Importing Insiders

By Jackie Mikami

Welcome to the world of true profits and success. You have not seen real profits until you begin importing! Nothing over $5 is a good place to start. From toys, gifts, homewares, clothing, office supplies - you name it, we can source it and have it branded just for you.

Think twice before you give all your money to suppliers here because importing your office or promotional products is not as hard as you think. Profits are high for those that step into the ring of global trade. Folders branded with your logo to give away, stress balls, document bags, enviro bags, golf balls, notepad and pen sets all branded as you wish – surprisingly low minimums and laughable low pricing.

The key to successful importing is in the mix. What is in the mix you ask? Read on…

The mix is made up of the following:

• quantity
• price
• total order value
• quality level branding (OEM)
• and packaging, if retail products

Let me expand more on each of these so you can begin to see how it is done and start to enjoy success from importing.

Quantity – everyone asks me can we do small quantities. I say, there is no such thing as small quantities. Your supplier will give you their MOQ – minimum order quantity - but you can also have this adjusted down by paying a slightly higher price or combining your product order with other orders. The MOQ is devised as the cost effective point for that product so do not think they are demanding when they ask for 5000 pieces MOQ for an enviro bag – it is probably just their cost effective point that they can make a profit from.

Price – price is good if your MOQ is right. If the price seems high you may be talking to an agent, have the wrong quantity requested, or a branding or printing component maybe pushing the price up. The best thing to do is to go back and ask questions to try to figure out the best price options. You may need to look for a different supplier.

Total order value – not many reputable suppliers will do orders less than USD$2000. It is just not worth their while. It is not personal nor are they trying to keep out the little SMEs, it is that demand is so strong now they do not find it cost effective to handle very small orders. To be honest it is very rare that such a small $ value order will be cost effective for you, the importer, by the time you add all the importing costs unless it is a very unique or innovate product.

Quality level – did you know there are over a dozen weights for enviro bags? Some say the 70gsm bags are low quality. But if they are well made and are promotional items then the quality is fine. Quality is an important topic to think about before ordering product. Define what you need from “quality” and be sure to let your factory know.

True success with products out of Asian factories comes from constant supervision, good specifications, and a unique understanding of the language and cultural issues at hand! That means YES does not always mean MAYBE.

Happy Importing,

Jackie Mikami

Director/Owner

Let JOLT Consulting assist you learn the import process first hand without the costly mistakes. Profit from importing now! Download our free ebook to importing success - 50+ pages - by going to our ABOUT US page on our website: www.joltconsulting.com.au. Just type in your name and email address.