[AMA] Importing & wholesaling for resale on eBay.

[Ecom man]

Thanks Justin, one more question to add: Is it better to directly send the product from China to a person you sell it to on eBay? e.g. dropshipping, rather then buy the item so it comes to your door step and then pay for more shipping when you have to send it to the person who purchased the item?

I never ever ever recommend drop shipping from China! I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to check the quality of the items personally. Every company I have come across in China that would drop ship uses the slowest shipping in the world. I'm talking 30+ days for the customer to receive the item. Most of the time there is not accurate tracking either so you would be setting yourself up for neg feedback like crazy and emails all the time of where is my item etc.
You can ship out any item from your post office to their doorstep in 2-3 days with Priority Mail. Which would you be happier with, 30+ days or 3?

 

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[Ecom man]

I feel like nearly 90 percent of the companies on alibaba also sell on ebay, so having your product in house/in the country is going to be where you add value. pretty tough to compete.

Plus a lot of people will pay a lot more to get it from a US seller than from China. You add value by quick shipping and get way more sales because it is coming from the US. You also add value by answering questions as quick as possible. I have the eBay app on my phone and answer questions normally within minutes. The first seller to answer questions will normally get the sale. Many people will search on eBay for items just from US sellers so that completely eliminates all the Chinese competition too.

 

[Tehcasa]

Ecom can I PM you?

 

[Tyman]

Have you tried using FBA (Fullfillment by Amazon) ?? Or do you ship everything by yourself? I'm thinking of starting small this summer while finishing off university this summer. Ordered a few samples and found a few good deals that will sell for a profit on eBay and Amazon so far. Looking to find some decent stuff from China to sell in the next few weeks depending on how much time my courses take up. I was thinking of just sending everything to the FBA warehouse so I don't have to worry about shipping stuff out on top of school and work but I'd like to know how you deal with the shipping if you don't mind sharing.

 

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[Ecom man]

Have you tried using FBA (Fullfillment by Amazon) ?? Or do you ship everything by yourself? I'm thinking of starting small this summer while finishing off university this summer. Ordered a few samples and found a few good deals that will sell for a profit on eBay and Amazon so far. Looking to find some decent stuff from China to sell in the next few weeks depending on how much time my courses take up. I was thinking of just sending everything to the FBA warehouse so I don't have to worry about shipping stuff out on top of school and work but I'd like to know how you deal with the shipping if you don't mind sharing.

I currently don't use FBA simply because I like to ship things out as fast as possible. (Within hours) I will at some point go to doing FBA so I can free up my time for other things.
I think if you are just starting out you should do the shipping yourself to get the hang of responding to messages about your shipping times, what questions customers ask etc. If someone messages me about a package and whether it has been shipped etc i know the answer because I am the one doing the shipping.

 

[ddall]

@Ecom man

Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

I am curious on your take regarding the optimization of the following: Title, Description, and SEO pointing to your amazon and ebay listing. Thanks

 

[Ecom man]

@Ecom man

Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

I am curious on your take regarding the optimization of the following: Title, Description, and SEO pointing to your amazon and ebay listing. Thanks

I am all for anything you can do to drive people to your listing but the only thing i do is make sure to use all the keywords in the title possible. Don't waste keywords on words such as "new, refurbished, free shipping, etc etc.

If I am selling a pair of men's jeans i use the title "Men's Arizona jeans size 38/34 denim work pants carpenter thirty eight waist" or something along those lines. So many people don't use all the available space in their title. The more keywords you use the more people will come across your listing. (You can't keyword spam so don't stick a bunch of random brands that your item isn't though)

 

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[ddall]

I am all for anything you can do to drive people to your listing but the only thing i do is make sure to use all the keywords in the title possible. Don't waste keywords on words such as "new, refurbished, free shipping, etc etc.

If I am selling a pair of men's jeans i use the title "Men's Arizona jeans size 38/34 denim work pants carpenter thirty eight waist" or something along those lines. So many people don't use all the available space in their title. The more keywords you use the more people will come across your listing. (You can't keyword spam so don't stick a bunch of random brands that your item isn't though)

Thank you for your input.

What is your take on writing, optimizing a description?

Any tips or tricks to increase traffic to new sellers with minimum sales/listing history?

Thanks

 

[Ecom man]

Thank you for your input.

What is your take on writing, optimizing a description?

Any tips or tricks to increase traffic to new sellers with minimum sales/listing history?

Thanks

Normally what's in the description wont be searched for so you don't have to worry about keywords etc. there is a way to search in descriptions as well but hardly anyone on eBay uses it.

Don't have a one sentence description! Even if it is a brand new item you need to write a couple of paragraphs. I have one paragraph about the item (Brand new, still in box great to be used for.....) one paragraph explaining shipping (what carrier you use, how you offer free shipping, how you ship every item within 24 hrs carefully wrapped etc) one paragraph about your return/defect policy ( guarantee 100% satisfaction! we will do everything we can to make you happy! we are in business to meet your every need etc.) and a couple short sentences about how you want them to be completely satisfied with your product and if not contact you immediately so you can make it right.

Don't make promises you don't intend to keep. If you say 100% guaranteed then you will have people that will take advantage of you. You have to understand it is the cost of doing business and just deal with it. Same thing with shipping times. Don't promise fast shipping and then not deliver on it.

 

[theundecidedt]

Thanks for the great thread. Not sure if it has been asked before but how much priority do you put on trying to brand your product? Is it essential right out if the gate or do you wait until you know it's a successful product before branding?

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

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[Ecom man]

Thanks for the great thread. Not sure if it has been asked before but how much priority do you put on trying to brand your product? Is it essential right out if the gate or do you wait until you know it's a successful product before branding?

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

I don't waste the time or money branding anything to start out. Why take the time and effort to brand something when you have no idea how it will sell? If you find a great seller and are ordering hundreds or thousands a month then you can talk with the factory about putting your brand on it. Plus out of the gate your brand is just another generic so there is not really any point to branding a product to test it.

 

[Hardball]

@Ecom man

First post on Fastlane - lurked for awhile, but I just wanted to personally thank you for the knowledge/experience you're sharing with everyone, and I wanted to offer my story (since I'll probably be back here often for advice!)

I've been an active seller on eBay since 2005, and I've operated an Amazon store since late 2013, but I always sourced by inventory domestically as a spare-time hobby (Craigslist, bulk wholesale lots, and yard sales). I work full-time for a software company, but this February (before I found this forum), I became determined to get an import/resale business up and running on the side. I seriously failed.

I started with a 20 unit sample (way too large) for an accessory electronic component, and it sold PHENOMENALLY well. The margin on the completed eBay auction was almost 500%. I got greedy, and ordered a large restock - long story short, I didn't QA the sample enough - it failed for the customer - subsequent testing revealed nearly all of the inventory to be duds/counterfeit. I lost about $140 in and incurred some negative feedback (probably the worst part). Tried another product (matched sets of novelty shot glasses, this time in a smaller sample amount), and I've been trying to unload those for nearly 3 weeks now! Bad research on my part.

Consequently, I've been on a 1 month break... But after reading all of the advice you're offering and all of the questions you've answered, I feel inspired me to pick up, dust off, and go at it again. As of this writing, I have 3 product samples en route, and I'm exploring MOQ for 2 additional products (I use Aliexpress almost exclusively).

Just wanted to share my story so far, I'll certainly be asking my share of questions. Sorry for the long post! And thanks again!

 

[Ecom man]

@Ecom man

First post on Fastlane - lurked for awhile, but I just wanted to personally thank you for the knowledge/experience you're sharing with everyone, and I wanted to offer my story (since I'll probably be back here often for advice!)

I've been an active seller on eBay since 2005, and I've operated an Amazon store since late 2013, but I always sourced by inventory domestically as a spare-time hobby (Craigslist, bulk wholesale lots, and yard sales). I work full-time for a software company, but this February (before I found this forum), I became determined to get an import/resale business up and running on the side. I seriously failed.

I started with a 20 unit sample (way too large) for an accessory electronic component, and it sold PHENOMENALLY well. The margin on the completed eBay auction was almost 500%. I got greedy, and ordered a large restock - long story short, I didn't QA the sample enough - it failed for the customer - subsequent testing revealed nearly all of the inventory to be duds/counterfeit. I lost about $140 in and incurred some negative feedback (probably the worst part). Tried another product (matched sets of novelty shot glasses, this time in a smaller sample amount), and I've been trying to unload those for nearly 3 weeks now! Bad research on my part.

Consequently, I've been on a 1 month break... But after reading all of the advice you're offering and all of the questions you've answered, I feel inspired me to pick up, dust off, and go at it again. As of this writing, I have 3 product samples en route, and I'm exploring MOQ for 2 additional products (I use Aliexpress almost exclusively).

Just wanted to share my story so far, I'll certainly be asking my share of questions. Sorry for the long post! And thanks again!

Great job getting back on the horse and going back after it! When I started I had many of the same issues (ordering way to much without testing first etc.) You will still have those even when you have been doing it a while. All I look at is that is another bad product closer to finding a great one. It is a couple hundred dollar investment on the way to making thousands or tens of thousands per month! I'll take that investment every time!

 

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[smartman]

i've had more success on alibaba than aliexpress. have you had better luck there because you are relying on smaller sample sizes?

 

[Ecom man]

i've had more success on alibaba than aliexpress. have you had better luck there because you are relying on smaller sample sizes?

You can get cheaper prices on alibaba but aliexpress already has the price and shipping there for you so you don't have to contact a single seller. It saves you time and allows you to know quicker if a product will work or not. For a sample aliexpress isn't a bad choice. Once you have tried an item and like it I would move to alibaba simply because of the prices on larger quantities being cheaper.

 

[sle3pyguii]

I have a question about samples.

I've found a product that I want to try out, and have found a supplier. When I asked for samples, he said all he could offer me was 2pc of 58USD without shipping. The higher end of the FOB price listed on alibaba was 6USD with an MOQ of 500. As this is my first import product, I was wondering if this type of sample pricing is common? From my inexperience, 58USD for 2pc on a 6USD/500 MOQ item seems steep.

From what I've seen, similar products can be sold for easily 3 to 4x the FOB price.

I tried to get a higher sample count, but he said that he couldn't do it at the moment, as the sample office is getting ready for the Canton Fair(?).

Thanks for your help!

 

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[bboyu]

Very true but eBay is not a good place to build a brand. If your brand is already built then you could obviously command a higher price, however if you are just building a brand your brand on eBay has no brand power just like any generic would. You are just a generic with your own brand on it. A lot of people will "save" a seller they get good service from and then go back to that seller first. So if that seller has just started his own brand or is selling generics it generally wouldn't matter to buyers.
If I was majorly concerned about branding, I wouldn't sell on eBay or Amazon. If building a brand I would use those sites sparingly to drive people to my brands website and then sell them from there.

If you want to build a brand instead of selling products/building an account with positive feedback...how would you approach this differently? I know of an entrepreneur who started off on ebay just to test the market for luxury bathroom stuff like Jacuzzis, hot tubs etc he imported from china - after a few months got his own website going and has been killing it for nearly 10 years. He does not sell on ebay anymore.

What is the homework necessary behind having success like this? What if you want to branch out and make a brand after ebay, like Nasty Gal for example, sold vintage clothes on ebay - branched out from there and started a brand. How do you find that one product category and do all the necessary research behind it to then be able to go and do it without amazon and ebay?

I am only selling on eBay and Amazon at this time. I am going to set up my own website and send coupons out in each order sometime soon I just haven't done it yet.

How would this work? Would you not sell the items on your website as your own but send customers an incentive to go to your website for a coupon that they can redeem when they buy from you at ebay or amazon? Please explain.

It can help you know how big of a demand that item has at the time.

This is why I have a problem with looking at ebay completed listings and amazon bestsellers for product ideas because it is like a snapshot in time - it only tells you what you want to see on the day to show you how many have sold around the time period you've searched.

How would you determine long term demand of a product?

I really want to build a proper business - You said in another post around the words of "what's the point in wasting time and money to brand something if you don't know how it is going to sell?" - This is exactly my point.

Please explain.

 

[Ecom man]

I have a question about samples.

I've found a product that I want to try out, and have found a supplier. When I asked for samples, he said all he could offer me was 2pc of 58USD without shipping. The higher end of the FOB price listed on alibaba was 6USD with an MOQ of 500. As this is my first import product, I was wondering if this type of sample pricing is common? From my inexperience, 58USD for 2pc on a 6USD/500 MOQ item seems steep.

From what I've seen, similar products can be sold for easily 3 to 4x the FOB price.

I tried to get a higher sample count, but he said that he couldn't do it at the moment, as the sample office is getting ready for the Canton Fair(?).

Thanks for your help!

I would look for a different supplier! If everyone else is selling them for $6 each and he wants $29 there is obviously a problem. On a sample order your shipping will be higher but your purchase price shouldn't be 5x as much! I always look to get 5-20 items as a sample depending on the price point. The higher the price the lower orginal sample I get.

 

[Ecom man]

If you want to build a brand instead of selling products/building an account with positive feedback...how would you approach this differently? I know of an entrepreneur who started off on ebay just to test the market for luxury bathroom stuff like Jacuzzis, hot tubs etc he imported from china - after a few months got his own website going and has been killing it for nearly 10 years. He does not sell on ebay anymore.

What is the homework necessary behind having success like this? What if you want to branch out and make a brand after ebay, like Nasty Gal for example, sold vintage clothes on ebay - branched out from there and started a brand. How do you find that one product category and do all the necessary research behind it to then be able to go and do it without amazon and ebay?



How would this work? Would you not sell the items on your website as your own but send customers an incentive to go to your website for a coupon that they can redeem when they buy from you at ebay or amazon? Please explain.



This is why I have a problem with looking at ebay completed listings and amazon bestsellers for product ideas because it is like a snapshot in time - it only tells you what you want to see on the day to show you how many have sold around the time period you've searched.

How would you determine long term demand of a product?

I really want to build a proper business - You said in another post around the words of "what's the point in wasting time and money to brand something if you don't know how it is going to sell?" - This is exactly my point.

Please explain.

1. I have not yet made a brand for myself outside eBay so you would be better finding that guy and woman you mentioned and ask them that question.

2. I would send a coupon/advertisement in each package that I sold on eBay and Amazon. The coupon would give my website and offer a discount for a purchase on there.

3. You determine demand for a product by samples. That is why you always need to order samples to test a product for yourself. Completed listings etc can help you determine a product to sell but selling samples is the true test. If you sell 10 samples in 1 day you can probably be pretty sure you found a hot product! One product I sell only sells about 10-15 per month. I found that out by selling samples. I am ok with that amount because I profit 100+ on each one. Since I know I'm only selling 10-15 per month I'm not going to order 100 of them. I order them 10-20 at a time.

 

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[Wuz]

Hi

Ebay or Amazon have any policy to give money back to to customers who are not satisfied?

What is your best advice to manage "complaints" and to give the money back to the consumer without any further problems with the consumer.

In other words how you assure that the consumer stays happy and with his money.

Thanks for your contribuition

 

[Ecom man]

Hi

Ebay or Amazon have any policy to give money back to to customers who are not satisfied?

What is your best advice to manage "complaints" and to give the money back to the consumer without any further problems with the consumer.

In other words how you assure that the consumer stays happy and with his money.

Thanks for your contribuition

I offer a 100% guarantee on my products. If the customer is not happy they can return the item for any reason. eBay and Amazon will let customers return items for any reason anyway so play it up as a great guarantee!
My best advice for complaints is answer them as quickly as possible and always take the blame. The money you will lose to scammers is made back by the complete satisfaction you will give to all your other customers.

You will have people who will take advantage of your great policies but the customer loyalty value will far exceed the small losses on a couple of sales.

 

[s168]

... One product I sell only sells about 10-15 per month. I found that out by selling samples. I am ok with that amount because I profit 100+ on each one. Since I know I'm only selling 10-15 per month I'm not going to order 100 of them. I order them 10-20 at a time.

Just out of curiosity, what price range do you sell your items at and what profit margin range do you go for?

At $100+ profit per item sold, I'm guessing you're selling them at around $300-500 or so. Am I close?

 

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[Ecom man]

Just out of curiosity, what price range do you sell your items at and what profit margin range do you go for?

At $100+ profit per item sold, I'm guessing you're selling them at around $300-500 or so. Am I close?

I go for doubling my money after all fees and shipping costs. I have products from $20 up to $250. The $250 is the one that I am making 100+ on. I am getting them for $90 each including shipping to me. Fees on the sale are 12% shipping is between $15 and $30 depending on where it is delivered to. So on an expensive shipping order i make $100 on a cheaper one i make $115.

 

[bboyu]

1. I have not yet made a brand for myself outside eBay so you would be better finding that guy and woman you mentioned and ask them that question.

2. I would send a coupon/advertisement in each package that I sold on eBay and Amazon. The coupon would give my website and offer a discount for a purchase on there.

3. You determine demand for a product by samples. That is why you always need to order samples to test a product for yourself. Completed listings etc can help you determine a product to sell but selling samples is the true test. If you sell 10 samples in 1 day you can probably be pretty sure you found a hot product! One product I sell only sells about 10-15 per month. I found that out by selling samples. I am ok with that amount because I profit 100+ on each one. Since I know I'm only selling 10-15 per month I'm not going to order 100 of them. I order them 10-20 at a time.

Thankyou. Say you wanted to build a fastlane business out of this? What would you do differently from the beginnig or say even now? When you set up your ecommerce store what would be your niche? because you wouldn't want to be a "we sell anything and everything" type of a store?

What you are doing is great and its what im going to start off from aswell but I dont wanto be doing it for too long but focus on buildig a business out of it - I want to see - if for example another fastlane opportunity does not come "your" (as in mine, yours or anybody elses) way - how could we turn this into a fastlane biz down the line with the premise bing correct in the first place

 

[Ecom man]

Thankyou. Say you wanted to build a fastlane business out of this? What would you do differently from the beginnig or say even now? When you set up your ecommerce store what would be your niche? because you wouldn't want to be a "we sell anything and everything" type of a store?

What you are doing is great and its what im going to start off from aswell but I dont wanto be doing it for too long but focus on buildig a business out of it - I want to see - if for example another fastlane opportunity does not come "your" (as in mine, yours or anybody elses) way - how could we turn this into a fastlane biz down the line with the premise bing correct in the first place

I am building a fastlane business out of this! I would say a business profiting 100k+ a year 3 years into it isn't too shabby considering I was flying by the seat of my pants when starting. I wouldn't change anything except probably spend more time finding new products and getting a website up and running near the beginning. Of course up until a few months ago I had never even heard of a "fastlane".

 

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[bboyu]

I am building a fastlane business out of this! I would say a business profiting 100k+ a year 3 years into it isn't too shabby considering I was flying by the seat of my pants when starting. I wouldn't change anything except probably spend more time finding new products and getting a website up and running near the beginning. Of course up until a few months ago I had never even heard of a "fastlane".

That's great! I am not undermining what you're doing 1 bit! I assure you.

Ok so with regards to your website what would be the premise for that? Like i said you wouldn't be a "we sell anything and everything" type of a store or would you?

What would be the niche primarily? Retail market is huge and besides customer service in all aspects which you've nailed, there must be something else to differentiate.

 

[Paleo]

Great job getting back on the horse and going back after it! When I started I had many of the same issues (ordering way to much without testing first etc.) You will still have those even when you have been doing it a while. All I look at is that is another bad product closer to finding a great one. It is a couple hundred dollar investment on the way to making thousands or tens of thousands per month! I'll take that investment every time!

Totally agree with this.

I've got a sample on the way and am talking to several suppliers. My view is that I expect to have losses and failures along the way, especially at the beginning. I accept this and plan to just keep being persistent. Although I'm doing my best to choose products that I think will sell, the only way to know for sure is to just go for it and take the risk. If a product fails, cut you losses as best you can and try again.

With regard to returns and guarantees, Ecom Mans approach is the right one. Just refund the money without argument. While most buyers are honest and reasonable there are some scummy and crazy people out there who will take advantage of you. I just view them as a cost of doing business, like taxes and don't let it upset me. Buyers have all the power in these markets and you will only hurt your business by getting in a pissing match with them since they can so easily neg you for baseless reasons. You really can't win. Instead, win by making money. I've been selling on Ebay for years and have a 100% positive rating which is a big help in making sales and getting good prices for your items. Buyers will pay more for items from sellers they feel they can trust

 

[Wuz]

Manufacters /retailers only sell samples to products with prices above 100, right?


manufactures in generally, they are willing to sell samples (20-30 items) or you have to posess good negotiation skills, and find the "right" manufacter?

 

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[Ecom man]

Manufacters /retailers only sell samples to products with prices above 100, right?


manufactures in generally, they are willing to sell samples (20-30 items) or you have to posess good negotiation skills, and find the "right" manufacter?

You can get samples for products that are even selling for pennies. Of course the shipping cost will kill you if you are only ordering 1 of that item. Almost every manufacture will send you a sample order of 5,10,20 or whatever you need. Just tell them you need a sample order to test the quality of the item and whether it is sellable in your market. If you find someone who won't send you a sample you are probably not talking to a manufacture that is hungry for your business or you are talking to a middle man who doesn't want to deal with small orders.

 

[Yankee427]

Manufacters /retailers only sell samples to products with prices above 100, right?


manufactures in generally, they are willing to sell samples (20-30 items) or you have to posess good negotiation skills, and find the "right" manufacter?

I just purchased a sample of a product that cost $12 from a manufacturer on Alibaba. The product is $10 if you buy more than $1000. Shipping was quite a bit, I bought 12 of them but its worth it to check it out before doing anything further.