If you are looking to start a business that sells China made products, it’s surely one of the good business ideas with a lot of growth potential. Times are gone when importing from China meant selling sub standard products; now China manufactures everything from low cost replicas to high quality amazing products. What you should sell, totally depends upon your research about the local market and how well you can convince people to buy from you.
Well, importing from China is a smart choice, but you must know what exactly to import from China and what not to import. Moreover, there are tons of risk involved in importing goods from China, especially, when you are buying them virtually, i.e. through websites like Alibaba.com and DHGate.com.
So it’s always good to make sure that you know all the possibilities that may happen while you import from China, and be very careful while buying. This article will list the entire NOT TO DOs.
Let’s start;
1- Do not buy in bulk at first; whenever buying for a supplier for the first time, it’s always suggested to order a sample. Once you are sure about the quality, pricing and everything, only then go for the bulk order.
2- Do not believe that a single item cannot be purchased as a sample; some of the suppliers online will definitely try to fool you with a strong story that they cannot ship a single piece. So, the wise idea is to take time and look for the suppliers that offer smaller samples. For instance, the sellers on Alibaba.com are generally the wholesalers who prefer bulk orders, but many retailers do take small sized orders (as low as one piece) on AliExpress.com and DHGate.com.
3- Don’t pay with anything other than Paypal; if you are buying from Alibaba.com (along with other sites owned by Alibaba) or DHgate.com, credit card purchases are safer. But if you are buying from a website other than these two, better use Paypal only.
4- Avoid websites that do not accept Paypal; most of them have their Paypal shut down due to complaints, so better is to take a safe route.
5- Avoid Replica Products; honestly those are brand conscious would buy them straight away, and those who are not won’t actually care! But yes, if you already have a business with customers interested in replicas, you may buy replicas from China, but you must inform your customers that you are selling replicas.
6- Do Not Opt For DropShipping Right Away; dropshipping is increasingly becoming a popular business model, and getting it done from Chinese warehouses can work great, (for instance starting an online toy store through dropshipping) but since you are going to be the direct point of contact for customers, before signing up with a supplier, do check the samples and dropship only those items that you are sure about.
The Bottom Line:
Considering these simple points will save you lot of money, time and of course you will avoid the headache. And yes, while buying online and during your conversations with the suppliers, avoid giving them your personal email, you might receive a lot of spam later.
Happy importing from China!
