To start my retailer business with products from Chinese manufacturers and wholesalers where do i start from?

Question

I want to start my own retailer and wholesaling business by buying some interesting products from Chinese manufacturers and wholesalers.The problem is I have never been in this business so i dont know where to start from even though i found some good manufacturers and wholesalers on the net.My biggest concern is that if i choose different products from different manufacturers or wholesalers so would i be approaching them all separately e.g.toys from one place,stationery from the other and lamps ,photo frames,jewelry etc.How do i present myself to them and what words to choose to put my order if I am totally a beginner?Do I need to have a business license even if i want to sell them from home?What else do i need to do for a complete step by step process?

Answer 1

You go to the shows which are held in major cities like Atlanta, N Y, Chicago etc....you need your license before you go there with the name of your business etc....depending on your budget you can spend 3 days in Atlanta just seeing half of the show. So you can make choices. A lot of wholesalers demand a minimum order.

Answer 2

Yes, you have to have a business license to conduct business - even from your home. Your residential neighbors probably would not want a retail business in the neighborhood. If your property is not zoned commercial, then it would have to be re-zoned. Neighbors tend to resist this, also.
Perhaps you could e-mail the manufacturers and wholesalers and ask for a sample of their product. You could then determine if you wanted to pursue importing the product. If you find a product with excellent quality, price, delivery, etc., the company would probably know of other quality manufacturers.
If you need to work from home, you might try putting together a catalog or a website.
Good luck to you.

Answer 3

Hi there. I run my shops ebay shop. I think the only way you can make serious money through ebay is if you can sell things for pennies (In which case, you either need to buy BIG, or, there is a chance the goods are dodgy, somewhere down the line), OR do it as an off shoot as an established business. After 18 months of trading on ebay, our ebay takings account for about 12% of our turnover. However, when you take into account the number of hours spent listing, answering questions, packing and posting, which, in our case, is almost a full time job in itself, it does not make us enough profit to pay someone for 30-40 hours a week - which is the minimum amount of hours I choose to dedicate to it. Your best bet, for finding out about beciming self employed / taxes etc is to pick up the phone to your local Tax office. They are there to help, and not half as scary as you might think. Earning an income through ebay isn't any different to earning it any other way, and, yes, you may become liable fot VAT and other taxes - another reason it isn't as easy as you may think to make a decent profit - there will always be people selling stuff of the back of lorries, or not declaring their income, who will be undercutting you at every turn. We apply the same thoughts to our ebay shop as we have to our real shop, for over 25years-our price is our price, you either like it, or you are welcome to buy elsewhere! We operate an honest pricing policy - enough profit to make a living, and keep us trading for the next 25 years, but not asking more, just because we could. As for buying your stock, and asking us to tell you where to find a wholesaler - unless you give us a clue to what trade you may be entering, the answers are almost infinate! If you are planing to buy in serious bulk, to get better prices, you will need substantial storage, which will be another cost involved. Also, unless you are already involved in a trade, knowing WHAT to offer will be a bit of a stab in the dark. Remember, in almost every trade you get the people who have been around forever, because they do it well, and then you get those who come and go, because, for no good reason, they reckon they can do it better! Very best of luck. Ebay is a fun place to trade - just remember it is MORE than a full time job, and a difficult place to make a legitamate living. We see it as the cherry on the cake of our turnover, and don't see it ever being more than that, despite the hours of effort that go into it. =)

Answer 4

I think the most important thing for you is to choose the products that suit your market most, for such things as toy, I don't expect much potential as it is so widely available to anyone.

In this past May, I setup my own musical instrument shop online, and abt. two weeks later, my first transaction realized.

Of course, my own command of computer knowledge does give a boost as beginning an online business is not so easy.

I am a Chinese and if something that I could be of help, you could contact me.

Answer 5

1

Answer 6

I think you need a Chinese person to help you find what you need in China, and I know a website can provide the service , the service is called "Person to Person" http://www.knowhowing.com/persontoperson.htm ， through the service you just like engage a "agent" in China to help you to find what you need in China.

Answer 7

The first place to check is your local SBA office.

Answer 8

good question, I would like to know too....