alibaba imports

>>998821

You'll be lucky to make 5c/unit on those things, they're commoditized.

You need to find something niche.

I have been running this kind of business for a few years now, I can answer some questions but will not say specifically what I import.

>>998835

To put it in perspective I won't import a product that sells with less than 60% margin (NOT markup) on the landed cost in my warehouse. ie if I make a $100 sale there is $60 gross profit.

I like B2B products, logistically it's a much simpler business. It does take a bit more talent in sales though.

>>998848
What platforms do you use for selling?

>>998859

I run my own websites

>>998867
How much do you spend on average for imports?
Did it take a while for a customer base to build up?
How was starting out?

>>998878

My first order was a 20' container, cost about $18k all up. These days I'm ordering a 40'HC every 5 weeks or so, cost about $38k each.

It took me a while to learn to build websites that will rank. Once I began ranking on the first page the customer base came right away.

I started the business with a $50k loan from my folks which I spent on the websites, marketing and the first container. It was not able to pay me a wage for the first 18 months (they supported me during this time also). However if I had to do it again from scratch I bet I could get that down to 6 months.

>>998883
And you purchase from alibaba?
Also, how do you handle those shipping costs?

>>998891

I purchase directly from a company I found on Alibaba. I order FOB from them and use a local shipping agent to arrange the freight. Those costs included the shipping, which is a couple grand per container.

>>998900
Impressive altogether. Very insightful, thank you!

>>998914
>>998900
Just a general question, what separates you from your competitors? B2B can be difficult to jump into. Usually companies purchase from long-term built relationships.

>>998917

Value, I offer a small range of very good products, not the cheapest in the market (but close), and not the very best either, but definitely the best value.

Also the product is usually a once off purchase so the long term relationship is not a problem for me. This is unusual in a B2B product for sure.

>>998835

thanks for your reply boss. I understand you can't say what you import, but could you tell me how to find something thats worth trading or is it just pure luck?

also what is the best to negotiate with those sellers, can i negotiate the price down via or do I have just pay the price per pieces/container whatever?

>>998927

It is just pure luck unfortunately. I stumbled into this product completely by chance.

If there are several sellers on alibaba the price is likely already pretty low, and if you're making the kind of margins I recommend it doesn't really matter if you pay a little bit more per unit. You can certainly negotiate but if you're buying direct from a manufacturer a drop of 5-10% is probably the most you can expect.

Once you find a good supplier don't jump around with every order. Stick with your guy even if you do pay a little more. A good relationship with your supplier is worthwhile down the track, they will be more flexible with payment terms and will work with you to solve problems. That's worth a lot more than saving 0.5c/unit.

>>998943

For selling the imports again, what do you think of Amazon and bay? Is it a good idea to sell through them if I don't have any idea how to make high ranked websites?

>>998947

I have never used them so I can't comment

>>998947
Very saturated websites. If you're importing you may have a better chance at FBA. That's where I've been for quite a while and looking to expand into my own website.

>>998883
Tell us about how you got your sites to rank higher

what about selling to some small shops, does anyone of you have some infos on how difficult that is?

>>998959

There's a lot of good information out there about SEO. I can't condense years of experience into a single post, but some tips:

>build your site in wordpress or something rather than a drag and drop platform like squarespace
>don't focus on backlinks, but you can't ignore it either
>write good content optimised for long string searches, don't flood it with keywords
>use lots of relevant, original images and videos with good descriptions
>keep up to date with it, google changes shit all the time and it will fuck your rankings
>update your website frequently, as much as possible. new articles, new images, keep it coming.

>>998964

Middle-manning is dangerous, you should aim to sell to the end user. As a middleman you can be replaced at any time for no reason.

>>998971
> Screenshoted, archived, appreciated

Buying clicks not worth it in your opinion?

>>998979

I definitely pay for clicks also, spend hundreds per week on ad words

>>998998

hundreds per month*

>>998900
When you say local do you mean local to the manufacturer or to you. Also how do you even find a reliable shipping.agent , do you just buy something and then find a.shipping agent or do you go to them.as soon as you think you are going to buy a container

>>999011

Local to myself. I had one recommended by a friend, but I think any that you find from google should be fine.

I would go in this order:

>finalise deal with manufacturer
>they present you invoice (assuming FOB)
>approach some shipping agents for a quote on this delivery
>pick agent
>pay manufacturer
>tell agent to take it from there

>>998835
Can you at least hint towards what you sell? Like the category?

>>998821
So silly question since I've never even been on Alibaba, can I buy, say, 100 pairs of pants, branded under a brand I make up using generic patterns?

I got my attractive friends to sell Alibaba aviator sunglasses on the beaches in Houston for $6 each after buying just shy of 1000 of them for about $800. It can work but I sure as hell wouldn't plan on making a living from it; we just wanted extra spring break money.

>>998883
>My first order was a 20' container, cost about $18k all up.

did you put 18k in a company you see in alibaba just like that? how you know they weren't scammers? even with gold members and trade assurance there is scams all over the place.