[AMA] Importing & wholesaling for resale on eBay.

[Ecom man]

Here is another question.

I've found 2 products that I believe would be great in the US. The products are selling in Japan and may be also manufactured in Japan. On Alibaba, there is another manufacturer that sells a very similar product. I am not able to tell if the Japanese company has a patent on it. I'm afraid that if I import the china manufacturered product, I may be sued by the Japanese company. Any thoughts around this? Have you ever ran into a issue similar to this?

Ask the seller if they have the patent for the item or if the item has a patent on it at all. That would probably be your best course of action. It is possible that the person in Japan is selling the same item ordered from China as well.

 

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[SueC]

Ecom man thanks for this thread. Couple questions:

1- Have you tried, or heard feedback about Kabbage, they finance ebay businesses, inventory.

2 - Do you drop off at post office or have them come pick it up, the USPS will come to your door to pick up Priority mail, but I'm wondering if they'll still do that when there is a large volume of pkgs?

3 - what seller apps if any are you using; I've used TurboLister, but haven't yet explored all the others out there meant to streamline for sellers.

4 - what's your cost of supplies, are you using USPS flat rate/printed packaging or your own, what % of your gross is spent on supplies? Postage? (Trying to get an idea of what you allocate to overhead when you're trying to deterine if it's a profitable item , i.e. postage, supplies, seller/listing fees etc).

5 - DO you only ship to USA, or are you using ebay's international service now that they're trying to make it easier?

Thanks again sorry for the long list.

 

[Ecom man]

Ecom man thanks for this thread. Couple questions:

1- Have you tried, or heard feedback about Kabbage, they finance ebay businesses, inventory.

2 - Do you drop off at post office or have them come pick it up, the USPS will come to your door to pick up Priority mail, but I'm wondering if they'll still do that when there is a large volume of pkgs?

3 - what seller apps if any are you using; I've used TurboLister, but haven't yet explored all the others out there meant to streamline for sellers.

4 - what's your cost of supplies, are you using USPS flat rate/printed packaging or your own, what % of your gross is spent on supplies? Postage? (Trying to get an idea of what you allocate to overhead when you're trying to deterine if it's a profitable item , i.e. postage, supplies, seller/listing fees etc).

5 - DO you only ship to USA, or are you using ebay's international service now that they're trying to make it easier?

Thanks again sorry for the long list.

1. Never heard of or used them. I use a credit card to purchase everything which puts it out 30 days or so. I started with a few hundred dollars and then reinvested all the profits into more inventory. I just rolled it over like that over and over building up inventory. I never financed anything.
2. I drop off at the post office. I know they will pick it up but that would mean I have to be at home on their schedule. It also means neighbors etc see all these boxes going out all the time from my house. I might just be paranoid but I would rather load them in my garage to my car and drive to the post office. I don't want to give a random thief any ideas.
3. The only app i use is eBays mobile app. I take pics with my iphone or ipad upload them through eBay's app and list it that way. Relisting is as simple as pushing a button when I get more stock.
4. I use USPS padded flat rate envelope a lot of the time. It fits most smaller products and it only costs 5.35 to ship. I get free tape through USPS since it is priority Mail. When figuring profit i look at size of item. If fits padded flat rate i figure $5 shipping. If need medium then $10 shipping. If needs large then $15. I figure eBay's fees at 10% which is about what they are after my TRS discount and add in paypal fees. So if item is selling for $30 and smallish I can figure $5 for shipping $3 for fees so my net is $22 on the product. I wouldn't want to pay more than $10 for said product.
5. I use eBay's Global shipment program to send overseas as well. It is more expensive for the customer cause eBay adds extra fees but that way i just have to send it to their sorting center and then my job is done. If it gets lost, damaged, etc in transit from there it is not my problem it is eBay's

 

[Villain]

Got my first sample today and the product is completely useless...

It requires assembly but the parts don't hold together.

 

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[CarrieW]

Got my first sample today and the product is completely useless...

It requires assembly but the parts don't hold together.

what do you mean the parts don't hold together? maybe its not done completely? could you maybe have to add something like glue?

 

[Villain]

I'm taking my time with it in case I've missed something but I don't think I have.

There is a clip to hold both parts of the item together but the male end is the wrong size.

I'm thinking I probably could glue it but it's a bit disappointing since it's meant to just clip together...and I don't want it coming undone after a period of use!

 

[CarrieW]

I'm taking my time with it in case I've missed something but I don't think I have.

There is a clip to hold both parts of the item together but the male end is the wrong size.

I'm thinking I probably could glue it but it's a bit disappointing since it's meant to just clip together...and I don't want it coming undone after a period of use!

I would contact them and see what they say. maybe they can give you some aha moment something that didn't occur to you that fixes everything? don't throw in the towel! perhaps you are missing a part that should be there? or it needs to be done in a certain order? were the directions in another language? if so and you can solve it it may be a winner yet

 

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[Villain]

Yeh I'm going to get a second opinion on it then contact the supplier.

There aren't really any instructions, just photos of a slightly different product on the box! lol

 

[twentysix]

Hey Ecom Man.

I just wanted to say thanks very much for this fantastic thread. It's the most informative and motivating one I've found on this forum.
I've ordered 3 different product samples, one of which I've just entered phase 2, ordering 6 more of the product and test selling on eBay.

Again, thank you kindly for your time and effort put into this thread. It's appreciated. I really hope to see more responses from you. I check every day and read everything you write.

 

[CarrieW]

@MJ DeMarco I think this should be gold thread perhaps?

 

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[Dicky Dee]

Well its finally arrived after a few months of research, my biggest shipment to date by far....half a ton, here goes nothing!

 

[Ecom man]

Yeh I'm going to get a second opinion on it then contact the supplier.

There aren't really any instructions, just photos of a slightly different product on the box! lol

That's always a bummer Unfortunately sometimes companies don't have the same quality standards as US buyers.

 

[Ecom man]

Hey Ecom Man.

I just wanted to say thanks very much for this fantastic thread. It's the most informative and motivating one I've found on this forum.
I've ordered 3 different product samples, one of which I've just entered phase 2, ordering 6 more of the product and test selling on eBay.

Again, thank you kindly for your time and effort put into this thread. It's appreciated. I really hope to see more responses from you. I check every day and read everything you write.

Great job taking action! Glad that I could be of some help.

 

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[Ecom man]

Well its finally arrived after a few months of research, my biggest shipment to date by far....half a ton, here goes nothing!

I love receiving shipments! It is awesome to know how much profit is sitting in each box ready to hit your bank account!

 

[ebms]

Hey Ecom man,

What do you think of fulfillment by amazon? It seems like a way to automate the process.

Edit: Sorry if this has been talked about earlier in the thread

 

[Ecom man]

Hey Ecom man,

What do you think of fulfillment by amazon? It seems like a way to automate the process.

Edit: Sorry if this has been talked about earlier in the thread

I think that is an amazing way to automate this and take it to the next level. The only issue is the automation has to be worth it because it will be taking a portion of your profits. At this point my wife and I package up everything ourselves for 2 reasons, 1. It gives me control over certain things (I have had people to ask me to enclose a note, not enclose a packing slip etc) 2. I get to keep the profits for myself.(if it costs $5 extra per package to automate it through FBA I would be losing a few grand a month in profit)

 

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[CarrieW]

I think that is an amazing way to automate this and take it to the next level. The only issue is the automation has to be worth it because it will be taking a portion of your profits. At this point my wife and I package up everything ourselves for 2 reasons, 1. It gives me control over certain things (I have had people to ask me to enclose a note, not enclose a packing slip etc) 2. I get to keep the profits for myself.(if it costs $5 extra per package to automate it through FBA I would be losing a few grand a month in profit)

if it increases your sales a lot by being fba it may be worth it to lose the % in profits no? I would split test... see if you get overall more sales being fba... I would rather get less % for more sales. (increasing overall profit and decreasing my work)

but I would imagine that is fluid depending on the product and market and competitors.

 

[Ecom man]

if it increases your sales a lot by being fba it may be worth it to lose the % in profits no? I would split test... see if you get overall more sales being fba... I would rather get less % for more sales. (increasing overall profit and decreasing my work)

but I would imagine that is fluid depending on the product and market and competitors.

It would change from product to product. I was specifically referring to FBA when selling on eBay. At that point there is no additional sales because of the FBA. It is just weighing the pro of not having to deal with the shipping, and the con of losing some profit on every transaction. It also adds time before you can list the items for sale as you have to ship it to Amazon's fulfillment center before you can start listing it.

 

[Villain]

That's always a bummer Unfortunately sometimes companies don't have the same quality standards as US buyers.

Annoying but at least I'm learning. I've ordered something completely different to try out and have my eye on two more ideas.

 

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[Ecom man]

Annoying but at least I'm learning. I've ordered something completely different to try out and have my eye on two more ideas.

Great!!! I always look for things that I personally would buy for myself or as a gift. That helps get my idea maker working.

 

[CarrieW]

It would change from product to product. I was specifically referring to FBA when selling on eBay. At that point there is no additional sales because of the FBA. It is just weighing the pro of not having to deal with the shipping, and the con of losing some profit on every transaction. It also adds time before you can list the items for sale as you have to ship it to Amazon's fulfillment center before you can start listing it.

how do you do fba on ebay? isn't fba fulfilled by amazon? I know the thread was about ebay. I thought I read the whole thing but I may have missed some important parts...

If there were a lag time (ideally you want to keep all inventory in stock at amazon but shit happens) if it were out of stock I would likely hold back a % of my inventory for instant sales and send the rest off for sale once everything became processed to be fba. I would imagine they allow you to sell both ways no?

 

[Ecom man]

how do you do fba on ebay? isn't fba fulfilled by amazon? I know the thread was about ebay. I thought I read the whole thing but I may have missed some important parts...

If there were a lag time (ideally you want to keep all inventory in stock at amazon but shit happens) if it were out of stock I would likely hold back a % of my inventory for instant sales and send the rest off for sale once everything became processed to be fba. I would imagine they allow you to sell both ways no?

I'm not sure about the logistics of having some of the product on hand and some FBA. How would you determine if you are supossed to fulfill the order or FBA? You can use FBA to fulfill orders on all your sales channels not just Amazon's website. You can use their FBA for eBay, your personal website, etc. it really allows a lot of flexibility.

 

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[CarrieW]

I'm not sure about the logistics of having some of the product on hand and some FBA. How would you determine if you are supossed to fulfill the order or FBA? You can use FBA to fulfill orders on all your sales channels not just Amazon's website. You can use their FBA for eBay, your personal website, etc. it really allows a lot of flexibility.

in my head. I personally would have a slightly different listing. one that obviously would show out of stock fba. for one price. and a separate listing for a few cents more or less with immediate shipping done by you. then its up to the customer not you to figure out If they want to wait for fba or right now from you

that's awesome that you can use fba like that. no wonder amazon is a force in and of itself!

 

[Meynstey]

First shipments arrived yesterday. I'm in the same boat as a number of others... in my case, the products were good, but the packaging was garbage (boxes ripped). My supplier swears this is "totally the first time" . I'll be contacting DHL to submit a claim per his request, but will likely be moving on to a different vendor. I'm actually kinda glad this happened with this product, it's low risk and gives me the opportunity to go through the process.

That said, my strategy for these, since they're not totally worthless, is to sell them as "scratch & dent" with a disclaimer on the box.

One question that has come up with some of these products is around warning labels and disclaimers. None of my products are inherently dangerous, but certainly if someone was stupid enough could possibly cause damage or harm. How have you handled this in past?

 

[Mike.B]

Just filed my dispute on Aliexpress today after going back and forth with the supplier to no avail. It'll be interesting to see if I get any of my money returned. From what I've read over the last week, there seems to be a lot of people getting scammed on Aliexpress.

 

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[Ecom man]

First shipments arrived yesterday. I'm in the same boat as a number of others... in my case, the products were good, but the packaging was garbage (boxes ripped). My supplier swears this is "totally the first time" . I'll be contacting DHL to submit a claim per his request, but will likely be moving on to a different vendor. I'm actually kinda glad this happened with this product, it's low risk and gives me the opportunity to go through the process.

That said, my strategy for these, since they're not totally worthless, is to sell them as "scratch & dent" with a disclaimer on the box.

One question that has come up with some of these products is around warning labels and disclaimers. None of my products are inherently dangerous, but certainly if someone was stupid enough could possibly cause damage or harm. How have you handled this in past?

Just so you know it is possible the products were damaged by DHL. I just received a box today that was water damaged like crazy and they had clear taped the entire box to hold it together. Every single product in the box was wet. (They were sealed in plastic so none were complete losses.)Great idea selling them as scratch and dent products!

In regards to a disclaimer I would probably put something in the listing as well as the same disclaimer in writing in the box. A lot of products bought and sold every day could be "dangerous" if a person is stupid. Just write a simple disclaimer and you should be good. (If selling dangerous products where lawsuits are a huge possibility then please take the time to protect yourself through an LLC or other entity.)

 

[Harley]

Great thread Ecom Man. I started some small time importing and reselling from dhgate a few years ago, mainly selling phone screen protectors and some phone chargers. Sold them online and offline. Low margins in terms of value, but great in terms of percentage gains. I stopped that to focus on a Fastlane venture since.

My advice is to keep an eye on what is selling well without too much competition. Some competition is OK, so long as the margins make it worth your while, as it confirms a market exists for you to profit from.

Always order smaller batches initially to see how well they sell. Your sales rate will help you determine whether to restock or not and by what rate. Look at products that are evergreen or aren't short term trends so you know you are unlikely to have to discount prices heavily should your products lose marketplace demand and you have lots of unsold stock. (I learnt my lesson on that one!)

If selling online, make the advert/listing as comprehensive and professional as possible. Include excellent photos (avoid crappy stock images that everyone uses if possible, to appear more genuine to buyers) and detailed descriptions. Don't copy word for word similar listings if you can avoid it. Try to create a unique style about your listings, so it creates a professional identity for you - - but this is more applicable if you intend to do this for some time with multiple related product lines. In a crowded marketplace with many dodgey sellers, users tend to rebuy from, and recommend to others, specific sellers if the service received was awesome and the reputation is great.

Just my thoughts.

Thanks. Could this not become a fastlane venture? If you treat your customers right and move towards services that ship direct (automation) etc. I know it is a crowded space, but as ecom man states, there is still lots of worthwhile products to focus on and there are sellers out there making $1M+ per year.
Great thread BTW

 

[Ecom man]

Thanks. Could this not become a fastlane venture? If you treat your customers right and move towards services that ship direct (automation) etc. I know it is a crowded space, but as ecom man states, there is still lots of worthwhile products to focus on and there are sellers out there making $1M+ per year.
Great thread BTW

The opportunities are really endless. You can do this as a part time ($1,000 a month) You can ramp it up to replace your income entirely ($10,000 a month) or even crank it to over drive and be totally fastlane ($100,000 a month and more)

 

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[Meynstey]

Just so you know it is possible the products were damaged by DHL. I just received a box today that was water damaged like crazy and they had clear taped the entire box to hold it together. Every single product in the box was wet. (They were sealed in plastic so none were complete losses.)Great idea selling them as scratch and dent products!

In regards to a disclaimer I would probably put something in the listing as well as the same disclaimer in writing in the box. A lot of products bought and sold every day could be "dangerous" if a person is stupid. Just write a simple disclaimer and you should be good. (If selling dangerous products where lawsuits are a huge possibility then please take the time to protect yourself through an LLC or other entity.)

Ouch, that sucks. Thanks for that insight... I was looking at the box more closely and it's exactly like what you just described, taped over everything. It also looks like it was stopped for inspection in Hong Kong which may be part of the problem. Fortunately my supplier has stepped up and is actually sending out replacement boxes free of charge.

As for the disclaimer, that's a good suggestion. I'll just print an insert that I include with the packaging.

 

[Ecom man]

Ouch, that sucks. Thanks for that insight... I was looking at the box more closely and it's exactly like what you just described, taped over everything. It also looks like it was stopped for inspection in Hong Kong which may be part of the problem. Fortunately my supplier has stepped up and is actually sending out replacement boxes free of charge.

As for the disclaimer, that's a good suggestion. I'll just print an insert that I include with the packaging.

Good to hear that your supplier is stepping up. Finding a supplier that will take care of you and make sure the products are right is like finding a gold mine! You can then move to other products that he offers and sell them as well.