HOW TO START ONLINE MINI IMPORTATION BUSINESS- A STEP BY STEP GUIDE
It is no longer news that anybody can actually import goods from China to one’s doorstep without necessarily travelling to China. Yes! Internet has made things beautiful in this era. This article will provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to import goods from China, and the best place to import these goods at a very cheap rate, and how you can ship them to your door steps at a minimal cost. You may call this a mini Importation Business.
Talking about mini Importation Business, we mean importing goods in smaller units or quantities, not like those that import in mega quantities, especially in containers. Mini importation has to do with very small quantities and can be done by anyone, without belonging to any trades union or society. It is simply an online method of importing in small scale. No long paper work is required and one can start with available little fund and in the comfort of one’s bedroom.
Mini importation business has grown in recent years in the country. A whole lot of Information marketers and other online entrepreneurs are out there, proposing trainings and classes for prospects who wishes to learn this business. You will begin to hear things like- Beginners Class, Masters Class, Mentorship Class, VIP Class etc. These they do for fees. And the painful thing is that most of the information dished are pieces of recycled garbage. None will have something good to offer at the end of the day.
If you are reading this post, and perhaps you are considering or have considered starting a mini Importation business, then count yourself lucky because everything you will get here is FREE- from A to Z. No Beginners Class, No Masters Class, No VIP Class…Everything is absolutely FREE. If you consider it worthy at the end of the day, please ensure you share link to your friends on social media groups, through buttons that will be provide at tail end.
Warning! EBook Sellers and Information Marketers should please steer clear. This is a copyright protected Article. Plagiarism shall be dealt with.
BACKGROUND
The Chinese are technologically blessed and entrepreneurial. A whole lot of items consumed in the world are made in china. More than 70% of items used in Africa, Nigeria in particular, are produced in China. Let’s forget the popular jargon, “China Products” which we use generally to refer to inferior goods or products of low quality. Truth remains that the Chinese people can produce in variety of standards to suit clients’ needs.
In fact, for a long time now, China has served the entire world with fascinating products, and there is practically no product in the world that Chinese manufacturers have not produced. Even most advanced countries like the USA and Great Britain still have China produce products for them. So, it’s all about what you want and how you want it.
Since it is true that the world depends on China, even your country, then you can actually make a living by engaging in mini Importation Business. If you are unemployed, then this is a good opportunity. If already employed, then consider this as an additional source of income. Let’s get started before you get bored.
WEBSITES WHERE YOU CAN FIND GOODS TO BUY
For a mini Importation Business, there are many B2B and Ecommerce websites in China where you can actually buy goods and get them shipped to your country. Popular ones include and not limited to Aliexpress.com, Alibaba.com, DHgate.com. Taobao.com, Tmall.com, JD.com, 1688.com. Of all these, 1688.com remains the best pick if really you want to maximize profit in your mini Importation Business.
WHY 1688.COM?
1688.com is a Business to business(B2B) Chinese websites. This means that it a Chinese website that brings together, native Chinese Manufacturers and Wholesalers, or Big wholesalers and Retailers, for the purpose of buying and selling. Every other website mentioned above source their products from 1688.com and resell thereafter to retailers or other wholesalers. Goods in 1688 are sold at relatively very low price compared to these sites mentioned above.
Except you are not into mini Importation Business, maybe you just want to import in very small units for personal consumption, then you may consider websites like aliexpress.com and others mentioned earlier on. If otherwise, the most efficient ways to import from China and make good profit is when you find your products from 1688.com.
If you consider sourcing your goods from 1688.com for your mini Importation Business, then you will be making similar profits or gains like every other merchants, vendors and ecommerce sites. 1688.com remains the best website to buy goods at a very low price.
CHALLENGES IN USING 1688.COM
The major challenge in using 1688.com website is that everything on it is ‘scripted’ in Chinese language. That communication barrier is there for a non-Chinese citizen or as the case may be. In fact, a lot of folks who are into mini Importation Business in time past, considered other options like importing from Taobao.com, Alibaba.com etc, just because of this singular reason. See for yourself below:
Another challenge is how can a mini Importer ship his goods down and how is payment made to the vendor. All these are addressed in the following steps below:
STEP 1
Download and Install to your PC or Laptop, latest version of Google Chrome Browser. This has in-built language translator. You may also download Language Translator Add-ons to the Chrome Browser. With these, you can always translate every Chinese language to English or any language of your choice.
For those using smartphones, you can always do same. Download Chrome Browser from the Application store or as the case may be.
There are still other options like downloading Lingoes application to your PC. Lingoes is an easy and intuitive dictionary and text translation software, it offers lookup dictionaries, full text translation, capture word on screen, etc. (www.lingoes.net) You can google that after. In the time being, concentrate on Chrome. Lingoes can also be annoying *Smiles* Please Ensure you are practicing all these steps immediately.
STEP 2
Ensure you open the website(https://1688.com) in chrome browser, right click on any free space and click on the option ‘Translate to English’ from the drop-down menu. Second method: If you have the Language translator Add-ons installed to your browser, just look at the top right side of the browser and click on the translate icon, whenever you open 1688.com
OR THIS METHOD BELOW:
For smart phone users, Open 1688.com using the Chrome Browser, then at the bottom of the page you will see option to translate the page to English. As simple as that! Our mini Importation Business Lesson is now becoming interesting and you are now ready.
STEP 3: REGISTER WITH A PROCUREMENT/SHIPPING AGENT OR COMPANY
There whole lots of procurement/shipping agents out there online. You can always google to find out more. You may also search YouTube videos and read comments about them. For the purpose of this teaching on mini Importation Business, two of these agents would be recommended for those importing to African countries, NIGERIA in particular. No 1 is ChrisVicMall (www.chrisvicmall.com) and No. 2 NBC Skye Logistics Shipping Company (http://nbcskyeshipping.com). More will be provided on request. FREE.
Note: NBC is cheaper, ChrisVicMall is Better in service. Remember to add your way-bill address when you register with any shipping company. Account registration is FREE.
STEP 4: SEARCHING FOR GOODS IN 1688.COM
There are two ways you can carryout product search on 1688.com. The first method is to type the keyword directly on the search box provided on the website. The second method is to upload image of the product you want to search (You must have downloaded the image from sites like aliexpress.com or any local online mall like konga.com, or even from google). To do this, click on the camera or photo icon on the right-hand end of the search bar, upload your image and search.
STEP 5: COPY PRODUCT LINK AND TRANSFER TO YOUR PROCUREMENT AGENT’S WEBSITE
Once you are done with step 4, a number of search results will come out. Please care and time must be taking when doing this. Select items with relatively lower prices amongst options. Always remember it’s a competitive market and a lot of vendors will be selling similar items. As an Importer, every yuan you save counts.
Once you are happy about any particular product and wish to import it, copy the link, go back to the agent site and paste it. After you are done shopping, calculate the amount in total and pay using the agent’s payment method stipulated in the Agent’s website. Remember to supply item description and quantities needed in the website.
EXCHANGE RATES
Having the knowledge of the day’s exchange rate will give you an insight of how much your agent is charging you per yuan. Always remember they won’t sell to you at the current FOREX price. To find out this, go to Google and search for ‘Yuan vs USD‘ or any local currency you want to compare yuan with.
Perhaps you want to make payment yourself, you have to register with 1688.com and input the address of your shipping company. (Of course, prices of goods are slightly lower when you are registered) Try to chat with the seller also through the contact information provided when you click on their product company details, usually on their website. When you chat with them you can negotiate and beat down the prices of the goods.
HOW TO CHAT WITH CHINESE
This is really important if you must make good success in mini Importation Business. Most of these native Chinese guys don’t understand English. To communicate with them, you can use WeChat Mobile Application. Wechat is like Chinese version of WhatsApp, it is an instant messaging application that helps to translate English to Chinese and verse versa. You can download this application from play store, and signup for an account with your mobile number. Just like WhatsApp
THINGS TO NOTE WHEN SELECTING A PRODUCT
- Please ensure you avoid any products with heavy weight. Remember that these shipping agents charge you according to weight of the product being shipped. Heavy weight items will incur you more cost and reduce your profit margin.
- Always lookout for sellers’ rating. A number of customers must have felt displeased or satisfied from a particular vendor and will drop their ratings of the particular seller. RATING considered ok must be at least 4 to 5 STARS. Also check the number of people that have dropped the ratings. The more the numbers, the better.
- Also read reviews from previous buyers about the seller, then make judgements. The reviews will help you determine if items you want to imports are good or bad. Watch out for good reviews or recommendation about on-time shipment and accurate description of goods amongst all.
- Number of years in business too.
- Always select FREE SHIPPING in your search query. In mini Importation Business, any little cost saved can go along way to impact on your profits.
- Always go for Hot-selling products. Go to your local online malls or ecommerce stores and get ideas of what people are really demanding. You may also check websites like aliexpress.com to get ideas. Some of these hot selling products will be flashed in the front pages of these websites.
- Go for products that are less than $5. These are usually hot products that people easily buy without blinking their eyes.
- Go for consumers’ accessories. Something that is regularly used.
- Always import products you know you can sell. Have your strategies laid down before importing. Of what need is importation if you can’t sell them. You can always sell as merchant in your local ecommerce websites, you can sell through social media especially Facebook and Instagram, one-on-one direct sell etc.
- Remember always to import what people want and not what you want. You may carryout a little enquiry or investigation on what people really need.
- Start small and grow gradually.
Please take note of Item 2 and 3 if you are paying the sellers yourself without passing through these procurement agents. The major advantage of using procurement agents is that before they accept goods on your behalf, they first of all inspect the quality and description, whether it conforms to what you stipulated in their website.
Paying a seller yourself can mean using other payment agents or using your friends in China to pay. (The former can just handle logistics and shipment). You can always buy at a very cheaper rate and also pay at the current exchange rate if you are registered with the site 1688.com, and pay using other means. Other means of payment will be explained in the next article. Please subscribe Here and stay updated.
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