warrenweste:


do u knw of any indian online store that operate like alibaba?

ib22003:
Yes indianmart.com

iamord:
pls how profitable is bring in unisex clothing and accessories in container load

ib22003:
very profitable. i even buy solar panels directly from a manufaturer here

iMerchant:


You are doing it wrong, Ma.

Doing that doesn't REALLY mean you aren't overpaying for the item.

Do your research before going online to buy.

Sometimes what looks like a good deal with FREE shipping might not be profitable by the time it landed in Nigeria except you aren't selling online.

iamord:
pls can u give an estimate capital?

COVERT2:
Pls reply. Are you still able to import with this restriction, i want to buy gadgets, i know where and how but the shipping company and the new policy is blocking my way. Advice pls

afelouz:
Hi house. Have been reading through the slides and its very informative.
But if one dont want to use the post office free shipping. Which other way can one ship from aliexpress that is cheaper than using dhl or fedex and whats the charges?.
Useful contribution will be apprciAted

engrshakespeare:


This your style of escaping no make sense. If u don't want to expose ur bizness secret or u want him to pay for d info just say so

COVERT2:
Pls reply. Are you still able to import with this restriction, i want to buy gadgets, i know where and how but the shipping company and the new policy is blocking my way. Advice pls

acorntree:

aliexpress.com . i ordered to resell. you search for sellers that deal in only electronics components. first order for few samples ,later you can place large order. the secret is when placing large order you can always bargain with the seller to drastically reduce the price. also when searching , search based on the free shipping cheapest and most ordered. you know 1millon ic may not even weigh up to 2kg and also package in antistatic. with time you buy outside aliexpress platform and deal directly with the seller to remove 5% aliexpress charges, but that's based on trust

MRBrownJ:


if China good is indeed cheaper in Lagos then someone is making a profit by importing it from China (unless you think people in Lagos are selling at a loss?)....so, importing from China IS profitable, you just need to have the right connection.

the problem here is that:
A) there is different types of quality when you buy China goods. so an item could be made in 3 different quality and therefore have 3 different prices. in China there is the CHEAP version, the CHEAPEST version and the GREAT version of any product. so many people can receive a sample of the "great" version, and then be sent the "cheapest" version.

B) if you aint buying from the main factory directly then you will automatically be losing money. anyone who want to make great business in China needs to 1st speak Chinese and 2nd go to China to visit the factory and discuss prices. EVERY price in China needs to be bargained down directly with owners. YES!!! this is Chinese way of doing business, especially with "laowai" (foreigners). so if you are buying goods via some online brokers in Beijing (while the factory is deep within Guangdong province) then you will never make a great bargain because you will always pay middle men (only God knows how many).

C) if you only buy 10pieces of each products (each times) then you certainly wont get the best prices, you need to buy pieces by the thousands before the price can be at the bare minimum.

BruceChang:


Great insights.

Regarding to the section A) of your comments. I can't agree more with the first two sentences. But the last sentence, I don't agree with the word "many". No one can deny there are cheating people in China, like elsewhere in the world. However, the word "many" may leave a false impression that there are a high percentage of international sellers are cheating. In fact, as far as I know, the cheating people are a very tiny percentage.

True, there are a lot of cheating people in China, but most of them CAN'T speak English or other foreign languages. So there aren't many of them in the international business community.

My advice is no matter how do you think of the supplier, start by making a small order, then increase the order gradually. In such course, you will know more information of the supplier and the whole industry in China. This will help you make better decisions.

MRBrownJ:


i feel what you are saying but the issue here is that you have to do business like the Chinese do... so 1st they will always try to sell you some 2nd rated product for the top prices, and 2nd you always have to bargain the price down, ALWAYS! this is like a way of life in China and if you dont haggle the price down then you will always be short changed. EVERYONE will try to overprice you (aka the "Laowai", every single one of them, whether you are buying a dvd at a street corner or the local suya... and you just have to accept that fact and be prepared for it.

and as i said earlier, if you cant speak Chinese then find someone who does, so that THEY can do business in China for you. in China, after sealing a big deal, the seller will normally entertain you with dinner and possible Karaoke (also known as KTV), nightclub or hookers. thats the China way!

topsnet:
AM INTO THE IMPROTATION BUSINESS AND I CAN SAY WHEN I STARTED I LOST CLOSE TO N60,000 REASON BEING I DIDNT KNOW HOW TO

1. TALK TO THE SELLER TO DRASTICALLY REDUCE THE PRICE

1B. IF YOU THINK THAT SELLERS DONT COMMUNICATE, YOU ARE SLEEPING ON OKADA, THEY DO AND SOMETIMES THEY OWN STORES WITH DIFFERENT NAMES ON ALIEXPRESS. IMAGINE IF YOU BUY HIGH AT HIGH PRICES FROM HIM, YOU CANT GET A BETTER TRADE FROM HIM OR HIS FRIEND ON THE NEXT ORDER

2 SELLER SOLD ME SUBSTANDARD PRODUCTS

3. SHIPPED IT IN THROUGH EXPRESS SHIPPING FROM CHRISVICMALL(NOTE DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF SHIPPING, IF YOU GOT NO BUYERS AVAILABLE FOR THIS, ITS NOT ADVISEABLE AS A BUSINESSMAN TO DO THIS, (WHY ARE BANKS EMPLOYING CONTRACT STAFFS, TO MAXIMISE PROFIT AND MINIMISE COST)

4. ORDERED LITTLE QUANTITY

5. DIDNT DO RESEARCH ENOUGH BEFORE I ENTERED INTO THE BUSINESS

6. DIDNT PUT IN PLACE THE CURRENT EXCHANGE RATE THE BANK CHARGED ME, WAS JUST HYPED FOR THE PROFIT AND I MADE A LOSS

7. DIDNT KNOW HOW TO CALCULATE IN KG THE AMOUNT OF SHIPPING

WHAT I LATER LEARNT IN THE BUSINESS IN THE LONGRUN WAS THAT

1. If those Chinese suppliers know you new to the business, their main aim is to exploit you.

2. Once you get a few samples of that particular product, be it 5 ordered at quite a high price on aliexpress, order for more quantities say 50, you would be surprised how much he will sell to you( my encounter with those chines people showed me that they are scared of any negative review and would sell to you almost the same price they got from factory).

3. Always make sure you tell them what you are facing in your country, reason being that they might never know the current exchange rate( this is for the chinese supplier you have done business with)

4. Never make them feel that you are in charge( reason is they believe you can call the shots at any given time and you can agree to their amount)

5. Even with the current rate i still imported because i make them feel sympathy for me that i have to be in business to survive.(those are your previous business partners)

6. Another trick i learnt was to never give in, always negotiate for the amount you want till the last... most of them after saying no would come down and give you a better offer

7. Always import things that will sell and that are rare in the country,(note you need advertisement) this way you don't have to compete with those major importers.

8. Importers dont only import one partcular product, they import different items, so the shipping fee would be less and the KG be more(issue here would be CAPITAL, but NO, look for an importer like you based on TRUST, so you can share the shipping fee)

9. LOL, its very hard selling your items to people who own SHOPS, felt discouraged when one spoke in IGBO on a particular day & i heard him saying we have shop and we have rent to pay, you don't have shop and don't pay rent, electricity, fuel and workers, INSTEAD DEAL WITH COMPANY BY WRITING OUT A PROPOSAL LETTER TO THEM.

10. Look for the bank with the cheapest exchange rate, there is nothing that it will take away from your body if you call up banks over phone to ask for their current exchange rate as at today.

11. Funny as it sounds, i owe CHRISVICMALL LTD , last time i checked, it was 13,000. Be ready to owe to them, although i guess you must have done several business with them before they can believe in you

12. Pray to God and be willing to take risk and look for new sellers

e.g former seller sells spy glass to me at $9, new seller sells to me $6.5 and she gets it from factory for $4.5 - $5.5 and i only import 50 pieces and i sell on konga for N6500 due to increase in current exchange rate, before it was N4980.

Good luck to y'all these year
I AM RESEARCHING FOR HOW TO BRING IN CONTAINER INTO THE COUNTRY, DONT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT CONTAINERS AND BUT I AM WILLING TO LEARN, ANYBODY CAN HELP ME IF YOU KNOW

NOTE ALL THOSE MAJOR IMPORTERS, MOST WENT THROUG MINI IMPORTATION AND HARDWORK TO BE WHERE THEY ARE

ib22003:
Yes indianmart.com

MRBrownJ:


i feel what you are saying but the issue here is that you have to do business like the Chinese do... so 1st they will always try to sell you some 2nd rated product for the top prices, and 2nd you always have to bargain the price down, ALWAYS! this is like a way of life in China and if you dont haggle the price down then you will always be short changed. EVERYONE will try to overprice you (aka the "Laowai", every single one of them, whether you are buying a dvd at a street corner or the local suya... and you just have to accept that fact and be prepared for it.

and as i said earlier, if you cant speak Chinese then find someone who does, so that THEY can do business in China for you. in China, after sealing a big deal, the seller will normally entertain you with dinner and possible Karaoke (also known as KTV), nightclub or hookers. thats the China way!

BruceChang:
Hi MRBrownJ,

Can you contact me via WhatsApp +86-150-6472-2100, or email bruce@trailerexpot.com? I want to ask for your permission to post our conversations to other websites like facebook and linkedin. Because there is no facebook or linkedin share buttons on nairaland.

I will leave the original topic link, and if you want, your profile page link, or any contact info you want to include.

afelouz:
Hi house. Have been reading through the slides and its very informative.
But if one dont want to use the post office free shipping. Which other way can one ship from aliexpress that is cheaper than using dhl or fedex and whats the charges?.
Useful contribution will be apprciAted

COVERT2:
Pls reply. Are you still able to import with this restriction, i want to buy gadgets, i know where and how but the shipping company and the new policy is blocking my way. Advice pls

pricelessmr:


I sent you a pm. I need to chat with you via email or whatsapp.

improff:
I love you guys here with your contributions and all. Though I started my importation biz with 5k to be candid. I started with female jeweleries. After that, I browsed through Konga, Jumia and dealdey.com and got their hot selling products. I was able to deduce that automatic tyre inflator, tooth whitening pen, stomach slimming patch amongst others are selling like shit. I got their individual prices and head over to aliexpress cos that's what I've been using for over 5years and have built a relationship with most sellers there. I don't do free shipping and as well don't use DHL FedEx and others. I use a different courier service that is 10x cheaper and faster than them. So I bought the tyre inflator, tooth whitening pen and patch. after comparing the cost of shipping, by the Special grace of God, I made over 600%. cos at Jumia and others, the inflator cost #12000 for 150 psi but mine was 300psi stronger than theirs and I sold it at 8k each. Can u imagine my cost price for me to be able to make over 600% profit. Its all about getting the right info and using the appropriate channel. God bless u all

abbeyforex:



You can use Logistic Companies that will get your items delivered within 7 days but you will need to ask your supplier first if he will be willing to send to an agent within China,most time some of them will tell you they can't and some will accept. There are times some will even argue with you that the website only allow them to ship international and you will have to orientate them on how to go about it.

In the summary ,private logistic company are there to handle that for you and their shipping rate varies. For instance:
$4.5/kg (shipping) + #380/kg (clearing). So if you have an item of about 10kg and the exchange rate of dollar to naira is #250, your shipping fee will be calculated thus:
$4.5x10=$45x250= #11,250 shipping fee
And
380x10= #3800 clearing

Total to be paid = #11,250+#3800= #15,050 for 10kg
Shipping and clearing per kg= 15,050/10= #1,505/kg.

improff:
I love you guys here with your contributions and all. Though I started my importation biz with 5k to be candid. I started with female jeweleries. After that, I browsed through Konga, Jumia and dealdey.com and got their hot selling products. I was able to deduce that automatic tyre inflator, tooth whitening pen, stomach slimming patch amongst others are selling like shit. I got their individual prices and head over to aliexpress cos that's what I've been using for over 5years and have built a relationship with most sellers there. I don't do free shipping and as well don't use DHL FedEx and others. I use a different courier service that is 10x cheaper and faster than them. So I bought the tyre inflator, tooth whitening pen and patch. after comparing the cost of shipping, by the Special grace of God, I made over 600%. cos at Jumia and others, the inflator cost #12000 for 150 psi but mine was 300psi stronger than theirs and I sold it at 8k each. Can u imagine my cost price for me to be able to make over 600% profit. Its all about getting the right info and using the appropriate channel. God bless u all