5 Tips For Importing From Alibaba Stock
Importing from China wholesale has become quite popular among young 'entrepreneurial sprits' all over the world. Alibaba stock is one of the first places people run to for that purpose. Importing...
Before you start importing, it's important to do your due diligence and understand the demands and risks of running an import business. There are also hidden costs involved. Learn about importing in our guide.
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Factor in compulsory expenses and taxes or look at competitors' strategies to price your imported products.

Build a solid packaging and distribution points and channels locally.
Come up with a branding strategy and plan for your OEM products imported overseas.
Comply and keep abreast of import laws in Australia including tariffs, permits, banned items and procedures.
Carry out due dilligence to prevent fraud and ensure you are complying with the laws.
Find options for your shipping and handling of products whether overseas or local.
Hire services to import through online marketplaces covering fees, permits, and regulations.
Build a logistics chain for your imported goods and use the right technology to manage them such as RFID.
Understand all the expenses you need to fork out such as tariffs, fees, and taxes such as GST.
Minimise expenditure and investment and increase efficiency with a proper importing strategy.
What do you miss out on if you don't go?
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User 34029
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For first-timers and newbies, how do you source products and select the best manufacturer to work with?
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Aishah Mustapha, Community Manager at ONETOUCH ACCOUNTING SOLUTIONS
I've actually used AliBaba to find products. Firstly, to save you a lot of headache, make sure you do a thorough research on your product before you source for suppliers on AliBaba. This goes beyond knowing your target customer and product spec. Do research on the standards and regulations governing the product or parts of the product that you want to sell in Australia. For example, clothing has regulations on labelling, baby and kids’ products have more stringent regulations, as do organic items, etc. If you don’t get this right, your stock will be useless and unsellable in Australia.
When you’re ready to source for suppliers, you’ll find that AliBaba is not difficult to use. It’s free for buyers to sign up. You can search for products and shortlist a number of suppliers to contact. All items on AliBaba have a price range and a minimum order quantity (MOQ). The final price depends on the order quantity, customisation and other arrangements.
Or you can fill up an RFQ or request for quote form with your requirements, business and product details, price and MOQ. Interested suppliers will submit their quotes and you can check them out.
There are several things you need to know about the sellers on AliBaba. There are manufacturers and resellers on the platform, depending on what you need, whether a ready-made product which just needs labelling and branding, or a product made to your specification.
AliBaba have done a lot of work to vet the suppliers on their platform. Currently, they have two different type of suppliers, gold and verified supplier on AliBaba. Depending on the type of membership, they do onsite checks to ensure you are dealing with a legitimate business, check their certifications, business license and other credentials for you. They’ll also use independent third parties to check QC, production capability, etc.
Check the supplier page thoroughly, looking at their ratings, history, photos and other details. Most suppliers will have a trade assurance capability. A Trade Assurance means your order will be protected by AliBaba in case there is a delay in shipment, issues with product’s quality, mismatch in order and final goods, etc. When you’re dealing with a “Trade Assurance” supplier, you can easily raise a dispute if you are not happy with the final goods, quality, and production time if it differs from the contract, and AliBaba will refund your money if you are on the right side. Furthermore, when you place a Trade Assurance order, the money won’t be deposited straight to any of the supplier’s account, but the supplier’s designated bank account as required by AliBaba, to prevent employee fraud.
I’d suggest getting a sample first. Do several iterations of samples if needed before placing your order. Document everything and share pictures with your supplier. Always communicate with your supplier to establish a working relationship and trust. Skype if you can so you get a feel of what they are like to work with. It’s better to be dealing with one trade manager. If your contact person keeps changing, that will be difficult and may raise some red flags.
Once you’ve found the right supplier for you, make sure your contract is as detailed as possible. It should be made through AliBaba, and not offline through emails or phone calls because any offline transactions will not be protected by AliBaba in case of a dispute. And finally, you can pay extra to request for an inspection by an independent third party once the goods have been manufactured to give you a piece of mind before shipment.
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As the digital business environment has become ever more sophisticated, the ability for small businesses to access foreign manufacturers has skyrocketed. The most popular marketplace by far is Alibaba, a China-based wholesale and manufacturing portal that functions very similarly to eBay - but for minimum product volumes sometimes numbering in the thousands.
The essence of import businesses is no different to any sales strategy: buy low, sell high. The key difference is that huge profits can be achieved by purchasing products in massive bulk, minimising both the per unit cost and spreading shipping costs across a large number of products. It is not uncommon for a product to cost an importer as little as $1-2 per unit, but fetch a price of $20-30 per unit on the retail market.
Before you rush to import anything and everything, however, it is important to do your due diligence and understand the demands and risks of running an import business. Certain products are far more suited to being shipped internationally, and understanding your responsibilities as an importer or exporter is vital to ensure you meet your legal obligations. There can also be a number of hidden costs associated with importing that you haven't considered, and putting processes in place to ensure prompt delivery of goods is essential.
If you are looking to import products from foreign manufacturers, you will need to become familiar with Alibaba. Alibaba is the largest online marketplace for Chinese manufactured goods and is by and large considered the primary source for small business importers. While other options do exist, they will require heavier vetting on your part, and you will need to establish your own relationship with the manufacturer, which can be difficult for a new or small business.
Once you have an account on Alibaba you will be inundated with options. There are thousands upon thousands of potential products you could import, but not all suppliers are equal. You should only be looking at gold suppliers with trade assurance. This significantly lowers the risk of you being sent faulty/counterfeit products or being scammed.
Once you are looking at the right suppliers, you need to find products which:
That covers the essentials. If a product fits those criteria, it is possible to make money importing it. Does that mean it will be easy? Of course not. If you are a first-time importer, there are a few extra tips you might want to take on board to limit your exposure and increase your chances of success:
Entrepreneurs first exploring the import space can sometimes feel giddy when they see the potential profits of imported products. It is not uncommon to find an item which you can buy for $1-2 per unit selling for $20-30 per unit on Amazon or eBay, leading some of the less risk-averse new business founders to throw down $1000 in a heartbeat, expecting to make huge returns overnight. These entrepreneurs invariably get burned.
First of all, there are hidden costs of importing they generally haven't considered, including:
It can also take a significant amount of time to sell your inventory, if the product is not one that sells in high volume, or you lack the marketing budget to push it more aggressively. So what may look like a whopping 2000% profit margin on the surface may be reduced to a 20% margin when everything's said and done. If you are considered importing, don't be dismayed. Many businesses operate on slim margins, it is just important to manage your own expectations and do the research necessary to ensure you aren't forecasting unrealistic profits.
In order to start importing you will need to:
Importing provides great opportunities but there is a lot of work involved on the logistics and regulatory compliance side of things. For example, you need to comply with exporting and exporting laws and regulations and complete all of the necessary paperwork.
For this reason, many businesses decide to hire a customs broker to streamline the clearance process. They do the heavy lifting to ensure you are compliant and your shipments are delivered with minimal issues. Learn more aboutcustomers brokers and the services they offer,
Most customs brokers charge a commission based on the total value of the goods you are importing. They may also charge a fixed fee for specific services such as customs clearance.
Importing is complex and requires a lot of organisation, paperwork and knowledge of country-specific laws and regulations. Hiring a customs broker streamlines the process and can minimise risk. Here are some of the top benefits:
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