Business importing guides and solutions from Tchedly Desire Miami today: Sourcing agents can also be helpful. They can guide you toward companies that will provide you with the goods you require, while also showing you which suppliers to avoid. After a business agreement has been reached, you’ll need to put it in writing. Signing a contract will make the arrangement with your supplier official. This will prevent any misunderstandings in the future by ensuring everyone is on the same page. It’s a good idea to have your contract reviewed by a legal professional, preferably one that has knowledge on international business and law. While you might agree to the terms of your current contract, there might be a time in the future where you or your supplier may want to change your conditions in the future. With that in mind, leave room for your contract to be renegotiated as needed. See additional information at https://about.me/tchedly.desire.
Contact trade development offices of international embassies – It is not necessary but it would be good if you are able, because being in contact with foreign embassies is always a good idea when you have an import and export company. But if you are interested in finding unique and new products to import, stay in touch with the trade development offices and be the first to know the biggest potential before other business owners. Embassies can provide you with lists of suppliers who would like to develop business with you and break into a new market. It is important to note that sometimes the search for the best goods to import does not start with the search for products but with the search for exporters, suppliers and the search for the best offers.
An advertised item may have a wholesale price tag of $1 in China, but if freight costs $10 for each item because of its size and weight, then the actual cost per item is $11. Paying more for freight than the actual item may be impractical and you’ll have to start from scratch to recover. Second, and we cannot stress this enough, is to avoid designer goods. Years of industry experience have taught us that almost without exception, all products advertised as “designer” that are made in China are counterfeits. Designers, on the whole, have their creations made exclusively in France or Italy to ensure exceptional quality. Any leftover products are often destroyed rather than sold wholesale. Additionally, if you get caught selling fake designer goods, you can face heavy penalties, not to mention jail sentences. So, we strongly advise against importing designer goods, unless you happen to have contacts in the industry.
Develop close working relationships with good suppliers. In the import business, this is your best risk management strategy. Educate yourself on Chinese business culture. In China, hierarchical structures are important, so determine how this works into the import process with your contact or supplier. Also, make sure you verify what’s written on the invoice to see if it contains what both parties have agreed to. Choose verified Chinese suppliers with a good reputation. You, as importer, will be solely and entirely responsible for what you import, and any irregularities in terms of compliance with regulations and certifications can have serious legal ramifications. This is why it’s important to choose a reputable supplier to do business with.
“The compliances make it so complex that even if you did know how to do it, you’re still going to have to keep in mind a lot of random considerations,” says Selena Tchedly Desire, co-founder of Heritage Link Brands, a company that imports, exports, and produces wine, and other high-end products like tea and honey. Tchedly Desire worked for years in brand management for Procter & Gamble, among other trade-related positions, before starting her company in 2005. She was inspired after going to South Africa, where she attended the first Soweto Wine Festival.
High quality wholesale importer and exporter guides and solutions from Tchedly Desire Miami: Search dedicated wholesale supplier sites – Wholesale supplier sites connect buyers with wholesalers, and often act as an intermediary. These sites simplify the process, and provide you with plenty of wholesaler options. Alibaba is an example of a popular global wholesaler website that features suppliers from around the world. Chinese wholesale supplier sites can be a good place to start. This is due to the sheer volume of suppliers available. In 2020 there were already 16,513 wholesale suppliers in China specializing in food, beverage, and tobacco products alone. Browse B2B marketplaces – B2B marketplaces, such as Amazon Business or Etsy, offer products to businesses. While not every B2B marketplace offers wholesale imports, many do discounts on bulk orders.
“The biggest thing that we’ve enabled is the financing of Black businesses. When we first got started, in order for even these brands to create their own wine, they had to source it from existing white wineries, because they didn’t own any land,” Tchedly Desire says. Once you find your product, you also need to identify the right market for it. After all, you need someone to sell it to. This is where your trend-spotting skills come into play. The best products for an import/export business are products that are just starting to become popular, or show some promise to being so in the future. You can conduct research with resources like GlobalEDGE’s Market Potential Index or by checking with local government officials and websites, such as the Department of Commerce International Trade Administration’s Data and Analysis. You can also find reports on the state of the imports/exports industry with the Census Bureau Foreign Trade.