[bulldog2base]

these days alot of businesses are importing their goods from china because it is a lot cheaper. This causes all of the north american producion companies to lose alot of business. Importing from china has increased the profits of many companies. This idea is very intriguing. Please let me know if anyone has looked into this idea!?

[Dus10]

Check out Alibaba

[insomnia]

Sure, tons of businesses import goods or parts used in goods from China as well as other countries. What are you asking for?

[bulldog2base]

i was wondering if anyone is in this kind of business. If you want to start importing from your home what kind of product could you use?

[jimmiejo]

Watch this great program, Frontline, from PBS. This episode focuses on Wal-Mart's domination of the world and China's role in it.

Frontline: Wal-Mart

[Fishing]

That was a really good documentary. There is another one that was on A&E called "The age of Wal-Mart"

[Outta Hand]

Just make sure you know you're rights... there are a world of scams... if done right you can make good money doing this with no money down. Best of luck to you!

[Doofen]

Why would you import goods from China?

First ask yourself...

-Why am I importing?
-What am I importing?
-To whom would I sell my imports?

The where, when, and how was the question of your post but you've got to know why, what, and who beforehand or you'll just waste your time. You said it's from home so I'm assuming you want to import goods from China to sell at lower prices to various sources. However, I'm fairly certain you would have to order massive quantities to be considered on the list of deliveries. I work at a grocery store and we receive better pricing for our goods because of the volume we purchase (the basics of retail) but we receive over 40 pallets of product a night and we're a smaller store. Considering the pallets are about 216 cubic feet of product, you're looking at a huge investment of money and space (plus you need tools to move that kind of weight).

I don't know your situation or the exact details of any kind of import business but I can hazard a guess at the situation and I doubt it has too much potential.

[Dus10]

Dooben: you raised some good concerns, but there are many situations for the smaller business to get into importing goods without a great need of space and bulk purchasing. Especially is they stick with a relatively small variance of goods (i.e. just iPods, or shirts, or hammers). Also, you can make arrangements where the goods come in bulk to somewhere near you, and then you immediately ship them from that location to your customers. DHL, UPS, and FedEx have arrangements like this with many distributors, large and small.

Logistics is the key. I am at a loss there, so if I were to get into importing/exporting, that would be the spot where I would need to do some quick learning.

[roxbrand]

I used to import goods from china, and I will tell you that it is not easy. BUT, with a good plan and a good idea, you can go far. I used to import small consumer electronics from a company based in Hong Kong. Communication is far difficult with the people over there and often times it isnt possible at all. It is very important that you find a reliable supplier that you can communicate with, even if it means paying a bit more.

The business made money, but I had no direction for it. I had no plan. I didn't know who, how, or where to sell my products. You really have to make sure you get the right product at a right price, but you also have to know where you will sell it. For example, I was buying headphones for $1.00 USD (this included printing my companies logo, packaging with my companies logo, and shipping cost). These headphones could easily be sold to consumers for $10.00 (similar SONY headsets sell for $20.00) So if they retail for 10.00 that means that the merchandiser buys them for about $4.00. Oviously, if you can get your product in retail stores, and you can move large quantities, you will be able to make a pretty pennie fairly easy.

I have a similar idea that will work, IF I can get the product in retail stores. There are a lot of suppliers in AUSTRALIA for the product that I am thinking of. I can get the product for .60 cents a piece. Similar products retail for $3.50 to $4.35. I figure if I sell to retail for about $1.25. I can move large quantities and make some money.

If anybody has any knowledge that they could lend me, I would greatly appreciate it.

[jpomerenke]

Originally posted by roxbrand
I used to import goods from china, and I will tell you that it is not easy. BUT, with a good plan and a good idea, you can go far. I used to import small consumer electronics from a company based in Hong Kong. Communication is far difficult with the people over there and often times it isnt possible at all. It is very important that you find a reliable supplier that you can communicate with, even if it means paying a bit more.

The business made money, but I had no direction for it. I had no plan. I didn't know who, how, or where to sell my products. You really have to make sure you get the right product at a right price, but you also have to know where you will sell it. For example, I was buying headphones for $1.00 USD (this included printing my companies logo, packaging with my companies logo, and shipping cost). These headphones could easily be sold to consumers for $10.00 (similar SONY headsets sell for $20.00) So if they retail for 10.00 that means that the merchandiser buys them for about $4.00. Oviously, if you can get your product in retail stores, and you can move large quantities, you will be able to make a pretty pennie fairly easy.

I have a similar idea that will work, IF I can get the product in retail stores. There are a lot of suppliers in AUSTRALIA for the product that I am thinking of. I can get the product for .60 cents a piece. Similar products retail for $3.50 to $4.35. I figure if I sell to retail for about $1.25. I can move large quantities and make some money.

If anybody has any knowledge that they could lend me, I would greatly appreciate it.

Do most of the suppliers in china put your name on the products?
Thanks