DSF

I have a desire to try something new...and it's import something from China. This is actually for my amusement as opposed to a business venture.....yeh I know wierd. It's just that I have never done it. I have bought from ebay and it came from China, but I don't count that.

So if I pick a random item on Alibaba....say a large box of glow sticks...what do I do, what happens next?

Janners

contact seller. tell them where you are.
they will ask for amount you want to buy.
they prepare PI to you.
you pay
they send
you receive
you pay custom duty
items are yours

simples

Finding the right supplier is the hard part. Picking a random supplier from Alibaba could work out perfectly or could be a total waste of money. Pick a supplier that you might know about already or that you have seen indepenant feedback on. Research is always needed. Try and play it safge first of all and not go all out on price. For instance, you know someone like Bestsub is a legit supplier from being around this forum. Other places on the www might give you info on others.

The rest is easy if you are talking box quantities as many suppliers will arrange everything for you. If you need larger volumes or heavy items that will go by sea then arranging freight and everythig that goes with it takes a bit more work and understanding.

There are different kinds of prices that the factory in China can/will give you

FOB (Free on board) - the price for the goods and delivery to the nearest port. You then need to pay the shipping fee from the Chinese port onwards on top. You may also have to also pay port fees for handling/unloading/loading

Ex-Works - the price for just the goods at the factory, not including any kind of delivery

Some factories can/will give you options for delivery, including standard postal service, airmail, and couriers.

Once it gets into the country it will go through customs (and import duty and VAT worked out based on paperwork supplied by the factory - some factories will under declare the value of the goods to help you out on this bit), and the courier you're using will pay for these costs and pass them onto you - this invoice may come in after the goods are released to you, or you may need to pay upfront before they are released and delivered to you.

When we have imported stuff from China, we've always got smaller sample quantities first before placing bigger orders - this checks the product but also that the customer service, delivery etc.
This obviously slows the process down to having what you want in enough quantity but can save yourself a lot of grief long term

I must say a small order first was the plan of action.
I'll wait for their reply first re minimum order quantities etc.

Homework to be done!

Janners

asking for a sample will usually get around MOQs

A good place to look

https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/overview