Choosing a Product – Part 1

Choosing A Profitable Product To Buy From China – Part 1.

What is a good product to buy from China?

If I had a dollar for every time someone has asked me that question, I would probably be able to retire!

There is no right answer. It is really up to the individual.

If you have not imported before, you should think about your own areas of interest or expertise because they will help you decide what to buy from China. You should probably aim for a niche market, and not invest more than you can afford to lose. Make sure you have completed sufficient market research and you know how you will be marketing your products, and what after-sales support you will provide.

Some aspects you need to consider before making a decision are:

Is it legal to import and sell the product in Australia? For instance, stay away from guns and other weapons, flick-knives, pirated DVDs, drugs and anything to do with livestock, meat, fresh food or seeds.

• What is the shipping cost? Is the product very heavy, fragile, valuable, delicate, easily breakable, etc
• What duty is payable – 0%, 5% or 17.5%
• What technical support is required? Does the product require technical knowledge, and if so, who will provide that knowledge in Australia?
• What about knowledge from China? Do their technical support people speak English?
• Is the profit sufficient to cover all of your costs including your time and marketing expenses.
• What provision will you make for negative events, such as refunding customers, orders lost in the mail, or holding stock that is depreciating?

 

 

Products we suggest you do not buy from China include:

• Products that are cheap and widely available in variety stores such as K-Mart, Big W and Target, etc. or in bargain shops
• Products associated with popular events that may have a short life-span (eg. Olympics, World Cup Football)
• Hi-tech products that are out of date by the time they arrive.
• Items with lots of options that take a long time to process and pack
• Items that are fragile and likely to break when you post them, or require very careful handling and packaging
• Cheap items that are likely to break during the warranty period
• TV specials

If you have some ideas of what you would like to buy from China just send an email to info@chinaprocurement.com.au and we can help you assess whether importation is viable, and if so, help you get started making huge profits or major cost reductions by buying direct from China.

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