[AMA] Importing & wholesaling for resale on eBay.

[ljb7]

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[ljb7]

Glowstick bracelets - on Alibaba some companies are selling them for 2-3 cents each if you buy a large order (5000 or so). Of course this would involve a lot of wholesale and/or repeat customers (ravers, EDM fans, maybe?) but I've seen people at fairgrounds selling them for up to a $1 each sometimes! And I'm sure that if they were packaged in sets of 5 - 10 that customers would be willing to spend up to 40 cents each on them online, although this is speculation. Maybe I shouldn't have shared this, but it kind of seems too good to be true. Your advice seems like it'd be worth more than that product idea in either case. Thanks for your time.

I personally wouldn't pursue a product like this, however, it's something you could try.

I don't like the idea of how much time it could take trying to sell these at events but there definitely could be killer margins. Could be great for some extra cash.

In all honesty though, I don't think anyone can answer this, and as for speculating over the price, there's no point. Why don't you find a place that you can order 100/200 and then try to sell? I wouldn't order 5000 from the get go.

 

[Ecom man]

I personally wouldn't pursue a product like this, however, it's something you could try.

I don't like the idea of how much time it could take trying to sell these at events but there definitely could be killer margins. Could be great for some extra cash.

In all honesty though, I don't think anyone can answer this, and as for speculating over the price, there's no point. Why don't you find a place that you can order 100/200 and then try to sell? I wouldn't order 5000 from the get go.

Agree entirely. Look for products with good margins but also good dollar amounts. Buying something for .05 and selling for $1 is great margins but not something that really works for online sales because of shipping. Products that cost $10 and sell for $40, now thats more like it.

 

[markus johnson]

hi guys,this is my first post and i just want to really thank ecom man and everyone else who have contributed to this fantastic thread.You guys have made me believe that it is actually possible to be able to make some regular income from ebay aslong as you put the time and effort in to finding the right products at the right price,so thankyou.

i just have 1 quick question,say i ordered some samples from alibaba,for instance say a tshirt....and i say i need 20 samples,in your experience would they be prepared to send me say 5 of 1 type of tshirt,5 of another type of tshirt,5 of another and 5 of another or will they only be prepared to send samples of only 1 type,in other words do they mix and match sample orders,or would it only be the 1 type??

has anyone ever tried to order different item samples in a 1 sample order??

thanks guys for the help.

 

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[ljb7]

hi guys,this is my first post and i just want to really thank ecom man and everyone else who have contributed to this fantastic thread.You guys have made me believe that it is actually possible to be able to make some regular income from ebay aslong as you put the time and effort in to finding the right products at the right price,so thankyou.

i just have 1 quick question,say i ordered some samples from alibaba,for instance say a tshirt....and i say i need 20 samples,in your experience would they be prepared to send me say 5 of 1 type of tshirt,5 of another type of tshirt,5 of another and 5 of another or will they only be prepared to send samples of only 1 type,in other words do they mix and match sample orders,or would it only be the 1 type??

has anyone ever tried to order different item samples in a 1 sample order??

thanks guys for the help.

I doubt they'd do that for you because it is such a low value item. If you are buying stuff that is $50+ a piece they might do that for you.

I mean you can give it a shot and ask, but you must remember these guys will be manufacturing 10's of thousands of items each month - probably much more, and so it will most likely not be worth the hassle for them.

 

[markus johnson]

I doubt they'd do that for you because it is such a low value item. If you are buying stuff that is $50+ a piece they might do that for you.

I mean you can give it a shot and ask, but you must remember these guys will be manufacturing 10's of thousands of items each month - probably much more, and so it will most likely not be worth the hassle for them.

thankyou ljb for the reply,i thought that might be the case but alteast i know if its a bit more expensive then it's worth giving it a shot.

 

[Ecom man]

thankyou ljb for the reply,i thought that might be the case but alteast i know if its a bit more expensive then it's worth giving it a shot.

All they can do is tell you no so its definately worth asking. I do agree that for low $$ items they probably will not want the hassle.

 

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[NYCGoblin]

Hey guys I was reading the thread about a month or 2 ago got through the whole thing and got around to buying my first item. It is a safety item used in a niche/sport that I participate in. I was looking stuff up on ebay and saw that there were only 70 results for them and decent sales. I put up my listing on November 7th and to date I have sold 43 of them! The margin is only between $3-6 but it's a great start I think. Looking to find a few more products now. Thank you everyone for the information.

Question though. I believe that I read that November and December are the highest volume months. I can already see as my sales have picked up in the last few days. Now how much of a drop off in sales should I expect in January/February? Thanks again.

 

[smartman]

I can't seem to find the answer to this question through the search, although I feel it has been addressed earlier:

I just had a product made, posted it to ebay, went to post it on amazon, but now amazon requires a upc for all products. before I tell them to kiss my black a$$, has anyone on here gone through this process? Have a reliable company to go through for the upc purchase? Google provides several options, all of which look like a 15 year old russian kid put it together in his parents' basement in order to funnel cc numbers to fund his airsoft addiction. just looking for something secure and reliable. not trying to beat the system here.

 

[Ecom man]

Hey guys I was reading the thread about a month or 2 ago got through the whole thing and got around to buying my first item. It is a safety item used in a niche/sport that I participate in. I was looking stuff up on ebay and saw that there were only 70 results for them and decent sales. I put up my listing on November 7th and to date I have sold 43 of them! The margin is only between $3-6 but it's a great start I think. Looking to find a few more products now. Thank you everyone for the information.

Question though. I believe that I read that November and December are the highest volume months. I can already see as my sales have picked up in the last few days. Now how much of a drop off in sales should I expect in January/February? Thanks again.

The drop in sales depends a lot on the niche. Some items sell well all year around and then pick up Nov & Dec and go back to normal in January. Some items drop like a rock in January. I would guess yours is the first one being a safety item. You will probably go to selling the amount per day that you were pre- Black Friday.

 

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[NYCGoblin]

The drop in sales depends a lot on the niche. Some items sell well all year around and then pick up Nov & Dec and go back to normal in January. Some items drop like a rock in January. I would guess yours is the first one being a safety item. You will probably go to selling the amount per day that you were pre- Black Friday.

Cool thanks for the reply. I hope that my sales were somewhat boosted because I had elevated to first on the best match. But Black Friday has to have a big hand. Since then I've sold 19 items opposed to 26 before then. I wasn't the best match option or cheapest before then so I hope that I lost a few sales because of that. I am super excited now, and determined to find these higher margin products that you guys have. Great thread

 

[Ecom man]

Cool thanks for the reply. I hope that my sales were somewhat boosted because I had elevated to first on the best match. But Black Friday has to have a big hand. Since then I've sold 19 items opposed to 26 before then. I wasn't the best match option or cheapest before then so I hope that I lost a few sales because of that. I am super excited now, and determined to find these higher margin products that you guys have. Great thread

Getting to "best match" is a killer upgrade! Sales skyrocket and you can charge more normally as well!

 

[KONIG]

I find it interesting how changing the price of my items on Ebay by just a few dollars makes the difference between a sale every other day and a sale once a week.

 

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[ljb7]

I find it interesting how changing the price of my items on Ebay by just a few dollars makes the difference between a sale every other day and a sale once a week.

I agree - it's becoming more and more clear to me that a lot of shoppers on ebay are just looking for the cheapest prices/best deal.

 

[Ecom man]

I agree - it's becoming more and more clear to me that a lot of shoppers on ebay are just looking for the cheapest prices/best deal.

That is mostly true but not always. I have items that I am selling $15 higher than the cheapest seller. I am "best match" and selling them like crazy. If you can get best match you can charge higher prices and still get lots of sales.

 

[Ecom man]

A quick little progress update for me. I ended up selling $60,000 for the entire month of November which is more than the 50k goal I set. I am hoping to hit 100k in sales in Decmber before the 18th which will be my cut off sales date until after Christmas (way too many people buy on the 23rd and want it for a present! Plus, USPS can have delays this time of year.)I have $20,000 in sales through the first 5 days of the month so it is certainly looking like 100k month is within reach!

 

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[MIA]

A quick little progress update for me. I ended up selling $60,000 for the entire month of November which is more than the 50k goal I set. I am hoping to hit 100k in sales in Decmber before the 18th which will be my cut off sales date until after Christmas (way too many people buy on the 23rd and want it for a present! Plus, USPS can have delays this time of year.)I have $20,000 in sales through the first 5 days of the month so it is certainly looking like 100k month is within reach!

Congrats, Ecom man, you deserve all the best. Much continued success to you and maybe this time next year you can report even higher sales and profits. Thanks for all the help you have made time to offer so generously here.

 

[exclusives88]

@Ecom man

I'm beginning to start rebranding products. I am going in the process of receiving 2 unbranded samples. However, to rebrand the products they want me to order 500 units ( I negotiated down from 1000 units). This is a $40,000 order. I only want to order 10 - 20 units if these samples are good but they are not bulging. If you were in my position, would you skip these guys and look elsewhere?

 

[Ecom man]

@Ecom man

I'm beginning to start rebranding products. I am going in the process of receiving 2 unbranded samples. However, to rebrand the products they want me to order 500 units ( I negotiated down from 1000 units). This is a $40,000 order. I only want to order 10 - 20 units if these samples are good but they are not bulging. If you were in my position, would you skip these guys and look elsewhere?

That really isn't enough info to make an informed decision. How many of these item can you sell on an average week? Month? I don't like to have more products than I can sell in a months time. Obviously that is just a loose guideline but if the item is selling 10 a week 500 is a year long supply!

If the sales don't support such a large order or if you don't have the financial wherewithal to pay that much at once then you either have to move on or find out why the minimum is 500 items. Are they having to make a new mold/ process to rebrand these items or are they just trying to move 500 at a time cause they need the 40k this month?

 

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[mosdef]

ive tried for a long time now to choose free shipping for europe and flat rate for rest of the world? How do i do this?

 

[exclusives88]

That really isn't enough info to make an informed decision. How many of these item can you sell on an average week? Month? I don't like to have more products than I can sell in a months time. Obviously that is just a loose guideline but if the item is selling 10 a week 500 is a year long supply!

If the sales don't support such a large order or if you don't have the financial wherewithal to pay that much at once then you either have to move on or find out why the minimum is 500 items. Are they having to make a new mold/ process to rebrand these items or are they just trying to move 500 at a time cause they need the 40k this month?

I haven't tested the product yet. They will be able to sell lower quantities but just unbranded. I don't know how many I can sell in a month but I doubt it'd be 500 units. There are competition in this niche but I'm selling something that haven't been seen before. Im estimating that I can sell 10 in a week. Margin will be around $50. I'm just putting my logo and changing the color to the product. No molding is needed.

 

[Ecom man]

I haven't tested the product yet. They will be able to sell lower quantities but just unbranded. I don't know how many I can sell in a month but I doubt it'd be 500 units. There are competition in this niche but I'm selling something that haven't been seen before. Im estimating that I can sell 10 in a week. Margin will be around $50. I'm just putting my logo and changing the color to the product. No molding is needed.

Selling 10 a week there is absolutely no way I would order 500 of them. Tell the supplier that you need a sample order of 50 items to test the consistency of the product quality over a smaller order before you can put out the money for a large order. If they say no then time to find a different supplier for the product who will sell in smaller quantities.

On a side note $50 profit on an $800 item isn't very good margins at all. I am making $40 profit on an item that I buy for $25. Obviously those products are few and far between but all it takes is one scammer to take one item and you lose a week and a half's profit.

 

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[exclusives88]

Selling 10 a week there is absolutely no way I would order 500 of them. Tell the supplier that you need a sample order of 50 items to test the consistency of the product quality over a smaller order before you can put out the money for a large order. If they say no then time to find a different supplier for the product who will sell in smaller quantities.

On a side note $50 profit on an $800 item isn't very good margins at all. I am making $40 profit on an item that I buy for $25. Obviously those products are few and far between but all it takes is one scammer to take one item and you lose a week and a half's profit.

The item is $80. I will be making $50 profit from that. I have yet to find a product for $25 that can profit $40. I'll keep looking. Thanks for your input!

 

[Ronak]

The item is $80. I will be making $50 profit from that. I have yet to find a product for $25 that can profit $40. I'll keep looking. Thanks for your input!

It's been mentioned before, but you can always try the angle of deferring to a 3rd party, i.e, your "manager" did not authorize the order and requires you to follow "company policy" of testing x units with any new supplier. Or even, "we do not have permission from our government to import over x units at this time, and need samples before we can buy more, etc"

 

[exclusives88]

It's been mentioned before, but you can always try the angle of deferring to a 3rd party, i.e, your "manager" did not authorize the order and requires you to follow "company policy" of testing x units with any new supplier. Or even, "we do not have permission from our government to import over x units at this time, and need samples before we can buy more, etc"

Thank you for the suggestion. I've tried the "company policy" excuse and it and it did not work. I'm going to pass on this manufacturer.

 

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[killa_graham]

@Ecom man, I realized I haven't thanked you for all the knowledge you've been so kind to share in this thread. I read it all and ordered my first sample! Although it sold out, the margin and velocity of sales isn't what I should be aiming for so I'll be looking for new items over the Christmas break.

Just selling a sample order of 10 products isn't a huge deal but taking action has opened my mind to the possibility of doing this on a large scale. I'm super excited to take advantage of next year's holiday season so I will be putting in the work for 2015 to make it happen. Thanks again, and good luck with this last bit of Q4 sales!

 

[kaqm]

[QUOTE="i just have 1 quick question,say i ordered some samples from alibaba,for instance say a tshirt....and i say i need 20 samples,in your experience would they be prepared to send me say 5 of 1 type of tshirt,5 of another type of tshirt,5 of another and 5 of another or will they only be prepared to send samples of only 1 type,in other words do they mix and match sample orders,or would it only be the 1 type??

has anyone ever tried to order different item samples in a 1 sample order??

thanks guys for the help.[/QUOTE]

I don't know about Alibaba but I use Aliexpress and dhgate at the moment and the suppliers I've spoken to so far have been flexible with lower value items ie. 10 units of one product, 5 of an other, for items with the wholesale cost as low as $4 per unit. I've asked for similar quotes and they've been very accommodating so you never know unless you ask! Just ask for what you want and negotiate using the strategies suggested early on in this thread.

Again, developing a good relationship with the suppliers is helpful as one offered me the original photos they use. I like to use my own to differentiate my listings but there are times when it could be helpful.

 

[kaqm]

@Ecom man - I've been looking into improving search rankings on Ebay. After finding out that ending a listing (and I guess the same happens when you re-list? Looked into it and found no answer yet) also puts you back to square one in terms of the statistics for the listing. So it seems to make much more sense to upgrade to an Ebay shop straight away to have the 'out of stock/good 'til cancelled' option.

What's your opinion? Is it worth it before you're really sticking with one product? I MIGHT re order one of my samples. It was a small sample and I've had a few sales but I don't know how much of an influence Christmas has had.

 

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[kaqm]

*Just to make the above post clear to everyone, I mean that the selling history remains on good til cancelled listings, but not on relisting as far as I'm aware. Amount sold is one factor Ebay takes into account for moving you upto the top towards best match.

 

[ljb7]

@Ecom man - I've been looking into improving search rankings on Ebay. After finding out that ending a listing (and I guess the same happens when you re-list? Looked into it and found no answer yet) also puts you back to square one in terms of the statistics for the listing. So it seems to make much more sense to upgrade to an Ebay shop straight away to have the 'out of stock/good 'til cancelled' option.

What's your opinion? Is it worth it before you're really sticking with one product? I MIGHT re order one of my samples. It was a small sample and I've had a few sales but I don't know how much of an influence Christmas has had.

Have you ever seen them absurdly high prices on a product listing?

Nope, they aren't trying to scam an unsuspecting buyer (in most cases). Most of the time they're there so the product doesn't sell out while they are waiting for their re-order to arrive.

Same thing but no store needed.