Traditional Alpaca Sweaters From Ecuador
I know, I thought the same thing. How would I have the time for building an import/export business if I’m already retired? Well, as it turns out, it’s not all that hard to start and quite easy to turn a profit.
For example, I could spend as little as $50 on a product that is hard to find where I live, but is popular in another country overseas. I could go online and purchase a bento box or tiffin from Japan or India. These are lunchboxes, by the way, but they have not become a popular item yet in North America.
I can purchase one or two online for my $50 or I can track down the manufacturer and have them shipped direct to me for as little as $3 each. I can then turn around and resell them for a profit. You just need to do some research and try to pick items that are easy to access overseas but are yet to gain popularity in your home country.
This could be anything from sweaters from Ecuador, scarves from Turkey, jewelry from India, Egyptian cotton or Canadian Eskimo soap carvings. If you happen to be a world traveler, you’ll be able to access a wider variety of goods, but it’s not required.
Nor do you need a website to sell the products you import. You can avoid those extra costs by using marketplace style websites that already exist and are set up just for the purpose of buying and selling various items.
For a good start you can run an online search with ‘import/export marketplace websites’ to discover some of the exotic places you can access interesting products to build up your part-time business. You can also use internet giants like Amazon, eBay and CraigsList to list some of your products for sale.
Even if you don’t venture to far off lands but find yourself on shorter vacations with an RV, keep your eyes open for unique and one-of-a-kind items that show up in the communities you visit on your trip. You may find some unusual things that are handmade by the locals that you may be able to buy in bulk and resell.
If the item is interesting enough and you are able to build a bond with the source of this product, you could end up with a supplier. One such option to explore is North American Native Indian art and handmade beadwork including moccasins, belts and jewelry that can be sent to you at a much cheaper price than shipping from overseas.
In fact, you can just about import anything from your holiday trips in an RV from jade to driftwood art, native hand drums and whatever else you find that has a unique, limited edition feel to it that makes it stand out from factory produced assembly line products. Venture into small gift shops and ask to see locally-made products. There could be something so unique that it may end up forming the foundation of your import/export business.
For more information on this interesting, exciting and profitable business idea enter ‘how to start up an import/export business’ in your web browser for several reputable resources.