• An idea of import comes out
    • Thinking Why should I import? (Profit, competition)
      • Originally, I have been purchasing locally, but in recent years, the cost of procurement has risen, and profits have become lower and lower. I want to buy it directly from abroad.
      • I want to do an online shop business, but the local purchase cost is high and there are few types. I want to earn a higher spread from abroad
      • I am an influencer, and I want to use my influence to increase revenue,
      • I found a good business opportunity, but I do n’t want my local counterparts to understand it. I want to directly produce from a third party and master the opportunity.
    • Where to import and Why
      • China, India, Europe, America
      • Very high-tech products, not discussed here.
      • If you don’t have a special idea about the product you want to buy, I suggest buying from China.
        • Improved industrial chain, with many optional categories
        • High, medium and low-end products can meet your different needs
        • Equipment products are cheap. The same functional equipment may be purchased from Europe for 1 million, and from China, it may only be 300,000 to 500,000.
    • You also have such doubts
      • China’s labor cost advantage is not, India, the Philippines, Vietnam have lower labor costs
      • Chinese product prices do not have the advantages of Vietnam, India and other places
      • So why is China the first choice?
        • China’s industrial chain is the most complete, and most of them form a closed loop. You can import furniture from Vietnam, but nails, metal fittings, and adhesives for furniture still need to be imported from China.
        • Multiple platforms, easy access to quality
        • The production equipment is mechanized, the delivery time is shorter, and the quality is more stable.
  • How to start?
    • If you are less experienced, remember
      • When you start, you have a lot of choices, and it’s important to keep a clear mind
      • What products you see are good
      • Seeing everything feels cheap
      • Tips
        • You have to have a general direction, what you like, coffee, pets, handmade, what you are good at because then you can do it for a long time and make it happy.
        • You have to know what your budget is, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions. The products corresponding to each budget are different.
        • You need to know when you plan to officially start your local sales
        • You have to know your cost structure: product value + transportation cost + import tariff + time cost
    • Suggestions for different buying role
      • If you have relevant product sales experience or production experience, for example, you are the owner of a clothing factory, you have a certain amount of purchase, you can start from the exhibition so that you can reach a lot of suppliers in a time, and if you are meet good suppliers, you can go to the factory after the expo. Generally, you will have a good result.
      • If you are a wholesaler and the product categories are more complex, you can start to contact from the online channels
      • If you are an Internet celebrity, it is recommended to start with some conventional consumer products. The product value is low and the turnover rate is high.
      • If you are an online shop owner, it is recommended to start from a niche market. The conventional category is fiercely competitive and the price will not have an advantage. It is more difficult to kill a bloodline.
      • If you open a new store, it is recommended to make some custom products, such as dog chain + custom chain = unique pet custom chain
  • Finding products
    • Way
      • Friend introduction
      • Technical post introduction
      • Network platform, Alibaba, Aliexpress, Made-in-China, B2B
      • SNS, facebook, Linkedin, youtube, twitter
      • Exhibitions-local exhibitions, foreign exhibitions
      • Industry Magazine
    • Efficient communicate / Pretend experienced
      • Avoid sending such inquiries to suppliers, “I want to buy pet supplies, please send me the price list”, “I want to buy women’s clothing, please send the price list”
      • For suppliers, it means
        • You are not a real customer
        • You are not a good customer
        • You don’t know about the product or industry
        • You are new to trade
      • What kind of answer will you get
        • No reply
        • If the response is not timely, the inquiry with clear procurement requirements will be given priority. Deal with yours
        • Better to ask detailed questions to help you clarify your purchasing needs
        • A little better will help you understand the industry, foreign market trends, help you clear your procurement needs, and give you relevant advice.
        • Sometimes you send 20 enquiries, but you get only 3-5 valid responses.
        • Know that when you choose a supplier, the supplier is choosing you
    • How effective? “Sometimes I really don’t know what I want, just a general direction.”
      • You just need to add some details to your needs, even if these details may not be your final needs, but this is a good start to help you find suppliers.
      • For example, from I want to purchase women’s clothing to “I come from * country/market, I want to buy 30-40 years old, office women, light-colored women’s wear for summer, I want to buy ** quantity, please quote me your best price “
      • What will you get
        • You will get a specific quote,
        • You will get different voices telling you that your choice is not suitable for your current market, there are better style choices
        • You will get information of other details, such as looking at the product parameter map, and discovering many details you have neglected before, product weight, product composition, you know the MOQ, packaging method, payment method, production cycle. . .
    • This may be time-consuming, but it is definitely worth doing. After this process, the subsequent progress will be much smoother.
    • Two major obstacles to communication are language and jet lag and personal ability to sell
      • Most sales work hours are 8: 00-16: 00, 9: 00-17: 00,
      • Language cost, many sales language communication skills are not as good as in India
      • You are a green hand and your sales are a green hand, then the cost of your communication will be much higher.
        • The sales you connect will become the microphone for you and his superiors. In this way, communication becomes a matter of three people. Understood as B, and told his superior to B, his superior answered B, and the sales told you the answer of B, but this is not what you want, you have to explain A again, and then let the novice sales thoroughly Understand what you want to ask, and then tell the superior to the salesman, and the superior will explain it again, so that time will be spent
    • Common words(you will find it from my another post)
    • Other Potential problems you will meet
      • You sent an inquiry, but the supplier does not reply to you
      • Supplier quotes take a long time
      • You sent an inquiry
      • Your product needs an abrasive
      • Abrasive tools
      • Certificate
    • Misunderstanding (more on this later)
  • Easy to ignore points
    • Your entire purchase time = initial communication time + payment production time + delivery to port time + sea / land / air freight + customs clearance + your domestic shipping time
  • Pay attention to details when purchasing
    • Most of the quotations are based on ordinary neutral packaging. Any changes in packaging, color boxes, or packaging specifications (50pcs / box becomes 25pcs / box) will increase costs.
    • There are many types of color box packaging, and each requires an MOQ.
    • Color box or product printing logo requires plate making fee. Generally, the more complicated the color, the higher the plate making fee. About 2 ~ 3 colors are about $ 50 ~ $ 100.
    • Another thing to note when choosing a color box is that the color number of your first batch of color boxes is the same as the second batch of color boxes, but the appearance color may be slightly different.
    • If it is shipped by sea, if it is less than an entire container, use pallets.
      • The two advantages are that the product is not easy to be lost during transportation, and it is easy to identify when the customs pick up the goods.
  • Details when purchasing these products
    • Machinery products
      • The most important considerations are after sales and quality! Believe me, if the machine is broken for three days and two ends, your business will be greatly affected.
      • Most factories do not have a clear installation guide, most of them provide you with videos or text instructions.
      • Most factories don’t speak English,
      • Be sure to find a salesperson who knows the technology, or actively cooperate with the sales you are willing to help you. In this way, he can help you solve any problems you encounter quickly, otherwise, you have not installed the machine before you start making money. The torture is no longer human.
      • Machines generally only provide two languages, Chinese and English
      • Transformers and air compressors need to be purchased separately. The machine itself does not provide these.
      • There is no uniform price standard for machinery products. Replacement of spare parts, increase or decrease will affect the price of the machine.
      • The voltage in China is 240V 50hz, and the industry is 380V. Generally, the factory or supplier will confirm your current country and voltage with you, but if you are a new factory or a novice who is just doing foreign trade, you have not confirmed with you carelessly, and will directly send you the voltage according to China. You need to bring your own transformer
      • Mechanical products will provide paid on-site installation services for masters, and you need to bear round-trip air tickets + accommodation + a little service fee.
    • Clothing products
      • have different industrial belts according to different categories, such as fabrics, such as buttons, such as zippers, jeans, polo, T-shirts, accessories, sewing machines, printers, and embroidery machines that serve clothing. They are divided into different categories. . (I will write a special article introduction later)
    • Auto parts
      • are divided into original factory, after-sale market, remanufacturing, recycling and refurbishing, and second-hand. Be sure to confirm with the supplier what kind you want.
    • Printing machin
      • pay attention to the printing result, not one printer can print everything, they have a clear classification.
      • Different inks print differently for different materials.
      • Just printing T-shirts, I know 3 to 4 different machines
    • Scooter / bike
      • There are few scooter manufacturers, most of them are traders.
      • I have witnessed the craziest years of bike-sharing and have a certain understanding of this market. (If you have any questions, you can contact me and we will discuss it.)
      • Some of the bicycles used by the police have a sense of technology, and they feel easy to appear in movies.
      • The battery car is very popular with NBA stars. Before Gordon came to Shanghai, he was charged with a battery car because he violated the traffic law and was issued a ticket. If there are resources, you can consider this.
    • Coffee
      • China also has coffee beans, concentrated in Yunnan Province. 80% of Nestle’s coffee sold in China is Yunnan coffee.
      • Yunnan Coffee beans are with low price.
      • Coffee related products and price can meet different leve market.
      • The glass products (like Hario ) need to be moulded.
    • Pet
      • It is a market with huge potential. Coffee brand Hario has already sniffed the business opportunities in advance and entered this market.
      • The combination of pet supplies and IP is a good choice. IP can be a comic character, it can be an internet celebrity, and it is any influential person.
    • Toy
      • Children’s toys are a leader in educational toys, and some for developing intelligence and regular training have a good market
    • Many seemingly simple products are harder to find.
      • Some even have abrasive tools. Such as plastic spoons, plastic forks, coffee stir bars
  • How to check the tariff

You can usually ask the supplier to provide you with the first six digits. You can determine the product category and then determine how much import tax the product category you want to import according to customs prompts.