China is a popular sourcing destination for many businesses because of the country’s low manufacturing costs. However, shipping products from China to the United States can be tricky due to the distance and different customs regulations.

In this blog post, some of the best practices to help you source and ship products from China to the US efficiently and cost-effectively are discussed. Read on for more tips!

Executive Summary:

S.No.	Table of Contents:
0.	Why Should You Source Your Products From China? The benefits of Ordering Products From China outweigh the benefits of sourcing any products from the US or any other country.
1.	What Are The Requirements For Sourcing And Shipping From China? The proper requirements for sourcing and shipping from China include proper legal paperwork, paying taxes, and certifications for being able to sell on Amazon.
2.	Which Products Are Best For Sourcing From China? Any products that are high-quality, not technological, and are not knock-offs of existing products can be sourced from China.
3.	How To Find A Supplier In China Best Suited For Your Business? In order to find the best-suited supplier, you can exhaust a number of options, including hiring a middleman company, using your competitors’ suppliers, ordering samples first, asking for Amazon Product Photography, and aiming for lower prices when negotiating.
4.	Types Of Shipping Options Available In China: There are three types; air freight, water freight, and express delivery.
5.	How To Ensure You Are Getting High-Quality Products? You should check shipments regularly and make sure to keep your supplier on their toes.

Why Should You Source Your Products From China?

The number of manufacturers in China is astonishing. According to a source, there are more than 2 million small factories with an annual production capacity of more than $100K, and another report says it’s closer to 3 million!

This means you can get your items made there at low costs. Considering this, it’s no wonder that many business owners want to import from this country, especially if they plan on selling them through Amazon. Here is a list of advantages to Ordering Products from China:

The profit margins of sourcing and shipping your products from China are much higher than simply Dropshipping Amazon products which means more money and fewer costs.

Sourcing from China and importing to the US is an easy process even for people who do not have an American Nationality.

You are able to develop actual, tangible products in factories.

No need to deal with the hassles of traveling to and from China regularly.

The overall costs to manufacture and ship from China to the US are lower as compared to sourcing from a US manufacturer.

What Are The Requirements For Sourcing And Shipping From China?

If you’re looking to get into the selling game, it’s important that your first move is bringing in some cash. What is the general rule of thumb? You’ll need to bring at least $500 with you. If not more than that. Ideally, an amount ranging from $2000 to $5000 will do wonders!

To sell the products you shipped from China on Amazon; it’s also necessary to have an account on Amazon Seller Central. The cost of this service is $39.99 per month. Also, make sure you have a handle on getting proper Amazon Account Management otherwise your business may be at risk of losing money.

As your business grows, you will have more responsibilities and less time, so a few other things you should consider getting are; an inspection company in China, a Freight Forwarder (i.e., a company that would receive and ship goods on your behalf), a third-party logistics/ 3PL company (i.e., a service company for distribution, storage, transport, and fulfillment), and customs broker (i.e., an expert for arranging customs clearance process during a shipment).

Paperwork And Taxes:

When shipping a small amount, it’s easy to import into America without any paperwork, and you won’t even pay any tax. Shipments more than $800 can, however, require some paperwork.

Even then, the paperwork is simple for larger value shipments. It doesn’t matter whether or not the recipient is an American citizen; they can still receive their shipment without any problems as long as there are no complications during customs processing.

Certifications:

The worst part about importing goods is finding out that you need certain certifications before they can legally enter your country according to certain restrictions set by Amazon. Thankfully in 2021, the Compliance Reference tool within Seller Central made this process even easier.

This tool can be accessed here if you already have a Seller Central account.

Which Products Are Best For Sourcing From China?

Importing from China is called private labeling, which means you take an existing product and put your own branding on it for better sales results. This could also mean making some light improvements like adding new colors or changing up the design slightly- but nothing too drastic!

At the time of choosing which products to sell, here are the three things to keep in mind:

Make sure that either there is no competition for that product on Amazon, or the competition is very poorly optimized. This means low-quality, blurry images and negligible use of paid advertisements.

Look for products that have the potential to sell profitably.

Watch out for products that can be easily improved or have a high potential for improving at low costs.

You also need to be able to identify good products from the bad ones, especially if you cannot visit the country. The problem with Chinese factories is that they make both excellent and crappy products. The best way to avoid buying a bad quality item? Import simpler products!

Technological products are a big no-no for importing from China. Instead, try to focus on labor-intensive products that don’t have any patents or trademarks.

Lastly, remember that there are a lot of knock-offs in China. You’ll find all sorts of counterfeit products that violate trademarks and copyrights. Importing counterfeit products can be a very bad idea. The reality is that they might get seized at the border, Amazon might have your account suspended, or even worse things could happen like a court case!

How To Find A Supplier In China Best Suited For Your Business?

The country of China is one that has a lot to offer when it comes to safety. Their legal system and overall honesty make scams uncommon, though you should still protect yourself by buying from reputable sources as they may not steal your money but might send you low-quality products. The most commonly used big-name supplier finding platforms include the following:

1688.com

Alibaba/Aliexpress

Canton Fair Trade show

GlobalSources

Yiwu

Hiring A Middleman Company:

The sourcing and trading companies are a lot like the behind-the-scenes workers of your business. They find products for you, but these middlemen need some compensation in return; their services come at an expense. The key benefit of using them? You’ll get higher quality goods because there won’t be any lowball offers from suppliers looking only at minimum wage.

Use Competitors’ Suppliers:

Every company’s import records are public information by law unless they make a formal request to the government and pay an exhilarating fee. This means that if you want your competitors’ supplier or product info on file, all of these details can be found with just one search!

Be Wary Of Shipping Costs:

When selling on Amazon, keep the shipping costs in mind as well, especially if you are ordering your products directly from China. The Amazon Shipping Costs 650; therefore, you need to make sure that your supplier is extra careful with your products and shipments.

Types Of Suppliers:

There are two primary types of product suppliers in China; trading companies and factories.

Factories are where the products get manufactured. On the other hand, trading companies do not manufacture their own products but source them from various factories and then ship them to the US. Trading companies tend to have better quality controls and lower minimum order quantity/MOQ than factories, while the latter have lower prices.

When buying from a factory, you can expect to pay less money for the same product than if purchased through Trading Companies. However, it also has a few drawbacks, such as needing larger orders and a limited selection of products in their inventory; so it’s important that before making this decision on which type would work best with your needs, determine whether they’re primarily focusing on manufacturing or trading goods.

The prices will most likely also vary depending on who produced them because sometimes factories have lower rates while other times traders might be offering better deals – just something worth considering when choosing the right one for your business.

Order Samples First Before Agreeing To Anything:

Samples allow you to evaluate the quality of a product before making an entire purchase. You will most probably need to pay air shipping fees, but it’s all worth it for a chance to check out what overall quality of the product your supplier is offering!

Ask Your Supplier For Product Photos:

Make sure that your supplier can also provide high-quality Amazon Product Photography for your product. This will give your product the best chance of success on Amazon.

However, if you are not confident in the photos provided by your supplier, then consider employing an expert from a reputable Amazon Product Photography Service who can take pictures from all angles and produce clear, high-definition images which will show off all features of your product properly!

Aim For Low Prices And MOQs When Negotiating:

The foremost action you must take before trying to negotiate product pricing is to get multiple quotes from multiple suppliers. This will let you know the normal cost of your desired products, give you a better idea of where you stand, help ensure that your costs stay within reasonable limits, and avoid any surprises down the road!

When you see an exceptionally low-priced item, it’s important to be aware of the reasons why. A common reason for a discount is that quality has been compromised, having a higher amount of MOQs, or shipping terms are different from other items.

These days, the prices of goods in China are becoming increasingly rigid, making it more difficult to negotiate. Therefore, a 5-10% discount off the quote can make up for lost opportunities and give you that much-needed edge when selling your product or service abroad. On the other hand, you may be able to negotiate the supplier’s quoted MOQ down by 50% or more.

Types Of Shipping Options Available In China:

You can choose between three different shipping methods when ordering from China to the USA. These include air freight, shipping by sea, or express delivery services.

Standard air freight can take anywhere from 8 to 10 days for most shipments.

Standard shipping time for sea freight is between 20 and 30 days.

Express delivery services take less than five days for most products coming into America with proper documentation and insurance coverage in place.

How To Ensure You Are Getting High-Quality Products?

Quality standards in China are much lower than those of other countries. This is one reason why Chinese manufactured products often have a bad reputation among international buyers. However, all this can be rectified easily.

Remember that inspection is the key to quality control. Be sure you or your agent inspects every shipment on a regular basis, so no defects slip unnoticed. Make sure the supplier is aware of any defects. You can’t be too careful when it comes to quality, so do everything in order for them not only to fix these problems but also to improve their service next time around!

Conclusion:

As a business owner and entrepreneur, if you are on the lookout for a reliable and affordable supplier in China, it is crucial to do your research first. By following the tips we have outlined in this blog post, you can be sure to acquire a supplier that meets your needs and provides high-quality products. Additionally, by using Amazon Product Photography Service, you can take professional product photos that will help increase sales and better showcase your products to potential buyers.

Lights, camera… transaction! Visuals like product photos and videos are essential to eCommerce, especially on Amazon, but selling requires a very different skill set than photography. That’s why more and more online retailers are turning to a professional photographer for Amazon products.

The question is, how do you hire an Amazon product photographer? How much do they cost, where can you find them, and what should you look for? We answer all those questions and more below to help you pair with your perfect Amazon photographer. But first, let’s talk a little about why you need one.

Do You Need to Hire a Photographer for Amazon Products?

First things first, do you even need to hire a professional Amazon product photographer, or can you just take the photos yourself?

The short answer is that, while you can definitely take the photos yourself, hiring a professional Amazon photographer is better for sales and conversions. In other words, if you’re on a tight budget you don’t need a professional photographer for Amazon, but if you do have the funds available, a professional photographer is a worthwhile investment.

Why? Because in eCommerce, a product’s visual appearance is the most important factor in deciding whether or not to buy, according to 93% of consumers. Better product photos equal more sales — it’s as simple as that.

It’s not just about sales, either. Optimizing your main image directly increases your click-through rate, so hiring a professional Amazon photographer can generate more traffic for your product pages. This consequently leads to more brand recognition and more favorable results from Amazon’s algorithm, even if the shopper ultimately decides not to buy.

There’s also the matter of equipment and photo studios. Most people choose DIY Amazon product photography because they want to save money, but they end up spending extra on cameras, lighting, white backgrounds, and other photography equipment, even if they’re just renting.

Considering that they’re spending all this and still don’t have the photography experience makes it a big risk. When you hire an Amazon product photographer, you’re not just paying for access to their professional-tier equipment, you’re also paying for their skill and expertise.

How Much Does an Amazon Photographer Cost?

There’s no one answer to “how much does an Amazon product photographer cost?” Professional photographers, in general, tend to charge anywhere from $25 to upwards of $250 an hour. Some even charge per image, with a single photo costing over $1,000.

Then there are the other factors to consider: the skill level of the photographer, preparation costs, special requests, etc. You can also outsource photographers from other countries in hopes of finding the same high-quality expertise at a lower cost.

All in all, the cost of an Amazon photographer is scalable. If you don’t have much to work with, you can find an amateur or young photographer willing to take on the project at a discount. However, if you want to truly optimize your Amazon product photography, you should hire a photographer with experience.

What to Look for in an Amazon Product Photographer?

Not all Amazon product photographers are the same, and when it comes the time to pick one, you need to make sure they’re the best choice for you. Take a look at the following criteria so you can properly evaluate your prospective Amazon photographers.

Cost

At first, you should divide your candidates by cost — whom can you afford? A lot of times the cost corresponds to skill level and experience, but not always. As we mentioned above, international photographers can charge less for the same level of quality. You’ll also need to consider any special requests or unique styles of photography that may require extra charges.

Product photography experience

The best wedding photographer in your area might be a poor choice for Amazon product photography; they’re two different styles of photography, and experience in one area doesn’t translate into the other. That’s why your Amazon photographer should always have experience in product photography specifically.

For one thing, product photography is mostly still life, which involves different lenses, aperture, and lighting than candid photography of people. Moreover, product photography is mostly done in a studio — as opposed to outdoors or in another natural setting. This means that an experienced product photographer likely already has a studio that they can use for your photos.

Amazon experience

While experience in product photography is a must, experience shooting for Amazon specifically is even better. Amazon has very particular guidelines about their product photography, including restrictions about formats, size, color codes — even which shade of white you must use for your background.

Experienced Amazon photographers already know these rules by heart, so compliance will never be an issue. That’s not to say you can only hire a photographer with Amazon experience, but the whole process will run smoother if you do.

What to Ask an Amazon Product Photographer

If you’ve narrowed down your list of Amazon photographers, it’s time to get to know each individually before finalizing your answer. Specifically, be sure to inquire about:

what is included in their services
what kind of equipment they have (both for camera and studio setup)
how long the turnover would be
how big the team is
whether they’d be handling the photos personally or outsourcing the work
who owns the rights to the photos afterwards
if they have shot for Amazon before and are familiar with the Amazon image requirements

Above all, check out samples of their previous work. See how much of their income comes from product photography as opposed to other photography. If you can, find out what past clients have said about working with them. Finally, make sure you choose an Amazon photographer that matches the visual style you’re going for as well.

Where Can You Find an Amazon Product Photographer?

A lot of Amazon retailers start their searches locally, looking for nearby Amazon photographers because they think that’s the easiest solution. However, to make the most efficient use of your money and get the best possible return on your investment, it’s better to cast a wider net. A much wider net.

You’ll find a better Amazon product photographer if you look internationally, opening up your search to thousands of new possibilities. As long as you’re able to get your product into their hands, you can broaden your pool of prospective Amazon photographers until you find the one with the best style and price for you.

You don’t have to go far to find international photographers either. Here at AMZ One Step, our Amazon product photography is one of our most used services across the globe. Not only do we have both the necessary expertise and equipment for product photography, but we also understand the Amazon marketplace better than anyone.

Feel free to schedule a free consultation with us to see how we can help you. We’ll answer any questions you have and give you a quote based on your needs.

Tag: Amazon Product Photographer

Best Practices To Source And Ship Products From China To US