Thinking to import your wholesale merchandise? You may want to consider if there is any other options. From my personal experiences, I found that…

When your items are imported, there are bound to be additional costs, like high shipping costs, that you may not be prepared to pay.

Other than this, there are also the customs issues. Some materials which come from endangered animals may be forbidden in your country, especially the United States, ivory for your jewelries collection, can be one good example.

Then, there are the risks of not receiving what you paid for. You should seriously think about it. What if something you ordered from outside of your country, say you are staying in the United States, where there is no legal jurisdiction. Is there anything you can do if you are ripped off?

Whenever you are importing, it’s very darn important to make sure that you are dealing with a reputable company.

If I can find the same piece of items for sale locally, at somewhat higher costs, I’d rather make the wholesale purchase locally. That’s because with the added shipping costs, my merchandise could end up being pricier at the end of the day.

And importing your items means you’ll have to commit to the MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity). This wholesale quantity can sound outrageous to you if you are just a small home business.

Take for example, some Polo T-Shirts. The China supplier would require you to order minimum 10,000 pieces, per color, per size. But if you can find these shirts locally, you can almost always get them for much less quantity,

And remember, importing wholesale merchandise involved using cash for payment. Usually, you’d pay partially during the order. And then complete the second portion of the payment after you’ve received the good.

Most foreign suppliers do not take Paypal as payment method (I guess it’d be silly for them to do so for such a large sum). You’d have to make payment either via Western Union or bank transfer…

Which means your money can be really at risks.

Unless the items are really unique and can be found only in certain countries, then I’d consider importing them.

What’s your thoughts?