Trying my hand at importing

[5aq1b]

Hi There

Hoping someone can help me out here! I've been buying and selling on ebay for a while now , mostly homeware products and have been buying the products from local wholesalers here in the UK. I know I can get similar products for alot cheaper from China but my knowledge of importing from China is lacking. I have found a supplier for a particular product based in China on alibaba.com and had contact via email however some of the jargon confused me a little.

"Do you have container to ship from Chaozhou ,Guangdong or other place in China?
The price we always quota is FOB Shenzhen,so do you have freight forwarding company in China?"

Can someone explain what is meant by the above?
also - on top of the price quoted by the supplier, waht am i looking to pay in extras ie. customs, duty, vat etc?

I hope you understand that id like to clarify the total price of a single product at the point that it hits the door of my warehouse (shed, lol).

 

[ericfurniture]

Hi There

Hoping someone can help me out here! I've been buying and selling on ebay for a while now , mostly homeware products and have been buying the products from local wholesalers here in the UK. I know I can get similar products for alot cheaper from China but my knowledge of importing from China is lacking. I have found a supplier for a particular product based in China on alibaba.com and had contact via email however some of the jargon confused me a little.

"Do you have container to ship from Chaozhou ,Guangdong or other place in China?
The price we always quota is FOB Shenzhen,so do you have freight forwarding company in China?"

Can someone explain what is meant by the above?
also - on top of the price quoted by the supplier, waht am i looking to pay in extras ie. customs, duty, vat etc?

I hope you understand that id like to clarify the total price of a single product at the point that it hits the door of my warehouse (shed, lol).

hello man!in my understanding with your supplier' word,they factory maybe located in Guangdong.so the nearest port is Shenzhen.this company hope you can slove freight near to them in order to save they cost in that.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Have a quick search in this forum - this has been answered several times in the past few weeks alone!

 

[Bizman2010]

Hi There

Hoping someone can help me out here! I've been buying and selling on ebay for a while now , mostly homeware products and have been buying the products from local wholesalers here in the UK. I know I can get similar products for alot cheaper from China but my knowledge of importing from China is lacking. I have found a supplier for a particular product based in China on alibaba.com and had contact via email however some of the jargon confused me a little.

"Do you have container to ship from Chaozhou ,Guangdong or other place in China?
The price we always quota is FOB Shenzhen,so do you have freight forwarding company in China?"

Can someone explain what is meant by the above?
also - on top of the price quoted by the supplier, waht am i looking to pay in extras ie. customs, duty, vat etc?

I hope you understand that id like to clarify the total price of a single product at the point that it hits the door of my warehouse (shed, lol).

Hi, just a word of warning... be very very carefull when dealing with online "exporters" especially on alibaba. Dont get me wrong, there mostly very honest, however like anything, where theres good, theres bad. Be very wearey of companies offering you cheaper than normal, free shipping, and companies reply to you in unsociable hours. For example, I think china are 7 hours in front, so if someone is talking to you live on alibaba at 7pm our time, that means they are up working, and talking to you at 2am their time... ive heard thats what they do, they also put a pretty looking woman on their profile. Im not saying that they are all guys, they maybe honest women on alibaba, but ive been told that they use this as some sort tactic for trust factor. Companies on alibaba have their own profiles, however some only have profile info, pics of their products, but dont have an official company site... seperate from alibaba so be careful with that.

Again, i must stress... that most are really good, helpful and very honest, but just be wearey of those traits.

Alibaba is very good, but unfortunatly they can't control every scam on it.

 

[JoeHe]

I'm new here and read some topic these days, I found lots person in the forum mentioned lots scammers in alibaba, as a Chinese person I don't feel very good, lots person be cheated through alibaba ??

As a person in international trade, I also heard of this before, and mainly happened on branded products, some fake products. The one who be cheated should also self-examation sometimes maybe, it's right that most products are cheaper from China, but do you think if cost of a shirt is USD2, and they sell only USD1.5 to you ?? They must be crazy, if not, they'll change some material to reduce the cost, then the cost is 1.0, and you found, wow, the quality is too bad !! Oh, I'm be scammered by people on alibaba. If you don't want be cheated, you should surf for more suppliers and also know some basic knowledge about the product you want to import.

Re the time, the member still work till 2 o'clock. Most factory and trading company in China don't work at night, lots of person in China work overtime especially in international trade jobs, with very little overtime pay or even no additional pay. As the time difference, we should sometimes waiting information from customers, but still work till 2-3o'clock will be tooo crazy.(I'll sometimes, but just cause playing with friends or watching TV etc). I also heard in some companies, working time is at night, for example, normal we work from 9:00——17：00,some person will work from 18:00——4：00:|, they'll be response for USA or Europe market maybe.

I found I wrote toooo long,lol
Joe from China
sarineyin at hotmail.com sourcing at bagcn.info

 

[Paul Stuyver]

I'm new here and read some topic these days, I found lots person in the forum mentioned lots scammers in alibaba, as a Chinese person I don't feel very good, lots person be cheated through alibaba ??

As a person in international trade, I also heard of this before, and mainly happened on branded products, some fake products. The one who be cheated should also self-examation sometimes maybe, it's right that most products are cheaper from China, but do you think if cost of a shirt is USD2, and they sell only USD1.5 to you ?? They must be crazy, if not, they'll change some material to reduce the cost, then the cost is 1.0, and you found, wow, the quality is too bad !! Oh, I'm be scammered by people on alibaba. If you don't want be cheated, you should surf for more suppliers and also know some basic knowledge about the product you want to import.

Re the time, the member still work till 2 o'clock. Most factory and trading company in China don't work at night, lots of person in China work overtime especially in international trade jobs, with very little overtime pay or even no additional pay. As the time difference, we should sometimes waiting information from customers, but still work till 2-3o'clock will be tooo crazy.(I'll sometimes, but just cause playing with friends or watching TV etc). I also heard in some companies, working time is at night, for example, normal we work from 9:00——17：00,some person will work from 18:00——4：00:|, they'll be response for USA or Europe market maybe.

I found I wrote toooo long,lol
Joe from China
sarineyin at hotmail.com sourcing at bagcn.info

From looking at the international forum here i am taking a wild guess at ADD but it's all good.

Dont feel bad, I know what you mean. And I can 100% testify that ANY chinese factory or person will screw you the moment they can get away with it. Dont be offended Joe, its just the greed and nature of Chinese in General.

Alibaba, made in china etc are the places where most companies are just people, or trading companies selling the products of the actual factories. Sure still lots of real factories there, but you never know untill you knock on their door. Europeans cant read chinese, so you can tell them anything right? Right, and this is what happens. People get screwed because they think to deal with a factory but its just the middleman with a "deal" with the boss of the actual factory. So how is that working out for you when you have a problem or dispute over quality or delivery etc ? It doesnt. Likely the middleman didnt even pay the factory your deposit and can disappear in the masses leaving you to hold the bag (no phun intended there Joe)

You may not be in this business too long, but reality is that if you dont control, check, push and demand then you will end up with a knife in your back sooner rather than later.

Im in Guangdong, Guangzhou and I know out of their very mouths how they think and act once the unsuspecting customer signs off on production. Without eyes and ears on site you will be burnt because the second you hang up the phone, stop the skype or msn chat they will have a meeting on how to cut corners, increase profit and work around the details in the contract.

Order an mp3 player, some goods worth few hundred pounds, ok you can take the risk. But at least tell yourself you take a risk because you ARE.

Any real business you want to do? take your time, think about the long term and find a partner who you do trust and you can relate to. You will sleep better.

Cheers

 

[JoeHe]

From looking at the international forum here i am taking a wild guess at ADD but it's all good.

Dont feel bad, I know what you mean. And I can 100% testify that ANY chinese factory or person will screw you the moment they can get away with it. Dont be offended Joe, its just the greed and nature of Chinese in General.

Alibaba, made in china etc are the places where most companies are just people, or trading companies selling the products of the actual factories. Sure still lots of real factories there, but you never know untill you knock on their door. Europeans cant read chinese, so you can tell them anything right? Right, and this is what happens. People get screwed because they think to deal with a factory but its just the middleman with a "deal" with the boss of the actual factory. So how is that working out for you when you have a problem or dispute over quality or delivery etc ? It doesnt. Likely the middleman didnt even pay the factory your deposit and can disappear in the masses leaving you to hold the bag (no phun intended there Joe)

You may not be in this business too long, but reality is that if you dont control, check, push and demand then you will end up with a knife in your back sooner rather than later.

Im in Guangdong, Guangzhou and I know out of their very mouths how they think and act once the unsuspecting customer signs off on production. Without eyes and ears on site you will be burnt because the second you hang up the phone, stop the skype or msn chat they will have a meeting on how to cut corners, increase profit and work around the details in the contract.

Order an mp3 player, some goods worth few hundred pounds, ok you can take the risk. But at least tell yourself you take a risk because you ARE.

Any real business you want to do? take your time, think about the long term and find a partner who you do trust and you can relate to. You will sleep better.

Cheers

Paul,I'm in Ningbo,Zhejiang, as I can see you've already tired of the life and environment in Guangzhou ? or just tired of the life act as a international trader ??

I don't quite understanding your meaning by words "Dont feel bad, I know what you mean. And I can 100% testify that ANY chinese factory or person will screw you the moment they can get away with it. Dont be offended Joe, its just the greed and nature of Chinese in General. " You can on behalf of 100% person in China ?? All people are greed ???!!! how do you defy greed ? you don't need profit from a deal ? OK,then you go ahead.

Anyway,thanks for you telling us how people works in Guangzhou, I noted and will be much careful while communicate with them.

Joe

 

[Paul Stuyver]

Double post

 

[Paul Stuyver]

Paul,I'm in Ningbo,Zhejiang, as I can see you've already tired of the life and environment in Guangzhou ? or just tired of the life act as a international trader ??

I don't quite understanding your meaning by words "Dont feel bad, I know what you mean. And I can 100% testify that ANY chinese factory or person will screw you the moment they can get away with it. Dont be offended Joe, its just the greed and nature of Chinese in General. " You can on behalf of 100% person in China ?? All people are greed ???!!! how do you defy greed ? you don't need profit from a deal ? OK,then you go ahead.

Anyway,thanks for you telling us how people works in Guangzhou, I noted and will be much careful while communicate with them.

Joe

I am not tired Joe of trading Joe, I have my own factory and offices so i am ok, just having to deal with people like yourself who's only motive for being alive is to find some way to make a deal is difficult. No offence. You are just being very... Chinese.

Lots of good trustworthy people in China too in trade, but just too few unfortunately.

Just to make a point; forums are to give people advice and help. Not push your products down everyones throut. If your skill show through the advice you give them people will come to you by themselves. Else you are just spamming this forum and noone gets anything useful out of it. It has to do with manners my friend.

Cheers

 

[Chris Ashdown]

That's the problem, who do you trust, I would love to order a few thousand nurses tunics from the far east, but dont want to find out this end that the QC was not good and I have a shipment of inferior goods to try and offload.

Both the above seem to me to be trying to get work by mentioning the problems, but not making themselves stand out in glory, would I trust both based upon their posts I am afraid No is the answer

Big companies can afford to send out company people to undertake checks, but smaller companies would like to trade but are to aware of the problems that can be experienced

 

[Paul Stuyver]

I agree with you Chris , but as a rule i will never offer help unless asked for. Trust is something that takes time or personal contact. And honestly 98% of my work comes through personal contact. I'm just here putting down my 2 cents to help people prevent making the same mistakes I and others have made in the past.

 

[frontierforwarding]

Hi There

Hoping someone can help me out here! I've been buying and selling on ebay for a while now , mostly homeware products and have been buying the products from local wholesalers here in the UK. I know I can get similar products for alot cheaper from China but my knowledge of importing from China is lacking. I have found a supplier for a particular product based in China on alibaba.com and had contact via email however some of the jargon confused me a little.

"Do you have container to ship from Chaozhou ,Guangdong or other place in China?
The price we always quota is FOB Shenzhen,so do you have freight forwarding company in China?"

Can someone explain what is meant by the above?
also - on top of the price quoted by the supplier, waht am i looking to pay in extras ie. customs, duty, vat etc?

I hope you understand that id like to clarify the total price of a single product at the point that it hits the door of my warehouse (shed, lol).

Hi there,

In answer to the points you raise, the supplier is basically selling you the goods under FOB (Free On Board) terms, meaning they will make the goods available at a warehouse/airport/seaport you nominate. They are asking who your freight forwarder is because depending on the location of your freight forwarders warehouse, may affect the FOB price you are quoted for the products you are looking to purchase.

With regards to the additional charges you are going to have to pay here in the UK, is determined by the freight forwarder you appoint to handle the shipment, the shipping line involved and a couple of other factors.

One thing I must stress is don't be fooled by a Chinese manufacturer offering you a ridiculously cheap freight price from China to the UK. So often I have heard from companies who are importing for the first time, think they are paying only USD $50.00 to send their goods from China and then wonder why they are hitting with £100's of pounds of terminal handling charges, documentation, customs clearance fees and haulage costs etc.

With regards to finding out about the level of import duty you will be paying, is determined on the product you are importing. Each product as a tariff heading (also referred to as a commodity code) and HM Revenue & Customs will have a tariff heading for the product you are importing, with a level of duty (%) attached to it.

Without sounding like I'm making a sales pitch, please feel free to contact me directly with your exact requirements and I will happily put together an import quotation. We have our own appointed partners in China and Hong Kong and they can also liaise with your supplier to coordinate the delivery of your goods locally at origin.

Hope my post is of use to you.

 

[grantex]

Buying from China + No experience = Minefield

 

[JoeHe]

I am not tired Joe of trading Joe, I have my own factory and offices so i am ok, just having to deal with people like yourself who's only motive for being alive is to find some way to make a deal is difficult. No offence. You are just being very... Chinese.

Lots of good trustworthy people in China too in trade, but just too few unfortunately.

Just to make a point; forums are to give people advice and help. Not push your products down everyones throut. If your skill show through the advice you give them people will come to you by themselves. Else you are just spamming this forum and noone gets anything useful out of it. It has to do with manners my friend.

Cheers

Paul,

I've never met a person who can use vicious words like you Paul, even English native speakers. I feel sad cause you're also from China. the only disgusting word I know is "****",whatever, I should say,your English is soo good.

But if you take more time to help person who need help,it will be much appreciated !! I won't reply to you in this topic anymore, pls help the person who need your help but not just blame me here, I've never met you before, right ? Thanks.

Joe

 

[bensquare]

hmm..buying thing overseas certainly imposes more risk and more opportunities. People used to tell me don't send things to russia / africa where in the end, I met some of the best customers there and they become my repeat customers because other people refused to take their order or ask for a high premium. The question of who is more dodgy is really subjective to your own opinion (or own experience)

I think the question is how we manage (reduce) to risk by buying stuffs overseas ?

I am a small trader and far from expert in it, but I will try to add something.

1) I request sample from them
2) I ask many questions and ask for lots of pictures and details
3) pay for an inspector to inspect the products (that's what my friend did, I didnt' try it myself)

don't know other experts could add more ?

 

[ubuyinchina]

Hi We have an office in the UK and Dongguan China. We are a UK company that assist in sourcing and helping companies and individuals find and import from China. You should consider visiting the Canton Fair, 22000 exhibitors. Please have a look at our web site. If you type canton fair business trips or ubuyinchina into google we should appear. Hope this helps. Can put you in touch with many companies that we assist

Regards

Mike

 

[Eastgate Global]

Hi There

Hoping someone can help me out here! I've been buying and selling on ebay for a while now , mostly homeware products and have been buying the products from local wholesalers here in the UK. I know I can get similar products for alot cheaper from China but my knowledge of importing from China is lacking. I have found a supplier for a particular product based in China on alibaba.com and had contact via email however some of the jargon confused me a little.

"Do you have container to ship from Chaozhou ,Guangdong or other place in China?
The price we always quota is FOB Shenzhen,so do you have freight forwarding company in China?"

Can someone explain what is meant by the above?
also - on top of the price quoted by the supplier, waht am i looking to pay in extras ie. customs, duty, vat etc?

I hope you understand that id like to clarify the total price of a single product at the point that it hits the door of my warehouse (shed, lol).

Hi, FOB is Free on Board. Therefore all export taxes are covered this side. You will need to check up yourself for import duties your side. If you ever need help this side i have my own import/export company, you can google me Eastgate Global, im the top entry. Ive been living in Guangdong nearly 8 years. Have a good team of well trained staff, and also a section for house and home.

Regarrds

Paul

 

[Tony Tsui]

in fact ,maybe you could find the shipping agent for processing this shipping.