Ordering Wholesale

I am thinking of ordering some product wholesale from Asia to resell through a new site that I have. I am very new to importing product or even ordering items wholesale.

Can someone point me to some specific resources around this topic? Or can share their experiences - the good, the bad and the ugly?

Are there any special challenges ordering from Asia? Things that I would think about that most wouldn't?

 

Depends on the product, what are you trying to import?

 

a herb... much like ginseng.

 

I have experience with importing from Asia. You didn't mention the product, but some general info....

The quantities you will need to order will be fairly large - it depends on what you are talking about, but generally hundreds of each. You can't buy a couple of dozen of each - which is why the cost is going to be lower. It's more quantity than total order dollar amount.

Research the company BEFORE you do business with them. You will be required to pay upfront - Unless you are talking very large dollar amount, you will usually send a bank wire in advance. This will run you about $40 to $50.

Research the company BEFORE you do business. There are shady companies in all parts of the world, but you usually have no recourse against a company that takes you money and ships you nothing, or ships you something that isn't the quality you wanted.

There are HUGE differences in quality between companies. Asia tends to focus on low price more than quality unless you make it very clear you want a certain quality. Sometimes a few cents per piece is all that is needed to get you what you want. I had items that were 25 cents per piece and to get the quality I wanted, I had to pay 27 cents. Of course it wouldn't have even been a consideration here, but it's just a different way of thinking. They assumed I wouldn't have wanted to pay 27 cents so they didn't even ask.

Make sure you aren't dealing with anything with trademark infringement problems. You won't have a problem finding a company to duplicate anything you want, but if it gets seized in customs, you'll not only be out the money, but have to worry about criminal charges.

Check to see if there are any duties on what you are going to import. Sometimes this can add considerably to the price. Shipping is also going to be a big part of the cost. Even small packages can run hundreds of dollars. It can be cheaper to pay the company to arrange shipping on their side - but make sure it is insured.

There is also going to be potential language barriers. A lot of companies in China etc might have people who understand a little bit of English, but you can have problems if they don't fully understand what you want. There are translation services that you should use if you are talking about a large amount of money.

Again, the most important thing is going to be choosing the company to do business with. While it might be tempting to go with the lowest price, pay a little more and go with an established company.

 

Thanks mjewel great information. I am trying to import a mushroom in powder form - the non-hallucinogenic type .

I suppose there is not much in terms of actual contracts being signed / exchanged. Did you use any particular service to research the company to ensure one does not get one of those shady companies? I suppose that there are special considerations for food, herb type of items being imported into the US?

 

Well Asia is a big mess some times since i live here i know. Do not think people want to do looong time with you. There is no need for you to tell them that you are planning to buy from them over and over. They will just say ah ah ah and give you the same price or shitty product any way. Sure some are diffrent if they have a Singapore boss or Western boss. I can order 5 times from the same factory and the 6 time i am so snuggeld in with them i do not even check the order i send it to the customers right away. (i work with finding products for people in Thailand) then it hit ya that shippment was bad. That was a first time and never ever trust some one. From now on my staff open every bloody box and check it.

 

i think that this one should go sticky it's really a great advice on how conducting a business with asia. there are many scammers out there.. beware!

 

Make sure you aren't dealing with anything with trademark infringement problems. You won't have a problem finding a company to duplicate anything you want, but if it gets seized in customs, you'll not only be out the money, but have to worry about criminal charges.

The problem is here in asia that they do 1000 more of your product if its a good one and sell anyway on the black market be aware.

 

The last thing you want is to order a load of bad product quality. I lost $5,000 when I wanted to get into the Ink cartridge business some time ago and purchased in bulk. Needless to say I was very upset with my shipment arrived.

But it is very difficult to research companies so far away, unless you can fly thre and work out the arrangement and product quality in person.

 

I can attest to that, I was dealing with a company in China, the first few shipments were excellent, I started off ordering a small amount and as I grew more comfortable with them (and the quality was excellent) I upped the amount.

Then when I received a very large order the quality was rubbish, they wouldn't take or return calls after that so basically all my profit from the previous orders was gone....I ended up just above breakeven for a lot of work .

 

Thanks everyone for the responses so far - great food for thought.

 

You should try posting this on a wholesale forum for a better response at www.wholesalespotter.com/forum/

You could be sure to get your answers there.

 

As i said make sure they have a Singapore Boss or a Western Boss they had a program about this in Discovery. When they made watches and when the chines boss he saved a few cents and the watch will not work work over 6 month the Singapore Boss wanted the customers to come back so he make sure that he spent the extra money on quality. There is no risk free thing you can do to prevent this. You never know what they think exept that they do not think long term and they rather make a quick profit then keep you as a customer.