HOW CAN I LEARN IMPORTATION BUSINESS?

This article talks about one of the most asked questions on the internet “how can I learn importation business?”. Do you know that you can earn an income doing mini imports in Ghana? Starting a mini import business in Ghana is not capital intensive, you would not need an office to start and no experience is needed. All you would need is a little capital to start.

You do not need much money to start, with as low as GHS 200 you can import goods from CHINA, DUBAI, US, UKCHINA, DUBAI, US, UK to Ghana and make GHS 3000 or more in a month.

Becoming a mini importer is one of the surest ways graduates both employed and unemployed can earn extra cash easily in this era. Are you wondering how and what you need to start this lucrative venture? Then, read this article to have an easy approach to becoming your own boss.

WHAT IS MINI IMPORTATION?

Mini importation business is a type of business that involves importing products from abroad in smaller quantities and with a smaller capital and selling them for a higher price.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO BECOME A MINI IMPORTER?

To begin your mini importation business, you would need the following items listed below:

• A computer (Laptop or Desktop)
• Access to internet
• A startup capital (maximum Ghs 200)
• A valid email address
• Digital address of your house or office to where the items you order will be shipped to.

Basically, these are the things you would need to begin other to operate in this emerging venture. You can do this type of business from the comfort of your room. With your phone, you can shop for goods, and order and ship them to your house.

IS THE IMPORTATION BUSINESS COSTLY?

The type of importation business you wants to venture into will determine the capital required to start. Below is some type of Importation Business:

• Importing a motor vehicle.
• Importing a yacht.
• Importing aircraft.
• Importing animals.
• Importing antiques.
• Importing precious metals, coins, jewellery, and currency.

The list above may require a lot of capital before you can venture into them. However, you can start will as low as GHS 200. Selling fashion accessories, mini electronic gadgets (microwaves, blenders), and watches may not be costly as compared to the list above.

WHAT GOODS SHOULD YOU IMPORT?

Before you begin your mini import business, you need to identify the needs of your prospective buyers. In doing this, you need to know goods that are currently in demand and capitalize on them early. As a beginner, you should be concerned with the following when importing:

• The size of the products you import. The larger the size of the product, the more costly it becomes for you to ship. So as a beginner, you should always take into consideration the size of the products you import.
• Consider the product cost and shipping cost. You must make sure your importation fee is not more than 10% of the cost of the goods you ordered.
• Begin with everyday but demanding products. You can begin by shopping for fashion accessories, and pieces of jewellery, small electronic gadgets (microwaves, blenders).

WHERE SHOULD YOU BUY FROM?

The following websites are the topmost recommended online marketplaces that sell products at low wholesale prices:

Aliexpress.com

Aliexpress.com has become the leading destination for mini importers looking to buy goods at wholesale prices from China.

Aliexpress is one of the subsidiaries of the Alibaba Group which dominates online business in China.

You can create an account on Alibaba, chat with manufacturers, and even negotiate prices for products. Alibaba is straightforward to use and shouldn’t be difficult to navigate.

The Alibaba Group launched Aliexpress in 2010 as an online retail service made up of mostly small sellers offering products to online buyers. It has more than 20 major product categories and sells to registered users and buyers in more than 220 countries around the world. You can visit its homepage at www.aliexpress.com

DHgate.com

DHgate.com is a business-to-business (B2B) e-Commerce website connecting China-based small and medium enterprises with buyers overseas.

The website is a fast trading marketplace where users can order Chinese-manufactured products directly through the site. The company has been in business since 2004 and is backed by investors KPCB, JAFCO, and Warburg Pincus.

It offers customer support through online chat, e-mail messages, and phone support. The website is primarily in English but is also offered in other popular languages spoken in Africa such as French and Spanish. DHgate offers a wide range of products and you can visit its home page at www.dhgate.com

Taobao

Taobao is a Chinese online shopping platform. It is headquartered in Hangzhou and is owned by Alibaba. According to Alexa rank, it is the eighth most-visited website globally in 2021. Taobao.com was registered on April 21, 2003, by Alibaba Cloud Computing Co.

For a site like Taobao, they are written in Chinese and you may need to use google translate to translate the name of the products you intend to search for from English to Chinese, paste on the search bar and then click the search button or enter. It is likewise always advisable to use Google Chrome as you can right-click on the site and translate it to English.

HOW TO MAKE A PAYMENT?

Payment for goods used to be problematic some years ago. Beginners had to go through a lot of hurdles before they could make payment for the goods they intend to import. Importers were using money gram and Western Union to make payments a few years ago but that is not the case now.

Today, it is very easy to make payments using the following medium:

• Using a payment link: A payment link can be created through which you can pay using your Credit/Debit Cards
• PayPal: Some suppliers accept payment via PayPal which eases payment. Meanwhile, not all African countries qualify to use PayPal, there are ways around that.
• Depositing in your local bank account: Many agents now have bank accounts in your country and allow you to deposit money to the local bank account in your country while they in turn help you make payments.

HOW TO BE AWARE OF ONLINE FRAUD?

Online fraud has been a deterring factor for beginning mini importers. Beginners are always concerned with the following :

• What if you receive the products and they are not exactly as the supplier described?
• What if you pay for the products but they are never shipped and delivered to you?
• How can you make sure that you get the EXACT products you paid for without getting scammed?

It is for these reasons we have listed the above websites. The websites listed above have some form of ‘buyer protection’ mechanism built into the payment process.

This is known as ‘Escrow’. An escrow is a legal arrangement in which a third party temporarily holds money or property until a particular condition has been met (such as the fulfillment of a purchase agreement). Banks have been performing this role over the years.

Websites like Aliexpress, DHgate, and Taobao withhold your payment until you receive the products you ordered and confirm that they are not fake/damaged.

HOW DO YOU GET RELIABLE SUPPLIERS?

Getting reliable suppliers is still a major concern for beginners in mini importation. As a beginner, you need to consider the following factors;

• Rating Rates by customers on the official websites of the listed websites above. When customers are satisfied with the quality of the products they order, they will positive feedback on the official websites on listed websites above.
• We also advise that you take your time to read the product descriptions/details, seller guarantees, and shipping conditions which are usually at the bottom of every product page. You need to confirm that the product you are buying has the features you are looking for.
• Lastly, you can make the supplier understand that you are a big mini importer and have the purchasing power to buy up to 5,000 units of the product in as much as they work as stated. Then, you make the supplier understand that sending fake products will only mean that you would not purchase from them again. Then you place your order for a few units, maximum of 50 units for a start. With that, you can reduce the likelihood of purchasing fake products.

HOW WILL YOU GET THE GOODS YOU ORDERED?

After you have purchased an item or group of items online and it has shipped to Ghana, you will be able to track it online using the tracking order given to you by the seller. This will help you to know the status of your order and be able to estimate when it will be shipped to you. Some orders are delivered directly to your house while others can be delivered to the nearest post office which will inform you when you have a parcel to collect.

Aliexpress.com and DHgate.com usually provide free shipping for some of their products and are delivered through China Mail Air Post or Hong Kong Mail services.

Using the free shipping option usually takes time, between 15 to 60 days depending on the product and your location. You can save a lot of money by using this option, however, it may be impossible to track the location of your package all through the delivery process.

DHL, EMS, and FedEx are other mediums through which your products can be delivered to you. You are advised to include your mobile phone number in the shipping address you provide to prevent your product from getting lost.

WHERE CAN YOU MARKET IMPORTED GOODS?

• Through the traditional market. If you already have a shop for the products you import, that would be great. Buyers will walk in and buy from your shop.
• Use of social media. Social media marketing is the new-ish. You can make use of popular social media networks like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp to set up an online store/shop for free. Just upload pictures of the items you imported with nice captions and invite your friends (and their friends) to come to have a look. If they like the product and price, they will contact you to purchase it.

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