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Need Help Getting Some Scooters To Canada From China?

by freemen14
9 replies
I have purchased five scooters from a reputable dealer in China and am needing to get them to Canada by April.

This is my first venture in offshore purchasing so wondering if anyone here has experience with this? Do I go with a shipping broker or save some costs, learn the process (Which I know will have headaches) and do it myself? In any case I thought I would come here first to see if I can short cut my learning curve.

Thanks
#canada #china #scooters #shipping
  • Profile picture of the author ewenmack
    I have had experience importing into New Zealand from China.

    I happened to already know a guy here in Auckland who imported goods
    for himself and others. He is married to a Chinese lady. She would negotiate
    with the suppliers and shipping broker.

    We would have the price FOB, meaning goods included price to transport to the port.
    Port usually was Ningbo or Shanghai.

    He made sure the goods were very well packaged to save damage.
    Also would fit in a few small buyers to share a container. This saved on cost and saved damage.

    All I would do is pay him, and shipping, and transport to me were all taken care of. I would just sign for the goods on arrival to me.

    He had a contact at the freight forwarder which meant we got it cheaper than most.

    All the best,
    Ewen
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  • Profile picture of the author Byrt M
    Hi, because this is an initial venture for you my suggestion would be to go with a broker who will take care of the shipping and custom details so you don't want to mess with all that at this stage (while you learn the ropes). Always experiment with a small quantity (keep testing your market) no matter how promising the demand may be. I own a business called China Trade Tours for people who aren't sure which manufacturer or supplier to source from or trust. We are based on Quangzhou (where my business partner manage our business) and Sydney Australia where I run the business from. I don't want to use this platform to promote my own business (more than I have already) but if you ever need to explore that further in the future please PM me and I will send you my web address and the industries we are connected with and so forth.
    I wish you success in what you do - I am sure you will do well.
    Byrt
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    • Profile picture of the author freemen14
      Originally Posted by Byrt M View Post

      Hi, because this is an initial venture for you my suggestion would be to go with a broker who will take care of the shipping and custom details so you don't want to mess with all that at this stage (while you learn the ropes). Always experiment with a small quantity (keep testing your market) no matter how promising the demand may be. I own a business called China Trade Tours for people who aren't sure which manufacturer or supplier to source from or trust. We are based on Quangzhou (where my business partner manage our business) and Sydney Australia where I run the business from. I don't want to use this platform to promote my own business (more than I have already) but if you ever need to explore that further in the future please PM me and I will send you my web address and the industries we are connected with and so forth.
      I wish you success in what you do - I am sure you will do well.
      Byrt

      Thanks Byrt M. Sent you a PM
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      • Profile picture of the author GlobalTrader
        Each country has it's own set of regulations governing the importation of various products, thus what works in the USA may not work in Canada. The suggestion of using a Customs Broker is a good one, additionally, I would suggest asking the manufacturer or seller if they have ever exported to Canada before and if so, through what channels.

        Freight forwarders can often handle all the requirements of importation under one umbrella and can generally be found in your yellow page book or online by searching for the term "freight forwarder" + "nearest large city or port city name".

        Be sure the scooters are compliant with any and all Canadian emission laws as this can hold up receipt of your scooters once they arrive on Canadian soil.
        Signature

        GlobalTrader

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      • Profile picture of the author Byrt M
        Happy to help. I got your PM and replied already. Hit the 'Thanks' button ONLY if I was helpful, if not no probs - we are all here for you. This forum is gold and so are the people
        Byrt
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        • Profile picture of the author mycatlover
          glad you have a good luck.
          when you order from China,I think you'd better check the feedbacks from the previous sales from that seller.and it's very dangerous to order from Anonymous sites which are usually the fraudulent source centers and it's very hard to specify the trustworthiness.I recommend you to try ebay.com first.
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          • Profile picture of the author JMB Marketing Group
            Originally Posted by mycatlover View Post

            glad you have a good luck.
            when you order from China,I think you'd better check the feedbacks from the previous sales from that seller.and it's very dangerous to order from Anonymous sites which are usually the fraudulent source centers and it's very hard to specify the trustworthiness.I recommend you to try ebay.com first.
            I would recommend that you try Alibaba.com FIRST!

            They have checks and balances in place. However, it is recommended that you deal with the Gold Members though, at Alibaba.

            JMB
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  • Profile picture of the author Drewry_Media
    Have you tried dropshipping? As I'm not sure about how dropshipping works, I'm only knowledgable in the "affiliate marketing" area online. Hope things work out for you!
    Signature
    Drewry l DNN
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  • Profile picture of the author JMB Marketing Group
    Originally Posted by freemen14 View Post

    I have purchased five scooters from a reputable dealer in China and am needing to get them to Canada by April.

    This is my first venture in offshore purchasing so wondering if anyone here has experience with this? Do I go with a shipping broker or save some costs, learn the process (Which I know will have headaches) and do it myself? In any case I thought I would come here first to see if I can short cut my learning curve.

    Thanks
    Freemen,

    Check out these Canadian Sources. There is aslo a Step by Step Guide book:

    Starting an Import/Export Business - I

    Cheers,

    JMB
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