Ideas on starting a trading business?

[babygodzilla]

I am thinking of using my time in China to start a small trading business, buying things in Asia (mainly China of course) and selling them in America and Europe. any ideas what I can sell, where to get them, and how to find buyers? i am an engineer and i have no experience in this field. im just sick of engineering and am looking for experience in other fields, mainly entrepreneurship.

thanks!

[adrianlondon]

any ideas what I can sell, where to get them, and how to find buyers?

As your business will consist of no other skills whatsoever, surely anyone who has those answers would simply do it themselves? Anyway, as that was sarcastic and not helpful ...

babies, everywhere and infertile US couples.

[babygodzilla]

lol i noe you're right. i guess i was hoping things would be easier to start than this. hell i cant even START yet, i duno what, where, who to go to...

[Jonny Wang]

Actually, there can be quite a bit of opportunity for foreign engineers who are already living in China and have China experience, especially if you are pretty good with the language and have technical ability (i.e., engineers).

You might not have much expertise in a particular product line or in trading, but that's okay. You'll find that your customers and suppliers can educate you as to the particulars of their products and the trading aspect you'll have to learn some of, but basically just need to find a trading company or shipping company (if you find one, they'll find the other) to handle the export logistics for you.

Assuming you are a native Westerner, what you bring to the table for the Chinese supplier is ability to communicate fluently and credibly w/ international/foreign companies and also an ability to find international customers. For the foreign customer, you represent (at least compared to themselves) an expert on Chinese business/language who they can trust and communicate easily with, and who has locational advantages that they don't have.

To find suppliers, look on the Web (alibaba.com; made-in-china.com) and attend tradeshows-they're usally free (there is a good calendar at www.global-sources.com).

To find buyers, first work the contact network that you developed during your engineering education and work. Companies that buy stuff from China are often manufacturing companies that employ a lot of your former classmates and colleagues, or their friends. Finding customers through existing relationships tends to lend you more immediate credibility, which is especially important when you are located halfway around the world from your customers. It is also free! Beyond that, the same websites I mentioned above also allow buyers to post their needs to that factories can approach them with offers. You can try contacting these buyers to see if you can act as their agent in China, perhaps. Google Ads and other similar services can be suprisingly cheap means of finding customers as well.

Good luck!

[babygodzilla]

thanks a lot!! your suggestions are very helpful thanks for the websites, now i have someplace to start.

[ocpaul20]

You dont say what kind of engineer you are. If you are sick of being an engineer, what other interests do you have which will give you ideas for a new business.

Being an entrepreneur is easier said than done, although in China it might be easier than in the west.

You dont say whether you want to start a company or how you intend to start being an entrepreneur - in fact, you haven't given us a lot of information at all.

What kind of advice do you want from us?

[jerryinengland]

I am doing the same things with u. But the only different is i am Chinese and looking for customers in Europe... In the fact, this kind of business has two elements: the quality and supply control from China and stable distributors. Compare with traditional supply channel, this is a short cut...just jump some middle-man. if u still interest this business, we can have a chat. my email: jerryfromchina@hotmail.com

[Ascendancy9]

My suggestion is that you establish yourself in China with what you know (ie: engineering), and then make a move into another field with the contacts that you make to help you.