Who would have thought that ordinary people like you and I (who do not have a fat bank account) can now import goods directly from overseas suppliers?

Before I started researching the small scale business idea that I am about to share with you in this article, I thought international trade was reserved for the government and rich big importers who had strong connections with manufacturers and suppliers abroad.

Well, not any more.

This article reveals how small scale businessmen and entrepreneurs in Africa can become part of the import business with little capital investment. With the knowledge contained in this article, you too can import products at low wholesale prices and sell them for a much higher profit.

By the time you’re done reading this article, you’ll know everything you should to become an importer and international businessperson!

How the importation business works…

Before we get into the thick of this article, it’s important that we understand the basics of buying and selling.

How is money made in the ‘buy-and-sell’ business?

Simple; you buy something (wristwatches, for example) at a low price and sell them at a higher price to make a tidy profit.

To increase the size of profit you can make, there are basically two options you have. You can either find a way/place to buy wristwatches at a lower price or look for customers who will buy them at a higher price.

This is how everybody in the retail (buy-and-sell) business makes money (profit). Buy low, sell high. It’s simple math!

To make sure you understand the opportunity we’re about to share with you, we shall use a quick illustration:

Let’s assume you are the owner of a small business that sells foreign-made wristwatches. You have a small shop in which you display all your lovely wristwatches for customers to admire and possibly buy.

Because you can only afford to stock about one hundred wrist watches at a time, you have no option but to buy from big importers who, because of their large capital, can buy thousands of watches from foreign manufacturers at very low wholesale prices.

Although you would love to enjoy these low wholesale prices too (which will increase your profits), you don’t have the kind of capital the big importers have. Even if you could buy directly from the foreign product manufacturers, it would still be tough.

Most manufacturers and suppliers have a Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) requirement. MOQ is the minimum quantity of products a supplier will sell to you in order to make a worthwhile profit. This is why they prefer to sell to the big importers who buy large volumes (container loads) of their products. Since you can only afford a few hundred watches, most of the big overseas suppliers won’t want do business with you.

As a result, you are stuck with the big importers. The profit you can make in your business is limited by whatever price they decide to fix on the imported goods.


Thankfully, things have changed.

The internet has brought down the walls which used to restrict access to manufacturers located thousands of kilometers away. Improvements in transportation and logistics now make it possible for small businesses with little capital to import smaller amounts of stock at low shipping costs.

Finally, entrepreneurs and small businesses can enjoy the same low wholesale prices that the big importers have enjoyed for a very long time.
Thankfully, things have changed.

The internet has brought down the walls which used to restrict access to manufacturers located thousands of kilometers away. Improvements in transportation and logistics now make it possible for small businesses with little capital to import smaller amounts of stock at low shipping costs.

Finally, entrepreneurs and small businesses can enjoy the same low wholesale prices that the big importers have enjoyed for a very long time.

What do you need to get started?

To join the new and growing league of small business men and women who can now import products at low wholesale prices directly from overseas suppliers and manufacturers, you would need just the following:

A computer or mobile phone with access to the internet;
A valid email address
A valid and traceable home or office address in your country where the items you order will be shipped to.
A little money in your bank account. (We’ll talk about this a little later in this article)
Yes, you’re right, that’s all you need!

This means that you can shop for, order and import all the products you want to sell from the comfort of your bed, breakfast table or while you are sitting on a bus (via your mobile phone).

Please note that a P.O Box or PMB (Private Mail Bag) does not qualify as a valid and traceable address.

Let’s get started!
You should be excited to start your new and promising small-scale import business. But before you get on your computer or mobile phone to start shopping and ordering products, let’s walk you through eight of the most frequently asked questions.

By the time you’re doing reading these, you would know the best and most-trusted places to buy from, how to confirm the quality of products, the payment process and several more.

Let’s dig in!

#1 – Where should you buy from?

The following websites are our top recommendations as online marketplaces that sell products at low wholesale prices:

Aliexpress.com

1.How to start a small import business 5Aliexpress.com has become the leading destination for small scale importers looking to buy goods at wholesale prices from China.

Aliexpress is one of the subsidiaries of the Alibaba Group which dominates internet-based commerce in China.

In fact, in 2012, Alibaba’s portals handled sales of up to 1.1 trillion Yuan ($170 billion), more than its competitors (eBay and Amazon.com combined). The Alibaba Group is estimated to be worth between $55 billion to more than $120 billion.

The Alibaba Group launched Aliexpress in 2010 as an online retail service made up of mostly small sellers offering products to online buyers. It has more than 20 major product categories and sells to registered users and buyers in more than 220 countries around the world. You can visit its homepage at www.aliexpress.com

DHgate.com

1.How to start a small import business 6DHgate.com is a business-to-business (B2B) e-Commerce website connecting China-based small and medium enterprises with buyers overseas.

The website is a fast trading marketplace where users can order Chinese-manufactured products directly through the site. The company has been in business since 2004 and is backed by investors KPCB, JAFCO and Warburg Pincus.

It offers customer support through online chat, e-mail messages and phone support. The website is primarily in English but is also offered in other popular languages spoken in Africa such as French and Spanish. DHgate offers a wide range of products and you can visit its home page at www.dhgate.com

iPmart.com

1.How to start a small import business 7iPmart.com (started in 2001) is a huge wholesale market that ships products from China, USA and Malaysia. Unlike Aliexpress.com and DHgate.com which have a wide range of products, iPmart.com is focused on electronic gadgets like mobile phones, game consoles and their spare parts and accessories. If you’re interested in technology products, iPmart.com is the place for you. You can visit its homepage at www.ipmart.com

To start shopping and placing your orders on any of these websites, you need to sign up to become a registered member. To sign up or register is usually very easy.

By clicking on the ‘Join Free’ or ‘Register’ link at the top left/right corner of the home page, you will be sent to a registration page to complete a short form. All that is usually required is a Name, valid Email address and Password. If you prefer, you could sign up or register using your Facebook account.

As soon as your registration is complete, you can start shopping and adding items to your cart. When you’re ready to order, you will be led to the Payment page. This leads us to the next important step…