On this episode Will and Justin discuss Tips for finding and working with product manufactures on Alibaba to sell on Amazon FBA and other things related. Please enjoy and if you want to keep supporting this podcast leave an honest review and tell us what you think. I hope you enjoy the show. -Justin

Links Discussed During Show

Aliexpress – Marketplace where you can buy stuff to test on Amazon FBA before private labeling items.
Add Chinese Holidays To Your Google Calendar – keep track of Chinese holidays easier.
Alibaba – Marketplace for finding manufactures and sourcing private label products.
Amazon – Compare Aliexpress and Amazon pricing to find possible products to test.
Graphic River – Marketplace to buy logos and graphics for private labeling.
99Designs Ready Made Logos – Browse logos that are already made and for sale here.

1. Shopping for multiple quotes from multiple manufactures

– Have them compete with each other on value and price
– Don’t aways pick the cheapest bid (you get what you pay for)
– Make sure communication is consistent (it can be stressful if your manufactures are not prompt responding)
– Don’t let MOQ’s discourage you from getting a quote. (for your first order most manufactures will go less then the advertised MOQ).
– Never tell them how big or small your company is
– Pretend you are a rep and not the company owner so you can present your opinions in more concrete ways. (good cop bad copy)
– If you just want to test products go to Aliexpress and buy items that have decent profit margins and see if they sell on the market with some Amazon PPC.

Check out the pricing on these drink frothers on Aliexpress and Amazon! Nice..

2. Getting quotes on Alibaba & Testing Products from Aliexpress

– Either add a multiple products to your favorites or approach 30 different product suppliers who can manufacture your product.
– Its better to pick a product that is a little higher in value because it will hold better value then one that is made poorly.
– Ordering more then one item in a sample pack from one manufacture will save you money on shipping and you can get a better idea of others products to private label if your using Alibaba.
– If your using Aliexpress to test the market do not worry about branding. You can put a sticker on the item if you really want to brand it.
– Communicating with more then 1 manufacture will increase the chances of getting what you want vs what they want to just give you.
– On aliexpress you can just place orders like Ebay and get the product sent with out having to talk to the suppliers. This makes it easy to test products before Private labeling them.

3. Packaging options for your FBA Private Label products

– Perceived value is so big many of us forget about it.
– Some industries you can just sell with the product image and not with packaging so branding does not matter with all products.
– Packaging on PR items for amazon can be subjective depending on which category and audience you are targeting to buy it.
– If you have a nicer package and better presentation you can charge more for your product.
– Weigh out the options of how you can make your packaging more enticing if its a more competitive market.
Ask your manufacture what types of packaging they offer for products and have them send you photos of them.
– Ask the manufactures how they could make your product packaging different.
– Once you have an idea of your packaging either request their files they work off of to put your logo on or change or have them put a simple logo on their package.
– I usually design my own and will send them an Adobe illustrator file they can print.
– Keep in mind on some packaging depending on how its printed more colors can increase the cost of your package.
– Most manufactures have a MOQ on packaging however it does not mean you have to order that many products.
– Most manufactures will be able to store your packaging for future orders in these circumstances.
– If and when designing packages keep in mind color theory
– Before running your design have the manufacture take a picture of a test run on one package if possible.
– Keep an eye out on amazon for popular products with poor presentation an design (sometimes it really matters to the audience)
– For product images logos use
– 99 designs is great for running contests and costs around $250 to do (if you have a good budget)
– Use designer buddies who owe you favors too. (everyone has a designer / starving artist friend)
– If your getting hung up on the packaging and you don’t want to mess with it just get a logo at least slapped on it.

4. Testing your samples out before you private label them.

– Getting samples can be exciting and so is testing them out.
– When you get your samples run them through the ringer and use them yourself to get a better understanding of your products.
– Ensure your products meet the standards of others and get other peoples opinions.
– Since you want to order multiple samples it will be wise to not just focus on the 1st item you picked if one of your samples really stands out.

5. Questions for Alibaba Manufactures

– How long will it take for the packaging to be produced?
– What is the lead time on the product?
– Can the colors be changed the product?
– Can you pack them together for combos?
– What is the FOB (price shipped)

Questions We Asked Will

– How do you usually approach Alibaba to get quotes for new products?
– Are there any other marketplaces you use or like to search?
– What is the worse experience you have had with trying to find a manufacture?
– Do you brand most of your products or sell them with out branding on them?
– What tips do you have when it comes to placing your first order?
– Knowing what you know now, if you had to start all over what would you do differently when approaching suppliers you did not do originally?

Wills Contact Details and Blog

@wtjern on Twitter
Check out Will’s FBA Expert Blog Too Which Has Some Great Articles.