Selling products abroad. International sales. Documentation of export sales

Read about why the state supports exports and how to help Russian exporters in the first part.

To figure out whether your product and business scale is suitable for foreign trade, you need to answer yourself the following questions:

1. Do you have enough production capacity, raw materials, personnel?
2. Does your item match? international standards, requirements target market to packaging, labeling, design?
3. What TN VED CU code does your product correspond to, what are the rules for its export?
4. What is the best way to sell abroad - through a contract, a foreign trade organization, a commodity exchange or a joint venture?
5. What export procedures do you need to go through, what restrictions and benefits can there be?
6. What documents are needed for this, how much time and money will be spent on their execution?
7. How to look for potential importers and intermediaries?
8. Who will you have to compete with in this market, how much will be spent on marketing, how will this affect the price?
9. How much will the delivery and insurance of export cargo cost?

A company that wants to deliver its goods abroad needs to soberly assess its production potential and the situation in the intended country of sale. Entering the external market only makes sense when the internal one has become insufficient. It is worth considering a strategy and contacting support institutions for detailed information on the desired market. Usually, enterprises that have achieved success within the country are thinking about expanding the sales market. But this does not mean that they will not have problems and difficulties in the world market.

Deliveries abroad

What are the costs for the exporter?

The information portal "Exporters of Russia" advises the entrepreneur to take into account strategic plan going abroad the following articles:

• packaging costs
• costs for export clearance (this item takes into account the commission of a customs broker for processing the export procedure)
• customs payments (usually this is a customs fee of 750 rubles)
• expenses for issuing certificates of origin (CT-1, form A, general form)
• fare
• cargo insurance costs (if necessary)
• costs for permits and licenses for the export of goods (if necessary)
• banking costs

How is export supported?

To encourage companies to export, the state helps them with advice, tax incentives, export credits and insurance, guarantees of obligations and tariff preferences, and also takes them to international exhibitions.

Domestic exporter can receive:

Full refund of value added tax (VAT). To do this, you need no later than 180 calendar days from the moment of the export transaction to provide:

• supply contract
• pro forma invoice
• invoice
• invoice
• bill of lading
• declaration for goods with the stamp "goods exported"
• CMR, international railway and air waybill, bill of lading, etc.

Preferential export credit in Roseximbank, SME Bank or Vnesheconombank (the latter finances projects from 2 billion rubles).

An export credit is a tool for promoting goods on the world market, in which the seller provides a foreign buyer with a loan to purchase it (for which he usually takes a loan from a bank). So the goods will find many more buyers than under the condition of immediate or advance payment. But the seller at the same time risks being left without payment for the delivered goods and remaining a debtor. Export insurance and export guarantees are designed to mitigate this risk.

If an export credit is issued to the seller, then this is pre-export financing - a loan to cover the costs of producing export products. To obtain it, you must first make a contact for an export supply.

Subsidizing the interest rate on export credit - to boost demand for Russian high-tech products, the state subsidizes domestic sellers and foreign buyers interest on export credits. Decisions on subsidies are made by officials from the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Export leasing is when the bank buys from Russian company goods to rent foreign company. The foreign buyer pays monthly payments in order to repay the cost of the leased property within the agreed period. There is also a direct leasing mechanism, when the goods are leased by the manufacturer himself. Typically, leasing is used to buy expensive equipment, aircraft, wagons, ships, special equipment, cars, computer technology etc. In Russia, such a service is provided, in particular, by the state-owned company VEB-Leasing.

Free government guarantees- this is when the state undertakes to cover from 85% to 95% of the risks of an exporter, a foreign buyer or banks lending to them in a foreign trade transaction. For example, it guarantees the buyer the return of the advance payment that he transferred to the Russian manufacturer at the stage of production of the ordered equipment.

State guarantees are provided by Roseximbank. With state guarantees, banks are much more willing to issue export credits, and leasing companies conclude leasing deals.

Export Insurance- this is insurance of the risks of the seller, buyer or their creditors under a foreign trade transaction. For example, a domestic exporter may insure the risk of non-payment by a foreign buyer, the risk of delay in payment or its bankruptcy.

This is done by EXIAR (Russian Agency for Export Credit and Investment Insurance). Unlike state guarantees, this tool is not free - EXIAR takes an insurance premium for its services, the amount of which is calculated individually for each transaction.

Information about foreign markets and free legal advice in specialized organizations can be obtained from trade missions of the Russian Federation abroad (working in 53 countries), the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, the Council for the Development of Foreign Trade and International Economic Relations and the information and analytical center at the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Free participation in international exhibitions and business missions(these are meetings with potential buyers), which are organized by the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Development Council foreign trade and international economic relations, Russian Export Center and local sales offices. The conditions for participation in each specific event depend on which department holds it.

Andrey Artishchev,

head of the company "Art-business"

The embassies were looking for contractors for us to implement our Posture Master device. Most of the sales offices failed, but the Australian trade mission did very well, we have already received payment and shipped the goods to the buyer.

But there are other initiatives as well. In 2014, RVC, together with the Russoft Association, launched and financed a program to support the export of Russian innovative and high-tech products.

Over the past year, representatives of Russian IT companies have attended the Mobile World Congress in Shanghai, participated in a road show in Switzerland, in Software Days in Austria, in the Global Technology Symposium in California, in the Samsung event on mobile technologies in South Korea, business meetings with Chinese, Korean, Singaporean entrepreneurs. In total, more than 450 Russian specialists took part in foreign events, and more than 500 people participated in educational webinars.

So where to go?

If you are already dizzy from these nuances, you should go to the Russian Export Center (REC) - they will tell you about all types of support for exporters and help you get it for free. Perhaps, for a novice exporter, this is an ideal option. At the REC, an entrepreneur will be helped to prepare a contract and tender documentation, conduct negotiations, provide legal support and information support at every stage, and teach how to communicate with relevant departments. Small, medium and large companies as well as individual entrepreneurs.

What documents are needed to receive state support?

If a potential exporter needs analytical information about the market, it is usually enough to register on the Portal of Foreign Economic Information and send a request to the relevant trade representation. It will be reviewed within 10 business days. You can also contact the information and analytical center at the Ministry of Industry and Trade. But you can apply to organize a business mission in the country you are interested in.

For financial support, you need to contact one of the banks specializing in issuing export loans, insurance and guarantees. The list of documents depends on the type of financial assistance. For example, to obtain a loan from Vnesheconombank, an extensive list of documents is required: originals and notarized copies of documents on state registration and registration with tax authorities, income statement, balance sheet, etc. There are 19 items in the list and several sub-items. A no lesser list will have to be attached along with the application for a guarantee.

Information about the author. Andrey Kosyrin (Parabellum). Creator of the infobusiness2.ru project, citizen of Russia and Canada. Business trainer. Business consultant. Information Business Practitioner. Engaged in advanced methods of organizing, marketing and selling services, goods and information products.

* Methods of organization and promotion of information business (business selling information);

* methods of 2-step and 3-step sales;

* methods of working with VIP clients and market segments of the Premium class;

* Methods of organizing and automating business;

* methods of increasing the profitability of industrial enterprises.

The decision to start selling internationally often turns out to be a logical development strategy for companies in many countries around the world.

But, unfortunately, there are still quite a few companies in Russia that are successfully developing sales of their products and services in other countries.

And this cannot but upset.

Over the past 10-15 years, globalization has significantly reduced the barriers to international business.

Today, when buying a product via the Internet, you often realize that this product is probably made somewhere in China, the site itself is located in the USA, the order is processed nearby in Europe, and it can be delivered from a warehouse in Moscow.

The last few years have completely blurred the boundaries between countries and continents. Skype has made international calls very cheap, and the growing international demand for quality goods and services is increasingly pushing manufacturers to include the development of sales not only in their own country, but also abroad.

We hope this article will show you how to choose and evaluate international market how to recruit, train and supervise a team successful sellers how to connect your partners to sales and start selling your products abroad.

1. Getting ready to sell abroad

In order to simply start selling your products abroad, you will need to fulfill a few conditions.

Since the international language today is English (it is spoken by more than 2 billion of the world's population, that is, almost every third), your company will need to have:

* Fully working website in English;

*translated to English language user manuals, packaging of all your products and basic marketing materials;

* the ability to answer questions in English potential clients by phone, website or email.

(Moreover, it is desirable that all materials are not simply translated verbatim from Russian into English, but localized native - a person whose native language is English).

At the same time, it is desirable to understand how you will process incoming orders, how your customers will pay for them, and how you will deliver them to your new customers.

You will also have to deal with various taxes and customs fees that your customers will have to pay.

If you are already successfully selling your products online with shipping anywhere in the world, then you most likely know that the US and 28 other countries under the control of the Federal Trade Commission have developed guidelines for international trade through the Internet:

* The company must fully disclose information about itself and the products it sells so that overseas customers know who they are dealing with and what they are buying. This includes posting your physical address, phone number, and address. Email.

* Show in advance how much each product will cost (including shipping), indicate the currency in which prices are quoted, and specify all terms and conditions of the order (including all warranties).

* Provide a secure internet payment method that keeps financial information out of reach of would-be hackers (usually through an internet payment intermediary company such as Paypal);

* protect client information from outsiders and make public the message of how it will be used in the future.

Also on your site you need to designate your return policy (rules for returning goods), in which you indicate whether you accept the goods back, and if so, in what cases and for how long after the purchase. It is very important to accept returns, not everyone will return them, but everyone wants to have such an opportunity.

Global competition has toughened many markets where there is a real war for each client. So don't expect an easy win - after all, only the one who can take care of his client in the best way will get the most delicious.

2. We select and evaluate the foreign market

Now let's immediately dot the i's.

There is no "international market" as such.

There is the USA, there is Europe, there is Japan, China, Latin America. There is Canada, Australia, South Africa, Mexico, finally.

And each country (and sometimes each state or province) has its own characteristics that cannot but affect what can be sold there and what is not.

Plus, each niche and industry has its own characteristics.

Selling razor blades and meat products to Australia will be very different from selling high-tech weapons to Venezuela, for example.

The first step in the international development of your company will be right choice country or region in which you are going to enter and gain a foothold.

When considering this decision, first of all, it is necessary to evaluate all possible risks and potential rewards, including economic, cultural, political and market risks.

And also - where exactly is the largest concentration of your potential customers.

Often a company decides to start a global expansion in a proactive or reactive way:

* proactively (push) - when the company itself starts promoting / pushing its products abroad;

* reactive (pull) - when the company's products already are sold overseas, and the firm has to build up its overseas presence to better serve the market.

Of course, the second option is much more preferable - after all, in this case, you already have sales and, no less important, the infrastructure is established. Entering a new market for you will be much less risky.

The choice of a new market for your company should be made based on the following criteria:

* how many visitors come to your site from abroad;

* how many orders already have to be sent abroad and where exactly;

* whether there is an economic feasibility to sell goods to this particular country;

* Are there any restrictions or prohibitions on the sale of your products;

* the difference in the mentality of potential buyers.

Majority Russian exporters today they successfully work only in the markets of the CIS countries, and then only until international corporations are seriously interested in these markets.

From the world practice, about 60% of small exporters (companies up to 20 people) sell their goods mainly to only one country. Although the trends in the development of international sales directly show that the future lies precisely in global trade.

3. We conduct market research

Next, it is worthwhile to conduct at least a basic market research: what is happening in this market, what goods and services are in the greatest demand, which competitors operate in this market, what price policy companies, which niches are most active and what are the sales opportunities for your products.

If your own strength and free Internet resources are not enough for this, you can always involve third-party consultants or specialized government agencies in your chosen region that are responsible for the development of international trade in this study.

It is also useful to include statistics for the past few years in such a study to analyze trends and market trends.

4. Building an export strategy and building an international sales team

The development of export sales will go much faster if you prepare in advance a business plan for your development, which will indicate your goals, finances, funding, and channels for distributing and selling your products and services.

In fact, you have a choice of four options for building a sales channel:

* sales directly via the Internet;

* sales directly through the branch of your company in the selected region;

* sales through a partner network (dealers, distributors, retail and independent resellers);

* hybrid option (combination of several channels).

In any case, whether you immediately open a branch of your company and hire people there or work only through partners and resellers, you will first need to find, study and interview them.

In the age of the Internet, this is relatively easy to do using modern tools: Google, professional social networks(LinkedIn, for example), thematic niche exhibitions, seminars and conferences, as well as professional communities, local newspapers, niche magazines and websites.

The first question that faces every craftsman who decides to sell his products self made is - where to find buyers? Everyone chooses their own strategy: someone actively participates in exhibitions of handmade goods, someone cooperates with stores and online platforms, and someone finds customers through their own website, blog or social media page. networks. But so far, only a few Ukrainian craftsmen are focusing their efforts on the foreign market. With the development of Internet technologies, this has become more than realistic.

But before answering the question of how Ukrainian needlewomen can take advantage of new opportunities, let's figure out what are the advantages of entering foreign markets and whether you need to go there. If we talk about the benefits, then:

Firstly, this is a much, much larger sales market than can be found in Ukraine or even in the CIS countries;

Secondly, you will be able to sell your products for more, as European and American buyers value handmade products and are willing to pay for them;

Thirdly, in the West, where electronic payments are developed and there are return mechanisms, buying with 100% prepayment is already an established practice. The benefits of this payment model are clear.

Of course, not all handmade goods will be in high demand. Some things, given the cost and delivery time, are more profitable to order from local craftsmen and design studios. If you make really original, stylish things that correspond to fashion trends, your chances of success increase significantly (at the same time, as practice shows, these products do not have to be complicated in execution). So that your efforts to find buyers abroad are not wasted, it is important to assess how promising the niche of handmade goods you have chosen is and, perhaps, even refocus on another niche. In order not to make guesses from the air, we advise you to learn from the experience of already successful sellers and analyze what products they buy well and why. Where can I get such information, you can read more in the articles:

And now let's move on to the main question of this article - how can our craftsmen sell handicrafts abroad?

This is where the Internet comes to the rescue. There are specialized international online platforms for the sale of handmade goods. The largest of them is the American site www.etsy.com, which brings together tens of thousands of sellers and millions of buyers around the world. By the way, there is already a community of Ukrainian craftsmen on etsy, although not a big one yet. Other sites include http://en.dawanda.com/ , http://www.artfire.com/ , http://www.zibbet.com/ , which are mainly targeted at buyers from European countries. Considering that it will take approximately the same time to create a web store and promote in each of these services (and it is not small!), We advise you to start with etsy, as from the largest platform. We also have analogues of similar Internet resources - this is the Fair of Masters in Russia and www.skrynya.net in Ukraine, but they have ten times less audience of buyers.

We will briefly describe the principle of operation of these services for those who are not familiar with them yet. Each seller can create an online showcase of their products on the site - in fact, this is your personal online store, which has a unique Internet address, name and logo that you choose yourself. You can post photos of your products, set a price, payment and delivery method, and specify other important information. By the way, you can sell not only own handicrafts (resale of other people's products is prohibited by the rules), but also vintage items (over 20 years old) and needlework materials. To create your merchant store, you need to register and fill in the required data, such as your store name and payment details (more on payment below). All correspondence on order approval is conducted directly with the buyer, and, importantly, is stored in your account. Also, there is a system of reviews about sellers and buyers, while a review can only be left after the transaction is completed on the site, so everything is fair;).

Of course, all this is not free, but the payments are quite moderate. For example, on etsy.com you pay $0.20 for placing one product for 4 months (that is, for example, placing 100 positions will cost you 160 UAH / 4 months), as well as a commission of 3.5% from each sale. On the dawanda.com there is no accommodation fee, but the commission is higher - 5%. This money is automatically deducted from your account after receiving payment from the buyer. And on zibbet.com another model - there is no commission and placement fee, but if you want to have a more advanced store with placement of more than 50 products and additional features, it will cost you $79 per year. Also, sites can charge for additional "chips" for your store. For example, on dawanda.com there is a fee for placing a product in two categories at the same time (0.40 euros).

When selling handmade goods to foreign buyers, there are 2 pressing issues that need to be thought out in advance - this is accepting payments and delivery of products. I would like to dwell on them in more detail.

How to accept payments from the sale of handicrafts abroad?

As already mentioned, in the West, people have long been accustomed to paying for all purchases on the Internet and not only by bank transfer, using a bank card. The PayPal electronic payment system is very popular. By connecting your current bank account to the system, you can make purchases and accept payments all over the world. PayPal essentially acts as an intermediary between the bank where you have a current account and the buyer or seller, and provides additional security, since payment card details do not need to be provided to third parties to make a payment. All major companies are connected to PayPal online trading platforms and shops, etsy.com and other services mentioned above are no exception.

So that it is convenient for your customers to buy from you, you need to get a payment bank card Visa (class not lower than Classic) or Mastercard and connect it to the PayPal system. To do this, register on the PayPal website: the registration process is basically intuitive, for convenience, select the Russian language. One caveat: you should have some money on your account, as $ 1.95 will be withdrawn from the account to check the card, but this amount will be returned after the card is confirmed. Next, when registering on etsy.com or other sites, select the PayPal payment method and enter the e-mail of your PayPal account (it serves to identify the user). And that's it - now you can accept payments from your customers!

But there is one problem here: Ukraine, like Russia, is on the list of countries for which cashing out from PayPal is not available. That is, the money that you receive from buyers cannot be transferred to a payment card opened in a Ukrainian bank and then withdrawn from an ATM. They will remain in the PayPal system and can be spent on purchases in foreign online stores without any problems. For obvious reasons, this option will not suit all Ukrainian masters. How to be? There are several workarounds on how to withdraw money from PayPal and get your hard-earned money in your hands. Let's look at them:

Option 1. If you have relatives or friends living in countries where there are no problems with PayPal (and these are the United States, Canada and the European Union), you can arrange with them to accept payments. To do this, you need to link a card issued by them to PayPal, and also consider the way in which they will then transfer money to you in Ukraine.

Option 2. You can use the services of intermediary sites that, for a certain commission, will help you receive and cash out funds. For example, the service http://www.seller-online.com (they take 9% commission for payment amounts up to $1000 plus $0.25 and transferring money to a card or account in UAH), http://ex-money.org/ ( provide a service for withdrawing money from PayPal to a WebMoney wallet, and then they can be cashed out using standard methods).

Option 3. You can use the service. Its peculiarity is that you do not need to open a bank account, when registering and opening an account with Payoneer, you receive a Payoneer Mastercard Card. Detailed instructions You can read how to withdraw money from PayPal using Payoneer.

Delivery of the order abroad.

When the order is completed and the money from the buyer is quietly making you happy in your account, you need to take the last step - successfully deliver the product to the customer. Here you need to take into account 2 nuances.

Firstly, when posting abroad, you need to take care of the safety of the cargo and protect it as much as possible from possible damage during transportation. How to do this, we already wrote in the article How to pack a fragile item for mailing. We will only add that when thinking over the packaging, you should not immediately “tightly” seal the parcel at home, since at Ukrposhta you will first be asked to show the contents.

Secondly, you need to take into account the cost of delivery, which will be different depending on the direction and weight of the parcel or parcel, in addition, for fragile cargo, an extra charge of 50% of the base rate is applied. Tariffs of Ukrposhta can be viewed on the official website. On etsy, the shipping cost can be set separately, then when the buyer pays for the goods, it will be added to the cost of the goods. But you can also do marketing ploy- install free shipping(it is clear that the cost of delivery is simply included in the cost of the goods).

Foreign trade between countries has always existed. Overseas goods were a curiosity and were valued in Russia at all times. And today, many entrepreneurs bring goods from abroad, and someone is thinking of trying himself in this business, but is afraid of the word "customs".

Let's talk about the intricacies of foreign economic activity with Ekaterina Bulavintseva, Commercial Director of Children's Play Equipment, which imports and sells Rainbow Play Systems children's playgrounds and Springfree safe trampolines.

Based on my experience, I have compiled a short and simple algorithm of actions that will help you navigate in this area, assess the forces and the situation as a whole.

1. We choose a product.
2. We find a supplier.
3. We evaluate the "economics" of the process.
4. Assess the position of the product in the market.
5. We consider possible distribution channels.

Let's take a closer look at each item:

1. Choose a product

This is the hardest part of the entire project. 🙂

The main thing is to find the product or service that will be in demand in the market. The rest is a matter of technique. The rules here are the same as for any other business idea: keep your ears open and your eyes wide open.

How can you find a product or idea that is in demand?

First option

We see a need for a product, but there is not enough supply, or it is of insufficient quality. When the need is already defined, and the goods are not presented on the domestic market, then we go “abroad” and look there if there are suitable goods on the market.

Second option

When traveling abroad, we observe, observe, observe - and if we see something that is there, but not yet here, we note and work out delivery options and evaluate possible demand.

Option three "professional"

We determine the profile direction and go to specialized international exhibitions. Looking for new ideas and products.

2. Find a supplier

Exploring the Internet

The supplier can be found on large aggregator sites of suppliers of goods and services. The most famous site for companies in China and Southeast Asia, which we also used: http://alibaba.com/. Two more that I myself did not use: http://www.indiamart.com/ , http://www.hktdc.com .

In Europe www.wlw.de, in the USA http://www.thomasnet.com/ (I didn’t use this either, at first glance, they are more focused on the b2b sector).

We visit the websites of specialized exhibitions

You need to find the exhibition website and view the list of participants. Most often, they are structured by products and services, which greatly simplifies the search. For example, a toy fair in the USA: http://www.toyfairny.com/.

And here are collected all the world and local exhibitions: http://www.auma.de/en/Messedatenbank/Weltweit/Seiten/Default.aspx.

We are looking for specialized aggregator sites firms on a specific topic or sites of communities-unions of manufacturers. For example, here is everything related to medicine in Germany: http://www.medknowledge.de.

On the websites of manufacturers' unions, you can see the lists of current members of the union and find their web pages.

Google by keywords . Nice results gives a search by region (set in the search settings) and in the local language (you can translate certain names and phrases through Google translator).

We're going to a profile exhibition. A big plus is that you can personally communicate with representatives of the company and touch product samples live.

3. We evaluate the "economics" of the process

To understand whether the product will be competitive in price, it is necessary to estimate its cost in the Russian Federation, taking into account the costs of transport and customs.

After the price list for the goods is received from the manufacturer, the following costs are added to the purchase price:

• the cost of transport (the larger the batch, the smaller the share of transport in the cost of a unit of goods);
• import customs duty;

From the manufacturer you need to get the TNVED code for the product. Import size customs duty, VAT and possible import restrictions, required certificates (if any) can be viewed on the website http://www.tks.ru/db/tnved/tree.

Do not forget that the cost of customs broker services and the bank commission for money transfer must be added to the amount received. If the resulting import cost seems acceptable to you, then feel free to move on.

There are many transport companies on the market that provide brokerage services (customs clearance) immediately in combination with the delivery of goods. This is possible even for small parties. They take your cargo from the supplier and hand it over to you already cleared in the territory of the Russian Federation. If an import certificate is required for the goods, the transport company will also help to issue it. Often you can get the whole range of services at once: transfer of payment to the supplier under the contract of sale, transport, customs clearance.

It is worth asking for offers from several companies, as the price for the same services can vary greatly.

4. We evaluate the position of the product on the market

In addition to standard questions that should be considered regardless of whether it is a domestic product or an imported one, the question of whether a product is subject to licensing or mandatory certification is often overlooked. It is imperative to take into account the time and cost of obtaining these documents to assess the prospects for entering the market.

5. Possible distribution channels

Questions and additional information

How to test whether the product will be in demand?

My personal opinion: much can be estimated empirically in advance. What will be the prices? Is the market filled with analogues? Is the product (not the brand, but the product) known on the market or will it be completely new? Is the product in demand in the market of another country? Do not forget to take into account the mentality of our country and the realities of the economy!

In addition, much depends on the channels of sale of goods. Reliable is to bring a small trial batch.

Types of relationships with foreign suppliers

1. Buy a product without a specific brand or immediately order its production under your own brand. In this case, you must immediately specify the minimum batch size. Most often, this is how they work with suppliers from China. Here you need to carefully consider the issues of quality and quantity of goods.
2. You buy a certain brand of goods from the manufacturer. Most often, these are products of factories in China or Southeast Asia, but under the brand name of a European or US company. Working with such a product, you can be sure of its quality and buy in small batches. Other importers are selling the same brand and similar items with you.
3. Increasingly, in the conditions of the market of the global economy, manufacturers prefer not to sell goods to everyone, but to cooperate with one representative partner company in the country. In this case, you can sign an agreement with the manufacturer on the exclusive right to sell within your own country (no one except you), but promote and advertise on the market not yourself, but the manufacturer's brand. For example, how we do it with Rainbow playgrounds (www.ot2do16.ru) and Springfree trampolines (www.springfree.ru).

A few words about the most pressing: ordering goods in China

A popular topic among novice businessmen is ordering goods in China, where cheap production, and its sale in the Russian Federation. For beginners who are not ready to immediately invest large sums, this is a good start, but it is associated with certain risks.

It is quite difficult to evaluate a supplier from China remotely. The Chinese speak English in a very peculiar and often unusual way for us. With the same degree, the following situations can be:

• excellent literate letters in English, quick response, but the office is “on the knee” and at the other end is just a reseller who does not have his own factory;
• or terrible English, an email address without the company's domain name, you have to wait for a response for several days, but on the other side of the screen is a well-equipped modern factory with stable quality.

A few tips that will help reduce the risk of dishonest delivery to a certain extent

• Communicate not only by correspondence, call a couple of times on office phones, see what they answer on the other end. Will you be transferred to a manager. Where will you go first?
• Ask for the address of the company's website, study the information on it.
• Use a google search to see what the name of the company and the names of managers in the global network are associated with.
• Ask for available product certificates. Often, if a factory in China makes regular deliveries to Europe or the US, they have international certifications.
• Request information about the supplier: office and production address, legal address, monthly production volumes, number of employees, main markets, did they participate in local and international exhibitions, in which ones?

A serious supplier will not refuse to provide such information. And the best thing is to go to the factory yourself and see everything on the spot. If this is not possible, then you need to order a trial batch of goods. You can pay for it by a simple bank transfer on the account and ask to send it to a private person.

If product samples are sent to legal entity, it is important to properly prepare the documents for shipping and customs clearance of free samples. Customs has its own requirements and rules in this regard, which change periodically.

What we often forget to do when communicating with a supplier

• Write a few words about yourself. What company do you have, what do you do, indicate the website, tell us why you are interested in the product. It is not necessary to write a full sheet of laudatory self-presentation, but a few words of fact will significantly increase the supplier's trust in you and help you quickly establish correspondence.
• Another aspect that often interferes with relationships is our “Soviet” perception: if I pay money, they will do everything for money. And they will sell, and repackage, and forge documents, and so on. This is fundamentally the wrong approach, especially when working with European and American suppliers. Often, how, where and by whom the goods will be sold is no less important to them than getting the money.
• Respect your time and the supplier. Before placing an order, think it over and weigh everything well, come to a final decision within the company. Do not force to change positions and redo accounts ten times.
• If the order is postponed indefinitely, then write to the partner that the project is delayed and you will return when it is relevant, and do not just disappear from the horizon.
• If the conditions are not suitable, the prices are too high, the delivery time is long, honestly write what and how.

From such trifles, commercial relations are formed, as well as the reputation of our country as a partner in general.

What documentary subtleties are there? Certificates, licenses, customs clearance? What you need to know

Everything depends on the product. Each species has different import requirements.

For certain groups of goods (cosmetics, cleaning products, and so on), additional permit certificates are required. I have never worked with such complex goods, but I know from the experience of my colleagues that this is also real. What documentation must be issued can be checked by the customs code of goods (TNVED).

If you don’t figure it out yourself, you can call a brokerage or transport company that deals with the transportation and customs clearance of goods and ask to calculate the cost of delivery and customs clearance. Just ask to paint the cost of each service separately, and not the total rate for delivery and goods.

A large number of goods are not subject to mandatory certification, respectively, import certificates are not required. For most certified products transport companies can issue single-use import documents themselves.

How to build up with imported goods from Russian competitors?

My opinion: the days when the very concept of “made abroad” was a competitive advantage are over. Yes, now this aspect plays a role, but not as strong and significant as before.

Partly because there are many analogues on the market from different countries and there are plenty to choose from. Partly because there are Russian products of unique quality.

Sometimes the opposite happens. We are the official representative of Rainbow Play Systems, a manufacturer of children's playgrounds www.ot2do16.ru. Previously, the fact that the pads were made in America was considered a big plus, but with a sharp change in our country's foreign policy, “made in the USA” began to have a negative connotation. Although the quality of the product remains the same.

The import origin of the product should not be used as one of the key competitive advantage. The unique properties and characteristics of the product, the benefits of working with your company are the main keys to rebuilding.

As for clients, we do not have “support for a domestic manufacturer” out of patriotic feelings. People look at the specific characteristics of a product and their personal benefit from it. When choosing between domestic and imported, they will most often choose imported, as there is still more confidence in it.

The attitude towards China has also changed. People understand that there are very good things made in China, not just cheap mass products.

How to negotiate with a partner: to buy goods or take them for sale?

I do not know of cases when a product was taken for sale when working with foreign partners at the beginning of a relationship. Russia has a too unreliable reputation as a country with a fickle economy, so no one gives goods for sale, everyone works on an advance payment.

You about where you can sell hand-made in the vastness of Runet. Today's article is for those for whom the Russian-speaking segment of the World Wide Web is not enough, and who wants to enter the world market.

Selling handicrafts is profitable business, especially if you are doing something truly original and beautiful. Various souvenirs, clothes and handmade gifts have always been highly valued.

It is no secret that freelancers from the CIS countries in the field of IT confidently occupy the third place in the world. Nothing prevents us from excelling in the field of making works with our own hands!

So, from foreign sites for the sale of hand-made, I would like to note the following ...

This is the largest platform for the sale of handicrafts, a real lively community, which consists of more than thirty million (!) Buyers. Of course, this platform can become your main place to sell handmade items.

The site has a Russian interface, so it will be easy to figure out what's what. There are no membership fees or any other tariff plans. You only need to pay 20 cents for listing one item, for a period of 4 months, or until it is sold. There is a service commission, it is 3.5% of the price of the goods.

Here you can sell paintings, vintage items, gifts, souvenirs, supplies.

This resource will help you earn money by quickly completing individual orders. In addition, each author can create his own showcase and sell finished works. The resource takes a 3% commission on sales. In addition to earning money, each master will find here many people who are passionate about creativity, who will gladly share their experience and discuss with you new needlework techniques and the latest trends.

This portal works on the principle of a commission - 5% from each sale. The site is quite popular in Europe. This is a German resource, but there are many masters from other countries of the world. The site has three interfaces - English, German and French. But navigation here pleases with its simplicity and clarity, and all orders are processed very quickly.

And this is an American platform, and it is mainly used by residents of the States. But nothing is stopping you either. The site was released back in 2009, and you can sell almost any handicraft here.

The service commission is 5.5% for the basic account. For free, from the same basic account, you can sell 100 works. Well, or as much as you like, without commission, paying $ 79.99 per year.

Another popular platform for hand-made trade. There are three tariff plans– free, basic and professional. The most profitable, of course, is the professional tariff, as it opens up many opportunities, including advertising in the gifts section. But even with a free account, you can sell 50 of your works. After earning a little, you can switch to the best tariff plan.

And this is a specific online store, with the help of which artists and designers can earn extra money by drawing prints for T-shirts and T-shirts, dishes and stickers. With you - a drawing. From the site - a presentation and a commission from each item sold with your image. Copyright is also fully protected.

This platform does not offer many features, but is completely free. Sell ​​anything and as much as you like, the creation of works from recycled materials is especially welcome. The resource transfers a commission from each sale to the protection of tropical forests. And you can literally put your hand in the conservation of wildlife.

At first glance, this site is no different from others. Basically, that's the way it is. You can sell homemade items here for free, but be prepared for the fact that a commission of 3% is charged on sales. You can promote your products using promotional codes, a personal showcase and a store widget that can be easily inserted into a blog.

Here you can sell not only handmade jewelry, but also vintage items, including furniture. But all products are tested for compliance with quality standards.

A simple site with easy and understandable functionality. From each sale, the resource takes a 2.5% commission - quite a bit! There is an opportunity to chat with other masters on the forum. You can also find a lot of useful information on the blog.

So in a nutshell - about the most interesting sites for the sale of hand-made abroad. You can take the risk of competing with foreign artists on the large Etsy site, or you can start with some less popular resource - but it's worth a try!

If you decide, in the end, the site will give you some practical advice on how to stand out from the rest of the sellers of handicrafts on major foreign platforms.

1. Build your brand and promote it. Buyers need to understand who you are and what you are. And they are used to thinking in terms of brands - most solvent people today grew up in the era of branding.
2. Study your competitors. See what other sellers have to offer, see what you can do better than them. Dare!
3. Study your audience. Decide if your client is male or female, single or families, and target your advertising and your brand to a specific group of people.
4. Try to serve customers well, be friendly and polite. So more and more will come to you.
5. Promote yourself and your services through social networks. Create groups, start a YouTube channel and show how you create miracles with your own hands.