Woolen jackets, paper rolls,
light up teddy bears, clocks and DVDs – there is
tremendous potential to make a very good profit from all
of these products and countless others just by knowing the
basics of one of the worlds oldest trades.
Importing & exporting may not be the first thing that
leaps into your mind when you think of home based
businesses. However, there are few genuine opportunities
that offer better prospects – big profits, subsidised
travel and a good work-from-home lifestyle are just a few
of the benefits you’ll enjoy once your import/export
business is up and running. The set-up and operational
costs can also be accommodated on a total shoe string
budget.
So is importing/exporting from home right for you? Here
are a few factors you need to consider before taking your
first steps into this lucrative business:
1. Creating Contacts – You will need to contact many
different importers and exporters and this can be
difficult for some. In the internet age just about every
contact you need is already online. There are hundreds of
free bulletin boards you can visit to see who wants to buy
or sell any number of products, in addition to several
specialist websites and trade magazines.
2. A fair level of attention to detail is required – by
keeping your customers satisfied and providing them with
exactly what they request you will be setting yourself up
for a good stream of future business.
3. You will need to create a detailed plan to identify
your own desired goals and objectives from your business.
We all know the saying “if you fail to plan then you
plan to fail” – ask yourself the difficult questions
that many shy away from. Here are just a few of
these…What do you have going for you to make this a
success? Will you start full time or part time? Can you
get any help (family/friends) in the beginning? What type
of products will you trade? In which countries? What mode
of transport will you use to get your goods from A to B?
How will you learn about international trade regulations?
What method of international payment will you use? What
foreign regulations must you be aware of? Again, these are
just a sample of the questions you need to ask – get
some paper and scribble down everything you could possibly
think of.
4. You will need to decide on your form of organisation
– will you operate as a sole trader, partnership or
limited company? Each form has it’s own distinct
advantages and disadvantages.
So how do you go about finding products to import and
export once all the nuts and bolts are in place? One great
way is actually by travelling around – there are
literally millions of products out there that have the
potential to make you a small (or large) fortune once you
import them into your domestic market. To illustrate my
point, last year while on a holiday to India I stumbled
over some delightful glow-up keyrings that were being sold
for 10 rupees each (about 40 cents) – instinct had told
me there was enormous profit potential here and upon
returning home I found the same key-rings selling for
$7.95 in a popular department store. Do you think it would
be possible to profit from this situation? Of course it
is, and there are countless other opportunities like these
simply waiting to be discovered. It is also possible to
write off your travel expenses (flights, hotels, dining
costs etc) against your profits which gives you a great
chance to travel the world at a heavily subsidised rate.
You can also find ideas on what to sell by sifting through
specialised publications & websites, investigating
trade shows and by browsing national trade statistics (eg
via the United Nations Yearbook Of International Trade
Statistics). But above all, be alert – when you see
something interesting, ask yourself “can I import this
thing in my home market?”
Now a word about marketing – whether you like it or not,
the long term success for any product depends to a large
degree on the way it is marketed. Get this right and you
could make a lot of cash very quickly. Get it wrong and
you could struggle. Like most things marketing technique
can be acquired and refined but you should come up with a
marketing plan in addition to your general plan.
Encouragingly from a work-at-home perspective there are
any number of marketing methods that will bring you
success, some at very low (or no) cost.
OK, what we have gone through is just the tip of the
iceberg. A profitable work from home import & export
business is more possible than most could envisage but as
with any worthwhile venture you will require some level of
persistence and willingness to learn. If you’re willing
to put in the effort the rewards are far greater than you
could possible imagine.
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About
The Author
Start
up your own outrageously profitable work
from home import/export business.
Everything you need to set-up including
the best low cost trade sources all over
the world, contacts and step by step
blueprint to profit.
http://www.global-ebooks.com/importexport.htm |
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