Work at Home

Finding Romance -- And Inventory -- In The Far East Cliff Ennico www.creators.com "I'm an eBay PowerSeller, and would love to be able to order products directly from the overseas manufacturers, especially in China, to sell on eBay, but I'm afraid I don't have the skills to handle the negotiations myself. Is there any place that can help me make contact with manufacturers AND help put the deals together?" If you are new to importing, and don't have any import experience, your best resource for sourcing product from China or elsewhere in Asia is Worldwide Brands, Inc, based in Orlando, Florida ( www.worldwidebrands.com ). Worldwide Brands offers you the ability through their OneSource#8482; database to purchase through direct import buyers. These are companies who set up warehouses within the United States to have the product imported from manufacturers in countries such as China. These companies handle all the importing arrangements and you purchase directly from the distributor within the United States. This way you don't have to be concerned about handling the import logistics or the manufacturer negotiations. According to Peter Zapf, Vice President of Community Development for Global Sources ( www.globalsources.com ), eBay sellers looking to source product directly from Asia should consider three services: (a) Global Sources Direct ( GlobalSourcesDirect.com ): This is an online wholesale site offering product directly from China. That is, you go to the site, select the products you want, put them in your shopping cart, and they are shipped to you via air courier from China so you receive them within ten days. Minimum order quantity is relatively small at one carton. Global Sources Direct is also listed in the WorldWideBrands directory. According to Zapf, it's the easiest way to access China manufactured products because you don't deal with suppliers, quality control or logistics. Global Sources Direct handles all that for you. (b) Global Sources ( www.globalsources.com ): This website provides a directory of suppliers. Verified suppliers have been physically visited three times or more by Global Sources. You can search for products and suppliers and also work with them directly. The verified suppliers list hundreds of thousands of products in a wide range of categories. Examples of just some of the products are digital photo frames, ATVs, hand bags and vacuum cleaners. According to Zapf, this site is great for folks that either have experience or want to build experience with the import process. Similar to their U.S. counterparts, Chinese manufacturers have varying minimum order quantity requirements, and you will need to contact suppliers to check on their minimum order quantities. (c) China Sourcing Fairs ( www.ChinaSourcingFairs.com ): Hosted by Global Sources, these trade shows have thousands of Chinese suppliers exhibiting their products. Everyone from big box retailers down to eBay PowerSellers attend these shows in order to find and meet suppliers. The biggest shows are in Hong Kong and include consumer electronics, fashion accessories, underwear and swimwear, and household products. All you need to do is get on a plane and show up. There is no entry fee. According to Zapf, this is a great opportunity to network with other international buyers. In addition, Global Sources also hosts a "Buying From China: What New Buyers Need to Know" seminar at the show. So if you are new to importing, you can learn about buying from China and also meet thousands of suppliers. Hey, it's deductible! Many eBay sellers buy in small volumes (100 pieces or less). For these volumes, Zapf advises that eBay sellers may want to consider working with trading companies rather than buying direct from China. The advantage of a trading company is that it can act as an intermediary on your behalf and can often handle smaller minimum order quantities. However, Zapf points out, since it hasn't actually manufactured the product, there is a longer chain to go through when getting information about the products. Many eBayers ask about purchasing products from China with Western trademarks or brands. The owners of these trademarks and brands control their distribution channels closely and don't try to create pricing structures that support cross border grey-market sales. As a result, a fair number of the opportunities you see to purchase such products are, in fact, offering counterfeit products. Selling these will almost certainly get you kicked off of eBay, as well as sued by the manufacturers of these products if they can prove you knowingly imported counterfeit or knockoff goods. To avoid liability, Zapf says you can ask the seller for proof that they are an authorized distributor, and you can check with the brand owner whether the seller is an authorized distributor. Better yet, avoid Western branded products altogether: "When looking to buy from China, you should be looking for a new and innovative product, a well-priced unbranded product, or a product you can have manufactured in China and put your own brand name on it," Zapf advises. Trust me, there's plenty of stuff to choose from. Cliff Ennico ( cennico@legalcareer.com ) is a syndicated columnist, author and host of the PBS television series 'Money Hunt'. His latest books are 'Small Business Survival Guide' (Adams Media, $12.95) and 'The eBay Seller's Tax and Legal Answer Book' (AMACOM, $19.95). This column is no substitute for legal, tax or financial advice, which can be furnished only by a qualified professional licensed in your state. To find out more about Cliff Ennico and other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit our Web page at www.creators.com . COPYRIGHT 2007 CLIFFORD R. ENNICO. DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com.