Import/Export Guide With Steps! Get in here to change the way you think!

[RepHeavy]

Just found out a 5 day freight shipping is going to be about $450. That to me is really expensive but I guess I have no option left to pay that and also the rest of the 70% cost of the watches. To get things moving forward and start selling.

Even at $450, thats only an extra $1.50 per watch, and if that is the difference between profit and loss, then you are doing something wrong my friend. How much are you expecting to make on each watch?

[psai]

$450?? I shipped quarter of a tonne of agro produce from India for much less than that.

(took longer than 5 days though)

what shipping service did you use to ship goods to india?

[CarlitosBX]

The package weight is around 150 lb. Keep in mind each individual watch comes with its own plastic packaging. I don't have any sales yet as of now, so maybe I shouldn't rush the package. But i was told the cheaper Shipping method would take a month for me to get it.

Those wondering about the 30%, I gave that first knowing the cost of the 300 without shipping cost.

My price point per watch for customers was between $35 - $50 with free shipping. $450 is still high even if is $1.50 more per watch. The watch itself was around $4, then you have to add, overseas shipping, shipping cost to customer, packaging. After all the expenses have been calculated, the cost per watch is around $7-8.

I'm going to tell the guy to look for a cheaper Shipping alternative even if it takes a bit longer. $450 is way to high is almost 50% of what it cost me to manufacturer the watches. Also the quote for 5 days shipping was from DHL.

[Vyber]

that sounds more reasonable now that you've said the package weights 150lbs, that sounds about right for DHL.

i would be less comfortable using any other courier than DHL tbh
a month shipping time is almost useless for a fast moving product startup

[CarlitosBX]

that sounds more reasonable now that you've said the package weights 150lbs, that sounds about right for DHL.

i would be less comfortable using any other courier than DHL tbh
a month shipping time is almost useless for a fast moving product startup

So what do I do. I'm all ears for suggestions and advice money is a bit tight nor much. But i want to do the best choice.

[RepHeavy]

So what do I do. I'm all ears for suggestions and advice money is a bit tight nor much. But i want to do the best choice.

If it was me, i'd go for the $450 with DHL, get them here and just get them selling. Worst case scenario, you are buying for $8 and selling for $35-50, that is a great mark up even if the shipping is expensive. If they are a legit and experienced supplier (which hopefully they are) its unlikely they are ripping you off on shipping.

[DEMONlC]

In hopefully make millions importing and exporting to other countries.

Import taxes here are off the charts so will never import anything here

Nice OP

[CarlitosBX]

If it was me, i'd go for the $450 with DHL, get them here and just get them selling. Worst case scenario, you are buying for $8 and selling for $35-50, that is a great mark up even if the shipping is expensive. If they are a legit and experienced supplier (which hopefully they are) its unlikely they are ripping you off on shipping.

My exact though.

Also I may have a good marketing idea coming up but I want to get some opinions. Because I don't want people to think I'm taking advantage of a current situation.

My bro is in the corps, he had his first son (my nephew obviously) back in January. I love that boy, but unfortunately he needs to go in to a complicated surgery in July 7. They need to open up his head to accommodate I guess part of his skull. Also they need to remove something. Anyways their insurance is covering the surgery but not the helmet he will need to wear for 3 or 5 months after the surgery.

The helmet itself could cost 5K or more and that's alot of money. So I was thinking and willing to donate 15% of each watch that gets sold. I know out of those 300 I won't get 5K but anything helps. With the sales coming in i will be able to bring more watches in Stock and different color combinations.

Thought?

My bro has served the corps as a tanker for 3 years and also did deployment for about 5 months. I have to say he is blessed to be with us. Because those 5 months were hell. One of their tanks went over a bomb and got caught on fire. No deaths but some were injures. He was actually the first one in line so is a miracle it didn't get detonated on him. He is also hoping he can sign another 4 years because they are cutting the corps short now.

[briiii]

So what do I do. I'm all ears for suggestions and advice money is a bit tight nor much. But i want to do the best choice.

It sound like you haven't started marketing or anything yet though. Have you tested the market? Do you know if people will even buy your watch at $35-50? What are you going to do once your watches get here, how are you going to sell them?

[HotPocketBrah]

Anyone care to share what kind of profits you're making? Or success stories?

[CarlitosBX]

It sound like you haven't started marketing or anything yet though. Have you tested the market? Do you know if people will even buy your watch at $35-50? What are you going to do once your watches get here, how are you going to sell them?

You are correct on marketing. I already have a couple of social media going. I do have a finish sample myself and everyone likes it so far. The market can range from kids to adults. A cousin of mine is buying one from Chicago. His friends are interested in buying as well but want to see it in person first. My cousin actually thought I was going to price the watch above 50 when I told him my price range.

I already have my domain for it and is up and running. Almost have my ecommerce store done as well. The only thing I'm missing is the product in Stock itself.

[VaderCorp]

The package weight is around 150 lb. Keep in mind each individual watch comes with its own plastic packaging. I don't have any sales yet as of now, so maybe I shouldn't rush the package. But i was told the cheaper Shipping method would take a month for me to get it.

Those wondering about the 30%, I gave that first knowing the cost of the 300 without shipping cost.

My price point per watch for customers was between $35 - $50 with free shipping. $450 is still high even if is $1.50 more per watch. The watch itself was around $4, then you have to add, overseas shipping, shipping cost to customer, packaging. After all the expenses have been calculated, the cost per watch is around $7-8.

I'm going to tell the guy to look for a cheaper Shipping alternative even if it takes a bit longer. $450 is way to high is almost 50% of what it cost me to manufacturer the watches. Also the quote for 5 days shipping was from DHL.

Sounds like he is shipping it by air. Price makes more sense then.

'a month shipping time is almost useless for a fast moving product startup'
^And what exactly does any of that mean?

'thats only an extra $1.50 per watch, and if that is the difference between profit and loss, then you are doing something wrong my friend'
^Not necessarily. A $1.50 difference would make or break P&G, Unilever, L'Oreal, Walmart, Tesco, Etc....etc... So I don't think it is an indicator that your margins are too risky.

[VaderCorp]

what shipping service did you use to ship goods to india?

I shipped from India to UK. Never done it the other way round, sorry pal.
I see you're banned, so if you see this message then make a new account and contact me and i'll add you on fb.

[psai]

I shipped from India to UK. Never done it the other way round, sorry pal.
I see you're banned, so if you see this message then make a new account and contact me and i'll add you on fb.

it was just a 1 day ban, and now i'm back!
starting another account would be against the rules, and would lead to all accounts getting a permanent ban (which i do not want lol)
it would be great if you could add me on FB, and it would be a lot easier to communicate that way. i'll shoot you a PM with a link to my FB. thanks!

[Blacryan]

Haven't read much of this thread, but just for future reference, don't attempt exporting vehicles on your own. One of my businesses primary service is exporting new/used vehicles... it is something that if you don't do it exactly by the book can cost you signifcant amounts of $$$.

[VBogdanovic]

When you guys say you are "finding products" do you mean primarily through alibaba? Or is there any other websites that have been discovered throughout the previous 18 pages?

Thanks in advance.. this concept really appeals to me.

[nickh04]

^www.globalsources.com

[studleymajo]

Dat feeling when you think that you're so smart, when you're not.

[loteq]

brahs, let me start by thanking everyone itt who has posted tips! You guys deserve this bump. I've been studying and reading through this thread for two days now, and I'm very excited to get started! I want import/export to take over as my main source of income, and build it into a much larger business over time.

I plan to start off on ebay and amazon. My question is: I know I should be looking for an item with minimum competition, but how many sellers is too many to compete with? A few hundred? 50? 10?

[loteq]

bump to get some activity itt

A little update: I just spent a couple hours searching through alibaba and ebay and I finally found an item that looks very promising! I wont say which, but it has to do with fitness. The best part is that if I find a supplier, i'll be able to undercut EVERY other seller in the market by $10-15 and still sell it for 200% more than what I bought it for!

[psai]

strong bump, but gjdm!

i'm working on an export business right now...waiting on packaging/labeling to get finalized and then manufacturing is gonna take 6-8 weeks

[loteq]

strong bump, but gjdm!

i'm working on an export business right now...waiting on packaging/labeling to get finalized and then manufacturing is gonna take 6-8 weeks

Great! So I assume you've smoothed out the problems you were having with exporting to india? Did you get a business license in India?

[psai]

Great! So I assume you've smoothed out the problems you were having with exporting to india? Did you get a business license in India?

well...not exactly lol

basically have my product design, supplier, etc. finalized so the supply side is looking good. already made down payment and everything.

i still need to get my product into india. i'm thinking of going through either a distributor or selling directly to retailers. already got in touch with a large site selling fitness products and supps, and they said they can stock my products on their website and purchase it from me.

the reason i'm trying to get the product itself ready first is that initially i reached out to various distributors and retailers but they all wanted to see the actual product and when i told them i was still getting it designed, they basically told me to get back in touch later once i have something. so i decided to just get the products designed, manufactured, and ready to go first.

[loteq]

well...not exactly lol

basically have my product design, supplier, etc. finalized so the supply side is looking good. already made down payment and everything.

i still need to get my product into india. i'm thinking of going through either a distributor or selling directly to retailers. already got in touch with a large site selling fitness products and supps, and they said they can stock my products on their website and purchase it from me.

the reason i'm trying to get the product itself ready first is that initially i reached out to various distributors and retailers but they all wanted to see the actual product and when i told them i was still getting it designed, they basically told me to get back in touch later once i have something. so i decided to just get the products designed, manufactured, and ready to go first.

ahhh, i see. At least you can get your product finished and exposed in that market in the meantime.

another update:

Tonight I had a few people over for poker and while talking to my best bro I remembered his father, who I've known for quite a while, runs a fish store. My best bro also manages the store. I asked him to make a list of all the product they buy frequently for the shop, and offered to find and sell them for much cheaper.

I'm extremely excited! If all goes well i'll have some serious long term customers. Everything is coming along so smoothly I almost can't believe it!

[loteq]

bump.

no new updates for today, I haven't made much progress in the last couple of days. I've done a lot of planning though and I've come to the conclusion that I'll be trying to break into local markets ASAP. The more I look through ebay, the more I don't want anything to do with it.

[psai]

ahhh, i see. At least you can get your product finished and exposed in that market in the meantime.

another update:

Tonight I had a few people over for poker and while talking to my best bro I remembered his father, who I've known for quite a while, runs a fish store. My best bro also manages the store. I asked him to make a list of all the product they buy frequently for the shop, and offered to find and sell them for much cheaper.

I'm extremely excited! If all goes well i'll have some serious long term customers. Everything is coming along so smoothly I almost can't believe it!

idk about exposure since i haven't done any marketing yet, but it's good that i'll have something ready to go whenever i need to

nice! good luck, and keep going

bump.

no new updates for today, I haven't made much progress in the last couple of days. I've done a lot of planning though and I've come to the conclusion that I'll be trying to break into local markets ASAP. The more I look through ebay, the more I don't want anything to do with it.

i don't like the idea of just flipping on ebay either
i think it's way too short-term and limits your options
that's the main reason why i'm focusing on building a long-term business and brand and thinking big

[loteq]

bump.

no important updates other than i'm currently making a pitch to present to my friends dad. I've been reading up on sales...I think i'm going to get a real estate license so i can get some valuable experience. I'm working on speaking clearly, slowly, and using effective words. I've noticed a big difference in social situations. Speaking properly makes you the alpha of the room. All eyes are suddenly on you. Its almost insane how much of a difference it makes. I read that sales are not about what you say, but how you say it. At first I wasn't so sure, but now, I'm positive that this is true.

I'm taking all this piece by piece. I'm not one to rush things and I think if I gain the proper skills I'll be able to take the world by storm once my company launches.

off topic, I'm saddened at how dead this thread is after my attempts for revival. I hope this thread can regain interest, its a true gem of information. I can't thank you guys enough.

[Vyber]

I'm saddened at how dead this thread is after my attempts for revival. I hope this thread can regain interest, its a true gem of information. I can't thank you guys enough.

post here
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=160254601

[beerbaron105]

Something I noticed, but a bit of a double edged sword, in my niche, I shipped with a fast service - Fedex, pros - it came within days, cons - my profit margin was like 5-10% ... I tried again with China Post shipping - pros: cheap shipping, 70% profit margins, cons: 5 weeks to deliver

[jimtehownage]

Me and my friend want to make partnership in a import Business, Would it be best to incorporate? (we are from Quebec)
Also since we are importing from china, do we need to brand our products if we want to sell them to local stores?
I think ebay and amazon is flooded and it would be smarter and easier to sell to local stores (BULK) Probably make a bit less since we have to sell lower to stores than we would Online
Maybe do both as well?