Starting out
Choosing what to import first.
Your first import is going to have problems, so the useful question is which product makes those problems survivable. Regulated, perishable and heavily specified goods punish a first attempt hardest.
What makes a product hard.
Regulation. Food, cosmetics, toys and anything applied to a person come with obligations you have to satisfy before the first sale.
Perishability. A shelf life shorter than your selling cycle removes all your margin for error.
Cold chain. A temperature break is a total loss and it is decided by people you cannot see.
Tight tolerances. Anything with dimensional or performance requirements is where a supplier's real capability shows.
High value per unit. A mistake on a container of expensive goods is a large mistake.
What makes a product forgiving.
Shelf stable and ambient. No cold chain, no clock, and a delay costs money rather than the goods.
Judged against a sample rather than a number, which is easier to agree and easier to inspect.
Lower unit value, so the education costs less.
Products where variation is expected, because your customer is not measuring.
Products your market does not heavily regulate, so the compliance work is proportionate to a first order.
The questions to answer before choosing.
Five, in this order. The fourth one predicts the outcome better than the rest combined.
- 01
Can I legally sell it
Registration, labelling, testing and responsible person requirements in your market. Answer this before anything else.
- 02
Can I store it
Ambient, chilled or frozen, and for how long. Storage you do not have is a cost you have not counted.
- 03
Can I sell it before I have to reorder
Because you will be paying for the second container before the first is sold.
- 04
Who am I selling to
Having a customer before a container is the single biggest predictor of a first import going well.
- 05
What happens if it is wrong
Can you rework it, discount it, or is it scrap. This is the question that separates a lesson from a disaster.
A reasonable first move.
A shelf-stable product, in a smaller quantity than is efficient, from a supplier you verified, with an inspection before shipment.
Accept a worse unit price for a smaller order. The first shipment is education and paying more for a smaller mistake is good value.
Sell it before scaling. Everything you believe about demand is a theory until a container of it is in your warehouse.
Questions buyers ask.
Should I start with food?
Only if you already understand your market's food rules, because the compliance work is real and it comes before the first sale. Homeware, furniture and non-regulated goods are more forgiving of a first attempt.
How small can a first order be?
Smaller than the supplier's efficient minimum, if you are willing to pay for it. Many will accept a trial quantity at a worse price, and that is a good trade on a first order.
What is the most common first-order mistake?
Importing before having a customer. Everything else is recoverable and a container of goods with no buyer is a working capital problem that does not resolve itself.
Read next.
What it takes to start
Not a figure, a structure. Which costs come before revenue and how long money is tied up.
How long a first order really takes
Eleven stages, most invisible in a supplier's lead time. Which run in parallel, which cannot, and where it breaks.
What sets a minimum order
Setup, material lots, the container and attention. Three of them move and one does not, and knowing which is binding beats any tactic.
Labelling for your market
Printed in Indonesia and judged in your country. What has to appear, and who carries the obligation.
What a sample actually proves
The narrow question a sample answers, and why the sealed duplicate you never open is worth more than the one you evaluate.
Sourcing from Indonesia?
Tell us the product, the quantity and the destination. We come back with what it involves before anyone talks about money.