Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Hello all,

  I`m currently residing in Taiwan and am thinking of starting a small ebay business to supplement my income(possibly full time in the future).I am in the research stage at this point and am looking for basic start up info and suggestions for making this work.I have very little business knowage but worked in sales for quite a few years.As you know,almost everything under the sun is made in Taiwan but I have no idea how to aquire these products at a low price and sell them on ebay.I have a manufacturers lists but don`t know where to go from there.Any suggestions would be more than appeciated.

                                       Thanks in advance,

                                                    Colin G

Hi Colin,

I wish you much success with your business endeavor. I am just starting to do business with factories in China... promotional products and display materials.

It would be beneficial for you to determine what product you want to sell. Maybe you have a hobby and that may translate into a product. Best pricing of course for the most part depends on the quantity produced.

Maybe you can hook up with a manufacturer in Taiwan for a specific item, put in on an e-bay type site and gauge the interest. At first, maybe they will have inventory on the floor so you don`t have to invest in tooling, etc.

Let me know if I can help.

Jackede


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Jack Edelman The Promotions Department, Inc. 10301 NW 18th Manor Plantation, FL 33322 954-257-3644 fax 954-382-0049 http://www.distributorcentral.com/websites/the promotionsdepartmentinc sales@promotionsdept.us "Call The Promotions Department, they`ll take ca

callmecg,

First of all, good luck in your new venture.

A very important thing to keep in mind is that most buyers and sellers on eBay use the feedback rating as a way to better understand who they are buying from or selling to. So, if you do not have a history on eBay, I`d suggest you start by buying some small items; this will allow you to start creating your own feedback history, which will increase your chances of selling on eBay. You may start with a zero feedback, but it will take longer for people to trust you as a seller...but it is feasible.

My second suggestion would be to use this great asset you have: location! Instead of simply using the manufacturers from a list, why not visit them and try to close deals directly? In the US, most lists of "manufacturers" are nothing but a list of middle-men. I know your country is very large, but you can probably concentrate on regions that are not too far from you.

eBay offers a great tool where you can research hot selling items. Go to Seller Central and check their "What`s Hot" page.

Another suggestion I can give you is to download their own listing tool, Turbo Lister. It is very easy to use and, best of all, it is free! Once your volume increases considerably, then you can research for better tools.

Once again, good luck. Keep us posted on your progress!


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Andre Costa DaCosta Chocolates, LLC www.DaCostaChocolates.com

Thanks for all your advice! For now I will just keep it simple,build up a good rating,read a few Ebay how to books,and learn the basics.

But I do have one more question.Am I at kind of advantage living in Taiwan and being able direct contact with wholesalers and maybe manufacturers?

Simply put? Yes!
And no. Because just like you, probably a lot of other people are doing the same thing from Taiwan and surroundings. Besides, you will need to create trust in your buyers - I would be very concerned about buying from someone I don`t know, whose rating is not that great and who lives so far away. If something happens, how can you solve a problem (damaged product during transportation, for instance)?

Things you need to keep in mind.
Good luck,

Andre


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Andre Costa DaCosta Chocolates, LLC www.DaCostaChocolates.com