E-commerce attracts many newcomers to the business field. Proof of this fact is the growing number of online stores on social media platforms. Purchasing goods in such stores can significantly reduce time and financial costs. In this article, we propose to consider the question of where to order clothes for sale on social media. networks.
Selling clothes through social networks: relevance and benefits of business
The main advantage of this area is its accessibility. Any beginner who has a high-quality Internet channel can organize sales on the Internet. Many housewives earn quite large sums of money from selling goods over the Internet, which is equal to the monthly earnings of their husbands.
In order to organize trade on a social networking platform, you do not need to look for suppliers who will deliver large wholesale quantities of commercial products. This approach to doing business can significantly reduce the risk of losing investments due to the low demand for the goods offered. Typically, a person selling clothes online acts as an intermediary between the end buyer and the manufacturer. From the payment received for the goods, most of the funds are redirected to the production company. The rest of the money remains with the entrepreneur, who acts as a trade organizer.
The relevance of this direction is confirmed by the fact that the above-described scheme is used by many private entrepreneurs.
Trading from home using a personal computer or laptop is much easier than setting up a classic store. In this case, the amount of income of the entrepreneur depends on the size of the markup established on the proposed clothing samples.
How to find products for a similar business
Today, online store owners can use many different methods to obtain goods. Below we suggest familiarizing yourself with the main methods of searching for products for subsequent resale and their features.
Working with search engines
This method is considered one of the easiest. First, you need to decide on the specific type of product that will be distributed through social networks. After this, you need to open any of the search engines and set the name of the selected product group. You should add words like “suppliers,” “wholesale,” or “sale” to your query. In order to find an interesting offer, you will have to spend a lot of time. Only well-promoted companies can appear on the first pages of query results. It is possible that the cost of their goods will be significantly higher than the price of less popular competitors.
Having selected several potential suppliers, you need to find out about the terms of delivery. During a telephone conversation, you should ask about the minimum lot size, pricing policy and possible discounts. Many companies with a low pricing policy prefer to cooperate exclusively with wholesale buyers. Persons acting as intermediaries have higher prices, but are ready to provide all goods in a single copy.
A key aspect in organizing and developing a business selling clothes is choosing a clothing supplier Search through media
Many manufacturing companies and suppliers often publish advertisements in various print publications. Most of these companies rarely display information about themselves on the Internet. Cooperation with such companies allows you to receive a shipment of goods for subsequent sale on the Internet for almost nothing. It should also be noted that some print publications duplicate all advertisements on their Internet resources. The digital version of a popular magazine or newspaper is practically no different from the classic format.
Exhibitions, fairs
Every metropolis regularly hosts various events where manufacturing companies exhibit samples of their products. . A visit to a textile exhibition allows you not only to get acquainted with the offers of such companies, but also to receive valuable advice from professionals in this field. During such events, you can conclude a profitable partnership agreement or receive a discount on ordering the first batch of goods.
You can find out about upcoming events through specialized Internet services. For example, the “expocentr” platform informs its visitors about all upcoming exhibitions and other important events. On the website of this service you can find a complete list of services used in the area in question. A similar service is the “exponet” resource. This website publishes information about all events that will be held in Russia and neighboring countries. Using this resource allows you to obtain contacts of all companies that will perform at upcoming exhibitions.
Dealership through local manufacturers
Many intermediaries with shops on social networks source their goods from local knitwear factories. In this case, the intermediary can receive the status of an official dealer of the company. To do this, it is necessary to open a representative office of a sewing workshop in a region where there are no branches yet. Such cooperation has significantly more advantages compared to standard mediation. Among these advantages, it is necessary to highlight the possibility of receiving a discount and the complete absence of costs for delivery of goods.
Review and analysis of competitors
When creating an online store, an entrepreneur needs to prepare for tough competition. First of all, you will have to compete with similar groups and communities on social networks. In order to attract the attention of users, it is necessary to develop a competent strategy for attracting customers. This could be either various competitions and a lottery, or providing discounts to every hundredth buyer.
The next category of competitors are classic stores and retail chains. It is almost impossible to overcome such competitors, since their advantage is a wide range. In this case, you need to carefully consider your pricing policy, offering your customers the same things as standard stores, but at a lower cost. A competent pricing policy will significantly increase your customer base and develop a positive reputation.
In order to organize the sale of things on social networks, you need to order goods from companies that sell wholesale and provide quality products at reasonable prices. Important parameters for choosing a supplier
There are a huge number of different companies operating in the CIS countries, acting as suppliers of clothing and similar products. Beginning entrepreneurs can cooperate not only with local manufacturing companies, but also with foreign companies. Most often, newcomers to this business order clothes from China and Europe. On the Internet you can find many different specialized platforms where you can order clothes in small or large wholesale.
The main advantage of choosing Chinese manufacturers is the ability to reduce the cost of organizing a business. In some cases, an entrepreneur gets access to unique goods that have no analogues on the domestic market. When ordering products from Chinese suppliers, you must take into account the rating of the selected company. It is recommended to place orders only from those sellers that have positive reviews from other buyers.
It should be noted that some platforms protect their clients from possible fraud. The same Aliexpress transfers money to the seller for the goods only after the buyer confirms receipt of the order and its compliance with the stated characteristics. In case of receiving a defective product, the buyer can count on a partial or full refund.
Business organization
Having considered the question of where clothes are purchased for sale on social media. networks, it is necessary to discuss the important stages of organizing a business. Selling clothes online has unique specifics. When creating such a project, it is necessary to take into account many different nuances, from methods of attracting clients to the legal registration of your activities.
Search for potential consumers
After resolving important issues related to the supply of clothing for subsequent resale, it is necessary to organize a distribution point. Creating a classic store or your own project on the Internet requires a large amount of money. Beginners in this field can begin to develop the market by creating a thematic group on social networks. This approach to business organization allows you to reduce costs to almost zero. It’s enough to create a community, post high-quality photos and sign each publication.
At this stage, you need to involve all your friends and acquaintances in promoting your business. Ask them to like your posts and share them with their friends. Gradually, the number of subscribers will begin to increase, and the business will begin to make a profit. Today, word of mouth is one of the best marketing tools. If you have a budget for an advertising campaign, you need to invest money in the services of professionals.
With the help of targeted advertising, you can attract subscribers interested in purchasing the products offered. This method is highly effective. Having completed all of the above steps, you need to move on to developing a payment acceptance system.
Finding suppliers is a relevant issue for every company, even for the most popular online retail store. Payment methods for orders
Each online store buyer should have the opportunity to choose between different payment methods for the ordered goods. Today it is recommended to study the possibility of introducing the following payment acceptance systems:
- Payment from a plastic card or bank account.
- Payment using electronic payment.
- Payment by postal order.
In order to obtain insurance against possible buyer refusal of the shipped goods, it is necessary to integrate a prepayment system. This figure can vary from thirty to fifty percent of the price of the ordered products. Most often, this technique is used when selling luxury and expensive products.
We decide on delivery
In order to quickly close current transactions and gain a good reputation among potential clients, it is necessary to competently organize the delivery process. Working in the conditions of his city, an entrepreneur can deliver orders independently. In addition, you can arrange a meeting in any part of the city, which will be convenient for both the seller and the buyer. Some online store owners ask customers to come to their home. This approach also has its advantages, since the seller can offer the buyer a demonstration of the entire range.
Separately, you should consider options such as sending by mail or via courier service. In this case, all delivery costs must be included in the cost of the goods. Some customers may be put off by paid shipping, which needs to be taken into account when developing business policies. It must be remembered that most buyers prefer to purchase clothes in online stores, precisely because of the possibility of receiving the goods directly to their home.
How to deal with taxes
According to the current rules, all entrepreneurs engaged in online trading are required to register their activities. Paying taxes to the state budget avoids possible problems associated with receiving illegal income. In addition, the entrepreneur has the opportunity to reduce the risk of receiving penalties from regulatory authorities. Every entrepreneur operating on the territory of the Russian Federation is required to pay not only taxes, but also regular contributions to extra-budgetary funds. These payments are used to form a pension. Thus, registering a business is an investment in your personal future.
Every entrepreneur must regularly replenish their assortment, look for more favorable terms of cooperation and new contacts for partnership Many new entrepreneurs are faced with the problem of a small number of clients. Of course, in such conditions there can be no talk of registering a business, since the cost of paying taxes can be several times higher than the profitability of the project. In this case, you can start trading without legal registration. However, after the business gains the necessary momentum, it is mandatory to register its activities.
Many experts recommend that newcomers to the field in question study all the pitfalls in advance. Assessing the selected market segment will significantly reduce the risk of project failure. When developing a business plan, the following nuances must be taken into account:
- Competition between thematic groups for the sale of clothing.
- Pricing policy.
- Business promotion methods.
- Payment system and delivery options.
Conclusions (+ video)
In this article, we examined the question of which sites are used to purchase goods for subsequent resale on social networks. When creating a virtual business, an entrepreneur must be prepared to face the difficulty of finding clients. This problem can only be solved through paid promotion of the project. Otherwise, the time required to generate consistent customer traffic could be over twelve months.
It is important for every store owner who sets big business goals for himself to have a complete assortment of items and constantly update it. That is why a fair question arises before him: “Where to buy clothes in bulk for sale?” Customer interest and popularity of the store depend on the timely arrival of seasonal new products that correspond to all fashion trends. You need to figure out where to buy clothes wholesale for sale.
How to determine a store where to buy clothes in bulk
There are not so many conscientious and reliable suppliers for wholesale purchases; this must be mentioned right away. Many not only beginners, but also experienced businessmen are looking for a place where to buy wholesale clothes in Moscow. Success in the search can be achieved by defining very clear criteria for choosing a partner for cooperation. So, it must fully comply with a number of conditions:
- Completeness of assortment. The list of goods in a wholesale purchase store where you can buy clothes in bulk must be complete. It is desirable that the catalog contains clothing of various styles and trends. In this case, you can surprise customers with a wide range of products.
- Availability of new products. Every customer entering your store hopes to find models from the latest fashion collections there in order to purchase them. If he can buy stylish clothes from you, he will definitely use your services again. Otherwise, he will find another store.
- Meeting customer needs. The product in a place where you can buy women's clothing in bulk should not only be of high quality, but also stylish.
- Low purchase prices. An important criterion for finding a place where you can buy cheap clothes in bulk. The lower the purchase price, the more goods you can offer customers at a lower cost. This is an important advantage over your competitors, which will allow you to purchase goods profitably.
Types of suppliers
Clothes are sold wholesale by the following categories of suppliers: large and small. Large suppliers carry out large deliveries of goods - such conditions are well suited for purchases by large businesses, but for small ones they can be completely unaffordable. As a rule, this is an excellent option for where you can buy clothes in bulk cheaper, since such suppliers are also manufacturers and offer to purchase large quantities of goods.
Small suppliers are stores where owners of small shops or boutiques, that is, representatives of small businesses, buy clothes wholesale. Prices from such suppliers are higher, but a novice entrepreneur gets the opportunity to purchase the items of goods he needs, rather than deal with large quantities of purchases.
Amorce online store – a reliable clothing supplier
You went to an online store where clothes are wholesale and cheap. We value our customers, therefore we offer them favorable and reliable conditions for cooperation and purchases. Our customers point out the following benefits of Amorce.
- Low prices. We make you a profitable offer, and therefore our store is considered a place where clothes are purchased in bulk. We set minimum trade margins for our products, thereby offering favorable terms of cooperation.
- High quality. Our team is a team of professionals. We are a store where wholesale clothing undergoes a thorough check. You can be completely confident in the excellent condition of our goods.
- Extensive range. We are constantly working to find the latest new products for the season, offering you only the most fashionable trends.
- Comfort. Cooperating with us is easy. You need to use the quick search system created on our website, select the items that suit you and fill out a purchase request. The order is promptly processed and delivered. Benefits are provided to both large and small customers.
- Various payment methods. We know the price of mobility, so we offer you the opportunity to pay for your purchase both in cash and by bank transfer.
Distance business has long ceased to be an unusual phenomenon. Proof of this is the numerous online stores, where anyone can make a purchase without leaving their home. Saving time and money are definitely benefits of online shopping. From this article you will learn how to independently organize a business selling clothes online, find potential buyers and successfully develop your business.
How to start selling clothes online?
Anyone can start their own online. Often this does not even require large investments. It is enough to have free time, constant access to the Internet and a desire to earn money.
For example, many housewives on maternity leave are attracted to selling children's clothing online. Potential buyers are fellow mothers who are looking for unusual and inexpensive things for their children. Having organized their business online, women are in no hurry to return to their usual routine work and continue to develop their profitable business even after maternity leave.
In order to start your online business, it is absolutely not necessary to make wholesale purchases and be afraid that the goods will not be in demand. Selling clothes online allows you to act as an organizer of joint purchases. In other words, people will order the product they are interested in from you, make an advance payment, and you will buy it from the supplier and earn your percentage for the work done. Today, many individual entrepreneurs work according to this scheme, for whom it is much more comfortable to work at home on a computer than to trade on the market.
Deciding on the assortment
Let's say you decide to start selling clothes online. First of all, you need to decide on the assortment. The main criterion for successful online sales is the demand and relevance of things in the region where you live. Perhaps there are no beautiful evening and cocktail dresses in your city, or it is completely impossible to find high-quality children's shoes. It is important to conduct a comparative analysis of existing retail clothing stores, read forums and find out the opinions of your friends about what they would be most willing to buy from you.
An important factor is the average per capita income in the region where you are going to organize your online trading. Inflated prices can turn off potential buyers, and clothes that are too cheap can raise doubts about their quality. Try to focus on those products for which you will have as little competition as possible.
How to find a clothing supplier?
The wide variety of clothing suppliers can be confusing for a new online retailer. Today you can order clothes both in the CIS countries and far beyond the borders of the Commonwealth. The most profitable suppliers are, of course, Chinese clothing manufacturers. The leaders among resources offering online sales are AliExpress and TaoBao. However, if the latter site is aimed at Chinese speakers, then users from all over the world can make purchases on AliExpress.
The advantage of Chinese suppliers is high-quality, inexpensive clothing. Through the Internet you can order quite exclusive things from China that cannot be found in any retail store in Russia.
The main rule for wholesale purchases on such a site is the rating of the selected seller. Make a transaction only after making sure of his integrity and the quality of the goods. You can check this by looking at reviews from customers who have already placed orders with this supplier.
The AliExpress resource protects the rights of both parties, as evidenced by a well-thought-out payment system. After selecting the desired product, the customer pays the full amount of its cost, after which the seller sends the product by mail. The money deposited into the system will be transferred to the seller’s account only after the customer receives his product and confirms its quality and safety during shipment. Otherwise, the buyer has the right to ask for a discount or a full refund. The system guarantees that any parcel will arrive safely, including clothes purchased through the store. The Internet in this case greatly simplifies the transaction process.
How to find potential buyers?
Once you have decided on a clothing supplier, you need to start searching for potential buyers who will be interested and profitable in your product. You can try to open your own online store, but this will require financial investments (creating a website, design development, promotion in search engines, finding a hired administrator, etc.) Therefore, the most rational way for a beginner to find buyers is a group or community on social networks.
You can create such a group absolutely free by advertising your services and posting an assortment of custom-made clothes. At first, friends and acquaintances can act as potential buyers. Gradually, people will start to learn about your online clothing selling community and will tell their friends about it. The principle of so-called “word of mouth marketing” works flawlessly to this day.
However, if financial resources allow, then you can entrust the promotion of the community to professionals who will invite potential buyers based on the principle of targeting. In other words, there will be people in your group who will actually start placing orders. Remember that buying clothes online should be as comfortable as possible for your potential buyers.
Payment methods for orders
To make transactions easier, you need to offer customers various payment methods for orders:
- Transfer to a bank card or money transfer to a bank account.
- Payment with electronic currency (WebMoney, Qiwi, YandexMoney).
- Postal order or cash on delivery.
- Payment in cash upon receipt of goods.
In addition, in order to insure yourself against the buyer’s refusal to order, you can introduce a prepayment system, which can range from 30 to 50% of the total cost of the goods. This item may even include making payment transactions much easier and more convenient, which significantly saves customers time and money.
Delivery of the order to the buyer
Proper organization of order delivery to the buyer will not only have a good impact on the reputation of the online store, but will also significantly reduce the time it takes to complete the transaction. You can arrange delivery in the following ways:
- Deliver the order to the buyer's home yourself.
- Deliver the goods at a pre-agreed location on neutral territory.
- Ask buyers to pick up goods directly from the seller's home.
- Hire a courier who, for a nominal fee, will deliver the goods to the right place and time.
- Send goods by mail with cash on delivery.
The advantage of online shopping is that you can buy this or that item without leaving your home. That is why it is better to give preference to delivery to the buyer’s home. It will be convenient if delivery is positioned as free, and you include its real cost in the total cost of the purchase.
Agreement between seller and buyer
A well-drafted service agreement can protect the seller and buyer from possible misunderstandings during the transaction process. Moreover, it does not matter whether it is a legal document or a formal agreement in words. The main thing is that both parties fulfill their obligations.
For example, a mandatory clause of such an agreement may be an advance payment of 50% of the purchase price or a refund if the product turns out to be defective or does not fit in size. The buyer must be sure that he will not lose his money and will receive a quality order that will meet his expectations.
Taxes - to pay or not to pay?
Any business activity on the territory of the Russian Federation must be legally formalized and registered with the tax authority. Contributions to the state treasury will not only save you from possible problems, but will also help you create a confident future. After all, by registering as an individual entrepreneur, you will make monthly social and pension payments, from which your pension will be formed in the future.
However, if you are not yet confident in the success of your online business, you can try making a few trial orders for friends or relatives. If you see that selling clothes online is bringing positive results, then it makes sense to continue to develop your business by registering it legally. In the last few years, it has become possible to register online businesses in accordance with the tax code of the Russian Federation.
What else can you sell online?
Selling clothes online is not the only way to organize online trading. You can sell anything. The main thing is that the product is in demand and relevant among the residents of your city or region. Thus, unusual women's jewelry and accessories, various devices for the kitchen and home, car accessories and replica watches of famous brands are very popular. People will always be looking for unusual things that can be easily purchased without traveling abroad.
Online business is responsible and hard work. Selling clothes online or any accessories requires a certain amount of time in the early stages. However, with a properly planned business project, the result in the form of a stable income will not be long in coming.
Despite the fact that there are many companies and individual sellers currently working in the field of trade with China - this market is simply immense - it is quite possible to start working in it. Today IQ Review will look at exactly how you can organize a profitable business trading goods from China using a real example.
Reselling goods from China - where did it all begin?
Hello, my name is Anna, I am from Ukraine, the city of Lugansk. I want to talk about how budget shopping in China via the Internet led to a full-fledged business and a stable income. When I started the business, I was 20 years old - it was the end of 2010-beginning of 2011. I did this for 2 years, until the end of 2013.
In 2010-11, online shopping was just gaining popularity, and I, as a true shopaholic girl, quickly became involved in this topic. There is an opportunity to purchase things from different countries - America, England, China - at prices much lower than those in our stores, and also to purchase things that no one else has.
My interest in the topic of bargain shopping was very great, and therefore I regularly visited about a dozen different shopping sites. I was especially attracted by Chinese shopping (website taobao.com). A huge number of sellers from all over China are registered on this site, where they present a variety of products, ranging from clothing and shoes to furniture, medicines and much more.
Since the site is in Chinese, an online translator came to the rescue. When I wanted to register, I encountered a number of problems: for example, linking a mobile number, mastering how to work with payment systems.
At that time, it was quite difficult to solve them; I had to learn a lot of things on my own, through my own practice, spending several hours getting an answer to the simplest question (and there were many of them). Now there are ways and special services with which you can register yourself, simply and quickly. And there are also plenty of instructions on the Internet, so even a user who has never ordered anything from abroad before is unlikely to encounter so many difficulties.
How to order goods in China? About finding an intermediary
And then I decided to look for an “intermediary” in China who could help me with my purchases. In fact, I believe that this is safer, since a person will be able to check the item for quality, defects, color and, in general, there is a guarantee that you will not get a pig in a poke.
The search for a mediator has begun: I started visiting all kinds of forums, sites where people offered their services. There turned out to be quite a lot of such people, the choice was very difficult, since it was assumed that I would send money to a stranger at my own peril and risk, and hope that I would not be scammed, and there were very few reviews at that time.
I began to learn the conditions and requirements for work from a variety of people. An important criterion for me was that the person was in China, and it didn’t matter whether he was Russian, Ukrainian or Chinese, or a person of another nationality.
Chinese intermediaries meet very often; they communicate in not very clear English. But if you know English at least at a basic level, then you can handle the negotiations with an online translator.
Clothes from China
It is very desirable to find a Russian-speaking person, and ideally a person of Slavic nationality (since the Asian mentality is still different from ours) who knows Chinese. Often these can be our students who went to study abroad. This is very important, since any online translators are not perfectly accurate, and an error in communication can lead to the fact that you receive the wrong product or product of the wrong quality, or there will be some other deviations from what you wanted.
You can also look for an intermediary in your country: due to the comparative cheapness of education, many Chinese come to us. It is quite possible that among them there will be those who have friends, acquaintances, relatives with whom you can start doing business.
If you have a small budget and you order goods in small quantities, it is unlikely that you will be able to work with professionals. We are talking about those who know both Russian/English and Chinese, and at the same time perfectly know all the intricacies of the process. Where is the best place to choose, how quickly to deliver, how much delivery will cost and how long it will take, how best to arrange everything so as not to arouse suspicion, and so on. Even then, at the beginning of 2011, there were such people, but usually they set restrictions on the minimum amount (minimum quantity of products), and did not deal with small batches.
The principle of operation of an international intermediary:
- You select a product, place an order, send it to the intermediary (he makes his own adjustments, gives advice regarding the order, checks the sellers’ ratings).
- You send the full amount for the goods, plus the percentage that the intermediary takes for his work.
- He receives the goods, checks for defects, etc., sends you a report on the received goods (photo), weighs the goods, and calculates the full cost of delivery to you.
- You send the amount for delivery.
- The intermediary sends the package and you wait for your order.
Intermediary percentages vary from 5 to 25. I found a girl on one of the forums who lives and studies in China and works part-time as an intermediary; her initial percentage was 15% for me.
Delivery of goods from China - how it works
We discussed all the conditions, chose the most profitable system for transferring money to China, chose the delivery method (there are several types: regular mail, air, sea, international delivery services, such as DHL, sea transportation of containers, they all differ in delivery times, costs and possibility of transporting parcel dimensions).
Chinese cargo terminal I placed an order - clothes and shoes - transferred the money and began to wait for my first parcel. I chose delivery from China by regular mail - terms from two to four weeks.
Three weeks after payment, I received a notification from the post office about the arrival of my parcel at the post office, and on the same day I received my first parcel from China weighing 14 kg. When the pleasant emotions from what was received and seen subsided, logic came into play. On the things that I purchased, taking into account the percentage of the intermediary, the costs of delivery and transfer of money, I saved my expenses by about one and a half times compared to the price of the same product in our city. This is how the idea arose: to buy and sell things with your own markup.
Product selection and first purchase for resale
I decided to draw up a business plan, if you can call it that. I decided to follow the path of least resistance: not to invest large amounts of money and effort into development. To begin with, I determined the category of goods that I would sell - women's clothing.
Not copies or fakes of luxury brands, as this may cause problems when received at customs. I decided to buy the most common and most popular items in one or two copies, in the most popular size S-M. Even if they don’t sell, I can always keep it for myself or give it as a gift or sell it to friends.
After consulting with our intermediary, we came to the conclusion that we would buy things that are made in China and exported, for example Zara, Vero Moda, H&M, etc. Such things in China cost two or even more times cheaper, and are of quite good quality, since they are exported (not only to the Russian Federation and Ukraine - there are such stores in other countries, both in the CIS and in Europe ).
The delivery issue was definitely resolved for me - this is regular mail, since it is the cheapest. The maximum weight of one parcel should not exceed 20 kg. We agreed with the intermediary that when sending it it will be indicated that these are personal items - in this case, the estimated value is minimal.
The data is given for Ukraine for 2013 according to the author. In Russia, since 2014, there have been customs restrictions on purchases from foreign online stores in order to combat this type of small business, since it allows tax evasion. You can receive parcels per month worth no more than 150 euros and no heavier than 10 kg (editor's note).
Thus, I avoid problems with customs clearance, but at the same time things will be in maximum two copies, which not wholesale. The risk in this case is that if some items are stolen, I will not be able to recover the full amount for them from the post office.
Realizing that receiving two to four parcels a month in my name may arouse suspicion, I decided to register several recipients: they were my relatives. I agreed with the intermediary on further cooperation with a lower percentage, and agreed on 8.
How and to whom to sell goods from China: about finding sales routes
The next step was to determine the site - where and how I would sell things. Since I was a student, I initially understood that I would not open a store in the future, but would simply provide myself with additional income for pocket money. I was considering the option, but this also required additional costs, and in the future there might be, let’s say, problems with registering an individual entrepreneurship and paying taxes.
Warehouse store for clothes and shoes Therefore, I decided to use the services of such Internet platforms as Aukro .ua, the then existing Slando .ua, creating a group in Vk. The advantages are obvious: I just sell my things, I don’t conduct any official activities, I don’t pay for renting premises or for maintaining an online store, there are no taxes.
Calculating the budget for the first parcel (20 kg of clothes - sweaters, trousers, dresses, T-shirts, T-shirts, etc.) showed that it costs $1000 for everything, taking into account interest and delivery. My husband provided money for my business hobby. After all the calculations, it became clear that the net income would be from $150. Income will depend on my markup on the product. Even if you don’t add a markup, but sell at cost, including delivery costs and interest, everything will come out to 0, and this is no longer a minus.
Having approved my entire plan, I began to place orders. The intermediary sent parcels as the products arrived. On average it turned out per month from 2 to 4-5 parcels. I was lucky and there were no problems with delivery times; the parcel always took about three weeks.
By creating accounts on Internet sites, I began to post photos of things. My advantage was that the things were in my hands, and immediately after payment I sent parcels throughout Ukraine using the Nova courier service Posta » (the most popular carrier in Ukraine). Not everyone is willing to wait more than two weeks for a blouse or something else to order (this would be the case if they themselves ordered from China), so it was convenient to buy from me. The recipients usually paid for delivery, but I paid for large orders as a bonus.
Over time, many people already knew me, rating on the site Aukro .ua and other sites was high - many began to apply for things to order (so as not to have to deal with placing and paying for the order themselves, as I had to initially). In such cases, again to avoid risk, I took a 50% prepayment.
After a year, my minimum income from resale of Chinese goods consistently amounted to $300 monthly. For two years I did not have any losses, at least all my expenses were always “recovered”.
Pitfalls: what problems did I encounter?
There can be quite a lot of pitfalls in such a business, even if everything is done as carefully as I did. Let me give you a few examples:
- During transportation, some things can be stolen, damaged, or sent to the wrong place by mistake.
- The parcel may arrive damp, crumpled, and this means that the items may be damaged and will have to be restored to normal condition, wasting time and even money (for example, taking them to the dry cleaner).
- You may simply not sell these things, or make a mistake with the choice (I didn’t have this, because I chose the most popular product, and only in small quantities).
- Now there is a lot of competition in this market, you need to try to find your client, additional advertising costs are needed.
- You may be scammed by an intermediary - you will send money, but in the end you will not receive anything, it will be very difficult to figure it out, since it is connected with another country.
The intermediary is your business partner and must be reliable; in fact, this is where the difficulty of the search lies. There are cases that an intermediary can buy things at a lower cost, and the things will be of poor quality. This should and can be monitored: by the nickname of your intermediary in completed transactions, on the product page.
70% of success depends on the intermediary! Having a small capital and having correctly decided on the product category, you can earn good money, as well as develop your business to a more serious scale.
If you have a significant amount of money and your purchases will be in bulk, I recommend going to China, hiring a translator on the spot and negotiating directly with the manufacturing factories.
My business ceased to exist because I left to live in another country. I did not continue this kind of business in a new place, as my interests and type of activity changed.
Is it possible to start this business now?
The emergence of a huge number of intermediaries who receive income for their services could not go unnoticed. At the beginning of 2014, news appeared that could radically change the market: Taobao.com, one of the largest Chinese online sellers, officially launched a mail forwarding service, reports Magazeta.com. Thus, foreign buyers are now freed from the need to resort to the services of Chinese intermediaries, who receive goods at local addresses and then ship them abroad.
“This is not a new intermediary company, not another reseller and consolidator of parcels. This is the official service of the Alibaba group, accessible to everyone,” the online publication emphasizes.
The cost of sending orders is 18 yuan (about 100 rubles) for the first kilogram plus 3 yuan (about 17 rubles) for each subsequent half kilo. In addition, the buyer must pay the shipping cost itself. You can pay for processing and delivery using Visa, Mastercard and American Express bank cards. In order to place an order and use the delivery service, the user must go through the registration process and verify the account via mobile phone number and email. After this you can start placing orders. All paid parcels arrive at the warehouse, after which the buyer can order their shipment to his address.
However, such a possibility still remains “raw” and not perfectly debugged. Yes, theoretically, anyone can order directly and save some money. But in fact, to do this you will have to deal a lot with the service. For those who want to order a lot and/or often, this is relevant. But if you are a girl who saw a beautiful dress on the Internet and wants to order it from China, you are unlikely to want to waste time and effort on this. Therefore, the intermediary business is still popular and continues to grow.
You shouldn’t look for clothes from the world’s leading designers in small shops or clothing markets - there you can only find poorly made Chinese fakes with a flashy brand label. These products are sold only in branded stores, which can be found in large shopping centers or on city streets in well-groomed and well-traveled places. And even in this case, there is a risk of stumbling upon a fake.
To insure yourself against purchasing low-quality expensive items, it is best to find out in advance about the official retail outlets of a particular brand. This can be done on the company's website. If there is no store you need in Russia, it is best to go shopping in Europe or Dubai, where almost all brands are officially represented.
Also, when buying things, you should pay attention to the quality of materials and tailoring. Haute couture clothes will never have crooked stitches or protruding threads.
Where can I buy cheap clothes?
High-quality clothes at low prices can usually only be purchased during sales or various promotions. When summer or winter collections are sold out, as well as when a store is liquidated, branded items can be purchased at a discount of up to 70%. On ordinary days, the markup on quality goods is quite high, because good and stylish things rarely sit on the shelves.
The cheapest items are sold in foreign online stores, especially Asian ones. So, you can search for low-priced products on ebay.com - this site has a huge selection of things in a wide range of price categories from the USA, China, Thailand, Europe and many other countries. The execution of the transaction is strictly controlled by the customer service, so shopping there is safe. Shipping costs vary, sometimes items are sent for free.
You can even buy antique clothing dating back to the period from the 50s to the 80s there at a low price. These items are usually sold at auction, so everyone has a chance to get a truly unique and inexpensive item.
Another popular site for cheap things today is aliexpress.com. There are clothes and shoes from China and Thailand with questionable quality, but at very cheap prices. The same things can be found on the market, but several times more expensive. The advantage of purchasing on this site is that you can pay with a regular bank card, whereas to complete a transaction on ebay.com you will have to register with PayPal.
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