For 8 years I have helped ZARA, H&M, The US Government, and More... Import from China

[Edmund James]

8 years ago almost to the day I started my company Kekai Express out of a slum apartment (that we were illegally squatting in) in Guangzhou, China. Last year we did almost 17 million dollars in turnover.

You name it, we have sold it, made it, source it, imported it, exported it, or tried to....

So ask me anything! I am here to answer

I am doing a free webinar on all of the above on Nov, 13th so please sign up below

http://startupbros.com/importing-event

 

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[CMG987]

8 years ago almost to the day I started my company Kekai Express out of a slum apartment (that we were illegally squatting in) in Guangzhou, China. Last year we did almost 17 million dollars in turnover.

You name it, we have sold it, made it, source it, imported it, exported it, or tried to....

So ask me anything! I am here to answer

I am doing a free webinar on all of the above on Nov, 13th so please sign up below

http://startupbros.com/importing-event

Hi Edmund,

I wished I had someeone like your company chekcing my first import.
We imported goods from Alibaba and the manufacturer changed the design in terms of safety assurance.

But this was pure stupidity because we received samples previously and no sample had safety problems.
Now the manufacturer refuses to make a new delivery with concluded design.

So all in all, we paid for almost useless goods which is a desaster.

Possible to hire you afterwards
What is the genral cost for such a service?

Best regards
C.

 

[tafy]

Looks like awesome service

 

[Davor]

This is awesome. Could you go a little bit more into how much would services like that cost? (sourcing, product development, logistics)
Thanks

 

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[Bigguns50]

I am doing a free webinar

Mmmm...and then you'll try to sell us what ?
A true AMA doesn't promote something to sell but I'll leave the Mods to chime in here.

But..I appreciate the AMA.

 

[Twista]

I remember tuning into one of these webinars during the summer. They'll tell you how to import stuff from China, get a Terapek account to check sales on eBay and I think Amazon, can't remember, then sale on ebay, Amazon, or your own website. They'll try to sell a step-by-step a corse at the end of the webinar. Didn't buy it.

It was okay. Learned a lot about Alibaba.

 

[Edmund James]

No problem email me at

Edmund@kekaiexpress.com and we will see what we can do for you.

 

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[Edmund James]

Thanks buddy, definitely checkout the webinar.

 

[Edmund James]

This is awesome. Could you go a little bit more into how much would services like that cost? (sourcing, product development, logistics)
Thanks

Davor, so for sourcing services you are typically going to pay from 5-10% of the order value depending on what you are looking to do.

The same goes for prototyping, you could spend as little as $1,000 to $2,000 but it could go up to $100,000 depending on the product.

With logistics you always want to check the 4 w's when, where, what, weight

 

[Edmund James]

Mmmm...and then you'll try to sell us what ?
A true AMA doesn't promote something to sell but I'll leave the Mods to chime in here.

But..I appreciate the AMA.

You didn't ask me anything.

 

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[Edmund James]

I remember tuning into one of these webinars during the summer. They'll tell you how to import stuff from China, get a Terapek account to check sales on eBay and I think Amazon, can't remember, then sale on ebay, Amazon, or your own website. They'll try to sell a step-by-step a corse at the end of the webinar. Didn't buy it.

It was okay. Learned a lot about Alibaba.

Even if you do not buy the course the webinar is worth its weight in gold, not sure anywhere else on the internet where you can get this much free info on importing in one place. Plus ask live questions.

Thanks for watching the last webinar.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

@Edmund James -- this is not a legit AMA if you continue to ask people to "join the webinar" or email you privately. The mods are going to shut it down.

If you're going to promote a webinar (which ostensibly will be a sales pitch combined with some information) then it needs to go into the MARKETPLACE. Marketplace ads are just $19 and will give you the latitude to continue this quasi-AMA here in any manner you seek, plus give you a full sales thread for the webinar.

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/account/upgrades

I might add that some folks will generally be more receptive as being in the marketplace gives a better feel for transparency vs here, where they feel a pitch lurking underneath.

Thanks.

 

[Edmund James]

@Edmund James -- this is not a legit AMA if you continue to ask people to "join the webinar" or email you privately. The mods are going to shut it down.

If you're going to promote a webinar (which ostensibly will be a sales pitch combined with some information) then it needs to go into the MARKETPLACE. Marketplace ads are just $19 and will give you the latitude to continue this quasi-AMA here in any manner you seek, plus give you a full sales thread for the webinar.

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/account/upgrades

I might add that some folks will generally be more receptive as being in the marketplace gives a better feel for transparency vs here, where they feel a pitch lurking underneath.

Thanks.

Not mean to be spammy at all, but the above questions are VERY general, so hard for me to answer. Any specific questions I am more than happy to answer. Regardless, thanks for the tip and appreciate the feedback.

 

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[Edmund James]

Hi Edmund,

I wished I had someeone like your company chekcing my first import.
We imported goods from Alibaba and the manufacturer changed the design in terms of safety assurance.

But this was pure stupidity because we received samples previously and no sample had safety problems.
Now the manufacturer refuses to make a new delivery with concluded design.

So all in all, we paid for almost useless goods which is a desaster.

Possible to hire you afterwards
What is the genral cost for such a service?

Best regards
C.

To give a more specific answer to this, it really depends on the project, typically we charge between 5-10% on the order value, but there are a lot of variables that can have an effect on this.

 

[Determined2012]

Did you maintain a list of the vendors? Would like to know which one is Zaras.

 

[MitchC]

I want to have a plastic product manufactured and packaged. I would prefer China as it's cheaper but I'm scared about piracy, any advice about preventing this? Any advice about the entire process?

 

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[Edmund James]

Did you maintain a list of the vendors? Would like to know which one is Zaras.

For Zara our sister, IFG Fashion did the design and production, we did the QC and logistics. Kekai and IFG are both owned by the same partners, myself and the Banna family.

 

[Edmund James]

I want to have a plastic product manufactured and packaged. I would prefer China as it's cheaper but I'm scared about piracy, any advice about preventing this? Any advice about the entire process?

Piracy in China is inevitable, however unless you have something really unique or a new invention, chances are there is already some form of it lurking around China.

The other thing is this, the strength of 99% of products on the market is not the product itself, but the marketing. So in my opinion, you should be focused on trying to get it made cheaply and correctly in China and then put together a kick a$$ sales and marketing plan for your local turf.

 

[Determined2012]

Thank you for responding @Edmund James I've been in Guangzhou and yes, they have any product you can think of, in any category, in any industry. It is mind blowing and fascinating!

 

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[Dicky Dee]

Piracy in China is inevitable, however unless you have something really unique or a new invention, chances are there is already some form of it lurking around China.

The other thing is this, the strength of 99% of products on the market is not the product itself, but the marketing. So in my opinion, you should be focused on trying to get it made cheaply and correctly in China and then put together a kick a$$ sales and marketing plan for your local turf.

First all i just want to let you know i watched your first webinar with will and found it to be fantastic! Will the 2nd webinar be the same content? I noticed that you guys had a crew at the last canton fair, how can someone join that if you go again?

I completely agree with your 2nd paragraph, i just started my importing business this past year with helpful information from a few of the guys on this forum. I dont have too much problem importing now as i got the gist of it and shipping it by sea this past year, what i dont know how to do properly yet is market the products properly, any pointers you can give an aspiring importer?

 

[Edmund James]

Thank you for responding @Edmund James I've been in Guangzhou and yes, they have any product you can think of, in any category, in any industry. It is mind blowing and fascinating!

Yeah I know it is crazy! You should check out Canton Fair.

 

[Edmund James]

First all i just want to let you know i watched your first webinar with will and found it to be fantastic! Will the 2nd webinar be the same content? I noticed that you guys had a crew at the last canton fair, how can someone join that if you go again?

I completely agree with your 2nd paragraph, i just started my importing business this past year with helpful information from a few of the guys on this forum. I dont have too much problem importing now as i got the gist of it and shipping it by sea this past year, what i dont know how to do properly yet is market the products properly, any pointers you can give an aspiring importer?

The new webinar is actually focused on marketing products for the holidays.

Top things I have seen work for people are this.

1. Amazon Sponsored Ads
2. Facebook ads to Amazon / Ebay links
3. Giving away free product to get reviews on Amazon
4. Private labeling product
5. Google ad words to Ebay links, but now they will flag these after a bit.
6. B2B sales, if you can find a way to get in on this, I personally believe that is where the money is. My best advice for breaking into this is leverage you network and give, give, give, ask.

 

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[mars]

The new webinar is actually focused on marketing products for the holidays.

Top things I have seen work for people are this.

1. Amazon Sponsored Ads
2. Facebook ads to Amazon / Ebay links
3. Giving away free product to get reviews on Amazon
4. Private labeling product
5. Google ad words to Ebay links, but now they will flag these after a bit.
6. B2B sales, if you can find a way to get in on this, I personally believe that is where the money is. My best advice for breaking into this is leverage you network and give, give, give, ask.

So pretty much this is going to be a version of Amazing Selling Machine with the addition of Ebay?

What do you suggest are the best practices with shipping in dealing with suppliers in China? Should you go with a freight forwarder if shipping by sea or just have them ship by FedEx/UPS/DHL? Also, what should be the response if a supplier tells you that you would have the pick up the order yourself from customs?

 

[Twista]

How do you deal with shipping from Asia? With DHL the shipping for me is always $25+ even on lightweight products.

How can you talk manufacturers to lower their MOQ? Or would it be better to go wholesale?

On drop shipping, do you get items shipped to your home first, build a good relationship with the manu, then ask them for drop shipping? Or do you ask them upfront about drop shipping?

I really appreciate the webinars you and StartUp Bros offer, I meant to mention that in my earlier post.

 

[Edmund James]

So pretty much this is going to be a version of Amazing Selling Machine with the addition of Ebay?

What do you suggest are the best practices with shipping in dealing with suppliers in China? Should you go with a freight forwarder if shipping by sea or just have them ship by FedEx/UPS/DHL? Also, what should be the response if a supplier tells you that you would have the pick up the order yourself from customs?

Nothing like ASM, but really if you want to know more about that you can check the webinar. Let's focus on your questions and less on that.

So to answer your questions.

1. Typically dealing with a freight forwarder is going to be A. Easier as they will take care of all customs clearance for you. B. Cheaper they are shipping large quantities everyday and the pricing they get is going to be better than what you get with DHL, unless you have a corporate account and already are shipping at a discount.

2. What do they mean you have to pick it up at customs? They want you to clear customs for them out of China or in your home country? If it is in your home country that has nothing to do with the supplier, so I would disregard whatever they told you. This is something you need to work out with your forwarding company.

 

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[Edmund James]

How do you deal with shipping from Asia? With DHL the shipping for me is always $25+ even on lightweight products.

How can you talk manufacturers to lower their MOQ? Or would it be better to go wholesale?

On drop shipping, do you get items shipped to your home first, build a good relationship with the manu, then ask them for drop shipping? Or do you ask them upfront about drop shipping?

I really appreciate the webinars you and StartUp Bros offer, I meant to mention that in my earlier post.

1. Shipping from Asia, depends what you are doing, but a forwarder is always best. I am working with a new company now that has killer prices, but I want to test it out a bit more before promoting them publicly.

2. Drop Shipping is dead in my opinion, there is little to no margins in it, and there is no way to be unique. Amazon FBA is the way to go. The reality of it is this, in most cases... it is unrealistic to ship a product one piece at a time from China. The shipping alone will kill your margins. There are some ways around this if you really want to do one piece at a time.

 

[Edmund James]

1. Shipping from Asia, depends what you are doing, but a forwarder is always best. I am working with a new company now that has killer prices, but I want to test it out a bit more before promoting them publicly.

2. Drop Shipping is dead in my opinion, there is little to no margins in it, and there is no way to be unique. Amazon FBA is the way to go. The reality of it is this, in most cases... it is unrealistic to ship a product one piece at a time from China. The shipping alone will kill your margins. There are some ways around this if you really want to do one piece at a time.

3. Beyond Amazon and Ebay there are also a million other ways to sell. I personally think those sites should only be used as a validation platform before moving on to bigger and better things.

Thanks for love

 

[Dicky Dee]

3. Beyond Amazon and Ebay there are also a million other ways to sell. I personally think those sites should only be used as a validation platform before moving on to bigger and better things.

Thanks for love

Besides amazon and ebay are there any other sales channels you would reccomend? Any insight on the bigger and better things? One would be your own website, i have an online store for one of my businesses not related to my importing business but bringing traffic is tough and something im not too experienced in yet!

 

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[mgore714]

Did you maintain a list of the vendors? Would like to know which one is Zaras.

They make most of their products in-house. Asian connections are of little value. From their Wikipedia:

50% of the products Zara sells are manufactured in Spain, 26% in the rest of Europe, and 24% in Asian and African countries and the rest of the world.[9] So while some competitors outsource all production to Asia, Zara makes its most fashionable items—half of all its merchandise—at a dozen company-owned factories in Spain and Portugal, particularly in Galicia and northern Portugal where labour is somewhat cheaper than in most of Western Europe. Clothes with a longer shelf life, such as basic T-shirts, are outsourced to low-cost suppliers, mainly in Asia and Turkey.[10]

 

[Twista]

2. Drop Shipping is dead in my opinion, there is little to no margins in it, and there is no way to be unique. Amazon FBA is the way to go. The reality of it is this, in most cases... it is unrealistic to ship a product one piece at a time from China. The shipping alone will kill your margins. There are some ways around this if you really want to do one piece at a time.

On the other threads, drop shipping is sometimes recommended. Steve from mywifequitherjob.com also recommends it.

edit: So instead, I buy items from a supplier, get them shipped to my home, then ship them out as orders come in?