This week’s post, “how to import goods from China to Nigeria“, will be a very short guide for newbies on how to import goods from china to Nigeria. I will not attempt to be exhaustive. According to Investopedia, China has been the largest exporter of goods since 2009. It is a good thing, then, to know how to easily ship from china, especially if you are a business owner looking to take advantage of the behemoth capacity of the Chinese to produce cheaply and affordably for global consumption. Another sweet thing about importing from china is that you do not have to travel to China to import goods from China to Nigeria.

How to import goods from China to Nigeria

Deciding and streamlining to a Choice Product

This is one of the most difficult aspects of importation, especially for newbies. If your decision has been made clear on what you want to import goods from china to Nigeria, you are halfway through the process. While some buy for the sake of personal use, the primary reason many import goods from china to Nigeria is to trade. The single intent to make a profit is in itself a challenge that must be overcome, or else, your entire purpose is defeated. I’m going to provide some tips on this subject of decision-making for the sake of those who wish to make a profit from their import quest;

Tips

1. Decide on your business niche
2. Study the industry to know what moves the money needle. You may want to apply the 80/20 rule. In every industry, only 20% of products or services move the money needle. Identify them and know all you need to know about them.
3. Carry out your market survey. This may not be an easy task to do. But if well done, you’d be better off for it.
4. Streamline to just one. This is the most difficult task. To leave the plethora number of good products you have discovered and face one. The truth is, for every start-up, people sort you more for your expertise than for your brand or diversity. You want to be the best in any of the products you zeroed in on. That way, you have the power to focus and pierce into the market to gain some market share. After you have some market share, you can then decide to expand your product base to your gained market share. Remember, your first target is to gain market share (customer/client base) with your brand or business.
5. If you are really eager on testing more things, add a number of test products, perhaps, 1 or 2. Be focused, though, on your primary product of interest. It is your major arsenal to invade the market space with a good chance of success.

The point is, you are more likely going to be successful trying to sell a single product than trying to sell multiple products at a go. This is a major fact if you want to import goods from China to Nigeria

Import goods from China to Nigeria; Product Search

This is a more involved stage in your import journey. It requires discipline and decisiveness. You must keep to your original decision. It is the best way to keep your import process short and concise. To import goods from China to Nigeria could be a simple process. It could get complicated however when you attempt to bring in so many goods at a time. There are several platforms to search for the product you want. No doubt, Alibaba remains the number one go-to place. In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022, Alibaba Group’s annual revenue surpassed 850 billion yuan, soaring by more than 40-fold compared to a decade ago (1). you can also search for products in 1688, Taobao, and a number of other Chinese websites

Find a reliable and trusted supplier

Once you have decided exactly what you want to import, this is the first thing you need to do. You must seek out a source who can offer you a competitive price without an inferior product. A significant trap to avoid is choosing an inferior product just because it is less expensive. Both cheaper alternatives of some products have nearly identical import costs. It’s important to occasionally project the impression that your product is superior to that of your rivals. Yet, it is important to be competitive. You can find a supplier in three ways;

1. contact a friend or agency that knows how to. G-Line Logistics is surely at your service for this.
2. use shopping sites like Alibaba, Taobao, etc
3. attend “Canto fairs” to meet manufacturers Exhibit their products to the world, and keep their information. If you are buying up to a container load, this is the best option for you.

When finding a supplier, ensure you get a number of them and compare prices to ensure you have the best buy. Make sure to avoid the pitfalls of the inferior product. This is a major drawback to lots of newbies.

Verify A Supplier is Authentic

it’s easy to fall into the trap of fraudsters when you are buying from popular platforms like Alibaba, 1688, etc. While these websites must have done their best to check fraudulent activities, you must exercise a good level of caution. Alibaba made it possible to curb fraudulent activities to a large degree when they introduce the Alibaba payment service. Here, you pay your supplier, and they get their funds released to them when you confirm receipt of your goods. Because of the FX restrictions of the federal government on Nigerians, payment on Alibaba is largely hampered. You may then have to rely on an agency in china to assist with verification. And currently payment as well. (check: Best way to pay your Chinese supplier in 30 mins)

Bargaining with supplier

It must be noted that most times, the prices found on the website can be bargained, especially when you are buying in large quantities. Most time, you can leverage your very large quantity order to cut down on the price. This is why I advised you to niche down on a particular product. That way, you can build your market base to get to the point where you can order very large quantities at a time. And this should be the goal. It is the Oil well for the importer. The quicker you can build a ready market for any particular product in high demand, the earlier you can leverage your large order for a better price.

Goods Logistics:

Decide the mode of shipping

There are two main ways you can ship your goods as you already know. they are;

By sea

If your supplier is shipping your goods to the port (FOB), for a full container load, contact your shipping agency to help you with recommended ports to make your clearing process easy. you must have gotten your bill of laden from your supplier, your form M, SONCAP, etc. See Custome Clearing Process If the good is not up to a full 40ft container, ask your shipping agent to ship them to our warehouse in china and we will ship them via groupage, clear, and deliver to your desired location. This way, your shipper takes the goods as a group with their other consignment. You do not need any documents provided the item has been confirmed by us that it can be shipped.

Why you should not ship a 20ft container alone

A lot of importers are tempted to ship their 20ft container goods alone. This is not a wise thing to do economically. You will spend more getting the required clearing documents needed for customs clearance. And you will eventually pay more custom duty as against having the goods shipped by our groupage service. Make sure to contact your shipping agency for the best advice when you are ready to ship. At G-Line we are keen to give you the best advice to keep you on a safe and affordable course.

By Air

often times, goods shipped by air are usually needed asap. It is also recommended for lightweight goods (gods weighing less than 100kg for light importers and 1 ton for heavy importers) – SEE: Quickest way to get shipping cost from China to Nigeria. As such, they go through group air cargo. connect your supplier with your shipping agency. The most usual way is for your supplier to send the goods to your shipper’s warehouse in china. Your shipper then ships the goods to Nigeria. At G-Line Logistics, we normally deliver your goods to your doorstep or desired location. You can also pick up your goods from our office.

Get a reliable shipping agency

Get a reliable shipping agent in china and rest on your oars till the goods arrive at your destination. Note that before you are permitted to rest on your oars, you must have gotten a really good and reliable logistics agent. If you have a good shipping/logistics agency like G-Line Logistics, you will have no trouble getting your goods safely to your final location here in Nigeria.

Do your cost analysis

It is important to note that before you make payments to your supplier, you must have spoken with your shipping agency to be clear about the potential shipping rates. Information you must hold before you contact your shipping agency is; the exact use of the item, how it will be packaged, and your intended mode of shipment. If you hope to ship by sea, it is required to know the total volume in CBM. If by air, you must know the total weight in Kg (after packaging in both cases). You can get a free quote here after you have all this information This will help you have a perfect idea of your eventual cost and make you more prepared for your market/business. Note, however, that shipping rates and commodities vary at different times. See: 5 important tips to know before you import goods from china. For more content like this, for your consumption and business awareness, click to join our shippers community where we

1. keep you informed
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3. Get goods status updates via your email when you shop with us.