Importing/Alibaba.com

[Wendy Howard]

Hi all,
I am considering cutting out the middle man and going straight to a Chinese manufacturer. I have found a few on Alibaba that sell the product I want to import but to be totally honest I have no idea what I am doing. Obviously I have researched importing from china but still feel like I can't take the next step through lack of knowledge.
It seems the advice for newbies is to use a Freight Forwarder:-
1) would this take all of the hassle of importing out of my hands?
2) do they actually look for the best possible shipping price or do they use there own rates?
3) would they look for a container that is half full that my import could be shipped with to save costs?
My last question is, with the current political climate around the globe is this a good time to think about importing?
many thanks

 

[fisicx]

Get help with this. Speak to Ron @MY OFFICE IN CHINA

 

[Mike Foulds]

Hi,

Please see below some answers to your questions, hopefully these help a bit:

1) would this take all of the hassle of importing out of my hands?
What a freight forwarder would do is keep in contact with your factory/shipper, and let you know when there are goods to be shipped, the best method of shipping them, and quote prices to do so. They would not help with paying your supplier, deal with the manufacturing process, check quality of products, or assist with your ordering.
2) do they actually look for the best possible shipping price or do they use there own rates?
A freight forwarder is able to make a profit by negotiating with the shipping lines/airlines, etc, and getting better freight and haulage rates based on the volumes they ship. They are then able to offer to you better rates then you could get directly by dealing with the lines, plus added services such as the customs clearances, haulage, etc. All of which you technically COULD do yourself, but would involve alot of time, etc, and you would likely not make a saving, as you would only be shipping small quantities, whilst they handle large volumes. normally a freight forwarder has on file contract rates with all the major lines for a month, quarter, etc, so they can also promptly quote.
3) would they look for a container that is half full that my import could be shipped with to save costs?
Depending on the volume you have to ship, and what they goods are, a freight forwarder could advise if it's best for your goods to be shipped in their own container, or shipped as an LCL (Less than Container Load) shipment, and what the costs and timescales would be for either option.
My last question is, with the current political climate around the globe is this a good time to think about importing?
I think that depends more on the product you are looking to import, and the opportunity you see in the market, alongside where you're planning on shipping from. The Far East, for example, has generally been stable, but certain countries in the Middle East and Africa may be more controversial and could have issues with delays.

Hope this all helps.

 

[MOIC]

I want to import but to be totally honest I have no idea what I am doing.

Get an English speaking agent to 'hold your hand' for the first few imports, so you learn and understand what is involved.

My advice is not to try to do anything yourself without help, given your comments in your post.

There are many threads on this forum regarding 'Do's & Dont's' for people new to importing, which you should read first, just to understand potential hurdles that may need to be overcome.

In answer to the questions you have raised:

It seems the advice for newbies is to use a Freight Forwarder:-
1) would this take all of the hassle of importing out of my hands?

It depends on the size and weight of your shipment. If you are just importing small quantities, shipping by air is probably a better option and a door to door service is provided by most suppliers or agents. Always get several quotes in writing and compare which is best for you. This refers to the 'shipping' element only. There are many hurdles to overcome, apart from shipping.

2) do they actually look for the best possible shipping price or do they use there own rates?

Every forwarder will use different calculating methods and charge different rates for the services they provide.
Get quotes in writing and compare.

3) would they look for a container that is half full that my import could be shipped with to save costs?

It's for you to determine whether you should load a full container (FCL) or ask a forwarder to quote for part container (LCL). Again, same answer to the previous 2 questions - Get quotes and compare.

My last question is, with the current political climate around the globe is this a good time to think about importing?

Yes . . . . . . . But, only if you are ready to do so, which by your post, you are still some way short of understanding the hurdles you need to overcome before making your first import.

Feel free to contact me for free advice.

 

[Nathan Abbott]

Hi Wendy,

The final question is more my remit. I think the answer is yes, it is a good time. The Pound has suffered a huge amount since Brexit there is no denying that. However 2018 has seen a steep recovery against the USD (1.4366 2 year high 17/04/18) and remained constant against CNY as these are the two currencies that you will likely pay in to your Chinese suppliers, now is almost the best time since the Brexit vote (23/06/16). I think we have seen some concerns eased regarding Brexit and now may be the best time to act.

Feel free to contact me.

 

[Mr D]

My last question is, with the current political climate around the globe is this a good time to think about importing?
many thanks

If you don't import now will the situation be better or worse in 6 months? 12 months? 2 years? 5 years?
North Korea could set off a nuke in New York next week or some terror group take out central London with a radioactive bomb. Or the current Russia / West tensions may defuse.
There may never be a great time to import. There could well be worse times.

 

[Deleted member 302361]

Before you decide on a freight forwarder, shop around, if you find one you think is Ok then don't fully commit yourself with contracts just give them two or three imports to start with to see how they shape up.

 

[Ecowritingtablet]

well, there is always import/export even there is war as long as there is need. Prices matter.

 

[Furqan721]

My Advice: Start slow with small orders of 50 to 100 pcs / pairs. Go for two three orders and then see how they are dealing with it. Do not suddenly go for a big container order. By ordering small, you will have an idea of demand and supply ability of your products in your market.

So its always better to go smart way!

 

[Yubu bottles]

Hi Wendy,

I think it will be better that you can have two suppliers for the same products in the first order, one is from trading company, the other one is from factory. In sometimes , even the product from the same factory produce, the quality from trading company perhaps is better than from factory, it depends the quality control ability of the trading company, and even in some situations, the price from trading company is much lower than directly from factory. you see, the middle man exist more than thousands of years...

Another interesting thing is that, most amount of persons who response to you on Alibaba is also the same newbies as you for exporting. The very experienced workers are too busy to do up with Alibaba. Good luck to you !

The followings are some answers to your questions, hope they can do a little assistance.

1) would this take all of the hassle of importing out of my hands?
If your order is less than full container, then do not let your supplier send the goods to UK, usual the shipping cost from China to UK for LCL is free, but the charges in UK sea port will be much higher. Thus you are better to have forwarders in UK to handle, and an agent for helping to deal with customs .
2) do they actually look for the best possible shipping price or do they use there own rates?
Hum, it depends, the shipping price goes different every week, the supplier may add some to avoid risk of cost increasing.

3) would they look for a container that is half full that my import could be shipped with to save costs?
It depends, if half container is much less cost than LCL shipping, then do it !-

My last question is, with the current political climate around the globe is this a good time to think about importing?

Well, no matter what happened, there still has business overworld....

I am in China, anything about China, feel free to contact me