method just because someone happens to mention it on the forum? Do your own research or get some good advice from someone who really does know what they are talking about.
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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 redfc
      Originally Posted by Chuck Loon View Post

      Did anybody tried Taobao.com?
      You kidding? It's all in Chinese, can't even understand a word.
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      • Profile picture of the author KabirC
        Originally Posted by redfc View Post

        You kidding? It's all in Chinese, can't even understand a word.
        I use it all the time, but Google translate helps out a ton!
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        • Profile picture of the author redfc
          Originally Posted by KabirC View Post

          I use it all the time, but Google translate helps out a ton!
          How about communicating with them? Can you and they understand each other?
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          • Profile picture of the author KabirC
            Originally Posted by redfc View Post

            How about communicating with them? Can you and they understand each other?
            Forgot to respond to this earlier, I don't communicate with them. I have one of my suppliers for another product order from them and send them to me and just pay them 10% of it.
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            • Profile picture of the author Importexport
              Originally Posted by KabirC View Post

              Forgot to respond to this earlier, I don't communicate with them. I have one of my suppliers for another product order from them and send them to me and just pay them 10% of it.
              Are you sure you are just paying 10%? If you do not communicate direct how do you know if the price your other supplier quotes you before adding 10% is the price they are paying?

              If you want to maximize profits you need to buy direct from the factories, not through resellers.
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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 AJMontoya
    I've built my e-commerce business off importing goods from China to resell online. I've run into fraudulent sellers in the past, but I've gotten much better at spotting them out. My advice would be to NEVER pay with Western Union. There is a huge risk of your money being stolen through WU.

    I've also heard of people getting their credit card info. stolen, so consider picking up a pre-payed Visa or Mastercard.

    Best of luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author todawg_not
    I imported for 8 yrs. It was my primary income source for along time.

    If I can give you one pointer that can make you rich it's having the right product at the right time. At the beginning of it's cycle. You'll be surprised how things take off, at lightning speed. (that's the key).

    Can't remember how many times I went to China. I was practically over there all the time looking for new products (that's another key) while my business at home run my trusty employees was pumping out cash. I had big overheads but also big cash flow (that's very important).

    If you want to learn to import products from China like a Boss download my free report here. Inside it will show you how I made 100K per month import a fitness product that went nuts. Literally we were moving a 40ft containers of this product and we couldn't keep up. It was crazy times. I reveal all this for free.

    http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...used-8yrs.html

    Hope this gives you some insights on how big importing and selling products can be.

    Nigel
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  • Profile picture of the author Prowebstakht
    Isnt it hard to Import from China due to their Communist Government's rules and regulations?
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    • Profile picture of the author redfc
      Originally Posted by Prowebstakht View Post

      Isnt it hard to Import from China due to their Communist Government's rules and regulations?
      Not really, China is communist on the outside. Its capitalism inside.
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    • Profile picture of the author todawg_not
      Originally Posted by Prowebstakht View Post

      Isnt it hard to Import from China due to their Communist Government's rules and regulations?
      That's the funniest comment I've heard this year.

      Capitalism is thriving in China it's never been easier.

      Foreigners making squillions in China.

      I read somewhere that it's the biggest migration of people in history of man kind some 350 million people moving from rural to the inner cities sparking a massive growth boom never seen before as the smart businessmen are cashing in.
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    • Profile picture of the author Silas Hart
      Originally Posted by Prowebstakht View Post

      Isnt it hard to Import from China due to their Communist Government's rules and regulations?
      I have an easier time moving inventory in and out of China than I do moving inventory in and out of the United States.
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      • Profile picture of the author idelink
        Is Ankaka wholesale reliable? Can anyone provide input about Ankaka?
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        • Profile picture of the author Importexport
          Originally Posted by idelink View Post

          Is Ankaka wholesale reliable? Can anyone provide input about Ankaka?
          I have no experience of dealing with Ankaka and have had no complaints from people who write to me with their problems.

          idelink, you should note 2 things:
          1. They supply direct, in competition with you, so you need to have a look at what auctiondebteliminator says about negotiating prices, and how to determine what your buying price must be if your are to make a profit.
          2. Their 12 month warranty is not universal, so read the small print, and note in particular that the customer must pay return postage to HK. This means in practice that your customer must return the item to you, and then you ship it to HK at your expense. They will then repair or replace it and ship it back to your customer freight free.

          I know I have done some of your homework for you, but Ankaka is new to me and I like to keep up with what's new in dropshipping. Incidentally I teach direct import from factories in small quantities as being much more profitable.
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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 Importexport
    Originally Posted by ryanjm View Post

    I'm about to begin importing products from China for my e-commerce site. We currently dropship from U.S. suppliers, but I've found their sources, and we can now brand these products as our own while increasing margins. I've bought the book "Building an Import / Export Business" by Weiss and am about to start reading it.

    I was just wondering if anyone has any good bits of advice that they wish they had known when they first started importing from China and dealing with the manufacturers there.

    So far, I've ordered samples and know the MOQ and price per unit. What I'm unsure about is whether to negotiate the price per unit, and what the process is for getting those items from there, to here. Who pays for insurance, what taxes/fees will I owe, do the items get inspected upon arrival in the port, and if so, by who? Some of these suppliers are saying 100% T/T up front, but to me escrow seems more appropriate until I can inspect the items myself.

    Anyway, hoping this book sheds light on these issues but also would appreciate any insights from the experienced here. Thanks.
    If you have a look at my website you will see what light I believe should be shed on these issues. There are many traps for the unwary, and as usual I see a mixture of good and bad advice in the posts replying to your question.

    If you have found the manufacturers you do stand to make much bigger profits, but if you have only located wholesalers you are missing out on a lot of profit.

    Many suppliers list themselves as manufacturers and they are not. I devote about 3 pages in my book to showing how to check whether or not they are, but there is also a shortcut that has recently become available and it is foolproof because it is provided by one of the very few safe sites that I recommend for sourcing.

    If I were to answer your question in full it would take 83 pages. Any genuine manufacturer will brand your products for you. During the 22 years I ran my importing and B2B marketing business I not only had products branded to order, but even had them packed in point of sale packaging , complete with barcodes for my business customers, and that was sometimes for quite small quantities .
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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 LWoods
      can you post the link to your site. I am considering importing and would love to see what services you offer and read your advice and tips.
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  • Profile picture of the author Shane Bellone
    Become familiar with the all of the brands in your niche.

    While researching potential products, I accidentally found a competitors manufacturer. Turns out I can export their exact product for as low as $1 per item. That item's lowest retail price is $26.

    If I was not familiar with their brand I would not have recognized this enormous opportunity.
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    • Profile picture of the author ShaggyMax
      Do your homework and I highly recommend ordering a smaller batch first, even after approved samples. The samples may look great, but product variance and overall quality control might turn this into a nightmare.

      If you are able to order a smaller initial batch and leave less margins, you may lessen risk and slowly build a great supply-chain partnership. Good luck
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      • Profile picture of the author Importexport
        Originally Posted by ShaggyMax View Post

        Do your homework and I highly recommend ordering a smaller batch first, even after approved samples. The samples may look great, but product variance and overall quality control might turn this into a nightmare.

        If you are able to order a smaller initial batch and leave less margins, you may lessen risk and slowly build a great supply-chain partnership. Good luck
        Sound advice. Never jump in the deep end first.

        I have had the experience of paying $160 for a sample which I subsequently found was made in China, but the Indian supplier produced horrible quality for the volume production order.

        Fortunately I would not complete the order process until a friend visiting India checked them out and discovered the appalling quality.

        This is part of the experience that has made it possible for me to help so many others after 22 years of importing.
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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 Javimetal
    By the way, every month lots of people ask me about buy in TaoBao for them (as they know my wife is chinese and we are living in China). But I must say that is a really hard work. Lots of people just want to place some small orders and from different sellers, you can not guess how much time can spend talking with all the sellers... well, I said to my wife "Stop doing this". If a customer wants to buy big quantity it's ok, if not.. forget it, lose more time than money can make.

    I say this because there are some companies buying in taobao for you, but also I listened lots of problems. If you buy few things they will not put attention on you and your products. Also this is why some of these companies after some time stop this service and focus on some big customers only.

    ....extending to the infinite...
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  • Profile picture of the author Javimetal
    A good B2C will give you a discount between 4-5%. They have customer levels.
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    • Profile picture of the author Importexport
      Originally Posted by Javimetal View Post

      A good B2C will give you a discount between 4-5%. They have customer levels.
      4% - 5% is a pathetic discount.

      I can show how to buy at prices that allow profits of 250% minimum and the sky is the limit. In one case I made $18,000 profit on a single transaction and the landed cost was only $3,000. Sold for $21,000.

      Have a look at my website for ideas on what is really possible rather than limit yourself to skimpy profit margins, in competition with thousands of others also buying from dropship suppliers.
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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 Javimetal
        Originally Posted by Importexport View Post

        4% - 5% is a pathetic discount.

        I can show how to buy at prices that allow profits of 250% minimum and the sky is the limit. In one case I made $18,000 profit on a single transaction and the landed cost was only $3,000. Sold for $21,000.

        Have a look at my website for ideas on what is really possible rather than limit yourself to skimpy profit margins, in competition with thousands of others also buying from dropship suppliers.
        Well, I'm not agree... it depends on the niche. If the seller has a small profict can not discount more and lose money...

        I'm talking about small orders for massive products.
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      • Profile picture of the author CPAInter
        Holy...nice. I'd be interested to know more!

        Originally Posted by Importexport View Post

        4% - 5% is a pathetic discount.

        I can show how to buy at prices that allow profits of 250% minimum and the sky is the limit. In one case I made $18,000 profit on a single transaction and the landed cost was only $3,000. Sold for $21,000.

        Have a look at my website for ideas on what is really possible rather than limit yourself to skimpy profit margins, in competition with thousands of others also buying from dropship suppliers.
        Signature
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        • Profile picture of the author Importexport
          Originally Posted by CPAInter View Post

          Holy...nice. I'd be interested to know more!
          You will find a live link in my signature below, but here it is seeing that you ask: http://provenchinasourcing.com

          You can forget what people say about it being necessary to place big orders to buy direct from the factories. You need to learn how to search safely, how to be sure you are dealing with genuine manufacturers, how to make sure you get the best prices even on small orders, and how to import without having to learn all the rules. That is where I can help.
          Signature
          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 Shellg
        Originally Posted by Importexport View Post

        4% - 5% is a pathetic discount.

        I can show how to buy at prices that allow profits of 250% minimum and the sky is the limit. In one case I made $18,000 profit on a single transaction and the landed cost was only $3,000. Sold for $21,000.

        Have a look at my website for ideas on what is really possible rather than limit yourself to skimpy profit margins, in competition with thousands of others also buying from dropship suppliers.
        I saw this old thread cos it had been answered again and I read right though it and it is great.

        All I can say about this post is WOW!
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  • Profile picture of the author sacrg793
    Hi, I am a Chinese and I've been in the internet business for a while, I could be your contact here in China, I am good at english and honest. You can PM if you are interested.We can cooperate so we can expand our business together.
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  • Profile picture of the author marco005
    Hi,

    I must make bog LOL!

    This Asiapads.com is either a middlemen than an manufacturer, example;

    They offer a 3 D Shutter Glasses for $33,26, this is 25,66 Euros (for the european market)
    I must pay shipping costs and import tax..

    On ebay european market they sell this between 25,90-35,90 euros incl. shipping.

    Loooooooool, what an big high profit marge!

    Listen dear people, in the past I had a company as a wholesaler 12 years long ( I must go bankcrupty), buying truck cargo full of ware every week. So in this branche there where some manufacturers when I buy by them containers, I can sell theese at trade fair as an exporter to importer which an marge between 130-150% B2B people! In theese branch when a Importer buys 3 container he gets 3% discount, B2B !

    So when I sell from china direct to consumers= B2C so there I must have min.300% profit marge, in branches where you must buy containers.

    But for this business you need capital or bank credit to stay on trade fair , square meters is expensive. So sell to importers in advanced payment, but in moment I not get credit, I must start up from zero again in the online business.

    So when there is a chinese meddlemen who offered dropship to you, so there you must minimum have profit marge of 50-70% (130% has the manufacrturer who sells to middlemen, middelmen to you 50-70%)

    When you only have 10% profit marge so in my example it is a joke people.


    best wishes
    marco005
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    • Profile picture of the author Javimetal
      Originally Posted by marco005 View Post

      Hi,

      I must make bog LOL!

      This Asiapads.com is either a middlemen than an manufacturer, example;

      They offer a 3 D Shutter Glasses for $33,26, this is 25,66 Euros (for the european market)
      I must pay shipping costs and import tax..

      On ebay european market they sell this between 25,90-35,90 euros incl. shipping.

      Loooooooool, what an big high profit marge!
      You are looking just an outdated product... uploaded on OCT 21 - 2011

      Also doing dropshipping you will not pay any shipping cost (price is free shipping) or import tax (post company does not stop low value products 99.99% of times).

      You can not buy everything from a same provider. Must comparate prices for every product (work a little, not just try to put the money in the pocket).

      We're talking about make a biz whithout invest money. If you want to spend can come to China and buy direct from factory (if you can find the real factory).
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      • Profile picture of the author Kiboko
        I highly recommend this site - https://www.enterchina.co/

        I was a member last year - and the quality of this forum is great. However I later could not proceed with the Amazon business due to time constraints. I can sell you my membership at a discount of the official price.

        Register, read the PDF , check the cost of membership - then if interested, get back to me.
        Signature

        Hungry for leads to your business?
        Yes, without proper traffic, its zero leads, its zero sales. This is the Number 1 Problem that stops 97% of marketers dead in their tracks - lack of TRAFFIC.

        Guaranteed quality service here - http://tinyurl.com/qat77hu

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  • Profile picture of the author marco005
    Hi

    @Javimetal; I have not see that this example was an outdated product, folks please forgive me.

    Yes without spend money/capital you can not have that profit marge as when you have a company with bank credit line and buy direct by a chinese manufacturer.

    Question; By this supplier I have no shipping costs and import tax (Europe) ?????

    They have a quantity minimum order?
    They give me proof of delivery for each item?
    Deliver time to my europe consumer? 5 days? 3 weeks?

    I hope I understand you correct; I have now look again on the asiapads.com website, I see a TF micro sd memory card 32 GB for $23,50 that is 18,08 €.

    So and then look lets say on ebay germany, type in sd memory card, select in the left categories; new, ended auctions.

    What yous see? Yes this item is sold on ebay for 16,36€, 18€,17,01€.......
    Would you say this is an great chinese import profit marge? It is ZERO profit ZERO.
    And for my country for each item I buy I must pay 19% import tax!

    Calculate the prices from asiapads.com youself +19% import tax and show me the products who are sold out on high price on ebay (ended auctions) show me theese.

    When you as a ebay seller not have an profit marge of 30% minimum, you can not build an ebay business.

    This is what I have told about my experience with europüe dropshippers it is the same; they are middlemen not a wholesaler/importer,that is the problem why you can not make profit with them.

    Whether I buy from a dropship middlemen in europe or form a middlemen dropshipper in china, it is the same.



    best wishes
    marco005
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    • Profile picture of the author KabirC
      Originally Posted by marco005 View Post

      Hi

      @Javimetal; I have not see that this example was an outdated product, folks please forgive me.

      Yes without spend money/capital you can not have that profit marge as when you have a company with bank credit line and buy direct by a chinese manufacturer.

      Question; By this supplier I have no shipping costs and import tax (Europe) ?????

      They have a quantity minimum order?
      They give me proof of delivery for each item?
      Deliver time to my europe consumer? 5 days? 3 weeks?

      I hope I understand you correct; I have now look again on the asiapads.com website, I see a TF micro sd memory card 32 GB for $23,50 that is 18,08 €.

      So and then look lets say on ebay germany, type in sd memory card, select in the left categories; new, ended auctions.

      What yous see? Yes this item is sold on ebay for 16,36€, 18€,17,01€.......
      Would you say this is an great chinese import profit marge? It is ZERO profit ZERO.
      And for my country for each item I buy I must pay 19% import tax!

      Calculate the prices from asiapads.com youself +19% import tax and show me the products who are sold out on high price on ebay (ended auctions) show me theese.

      When you as a ebay seller not have an profit marge of 30% minimum, you can not build an ebay business.

      This is what I have told about my experience with europüe dropshippers it is the same; they are middlemen not a wholesaler/importer,that is the problem why you can not make profit with them.

      Whether I buy from a dropship middlemen in europe or form a middlemen dropshipper in china, it is the same.



      best wishes
      marco005
      You aren't looking at the right products, plain and simple. Why are you trying to import and re-sell electronics when electronics are already a ridiculously saturated niche and not all electronics from China are trustworthy? You need to think out of the box, luxury items, things like that.

      Also, why should we show you products that are making money for us? You guys cease to amaze me, think on your own and find good products.
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  • Profile picture of the author marco005
    Hi,

    yes thats right, electronic products are very hefty competitions, not a good option to sell such items.
    But there asiapads.com is not the right place for- then 95% of their products are electronics/ electronic accessoires.

    marco005
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  • Profile picture of the author drowning
    Just one advice: Comparing prices, because that the quality of the goods are almost the same, same products, customer service would be not the same!
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  • Profile picture of the author Importexport
    Originally Posted by fpdeziner View Post

    Escrow is good.
    The one big problem with escrow is that many suppliers will not accept payment that way.
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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 LWoods
      nevermind I found it. new to this forum and just getting the hang of how it works
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      • Profile picture of the author Importexport
        Because there have been a lot of posts in this thread about payment methods I thought it could help to provide an update on escrow services, in particular the free service provided by AliExpress and the paid service (5%) by Alibaba .

        Although I recommend using other sourcing platforms which I consider to be much safer, I know that those two are very popular and the escrow service can be a great added attraction.

        Unlike most people, I always read the fine print, and what I have found is that to stop Alibaba or AliExpress from passing on your payment because there is something wrong with the shipment, you must act VERY quickly. I know of a number of people who have found the time frame impossible.

        Also, the requirements for lodging a Dispute Request are not straight forward, with the conditions being a bit ambiguous. That ambiguity is probably what has caused people to get through the process too late to stop their payment being sent on to the supplier..

        In short, the escrow service provided by Alibaba and AliExpress is not a 100% guarantee that you will not lose your money. Care must still be taken when choosing suppliers.

        If you want to know more about how suppliers are verified , and how to know which suppliers claiming to be manufacturers really are manufacturers just ask me and I will post a reply.
        Signature
        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 salmanhaider
    Check this ebook for sourcing products from china
    http://eglim.com/wp-content/uploads/...-on-Amazon.pdf
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    • Profile picture of the author Importexport
      Originally Posted by salmanhaider View Post

      Check this ebook for sourcing products from china
      eglim.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/A-Guide-to-Sell-more-on-Amazon.pdf
      This book is a guide to selling on Amazon. It is written by someone who probably knows how to sell on Amazon, but they know next to nothing about how to source products from China.

      They recommend Alibaba and only Alibaba, which is a great mistake. See How Trustworthy is Alibaba.com?
      or Alibaba.com


      They provide information on sourcing that is wrong, ineffective, and unnecessarily time consuming.

      The Importing section of the book is typical of the misinformation published by many people who try to pretend that they are experts on the subject. If the author of the book cares to challenge me in this thread I will be happy to point out some of the glaring flaws in relation to importing as found in his book.
      Signature
      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 gokulmaba
    Since not much people like using China's products, you should negotiate carefully with those manufactures. Directly meeting is recommended in this case.
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    • Profile picture of the author Importexport
      Originally Posted by gokulmaba View Post

      Since not much people like using China's products, you should negotiate carefully with those manufactures. Directly meeting is recommended in this case.
      Very few newbies can afford to travel to China to negotiate with suppliers.

      This is why hundreds rely on what I teach in my book about how to safely source from China. If you read right through this thread you will find that i have posted a lot of valuable information.
      Signature
      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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