Any time I remember one of my friend’s experiences, I can’t just laugh. When my friend first thought about importing from China, his desire was to get goods first hand from the manufacturer and at least call himself an importer. But of course, to become an importer you need real dough (heavy capital), he thought and he did not have much money. All the same, he found the solution after doing a few types of research online his desires finally came to an end, he saw an opportunity through the internet to import a few electronic gadgets to be delivered through air courier.
Bang! My friend had gotten the solution; he simply hit the internet and started the game. Arming himself with his GTB dollar card, he picked on one of the websites that he had researched, filled in all the necessary online forms after which he choose the product he was interested in amongst the array of products that were on display at the website.
He actually went for two products; a tablet computer and a phone all of which were of course Chinese products. He then followed the payment procedure and before he knew his money was taken and his account debited. All that was left in his mind was the excitement of having made his order and the waiting period for his goods to arrive.
Oops! I forget to tell you, my friend is based in Lagos. The timing for the delivery of the goods was as promised. So much joy and excitement you may say! When he got his package from the dispatch rider, he couldn’t wait to open it after receiving it as his heart panted with excitement. He took his time, sat down, and thought “this is a call for celebrations his first import has just arrived, oh boy this is good!” Imagined all the things he would do with his goods.
With this trial import, he could import so many goods, sell and begin to make money in his own small way. As this thought went through his mind he went on to unravel the package tearing the covering apart but he was astonished when the pack was fully opened to find a toy wrapped with feathers inside the package, instead of the tablet computer and phone he ordered for. In disbelief and denial, he scattered the whole content of the package on the table, checked everything and everywhere just to be sure he was not having a bad dream but the story did not change. He had been duped; he did not get what he paid for. In fact, what he got was only fit for the garbage can. How my friend’s story ended is a write-up for another day,
My advice is simple, always get the details before getting in there. Understand how it is done first before starting, especially when you are dealing with a nation known for its skill in manufacturing knock-offs, ranging from phones to laptops to tablet PCs to a replica of anything on earth. You have a “Made in China” version of anything you can think of. Carelessness concerning this will put you in the class of those losing money while others are importing standard goods from China.
Have you been duped Importing from China
