Have you heard about the stories of the home startups of export import businesses? Or have you heard regular people making high income trough selling online? Do you have a time and a little bit of money to invest and willingness to start business from home and expand globally?
Well, in this case you could start an import export business from home with very small money. In this article, we will give you a step by step instructions how to start import/export business from home, from scratch and with small money.
Before we dive into the steps, you need to understand some basics about export-import business.
Overview of export-import business
What is an import/export business?
Import export business is an traditional business, where entrepreneur purchases goods with intention to re-sell those with profit, in his own country and/or to other countries. The entrepreneur can purchase the goods from his own country suppliers or manufacture by himself. Or he/she can source products abroad. And the best thing is, you can do most of it, all from your home!
To learn more about the export import business in general, read our exhaustive guide about export import business.
How home based export/import business works?
Starting an export/import business from home means starting basically an online business.
Online import export business, e-commerce … is the concept of our use of online tools to connect to the Internet to conduct sales transactions or provide services.
You can use any online channel: website, facebook, youtube … to display, introduce and sell products. There will be no cost for the premises, and labor.
Online import export business works just like traditional business. But in terms of operating environment. If traditional businesses operate in the physical environment (shops, markets, trade centers …), then online businesses operate on the Internet (booths, ecommerce websites, social networks …).
In online export import business, when customers want to buy a product, they will go directly to the website of the seller or search for keywords that they want to buy on the search engine online. Google, Yahoo, Bing ….
Then, customers select products to buy on the website, order (fill in full name, address, telephone …), choose payment method (cash, transfer …) then confirm the order information and finally the delivery staff will bring the product to the address that the customer wants.
Some treats when starting export import business from home
The biggest issue, when someone starts a business from home is, that the entrepreneur treats the business as a hobie and not puts enough effort into this. This means, the business
But on the other hand, some people prefer to stay small and have a nice side income, rather than running a full-time business. So this can and can not considered as an treat.
Benefits of starting export-import from home
Starting an export-import business from home has more benefits than treats, most important benefits as below:
- Possible to start business as a side project, meanwhile maintaining your daily job.
- Your home can be your office, warehouse, workshop – it helps to keep your start up costs low.
- Conviniency and flexibility comes along with operating export import business from home.
- Possible to start with small initial investment
- Possible to start small, learn as you go and grow step by step.
- Very small risk, when starting export-import business from home.
- Allows you work based on your own schedule.
- Helps to create connections and relations globally.
Minimum investment for export import business from home
Minimum investment for starting an export-import business from home varies. In different countries the costs are different, also depends with what kinds of products you start with and what kind of business model you are going to use. But generally speaking, the minimal initial investment would be 2000 USD in developed countries and around 1000 USD in developing countries.
Steps to start export/import business from home
1. Research market and select products
No matter, what kind of business you want to start, you shall always start from the market research. Through market research, you will get the answers, inputs and information to: choose your products, choose your target markets, determine the market price for the product, determine the right selling and marketing channels, get overview of the competition in the market etc.
Read also: Starting an export-import business
Choose potential products
First of all, you shall put togheter a raw list of the potential products you could start selling. Think about what is currently popular and selling well in your country or some other countries? Perhaps you see some tv commercial very often?
To get more ideas, you can go to Amazon, select “best sellers” and search from the left the suitable category for you.
Then you can see the top selling products in different categories- which is good indicator to determine the product demand.
In the example below , we selected an automotive category and sew the top selling product are currently Windshield Sun Shade items.
In a similar way, you can discover hot selling items in other online selling platforms like ebay, aliexpress etc. Also, good idea is to use google, you can easily discover some good selling products if you type into google something like this: “Best selling items in UK 2019” incase you want to sell to UK.
We also suggest to read our article of the best export-import business ideas
Just using the method described above, you should be able to put together your first list of potential products. I advice to pick up 10 at least.
Market research helps to cover the demanded and profitable products or services. And helps to make sure the current problems and disadvantages of the products/services what are currently on the market. Last one gives you new ideas, how you can add some improvements to your own product to stand out from the crowd, if you enter to the business
Determine your final products
After you have a raw list of the potential product, you shall do deeper investigation of these. Now you should analyze each of the previously selected products. You shall analyze the following key aspects:
- Product selling price in online marketplaces
- Product availability and suitability for you
- Pactory price for the products ( check from Alibaba )
- Possible risk and problems with the products
- The stability and volume of the demand ( use google trends to estimate it)
- Estimate all the cost (deliveries, taxes, packing and re-selling)
- Possible profit margin (sales price per piece-all the costs)
So, if you want to start export-import business from home, then you shall finally pick the product(s) which stands out best in the light of the aspects described above. We advice to create an excel sheet and compare each the products there. We have also written an in-depth article, about how to choose the best products
PS! Selecting your products, deciding the target markets and learning about your potential customer is hard for beginners, that’s why we have created practical, step by step export import online course about these and other relevant topics. Go check out here: Zero to first deal export-import course
2. Source your suppliers
In this stage, you shall contact local manufacturers and also foreign ones. As you have chosen your product what you start selling in your home-based export import business, then it is easier task for you.
We advice to start sourcing your suppliers from Alibaba. In Alibaba, you can send buying request very easily and you can expect to receive quotations from different suppliers globally.
If you are looking good suppliers for your home-based export-import business, then craft the buying request in detail, state the parameters, prices, payment terms , delivery terms etc.
Finally, after you received the offers, you need to analyze these. Compare their prices, delivery terms, support, payment terms etc. Certainly, contact them directly, learn more about them, negotiate prices. Finally, you shall be able to pick up suppliers for your home export/import business.
3.Set up your business website
Chose domain name and host your website
Once you have identified your customers, market, product, suppliers for your home based export-import business and you are ready to build the sales process, then the next step would be the domain name registration and website creation.
We are using Bluehost by ourselves to have all of our domain names, business email addresses and websites hosted and operated there.
We warmly suggest to use Bluehost to register domain name and host your website, start from below:
After you registered your domain name and hosted it, then download content management software (CMS). We advice to use wordpress – this one of the easiest and user friendly even for the beginners. You can download it in Bluehost dashboard with few clicks! it is a really poweful and the options with WordPress are limitless! And the best is, WordPress is a free!
You can see the screenshot of Bluehost control panel below, there you just need to click on WordPress.
Regarding choosing a name for your
Download wordpress and upload theme
As you see, the options, what all you can have with Bluehost hosting are just awesome! No wonder, why they host most of the website in the planet.
So, if you not jet chosen your domain name and hosted your new business website, then do it now, because all starts from there!
After you have domain registered, website hosted and you downloaded WordPress, then the next thing you need to do is select and upload theme for your new home based business website. You can see in the WordPress content management system, there are theme options.
Theme is a design of how your new website will look like. In wordpress you can download lot of themes free, with just few clicks. But we advice to have theme from woocommerce, as these are best fit for your new online, home based export-import business.
Upload Woocommerce e-commerce plugin to your new wordpress site
if starting export import business from home, then Woocommerce is best and easiest option to build your own online store on the wordpress site. WooCommerce is an open-source e-commerce plugin for WordPress. It is designed for small to large-sized online merchants using WordPress.
You can upload woocommerce plugin to your wordpress site with seconds.
And yes, it is free too!
You need to go to the “plugins” and searh woocommerce, see the screenshot below:
Now you are ready for your home based business website design and content creation. You can create blog and e-shop and upload your products to your online shop. Woocommerce integrates with paypal and other online payment processors also.
Remember to make a simple website, easy to use even for those who are not knowledgeable about information technology can understand your website.
4. Organize delivery processes and smooth custom clearing
To start accepting orders for your home based export import business, you need to think trough and organize delivery procedures and custom procedures. So, if order comes, you can deliver all fastly and delivery will pass the custom smoothly.
We advice, to contact common delivery and freight forwarding companies like DSV, DHL, UPS, TNT. Contact them and explain your business and products. Usually, they can provide one-stop services, means they can take care of delivery, custom, documentation.
Also, organize the delivery and custom, incase you are importing products from abroad.
Related article: Export-import documentation and procedures
5.Set up a formal business
To start export import business from home, you will need a formal business entity at some stage. To start export import business from home, you need the easiest and most affordable form of business entity.
In different countries, the possibilities are different. We advice to search and contact your country business registration bureau or other similar institution. For home based export import business, the solo proprietorship or limited liability would be best legal entity to use for import export business.
After you have you formal company registered, you shall open bank account to receive international currencies and payments from different countries.
6.Marketing and generating sales for your home-based export/import business
One can not run export import business from home successfully, without leveraging the marketing possibilities. Because having a great product or service that you are sure many people will need is not enough.
In the step 1 you made the market research, from this step you shall also know, who is your customer and how to reach them.
Customers will not find you, your store, your website or your Facebook page just because you have started your business. You have to do marketing to get customers on you business website and getting them actually buy.
Potential buyers are those who are in demand for the product or service you provide but have never purchased your product (s). Maybe they are using a competitor’s product or service, maybe they do not know about your product or service.
Related article: How to find international buyers for goods to export
However, they can become real customers if you have good marketing strategies.
Marketing strategies for your export/import business
Below are some methods you can leverage if you start export import from home.
- Create your social media pages
- Join related social media groups and be active there
- Write useful and educational articles for your website blog
- Participate in related forums
- Use SEO to increase target traffic to your website and store
- Create videos and upload to YouTube about your products
- Use paid advertising to get fast results
- Use email marketing
We would advice to start marketing of your online export import business step-by-step. Master one channel first, then start using another one.
Social media options would be perhaps easiest and cheapest to leverage for your home based export-import business or ecommerce business.
Related article: Export marketing a step by step system to get export orders
Previous 6 steps for starting export import business from home, were described you briefly. There are much more you need to know and more in details. That’s why we have created different training programs and courses.
We have online export-import courses and also personal business mentoring program. We advice to check our programs out and enroll into our most popular online export-import business course- Zero to first deal.
Or, you can sign up our free export-import introductory course below:
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