A great product is at the heart of a successful business, and this holds true for Amazon sellers and ecommerce retailers. The good news is that Chinese factories can make most products you can envision selling online. Question is, what is the best product to import from China? And if you're interested in introducing a new product to your target market, can China's factories fulfil your custom manufacturing needs?
What are main advantages of sourcing Chinese products?
Any buyer can earn profit from China direct sourcing so as to reduce operational expenses and save money. When you locate a dependable supplier of products you can import from China, you can have a consistent supply of goods at the same time. Here are some key benefits of global sourcing from China.
1. You can source directly from the supplier
The market is based on prices. Customers frequently purchase high-quality products because they regard their money highly. Today, any business that can satisfy both requirements will be easily successful.
You can get inexpensive goods directly from China. It eliminates the necessity to enlist third parties because there are no longer any intermediaries involved. You can save time, money, and effort by doing so. As a result, China's import and export activities help consumers in developing positive relationships with suppliers.
2. Low MOQ requirement
Buying is made simple by importing goods from China because they don't require a sizable investment from a small business. Small businesses must often struggle to achieve certain minimum order quantity requirements. It costs a lot of money if the MOQ is high. Start-up companies lack the resources to buy a lot of different things. In China, with help of sourcing agents, MOQ may not be an issue so the businesses can grow as swiftly as they can. Cheap Chinese imports are advantageous for small businesses.
3. Choose from a large selection of verified suppliers
In China, you have the choice of hiring a sourcing agency or going to the factory in person to examine when sourcing cheap China goods. You can also discuss your requirements and select from several verified factories. Direct wholesale sourcing from China will help you find appropriate products and providers who produce the necessary goods as a result.
4. You are involved with the different products to import from China
When you opt to source inexpensive goods from China, you can reduce the risks associated with the process by using a well-managed product sourcing strategy. You will be involved in every step of the process if you import products from China. You will then be able to get early warnings about scam threats, inflated prices, and late deliveries thanks to this step-by-step procedure.
What are the popular products imported from China?
China is an important trading partner for the USA, the UK, and Europe. Products from several categories originate from Chinese factories. Popular categories include:
- Household electronics
- Mobile phones and accessories
- Electrical machinery and equipment
- Toys
- Kitchen utensils
- Jewelries
- Automotive spare parts
- Furniture
- Office supplies
- Beauty and personal care
- Home appliances.
There are many profitable products to import from China. To estimate a product's profit potential, consider not only its availability in your home country, but also the total costs of goods sold, which includes shipment, custom duties, handling cost, and taxes.
Factors that make China a manufacturing powerhouse
China has a strong production ecosystem of material suppliers, skilled workers, assembly factories and service providers. Adding value to the integrated supply chain is a robust infrastructure of roads, ports, and railways. China's logistics network is considered one of the most efficient in the world. Chinese exports are not burdened by excessive customs procedures, and as such, are among the fastest in southeast Asia. All these factors together make China import products more attractive than having the same items manufactured elsewhere, including custom products and inventions.
But how good are the products from China? Some factories do churn out low-quality products but often, this is due to sellers driving the price as low as they can negotiate. In a few cases, communication and cultural gaps can affect how the final product turns out, but is rectifiable with clear communication and instructions, ideally in Chinese. Overall, you can manufacture products to acceptable Western standards in China so long as you choose a factory that makes the product you want and therefore also understands the quality and safety standards of your country.
How do you know if there are suppliers for the product you want?
Looking for suppliers that can make your invention or innovative concept a reality? You'll find factories that have the right technical expertise, tools, and engineers. Over the years, Chinese factories have set their sights on making innovative, high-tech products and attracted the attention of high-tech companies.
Most products and manufacturing processes can be accessed in China. After you've determined the product you want to sell, find suppliers specializing in it.
Browse Alibaba for products, wholesalers, and suppliers. You'll get an idea of the MOQs, price and lead times for your product. Also go through other China supplier directories online, such as Made-in-China, Global Sources and DHgate.com. Check if the suppliers accept custom production orders.
Do a Google search for Chinese suppliers based on the manufacturing region which makes your product abundantly. Visit Quora or find relevant online forums where buyers share advice and recommendations.
How to decide on what to sell in your market?
Deciding what products to sell online is the initial step of any product outsourcing plan. Without correctly determining what to sell, you may fail to make a profit even if you import products for cheap from China.
1. Identify products that your target market needs
You cannot proceed without knowing who your target customers are and the products they need that you can provide. Smart sellers think like start-ups. They consider people's pain-points, review whether existing products can be enhanced or cheaper, and examine the opportunity to introduce new products to their market which may already be selling well in other countries.
The modern consumer loves to try new things and seeks quality items but is also cost-conscious. If you can provide them good overall value in terms of quality, performance, functionality, durability, price and service, your business is likely to perform well.
2. Find products that support long-term business
Some products are always in-demand as they fulfil day to day needs or they are required by businesses in large quantities. They will also be competitive, but you at least know that demand for them will continue in the distant future at least. Choosing an evergreen niche is a safe tactic. However, as you will be competing against several other sellers offering the same or similar products, you must provide customers with quality products at attractive prices.
3. Avoid jumping on trends as products that were once popular may not be hot anymore
On Amazon, a quick way to determine the profitable products to import from China is to look at the site's 'Best Seller' ranking, 'Trending' section, 'New Releases' and 'Movers and Shakers'. While this is fine, you also want to dig deeper into the competition for these products.
Sure, there is money to be made from products that appear to be in demand, but good timing is key to making a profit. If you can catch trends early, then it's worth exploiting the market for it. But getting in late - when the market for the product is on its way to getting saturated by many sellers - then you may want to explore other options.
4. Sell something that you can expand into a line of products
A safe approach for new Amazon seller is to launch a single product, review its performance and add new variants. If your initial variant has sold well, then you can use the positive reviews you've received to draw attention to subsequent variants. This technique can help you get a firmer hold of your market and open your business up to a new audience. It is also important from the perspective of building a brand before you start investing heavily into your business.
5. Avoid low value, extremely cheap and fiercely competitive products
It goes without saying but larger sales are difficult in highly competitive product categories. Undercutting other sellers on price is never a good idea for an already cheap product as it will most likely result in quality issues and turn customers away from your business. Building your Amazon business around a low-value product in a competitive niche is also risky as the threat of better substitutes looms and can take business away from you eventually.
6. Generally, products for a sustainable business have some value-add
Though Amazon buyers are cost conscious, the marketplace is among the first places where people and businesses research when they're looking to make a purchase. Promising a value-add in some form, such as an additional feature, better battery life, a vast choice of colors, or other attributes that aren't available in similar products, can drive more sales your way. Once you identify what is the best product to import from China, think about how you can enhance the product to make it more attractive to your target market.
7. Keep a watch on your market
Stay on the pulse of your market to spot opportunities for relatively new parts or cutting-edge gadgets that may attract high demand soon. This is easier when you have more time on your hands to focus on product research and business development. You can free up time by having our China sourcing agent handle supplier sourcing, quality inspections and order monitoring for you.
How to make a splash with the products you import from China?
Just about anyone can list their product for sale on Amazon and other major online marketplaces. But making a profit requires building a long-term mindset for success.
1. Offer customers quality
Quality is a huge differentiator particularly in low-cost categories. It is important not only to identify profitable products to import from China, but also have them made to a quality your market will appreciate. For example, if you're using injection moulding to make your product, ensure that only high-quality injection moulds are used. Provide detailed specifications to the supplier, such as the exact material, texture and finishing requires, tolerances on critical dimensions, number of cavities, and so on.
Choose a supplier with experience catering to sellers in your market. Does the supplier have professional tooling engineers? Is a dedicated account manager assigned to you? Gauge their skills to decide if they can indeed make the product to your high-quality standards.
2. Focus on creating a strong brand name
This is easier when you're not seen as just another seller buying wholesale. Apart from meeting your market's quality expectations, you also want to provide great customer service so that customers don't hesitate to buy from you again. There's not a lot of branding you can do on Amazon, so your product and service will matter a great deal. If you can deliver on both counts, you're sure to get positive ratings and reviews. Note that on Amazon, sellers are banned from requesting reviews as the marketplace sends an email automatically asking buyers for their feedback. As you get positive reviews organically, your brand will become strong, helping your business.
3. Meet delivery promises consistently
You must deliver products on time, and ideally, every time! This is possible if you partner with a reliable supplier with experience shipping directly overseas. Depending on whether the shipment goes to an Amazon warehouse or a destination from where you will arrange pick-up and delivery at your end, we can help you figure out a reliable and cost-effective solution.
Conclusion
A good understanding of your target market is necessary for success in importing. Invest time and effort, and don't hesitate from seeking external inputs on the profitable products to source from China.
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