[AMA] Importing & wholesaling for resale on eBay.

[Thomas1980]

Been a long time since I posted here.

Done with the importing game, tried it, it's not for me.

However, the bulk order I made probably about 6 months ago. I got 110 pieces.

They werent selling at all for a long time, got a sale here and there.

Anyway the past couple weeks they have been selling. Multiple sales everyday, about 5 a day actually.

Not making any money though, I paid 900 for the order, 5 per piece, 5 to ship, They sell for 9.99. I'll lose a few hundred bucks.

It must be my ranking now and # sold. Im getting a great review and great ranking, maybe I can find the product cheaper or something.

I'm in the same boat as you. I've researched and tested products over the past few months and I'm not finding anything worth selling. I've gone through every possible category and subcategory and narrowed down searches to very specific parameters and I continue to come up short. I've come across products that look promising but once I subtract all of the expenses, the profit only comes out to a few dollars.

I'll continue to research when I get downtime, but I'll start using most of my time and energy for another project.

 

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[albertut77]

At first I thought it was just me because I'm female. But sounds like I'm not alone


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If you think this really might be affecting your relationship with the suppliers (which, given asian culture in general, wouldn't be surprising), you could lie. If this actually improves something, leave your feedback here for future female readers!

Been a long time since I posted here.

Done with the importing game, tried it, it's not for me.

However, the bulk order I made probably about 6 months ago. I got 110 pieces.

They werent selling at all for a long time, got a sale here and there.

Anyway the past couple weeks they have been selling. Multiple sales everyday, about 5 a day actually.

Not making any money though, I paid 900 for the order, 5 per piece, 5 to ship, They sell for 9.99. I'll lose a few hundred bucks.

It must be my ranking now and # sold. Im getting a great review and great ranking, maybe I can find the product cheaper or something.

I absolutely agree with Ronak here. You've gotten your feet wet, your ball is rolling, you know what to look for and what not to look for. It would be a shame if you gave up now. Like Ecom man said in a previous post, it's exactly this what makes the whole business worth it once it's rolling. It will be hard, and this will discourage many on the way, but if you work hard and don't give up the reward is well worth the sacrifice.

In my opinion you're already halfway there. Have you tried increasing your price to, for instance, $11.99 now that you're getting in a good position? Is that viable within your competition?

Can you negotiate a lower price with your supplier now that you've made a big order with him? Telling them that a supplier has contacted you with an offer of X/piece. That you hold in high value good communication and product quality, which they have given you, and you are looking to establish a long business relationship based on trust. However, you're both businessmen, and he has to understand that the price the other suppliers are offering is significantly better than theirs. If they are willing to decrease their price, you want to stick with them because you like them, but otherwise you'll have to take the other offer.
Make sure to not sound needy, but rather like you're giving them a chance to win over someone else, but you having business or not is not influenced by this decision (as you would either buy from them or from the others). Having another supplier in hand in case this one doesn't want to reduce the price would be good anyway.

Since now you know that your product sells and you've got them rolling, could a bigger bulk order give you better margins?

Are there any other suppliers that you can get this product from for a better price? I'm sure you've looked into this, but maybe negotiation hasn't been strong enough. In the end, if you're giving up, what'd you lose by trying to negotiate down the prices a bit more aggressively?

 

[The Grind]

Why give up now that you've already paid your "tuition costs"?

I think of it like this- let's say you're planning a vacation to Europe. You spend thousands of dollars on plane tickets, getting your passports, hotel reservations, etc. The day finally comes, you land in Italy, and get ripped off on your taxi ride to the hotel. Do you say, "screw it, I've spent too much already and this vacation is not working," and just head back?

You've got your whole "vacation" ahead of you-- its selling, and you have momentum, you just need to make some adjustments here and there to your pricing, sourcing costs, listing, etc. Every new business takes investment, and you've already made yours. Even if this product doesn't work, you've gained experience in making it work the next go around.

Don't give up so soon.

I've been in a similar situation, not with importing, but another project I was working on.

I had spent countless months on putting it together, coordinating with multiple parties, and the major elements were in place. There were a few snags however, and I was beginning to get frustrated. I was too deep into the forest and couldn't recognize that I was almost to the end with glimmering destination just ahead. I thought to myself, I've put my blood, sweat, and tears into this, and haven't a dime to show for it...forget it, I'm not putting anymore effort into this, we'll just launch it and if it sells a couple thousand bucks worth, then fine.

Turns out, after just a bit more effort, it was ready to launch full scale. The result was 6 figures in sales in a matter of DAYS. I don't want to think about what would've happened if I had just given up.

I didn't want to type a lengthy description on why im "giving up" on importing.

I'm focusing on other things now, I do not like the business model, period. I tried it, don't like it, I'm moving on.

Now, can I sell this item for more? No. i've tried.

Im getting 5 sales a day, getting some of the money back.

I simply do not have the money to keep buying samples, testing them, etc. Thats why. I would just have to start the process all over finding a product where the margins arent so slim.

The fact I'm selling this one product, is irrelevant.

 

[Ecom man]

I didn't want to type a lengthy description on why im "giving up" on importing.

I'm focusing on other things now, I do not like the business model, period. I tried it, don't like it, I'm moving on.

Now, can I sell this item for more? No. i've tried.

Im getting 5 sales a day, getting some of the money back.

I simply do not have the money to keep buying samples, testing them, etc. Thats why. I would just have to start the process all over finding a product where the margins arent so slim.

The fact I'm selling this one product, is irrelevant.

It certainly isn't for everyone. If everyone was the same or had the same strengths the world would be a pretty boring place. Good luck on your future endeavors.

 

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[Ecom man]

Oh and for those who say this sort of business model doesn't work, I've found 2 brand new products in the last week in a completely different niche. They are looking to be quite profitable and pretty good niche. If they sell well on my site they will get their own site once I have 6-10 products in that niche.

 

[TTG SS]

Oh and for those who say this sort of business model doesn't work, I've found 2 brand new products in the last week in a completely different niche. They are looking to be quite profitable and pretty good niche. If they sell well on my site they will get their own site once I have 6-10 products in that niche.

How long would you say it takes on average from the time you first inquire about the product to getting a sample to your house?

Trying to get an average timeline. Seems like everything is very slow to communicate with the suppliers since the time zone is so different.

 

[mbj316]

My biggest problem is finding items to sell that are not branded. I unknowingly purchased counterfeit items from DHGate only to have them booted off of eBay for trademark violations. Now I cannot seem to find anything to sell that doesn't carry the same risk.

 

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[Ecom man]

How long would you say it takes on average from the time you first inquire about the product to getting a sample to your house?

Trying to get an average timeline. Seems like everything is very slow to communicate with the suppliers since the time zone is so different.

It depends on how late I stay up. I can normally get it done in a day or two. I stay up really late when I am needing to get new items. For my existing items I just email the supplier ask for a price for x amount of item Y and then pay once I get the total.

 

[Brentnal]

I still have all 100 sitting haven't sold a single one.

Offer people with no money for inventory for them to sell it for you, they keep 50% of the profit as commision?

 

[Walter Hay]

Been a long time since I posted here.

Done with the importing game, tried it, it's not for me.

However, the bulk order I made probably about 6 months ago. I got 110 pieces.

They werent selling at all for a long time, got a sale here and there.

Anyway the past couple weeks they have been selling. Multiple sales everyday, about 5 a day actually.

Not making any money though, I paid 900 for the order, 5 per piece, 5 to ship, They sell for 9.99. I'll lose a few hundred bucks.

It must be my ranking now and # sold. Im getting a great review and great ranking, maybe I can find the product cheaper or something.

I know it is too late for you to change your mind, but I see others posting in a similar vein, and I am sorry to see them losing hope of success.

I believe the key point is found in what you wrote: "maybe I can find the product cheaper or something."

I always say Profit Starts With Buying, and if you don't buy right you will forgo the big profits that importing can produce. The biggest stumbling block that I see repeatedly is the almost religious mantra "Alibaba, Alibaba". I have written frequently the indisputable fact that the majority of suppliers listed on Alibaba are traders pretending to be manufacturers.

It is a simple fact of life that traders buy from manufacturers, add a big margin and then sell to would - be importers. If you buy direct from the manufacturer, you pocket that big margin.

 

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[The Grind]

I know it is too late for you to change your mind, but I see others posting in a similar vein, and I am sorry to see them losing hope of success.

I believe the key point is found in what you wrote: "maybe I can find the product cheaper or something."

I always say Profit Starts With Buying, and if you don't buy right you will forgo the big profits that importing can produce. The biggest stumbling block that I see repeatedly is the almost religious mantra "Alibaba, Alibaba". I have written frequently the indisputable fact that the majority of suppliers listed on Alibaba are traders pretending to be manufacturers.

It is a simple fact of life that traders buy from manufacturers, add a big margin and then sell to would - be importers. If you buy direct from the manufacturer, you pocket that big margin.

I hear you.

Yeah the item I got I was able to get for 5 a piece, and I got lucky getting it that cheap. I wasnt sure what price it would sell as. They sell at 9.99, I raised it to 12.99 and sales immediately stopped. All the other items for that keyword are 5-9.99. And most of them are from china. I am on the first page which is shocking because it is an extremely popular keyword and niche. The item is 5 a piece, 5 to ship, I'm breaking even and at least getting some money back.

 

[aa610]

I know it is too late for you to change your mind, but I see others posting in a similar vein, and I am sorry to see them losing hope of success.

I believe the key point is found in what you wrote: "maybe I can find the product cheaper or something."

I always say Profit Starts With Buying, and if you don't buy right you will forgo the big profits that importing can produce. The biggest stumbling block that I see repeatedly is the almost religious mantra "Alibaba, Alibaba". I have written frequently the indisputable fact that the majority of suppliers listed on Alibaba are traders pretending to be manufacturers.

It is a simple fact of life that traders buy from manufacturers, add a big margin and then sell to would - be importers. If you buy direct from the manufacturer, you pocket that big margin.

So how do we get directly to the manufacturer?


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[TTG SS]

How many total products do you currently have listed?

I am really pushing to get my first product by the end of this month!

 

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[Ecom man]

How many total products do you currently have listed?

I am really pushing to get my first product by the end of this month!

I currently have 48 products. I will be adding 2 more by the end of the week and have about 5 more that I am going to order today.

 

[albertut77]

I currently have 48 products. I will be adding 2 more by the end of the week and have about 5 more that I am going to order today.

Jesus. When you say 48 products I'm guessing you mean 48 different products with several amounts of each, right? How do you deal with so many orders from so many different products every day without going crazy, messing samples and having time for your family / hobbies?

I have 4 products of different sizes at the moment, 1 selling various amounts daily and the other 3 selling 1-3 daily. It's going great, I love it, but when I have the 4 products in stock and listed it can get quite messy. However, I don't have a car to take the orders to the post office, so very often it takes 2-3 bike rides to the post office a day, which is mostly what annoys me. But still, 48 products is insane.

Do you have a set daily working schedule? If so, would you mind sharing it? I'm sure I can improve my time management by 1000%, I just don't have the time to sit down and think about it properly (I still have a full time job, so that is also a stick in the wheel for me).

Thanks!

 

[mbj316]

I currently have 48 products. I will be adding 2 more by the end of the week and have about 5 more that I am going to order today.

Are these all non-branded items that you've been able to come across?

I was finding a number of products with great margins, but that was before realizing that those were largely knock offs and running into issues with eBay's VERO policy. Now that I'm looking for non-branded items, I'm at a complete loss.

 

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[Ecom man]

Jesus. When you say 48 products I'm guessing you mean 48 different products with several amounts of each, right? How do you deal with so many orders from so many different products every day without going crazy, messing samples and having time for your family / hobbies?

I have 4 products of different sizes at the moment, 1 selling various amounts daily and the other 3 selling 1-3 daily. It's going great, I love it, but when I have the 4 products in stock and listed it can get quite messy. However, I don't have a car to take the orders to the post office, so very often it takes 2-3 bike rides to the post office a day, which is mostly what annoys me. But still, 48 products is insane.

Do you have a set daily working schedule? If so, would you mind sharing it? I'm sure I can improve my time management by 1000%, I just don't have the time to sit down and think about it properly (I still have a full time job, so that is also a stick in the wheel for me).

Thanks!

I've been doing this for a few years so it does get easier with practice. I am selling 25-35 items a day currently. Obviously Christmas time will be far more.

Schedule for the day is similar to this
9-10ish get up.
10-11 do the packages that sold overnight
11-12 take packages from previous day and sold overnight to post office
12-7 do running around shopping, family time etc.
7-9 research new products, reorder what I'm running low on etc.
9-11 package up sales from the day
11-12 or 1 research new markets, niches, or just generally read on forums. (Millionaire fast lane, reddit entrepreneur, reddit flipping, reddit marking, etc.)
This is normal M-F routine. Saturday is a little different since the post office closes at noon here.

I am far less rigorous in my schedule now then I was when I had a full time job. For instance right now I'm sitting with my 3 year old watching pink panther Cartoons on YouTube.

Christmas time gets far more intense. Normal sales are 150-200 a day. We make 2 trips to the PO 10ish and 4ish. We normally do packages in the morning, at around 2pm (to take to the PO before they close at 5) and then again at night.

 

[Ecom man]

Are these all non-branded items that you've been able to come across?

I was finding a number of products with great margins, but that was before realizing that those were largely knock offs and running into issues with eBay's VERO policy. Now that I'm looking for non-branded items, I'm at a complete loss.

They are either non branded or Chinese branded. (Meaning some made up brand no one has ever heard of) If you have heard of the brand name then you probably shouldn't be importing it for resale.

 

[albertut77]

I've been doing this for a few years so it does get easier with practice. I am selling 25-35 items a day currently. Obviously Christmas time will be far more.

Schedule for the day is similar to this
9-10ish get up.
10-11 do the packages that sold overnight
11-12 take packages from previous day and sold overnight to post office
12-7 do running around shopping, family time etc.
7-9 research new products, reorder what I'm running low on etc.
9-11 package up sales from the day
11-12 or 1 research new markets, niches, or just generally read on forums. (Millionaire fast lane, reddit entrepreneur, reddit flipping, reddit marking, etc.)
This is normal M-F routine. Saturday is a little different since the post office closes at noon here.

I am far less rigorous in my schedule now then I was when I had a full time job. For instance right now I'm sitting with my 3 year old watching pink panther Cartoons on YouTube.

Christmas time gets far more intense. Normal sales are 150-200 a day. We make 2 trips to the PO 10ish and 4ish. We normally do packages in the morning, at around 2pm (to take to the PO before they close at 5) and then again at night.

That's the life. Give me a couple of years and I'll be there (hopefully not with a wife/kid yet though).

Thanks for sharing, always appreciated.

 

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[TTG SS]

48 products is a ton! Wow, that is impressive.

 

[Walter Hay]

So how do we get directly to the manufacturer?


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There are many people who have been lucky enough to find genuine manufacturers in the huge lottery that is Alibaba, but it is easier quicker, safer, and much more profitable to use sites where what you see is what you get.

I know it is a bone of contention with a few Fastlaners that I won't publish them online, but there is a whole lot more to safe sourcing than finding safe sites. Even the safe sites, just like virtually all others, have gold or other premium ratings but they are useless as a guide to reliability of a supplier.

It is certainly possible to find safe sites without buying my book. All you have to do is research every one of the B2B sites you can find. Read the fine print on every site so that you know exactly how they work, and how you can know whether or not the suppliers listed as manufacturers are genuine. You then need to try them out and see if you have got it right.

I hope it is not too self promotional but here is what one of my book users posted on another forum: "I have contacted some manufacturers already (from links he supplies) and I am just shocked at the low prices they offer for products I am researching. Forget Alibaba, Global Resource, whatever. The Ebook shows you where to find manufacturers, how to verify their credibility etc."

 

[aa610]

There are many people who have been lucky enough to find genuine manufacturers in the huge lottery that is Alibaba, but it is easier quicker, safer, and much more profitable to use sites where what you see is what you get.

I know it is a bone of contention with a few Fastlaners that I won't publish them online, but there is a whole lot more to safe sourcing than finding safe sites. Even the safe sites, just like virtually all others, have gold or other premium ratings but they are useless as a guide to reliability of a supplier.

It is certainly possible to find safe sites without buying my book. All you have to do is research every one of the B2B sites you can find. Read the fine print on every site so that you know exactly how they work, and how you can know whether or not the suppliers listed as manufacturers are genuine. You then need to try them out and see if you have got it right.

I hope it is not too self promotional but here is what one of my book users posted on another forum: "I have contacted some manufacturers already (from links he supplies) and I am just shocked at the low prices they offer for products I am researching. Forget Alibaba, Global Resource, whatever. The Ebook shows you where to find manufacturers, how to verify their credibility etc."

If I could afford it, I would buy it. Seems like a superb read. Thanks for the information.


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[Moises]

Quick question, when you guys mention "Samples" what exactly do you guys mean? Is this a completely new product or just just a sample to try the market out? Thanks in advance

 

[TTG SS]

Quick question, when you guys mention "Samples" what exactly do you guys mean? Is this a completely new product or just just a sample to try the market out? Thanks in advance

Think of it as a test run. They might be completely new(as in nobody else sells them), or there may be a few competitors. The main purpose is to gauge the market, and validate if the product is needed. It also helps test how quickly they sell, and how much they sell for so you'll have a good idea of how many to order if the product is successful.

 

[TTG SS]

Hopefully will be pulling the trigger on two items in the next day or so. Just finalizing some details. Out of the 5 or so suppliers I have dealt with on this product, 2 of them seemed kind of shady. Should I feel relatively safe using the ali escrow? Regardless, it is a risk I am willing to take.

With my research I should be able to profit $17+ on one item, and $8-9 on the other. Probably slightly less with the samples, though.

 

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[albertut77]

Hopefully will be pulling the trigger on two items in the next day or so. Just finalizing some details. Out of the 5 or so suppliers I have dealt with on this product, 2 of them seemed kind of shady. Should I feel relatively safe using the ali escrow? Regardless, it is a risk I am willing to take.

With my research I should be able to profit $17+ on one item, and $8-9 on the other. Probably slightly less with the samples, though.

Ali escrow should be safe. So far DHgate and Aliexpress escrow services have worked great for me, so I wouldn't be too afraid. What I always try to do, however, is be very clear in that if I like the product and the samples are correct, we have a long and prosperous business relationship ahead. Even if they were to be scamming bastards, they know they would end up making more money out of me if they treat me well rather than if they try to scam me the sample order money.

Still, Aliexpress or DHgate won't transfer the money to them until you have received the package and complete the transaction (hence you are OK with what you got) or you receive the package (they know cause it's tracked) and some days have passed without you completing the transaction manually (I believe it's about 10 days).

That profit sounds good. If I may, what's the price you're paying for one product to get to your door, the price for it getting to your buyer's door and the price you'll be selling it for? You definitely don't have to answer these questions, and, if you do, there's no need to be accurate, I'm just curious what your margins are.

Anyway, congrats on taking action! Looking forward to seeing your results' posts!

 

[Chazmania]

Should I feel relatively safe using the ali escrow?

I've used the ali escrow on a couple orders, never had a problem.

 

[TTG SS]

Ali escrow should be safe. So far DHgate and Aliexpress escrow services have worked great for me, so I wouldn't be too afraid. What I always try to do, however, is be very clear in that if I like the product and the samples are correct, we have a long and prosperous business relationship ahead. Even if they were to be scamming bastards, they know they would end up making more money out of me if they treat me well rather than if they try to scam me the sample order money.

Still, Aliexpress or DHgate won't transfer the money to them until you have received the package and complete the transaction (hence you are OK with what you got) or you receive the package (they know cause it's tracked) and some days have passed without you completing the transaction manually (I believe it's about 10 days).

That profit sounds good. If I may, what's the price you're paying for one product to get to your door, the price for it getting to your buyer's door and the price you'll be selling it for? You definitely don't have to answer these questions, and, if you do, there's no need to be accurate, I'm just curious what your margins are.

Anyway, congrats on taking action! Looking forward to seeing your results' posts!

Well, Im taking rough estimates here. Since the shipping is semi-high, although this is tied for lowest shipping quote I received from 5 suppliers, it is going to be about $60-70 to ship DHL express. That product I am buying is around $13.00, and should sell for $40-50. The other product I am considering is selling for $3.50 and has a sale price of $20-26.

What do you guys think about that? Any criticism is gladly taken. Maybe I am making complete amateur mistakes.

Products are pretty light and fairly compact, although I don't think it will fit into a padded envelope...They should fit into the priority mail small box flat rate @ $5.95 shipped.

I have a feeling my low sample quantity is not helping my profit margin. I am not that concerned about making a good profit margin on the samples, but more to get my feet wet with importing. Small goals and work my way up from there.

Also I just mentioned I needed them shipped DHL, I did not mention anything about customs. Does that happen standard with DHL or should I clarify to the suppliers?

Thanks guys!

 

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[Ecom man]

Hopefully will be pulling the trigger on two items in the next day or so. Just finalizing some details. Out of the 5 or so suppliers I have dealt with on this product, 2 of them seemed kind of shady. Should I feel relatively safe using the ali escrow? Regardless, it is a risk I am willing to take.

With my research I should be able to profit $17+ on one item, and $8-9 on the other. Probably slightly less with the samples, though.

The best thing about the escrow service is that it helps reduce scammers. You can still get scammed but far less likely and a lot harder. Plus with aliexpress you can pay with your credit card so you are covered by your credit card too.

 

[albertut77]

Well, Im taking rough estimates here. Since the shipping is semi-high, although this is tied for lowest shipping quote I received from 5 suppliers, it is going to be about $60-70 to ship DHL express. That product I am buying is around $13.00, and should sell for $40-50. The other product I am considering is selling for $3.50 and has a sale price of $20-26.

What do you guys think about that? Any criticism is gladly taken. Maybe I am making complete amateur mistakes.

Products are pretty light and fairly compact, although I don't think it will fit into a padded envelope...They should fit into the priority mail small box flat rate @ $5.95 shipped.

I have a feeling my low sample quantity is not helping my profit margin. I am not that concerned about making a good profit margin on the samples, but more to get my feet wet with importing. Small goals and work my way up from there.

Also I just mentioned I needed them shipped DHL, I did not mention anything about customs. Does that happen standard with DHL or should I clarify to the suppliers?

Thanks guys!

Well I just started two months ago, so I'm quite the amateur as well. I can't say much anyway without knowing if that shipping price with DHL express is for one or both products, and the amount of products that you get with it, but it looks like a pretty decent margin for a sample order. I haven't done all the calculations, but you should get some money out of it (taking the absolutely random guess that you are getting 10 samples of the first product at that shipping price), which is always good for a sample.

Some say that below a 100% benefit from your product costs it might not be worth it, but in my opinion if you are making even a 50% and consistent sales of a product, considering that we are just starting, it's much better than saying "oh no, the big guys say below 100% it's not worth it so why bother". I understand very low margins might become deleterious when you've got returns and refunds, so it's good to have it in mind, but if you have made your calculations considering every possible cost and you're still making a decent benefit, go for it.

I don't know about customs in the US, but in my country I always have to pay for the VAT through DHL's webpage. I receive a text message everytime they requiere me to pay for VAT on imported products (which is usually a day or two before receiving the goods).

And I agree, I'd rather get a very low margin on my samples because I'm ordering a small amount of it rather than order a big one because virtually I'd make more profit but risking not having sales. I guess with practice we'll be more capable of judging what we'll be able to sell with higher accuracy, and hence "order better samples", so to say, but better to take it step by step for now.

Good stuff, good stuff!