Are you looking for a good business idea that will bring you some cool cash within a fairly short timeframe? Then you should consider buying and reselling goods (importation) from Aliexpress.
What is Aliexpress? Why Should You Use It?
According to Wikipedia.org, ‘AliExpress is an online retail service based in China owned by the Alibaba Group. Launched in 2010, AliExpress is made up of small businesses in China and other locations like Singapore that offer products to international online buyers. The Company (AliExpress) facilitates small businesses to sell to customers all over the world.
How to Start Buying from Aliexpress and Make Money
You might be wondering if it’s safe to buy from Aliexpress. Well, it is very safe to buy from this Chinese site in fact, safer than buying from other e-commerce websites you might know of or that you are used to. This is because in Aliexpress, you are protected no matter what you buy as far as you buy it directly from the site.
Again, why this is so is because, most of Aliexpress suppliers who list their products on the site are legitimate. Hence, it is very safe and reliable to buy from Aliexpress. But there are still a few bad eggs on the site of which you should be aware of and refrain from.
Why Are Products So Cheap In Aliexpress?
A common question asked by many people is, “Why are products so cheap in Aliexpress?” this is a genuine question because many people think that most of the products on Aliexpress are not of high quality because of their low prices but this is very wrong!
Aliexpress products are cheap because most of the merchants selling products on Aliexpress are based in China. Since most of their products are manufactured there (in China) and this is not done by a few companies but hundreds of companies, the market forces significantly bring down the price of goods.
Besides, the cost of production is relatively cheap, China has a lot of resources to deploy easily plus ready technologies which significantly reduce the production cost. Finally, given its huge population statistics (Over 1billion people), the cost of labor is cheap too. When combined these ergonomics help in pulling down the price margins for goods compared to other parts of the world. These and more reasons account for why most of the products made in China are Cheap.
The Two (2) Modes of Buying from Aliexpress.
There are two ways of buying and reselling goods from Aliexpress namely (1) importation business and (2) dropshipping. each of these ha its advantages and disadvantages. In an earlier article, I did an in-depth analysis of what these two (2) forms of buying from Aliexpress entail, their pros and cons. Do well to check the article here.
For more resources on importation business in Nigeria, please read this free guide where I explained this subject matter in detail.
You should also check out my additional guide on how to start dropshipping business in Nigeria.
For this guide, my focus is on both importation business and dropshipping. The section below shows a summary process for buying from Aliexpress and reselling whether you choose importation business or dropshipping or both.
Step-by-Step On How to Start Buying from Aliexpress and Make Money
To start buying from Aliexpress to sell and make profits, here are some tips to help you:
(1) Choose a Specific Niche.
Choose a very targeted group of products that are always in high demand all or nearly all the seasons. This is called the target “general” niche. After choosing a target niche, proceed to choose a good category (that fits your interest) from that niche. For example, you can choose “Ladies’ Wears” as your target niche then choose “Shoes and Bags” as your category.
(2) Compare Shops Offering Products In Your Niche.
If you choose ladies’ wears as your niche, for example, then you should visit some shops in your area (or in your town and/or wherever you want to sell to) to see the kind of ladies’ wears that are trending at the time. Once you’ve known what sells, go to Aliexpress and check if you can find the product there.
If you see the products, begin checking for and consulting or checking with the sellers or suppliers of the products on Aliexpress. While doing this, please make sure that your prospective Aliexpress supplier is reliable. You can check reviews from his previous customers to know if he/she is worth doing business with or not.
(3) Order Samples.
Before you start bulk-buying what you are going to resell, order some samples. This will enable you to know whether the products are good or not. Also, it will open your eyes to the time taken before products are delivered.
(4) Buy the Products, Market It.
After you’ve ordered the product samples, tested and found them to be market-worthy, the next thing you have to do is to go ahead and start buying the products for sale. However, understand that your brand will not spread if you don’t advertise it effectively.
There are many ways to advertise or market a business. If you make a website to use for your advertorials and marketing, make sure it is customized and that your product’s pictures are of high resolution. You can run Facebook adverts (ads) or contact social media influencers to help you promote your brand.
(5) Focus on the Welfare of Your Customers.
Nothing much to say here than this, “take your customer’s welfare and user experience seriously and reap continuous rewards. Neglect this and sit back to lick the consequence”. That’s self-explanatory enough. Isn’t it?
Conclusion
To start buying from Aliexpress and reselling to the local or international audience, make sure that you buy what is trendy and in high demand else you might end up not getting customers and run into severe loses. Ladies wears and fashion items are good categories to choose because there is always a new trend that sells like hot Shawarma and the demand is always high. I wish you the best of luck in this industry. Thank you for reading.
