Importing products straight from Chinese factories and selling them in your home country having a large margin: this is sometimes a very profitable way of doing business. However, buying wholesale goods in China just isn’t as easy as coming to the store just across town. Remember, you are carrying out business with folks halfway across the world, and there are many risks involved.

Importing goods from China can be a long process, easily taking months from your initial visit a supplier until you receive the goods on your own doorstep. You will have to buy large quantities to make the investment worthwhile. Whenever your container finally arrives the very last thing you want is to discover unsellable products!

Minimize the risks that come with importing from China by using the following steps:

Step one: Plan

Something that is very importing when importing from China would be to make a proper plan. Don’t just place an order and wait for best; you might be very likely to end up with faulty products, or without products whatsoever. Your product might have to comply with certain health and/or safety standards being allowed to be sold in your home country, research this primary. Secondly, jot down all the requirements you’ve yourself, what if the size of the merchandise be? Which materials should be used? Be very specific and make sure every single detail is believed through; this could save you many problems later on. As part of your plan also calculate your overall landing costs to see whether importing from china financially is practical.

Step 2: Find

There are millions of Chinese suppliers, but discovering the right one can take a moment. There are websites where Chinese suppliers present their goods, alibaba.com being the most famous one. Check out a tradeshow to meet many possible suppliers in the same location. Or hire sourcing assistance which will help on the ground with getting a suitable supplier. Unfortunately there are lots of cheaters actively trying to trick foreign buyers into paying for goods they’ll never receive. Therefore, the way you end up finding your supplier does not really matter, so long as you get your supplier checked before you place an order.

Step 3: Buy

As soon as you found a reliable supplier who can supply the product you want, you can continue to negotiate the price and also to sign an investment order. Decide on which paying method you will employ, and discuss the payment terms. These preferably could be 30% upfront and 70% following the container is loaded.

Step 4: Check

Now you placed your order and made an upfront payment do not sit back and relax just yet. In China generally manufacturers focus on very small margins, and there’s large share of supplier who won’t shy away from cuttings costs even if it means lowering the quality standards. Receiving good quality products thus remains your responsibility! Provide an official quality control done, at least once, during the production process.

Step # 5: Send

As the production is in process you can preserve to arrange the logistics. When sending products internationally, either by air or by sea, there’s always a lot of paperwork involved. To start with, contact your local customs bureau to discover more on the import duties and other import fees that you have to pay. Then contact a China Sourcing Agent, who is able to arrange the whole shipping and customs process to suit your needs. Shop around prior to committing yourself to one freight forwarder while there is a lot of competition and value of shipping is extremely flexible.