[AMA] Importing & wholesaling for resale on eBay.

[SarahSH]

Oops...made a mistake with my post...total noob.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Ecom man]

Great thread.

Normally I look for something "cool" to sell, something I'd want. Yesterday I saw something more utilitarian in a how to video that a guy mentioned he bought off ebay. This is a low cost item that people tend to buy 10-30 of at a time. People are consistently selling them in lots of 25, 1 or 2 lots a day from the few U.S. sellers I found. The minimum quantities are really high on Alibaba, but I noticed I could buy pretty large lots (200+) from ebay at a good price with free shipping (fast from the U.S.). If I break apart these into lots of 25, I can nearly double my money. Not huge money, but I can add on other variations of this same product and build from there.

Going to test it out.

Great job finding a product to make money on! Doubling your money is something most people would never even dream of finding in normal retail etc. so be happy!

Just one thing, a lot of the minimum quantities are very flexible on Alibaba. Message the sellers and ask. Most of them will drop their minimum order by a lot You could become the person selling them 200 at a time!

 

[Ecom man]

I love this thread, seeing someone killing it on ebay and at a level where you were able to quit your f/t job is remarkable. Keep it up, hope you scale this beast 2, 5, 10X...

The above shipping "scam"...I see it every day. I've sampled dozens of products, and 90% of them pull this off. If I love the product and really want to sample it, I call them out on the shipping costs being outrageous (in a nice way) and advise them to check other couriers. Two things happen, either "sorry sir there was a mistake in my shipping quote" or "I tried a different courier and got it for x price". Better yet, if you really don't want to get scammed with shipping, create your own DHL/Fedex account and have them use your account for shipping and pay them the sample fee only. I've tried this myself and for the larger items, the factories get much better shipping rates, but at least you can have something to compare to if you feel like they're taking you for a ride on shipping costs.

Also, some guys will try to charge you 3x the item amount for a sample...you can't get away from that, I've tried. For larger items, I've had to pay 3X the amount or they tell me where to go, they don't have time to waste on me. Sometimes, you have to invest a little in order to avoid losing a lot by buying in bulk a lot of crap which is unsellable. In my experience, maybe 1/5 sample orders are duds, meaning I had to toss them down the shoot.

Just thought I would chime in, this is something I do daily nowadays.

Again, thanks ecomm for sharing the knowledge with the board.

I am going to scale this like crazy! My goal is to double total sales in the next year and then double that. It is easily attainable, I just have to find more products, rinse and repeat!

Turning this into a million dollar PROFIT each year shouldn't be more than 5 or so years in the future.

 

[JustinBoshans]

I am going to scale this like crazy! My goal is to double total sales in the next year and then double that. It is easily attainable, I just have to find more products, rinse and repeat!

Turning this into a million dollar PROFIT each year shouldn't be more than 5 or so years in the future.

I bet you could do it even sooner than that.

I've paid off my first shipment of my first item with the first 3 sales I've made. I just ordered my next 3 products to test.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[crownbjj]

How expensive was shipping for you? Or was the shipping a fair rate for your samples? Thx

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

[Bowden]

Ecom man - Great job! As a TRS and all the jazz, I know the obstacles in dealing with ebay BS.

As for some of the questions in this thread, holy ****

 

[Yankee427]

How expensive was shipping for you? Or was the shipping a fair rate for your samples? Thx

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

I had very light samples that I have shipped to the USA from China and DHL shipping was $35 to the USA. Shipping to Singapore from China was $25 and from China to the Philippines was $25. It really depends on the weight, size of the package and speed of shipment. I received my package DHL from China in about 4 days time.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Ecom man]

I had very light samples that I have shipped to the USA from China and DHL shipping was $35 to the USA. Shipping to Singapore from China was $25 and from China to the Philippines was $25. It really depends on the weight, size of the package and speed of shipment. I received my package DHL from China in about 4 days time.

That's about what I pay for shipping for samples as well. Double of that shipping is obviously them trying to make money on your shipping.

 

[Ecom man]

Ecom man - Great job! As a TRS and all the jazz, I know the obstacles in dealing with ebay BS.

As for some of the questions in this thread, holy ****

Yeah eBay can be a complete pain sometimes but it is worth it to jump through all the hoops. The exposure you get for your items can be invaluable.

 

[Yankee427]

Yeah eBay can be a complete pain sometimes but it is worth it to jump through all the hoops. The exposure you get for your items can be invaluable.

One thing that I also ran into that hopefully others will not have to go through this is that eBay would keep pulling my listings when I first started selling items as "New". I had always done used, so they pulled them and said it was against policy for someone to sell items as "New". I had to call them up and explain to them I was an official dealer for a wholesaler and was provided items through a manufacturer directly and everything was correct as described.

Also, if you are signing up a new eBay account and doing this, be prepared to not have access to the money until a few days after the item is delivered to the recipient. Ebay will hold the money in paypal pending status for 21 days if you do not provide a tracking number on the auction. This happens for the first 3 months the account is active. You need at least 25 sales and no problems with buyers for this period for them to lift this hold.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Ecom man]

One thing that I also ran into that hopefully others will not have to go through this is that eBay would keep pulling my listings when I first started selling items as "New". I had always done used, so they pulled them and said it was against policy for someone to sell items as "New". I had to call them up and explain to them I was an official dealer for a wholesaler and was provided items through a manufacturer directly and everything was correct as described.

Also, if you are signing up a new eBay account and doing this, be prepared to not have access to the money until a few days after the item is delivered to the recipient. Ebay will hold the money in paypal pending status for 21 days if you do not provide a tracking number on the auction. This happens for the first 3 months the account is active. You need at least 25 sales and no problems with buyers for this period for them to lift this hold.

Hmmm that's odd I've never come across an issue with selling things as New. You are correct about a brand new account being a lot of hoops to jump through. It could be very annoying. You can get your money faster than 21 days. It is released 3 days after delivery is confirmed. If you ship out the same day the order is placed and they get it in 3 days then your funds will be availble to use in a week.

 

[JustinBoshans]

Today I realized just how many products there are on DH gate. Even though there are doubles of some items, in the category of kitchen accessories alone there are over 1 million products. Opportunities to find products with great margins are abundant hehe. Back to the search.

 

[Ecom man]

I love dhgate simply because of the simplicity involved. You don't have to message sellers asking for shipping costs or for MOQ to be lowered. It really is a good site.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Mike.B]

I love dhgate simply because of the simplicity involved. You don't have to message sellers asking for shipping costs or for MOQ to be lowered. It really is a good site.

I've noticed a huge price difference with some of the products I'm working on. One example: Alibaba's price was CIF $150/sample with an MOQ FOB price of $115, the best price on DHGate was $296. Big difference! I guess you're paying for some of the convenience.

 

[Ecom man]

I've noticed a huge price difference with some of the products I'm working on. One example: Alibaba's price was CIF $150/sample with an MOQ FOB price of $115, the best price on DHGate was $296. Big difference! I guess you're paying for some of the convenience.

Yes you do pay for the convenience. Prices can vary depending on the product though. Some products are cheaper on dhgate than on alibaba so it pays to check both sites for products.

 

[Wuz]

Ecom , i´m kind hooked on one product, good margins,
, but i´m still not sure if there is more competitors.

I see some competitors , in a list of the website (amazon) in the left side, but there are more for sure, based on the products that are listed.

So i dont know if this was answered before, but there is anyway to know in average , how much competitors i have for sure?

Or the only way is to run all the products and check one by one and see the sellers?

Edit_ The website DH gate have any option to put the prices in EURO´s ?

- when they say " Free Shipping", is really free shipping or is probably a scam?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Ecom man]

Ecom , i´m kind hooked on one product, good margins,
, but i´m still not sure if there is more competitors.

I see some competitors , in a list of the website (amazon) in the left side, but there are more for sure, based on the products that are listed.

So i dont know if this was answered before, but there is anyway to know in average , how much competitors i have for sure?

Or the only way is to run all the products and check one by one and see the sellers?

Edit_ The website DH gate have any option to put the prices in EURO´s ?

- when they say " Free Shipping", is really free shipping or is probably a scam?

I normally use eBay to check for competitors as I can just type in the item and see how many listings there are for that item. Then you just have to check those listings and see if they are all the same sellers or how many different ones there are. If it is worth it to do it on eBay then Amazon will work for sure.

Anything with free shipping is actually free shipping.

 

[smartman]

@Ecom man is it cool if I contact you direct to bounce an idea off you? if not, no sweat.

 

[Wuz]

I normally use eBay to check for competitors as I can just type in the item and see how many listings there are for that item. Then you just have to check those listings and see if they are all the same sellers or how many different ones there are. If it is worth it to do it on eBay then Amazon will work for sure.

Anything with free shipping is actually free shipping.

thank you very much

The product that i´m researching is "fragile", it means that a "bad move" can "destroy" the product. you have any particular recommendations/concerns based on your experience, with that kind of products?

It have nothing to do with electronics.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Ecom man]

@Ecom man is it cool if I contact you direct to bounce an idea off you? if not, no sweat.

Yes that would be fine. I would be happy to help in any way I can.

 

[Ecom man]

thank you very much

The product that i´m researching is "fragile", it means that a "bad move" can "destroy" the product. you have any particular recommendations/concerns based on your experience, with that kind of products?

It have nothing to do with electronics.

Normally products like that have higher margins and less competitors simply cause of the difficulty of shipping fragile items. All you can do is make sure it is packaged as good as possible and if it's an expensive item be sure to insure it during shipping.

 

[Alveko]

Thanks for this thread Ecom man, i'm sure it will help a lot of people out.
I've got a question myself though: As someone living in Europe, do you think people tend to ignore sellers from outside the US because of a longer shipping time and just because the seller 'is not from the US'?
In other words, will selling at amazon.com put me in such a disadvantage next to US sellers that it'll be hard for me to make the same profit numbers as they(and you) are?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Wuz]

Thanks for this thread Ecom man, i'm sure it will help a lot of people out.
I've got a question myself though: As someone living in Europe, do you think people tend to ignore sellers from outside the US because of a longer shipping time and just because the seller 'is not from the US'?
In other words, will selling at amazon.com put me in such a disadvantage next to US sellers that it'll be hard for me to make the same profit numbers as they(and you) are?

I dont know this for sure, but i think there is a certain percentage of peolpe from europe buying in amazon.com.

We have the find a way to grab their attention.

 

[JustinBoshans]

Another interesting thing I am seeing is some of the products have no US competitors, but one or two people from Hong Kong, China, etc. are selling hundreds of these items for basically what I can get them for on DH gate. Do you believe this would be a good investment if there are no US competitors or that my selling point of being a US seller at a higher price will get me sales?

 

[Ecom man]

Thanks for this thread Ecom man, i'm sure it will help a lot of people out.
I've got a question myself though: As someone living in Europe, do you think people tend to ignore sellers from outside the US because of a longer shipping time and just because the seller 'is not from the US'?
In other words, will selling at amazon.com put me in such a disadvantage next to US sellers that it'll be hard for me to make the same profit numbers as they(and you) are?

A lot of people do prefer to order from US sellers simply because of customs/shipping delays. A lot of Chinese sellers have really screwed over international sellers. The China sellers ship by snail so 30-40 days from purchase to receiving the item. It has really turned off a lot of people to international sellers.

On the flip side you have the opportunity of selling to people in your area (if they have an eBay like site there.) People won't like to wait for US sellers to ship it to them either.

You could also use Amazon's FBA to sell here in the US through eBay, Amazon, and even your own site. I'm not sure what the requirements are in regards to non-US citizens to use Amazon or eBay but I would for sure check that out. The FBA would be the way to go cause then you are a US seller just like I am. Mine comes from my warehouse(garage) yours comes from Amazon's warehouse.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Ecom man]

Another interesting thing I am seeing is some of the products have no US competitors, but one or two people from Hong Kong, China, etc. are selling hundreds of these items for basically what I can get them for on DH gate. Do you believe this would be a good investment if there are no US competitors or that my selling point of being a US seller at a higher price will get me sales?

I think that would be a great item to hit. You know there are already sales and worst case scenario you sell them for what you paid for them. Depending on the price point of the item you can get considerably more by simply putting "US Seller" in your title. Tons of people hate buying from overseas (shipping times) and a lot will pay more to support a US seller over a China seller.

If you do go that route I would spend the extra money on putting a subtitle that tells your super fast shipping times and that you are a US seller in "your state" How much more would you pay for getting an item in 3 days rather than 30? People are scared of having to return a defective item to China as well. All needs that you as a local seller can meet.

 

[Dicky Dee]

Hey Econ Man, great forum you created here.

I've been selling on ebay for years but i'd like to start selling on Amazon soon, any pointers you can give me as to the differences between the 2 platforms?

 

[Ecom man]

Hey Econ Man, great forum you created here.

I've been selling on ebay for years but i'd like to start selling on Amazon soon, any pointers you can give me as to the differences between the 2 platforms?

Amazon is super strict with their metrics! Make sure you get everything shipped as fast as possible and make sure you sell good quality items. If your items break quickly Amazon has their A-Z return policy that will kill you. Too many returns and they will shut your account down so fast it will make your head spin.

Just start slow as you learn the ropes. Read all of their little policy things about where you can put your listing, what quality of items they want etc.

Amazon customers NEVER read the little description you can put under your item describing condition, shipping speed etc. Even if you say that shipping takes a week and a half they will complain like crazy cause your shipping took "too long". Amazon will always side with the customers so you have to work through idiots that feel empowered even more so then eBay.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[SarahSH]

Gaaaak! Something I had ordered off of alliexpress for selling on ebay now has a Chinese seller who is selling same item for about what I paid for it plus free shipping....ugh. You win some, you lose some, I guess.

 

[Mike.B]

Gaaaak! Something I had ordered off of alliexpress for selling on ebay now has a Chinese seller who is selling same item for about what I paid for it plus free shipping....ugh. You win some, you lose some, I guess.

I have seen this with a couple of high dollar products I've been resarching, but the US sellers are still killing it. I'm going to be selling one of the products because I think there is still money to be made, even if I'm charging $100 more.