How do you guys compete with Chinese sellers?
So I started selling 6 months ago after getting laid off. The starting wasn’t too bad. Like many new starters I used JungleScout to find products to sell. Now I have suddenly realized that whatever item I find through product research, there are Chinese sellers who are already selling it way below the EXW price I get from Alibaba. Getting frustrated TBH.
Any words of wisdom and suggestions will be deeply appreciated (please!).
How do you guys compete with Chinese sellers?
So I started selling 6 months ago after getting laid off. The starting wasn’t too bad. Like many new starters I used JungleScout to find products to sell. Now I have suddenly realized that whatever item I find through product research, there are Chinese sellers who are already selling it way below the EXW price I get from Alibaba. Getting frustrated TBH.
Any words of wisdom and suggestions will be deeply appreciated (please!).
0 replies
Seller_Z6xPEdYa7XZxm
Marry one. It’s working for me.
Actually, you might be happily married, so let me give you some other suggestions:
First, if your quoted costs are higher than the China sellers, then you can bet you did NOT find the source of the product.
Second, once you find a popular item or an item you feel you can get behind for it to become popular…do what you did. Find the sellers that are already selling it online. THEN, read all of the 1-3 star reviews. After that, based on what you discover, make changes to the product or find ways to solve the customer problems. A good example would be a product that needs a cable or power. Sell a version of the item that is the same as the original item and then one with accessories or the missing whatevers.
Again, this might be very general, but you need to differentiate yourself as much as possible.
Seller_RiOJBL9iBCxMB
Not a good business model to begin with. Cheap knockoffs and counterfeits at high prices that Chinese sellers can get from the factories for much cheaper than westerners. Buying from Alibaba and selling on Amazon is a pretty sure way to end up not selling on Amazon. Try some wholesale trade shows and building relationships with manufacturers and distributors
Seller_CW0P5hgbsiqWX
The words of wisdom are, You are going about everything the way, the Get-Rich-Quick books and videos tell you what to do. Successful retail sales don’t operate that way. Do you think Macy’s, Walmart, or Best Buy, look to jungle scout to seek new products? NO. Do you think those companies check the Ailbaba site for new products? NO.
You have to have an understanding of how the retail trade industry works, and how successful on-line sales work. Success in the retail trade is dependent on three things, product, Product and PRODUCT. Then buying that product directly from the manufacturer.
Anything you have to pay for like Jungle Scout, will be paid behind the scenes by manufacturers to promote their products. You can get the same sales date information for free, the same way they get it. Sure the China companies sell their own products on line, some using a different name and some not. They also sell the products on Alibaba as well, because they do not care where they sell the product, or to whom they sell the product to, they just want to sell the product.
First, do you have a retail business license in your state? You need one to purchase from manufacturers. Don’t think they will not sell to you when you tell them you are opening a retail store and want to include their line of products. Often you will find they may reduce the amount of purchase quantity on your first order, just to get THEIR foot in YOUR door.
Second, Be choosie in what you sell, only offer products that buyers want and need, they are the ones that constantly sell them self with no effort from you. Sell something you know about.
Third, don’t just sell a product because it looks like it has a good wholesale price. Why? Because you do not know why the price is so low. Is the manufacturer dumping them, because they were a bad seller that no one wanted? Like a human, all products have a natural live span. Is the product at the end of its life span and no linger selling? Always assess and think first before buying.
They are just a few things to get started. 
Seller_DZ1maDmp7Xt2o
aBeeHive…
You try not to… I don’t…
Diversify your marketplaces, you may able to compete - with better - titles-pictures, better descriptions, a cool little demonstration video clip, & you’re shipping yourself from in this country… selling multiples of the same product… multi quantity listings…
Not using FBA…
And there are lots of things that are problematic to sell on Amazon, Retail Arbitrage, also won’t fly on the big A
As stated sometimes – this is not a good fit for Amazon…
Try to stay on under the one pound rate, you could send things first class USPS… quickly, + delivered means delivered…
Amazon gives you access to this incredible Marketplace, interesting entitled base of customers – need everything immediately, delighting themselves with constant gratification - returns without restocking fees, postage… not everyone Love’s Amazon, that may not be their first choice, for buying things…
And you’re going to need a plan B, if you end up having issues, with your Amazon account, inevitable – one you can quickly pivot with…
And – you could start off selling your lightly used adult owned clean DVDs… with better titles, lots of pictures… some of your Collectibles you’re going to need to turn into Cash, for rent… non-media items you can easily ship internationally…
Can I interest you in a copy of " Chinese idioms", Amazon just took down for high price alerts… might be a survival guide, for this world we’re in now , I bet they’re almost no copies out there… unless a mega seller, is dumping some…
For the fun of that I can probably Market it – as a survival guide, in -E Commerce… offering it as gift-wrapped, the perfect gift for someone… in these trying times…
You probably can’t compete with the Chinese on Amazon… sometimes – Amazon will just be your competition themselves, if you gain velocity in sales…
One of the reasons – I only sell odd strange freaky books here… with few or little copies out there…
The rest goes to a handful of other places…
It does tend to – fluff -out payday, not depending on one pay out every other week or two, or three… or whenever , if you get suspended + lessen competition…
Rethink your Ecommerce options…
Seller_FhQDcyz1xOtWB
Everything is already super-saturated. It’s not easy anymore. Start with a category you know well and look for an angle. Sort of what SinoSeller has stated. There are definitely angles and holes to fill. After you find some, then you need to figure out if it is profitable/practical or not. Repeat. Over and over and over.
There will be failures. You just have to make sure you win more than you lose.
Seller_LMf9CF5P8NlmA
Get a trademark and brand yourself. Its the only way to not be taken over.
Because your brand is protected you are the only one that can sell it on Amazon, so your listing will be just you (hopefully).
From there you want to market your brand as what sets you apart and your quality control. For example, if your brand name isn’t Quintaodowan, and instead Bee Hive Widgets… the people that really do care about having an american distributor instead of a chinese one will get the sale.
So then as you find products, hopefully better places than Alibaba, you can sell quality versions of products and make money. If you are chasing the cheapest product and the customer who is only $$ conscious I think its a losing game
Seller_9e0aMxU4qS2gx
Oh No, you didn’t buy a container of them bamboo skewers ? darned Jungle scout strikes again … I avoid going head to head with China … I poke around a 40 Mile radius of Tucson and meet local metal, wood and plastics workshops / small manufacturers and offer their stock items and now am having them custom make me new items to try out … Good Luck with the China Alibaba thing
Seller_vlxPjsAOVBU7p
BRANDING. NEVER compete on price. Create a brand. Tell a story with it. Add value. Repeat.
Seller_pZyQnXyb9Hntz
We’re a bit different than the majority of sellers. We are the manufacture of our own items and heavily promote American made with American sourced raw materials as well. We found some nice niche markets and designed our offerings to fill that niche.
Seller_M04MjNuWAA1Xz
Innovate, patent and trademark if you want to be in this industry for the long-haul. In your spare time you may feel compelled to complain to your elected reps/Government agencies for allowing this type of environment where offshore sellers can freely drive domestic businesses under.
If your business model is buying Chinese goods and selling them on Amazon, keep in mind you are stepping on Amazon’s toes doing this. Much of Amazon’s growth is the result of helping offshore sellers reach USA consumers by offering warehousing and fulfillment services. Amazon has received almost $3 billion in tax incentives from cities, counties and states to help the process.
Search for the 1/19/21 story titled: “75% of New Sellers on Amazon Are From China”
China-based sellers represented 75% of new sellers on Amazon in January. A significant increase from 47% in the previous year.
