When you are looking to source products from China, you may be confused or overwhelmed by the process. After all, China is a huge country and different manufacturers make different items. In addition, the language barrier can often be a problem.
You must have the right strategy and avoid common mistakes, or you could miss out on the best opportunities available to you. Follow the steps below to put yourself in the best position to make more money in a shorter amount of time.
1. Research the Market
Your first step is research.
You cannot skip this step if you want to be profitable because many businesses and entrepreneurs are now selling products that compete with each other. If you enter a crowded niche, you will simply struggle to maintain the margins necessary to rise to the top of the crop.
When researching, first find out what the market wants. You can search on Amazon for such as the top 1,000 products in any category.
Once you have found a product that fits the criteria, select two or three that you personally feel you know a lot about already.
When you have a found a top-1000 product with poor marketing that you have experience with, it’s time to move to the next step.
2. Contact Your Chinese Manufacturers
Don’t worry, most reputable manufacturers in China have English speaking support.
Then you can go to Alibaba, a huge website that connects you with thousands of qualified manufacturers in China for any product you could imagine. You can chat with them, search for different criteria (such as years they have been in business, their quality rating, payment options, and more). You should narrow it down to three or four manufacturers that have images of similar products to what you want.
3. Negotiate
Factories make money on large volumes, since their prices are usually low.
Therefore, you must project the idea that you are planning on going big from the start.
Once you have selected the few companies you would be happy buying from, you can send them to get better pricing.
4. Asking for Samples or making orders directly
When you have received the quotes from the final manufacturers who you narrowed it down to, it’s time to pick the best price and order your first round.
You can asking for some samples or place a small order directly. Of course, if you worry about trusty of the supplier, you can hire a third party inspection company to do company or factorty audit for you before transferring money to supplier.
5. Give all the requirements of product to your supplier and waiting for the goods
First, take some great photos of your product (links to step-by-step DIY product photo guide) from every angle you can.
The more photos, and higher quality, the better. This is one of the key ways to make your item stand out in a competitive online marketplace. Hire a photographer or use your own phone if you need to, but make it happen.
Now, you will create a product description. When writing this, you will list the actual features of the physical product.
You must also connect the features, which are simply characteristics, to the real benefits the customer is getting.
6.Doing quality inspection
Hire a third party inspection company to help to do quality inspection before goods leave China.
7. Checking the products after receive
After you receive the goods, you can check by your side again.
8. Re-order or stop this business
After checking the goods, you will come to a conclusion about re-order or stoppinmg the business with your supplier.
