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Many of the great fortunes of the 19th and 20th centuries were made by simply buying and selling — buying other people’s products and getting other people to sell them. In the world of off-line commerce, this has always been the traditional method of generating wealth. Now, in the internet age, this technique can be done effortlessly with just a click of your mouse.

U.S. marketing legends, Jay Abraham, Dan Kennedy, Ted Nicholas and many others, have taught for years the power of becoming a joint-venture broker and, in the process, have generated hundreds of millions of dollars. This, in the off-line sense, is where you find a company wanting to sell more of their product, find a company that has the capability of selling more of that product and broker a deal between them in return for a hefty commission on the total sales.

On the international stage, the system is also known as an import/export agency where the agent sources products from overseas and finds buyers at home who sell on to the end user. If you’ve bought something from your local hardware store, it probably came in a box marked ‘Made in China’. The storekeeper didn’t spend weeks visiting Chinese factories looking for something to sell in his store! He, directly or indirectly, used the services of an agent/broker. read more »

Travel auctions are a marketplace where you can “Bid On” or “Buy Now” airline tickets, room nights, tours, cruises and all-inclusive vacations. They provide enthusiastic travelers a means to get more from their travel dollars than they ever thought possible!

If you’ve never bid on airfare through online travel auctions site there are a few things you need to be mindful of. You can’t just jump into an auctions and expect to get a killer steal and/or deal on a discount flight to Cancun. Each travel auction is set up differently and has different bidding requirements. That’s why before you ever place a bid on travel auctions you need to do the following:

Research all the travel auctions. Most online travel auctions run independently of each other. Each one has its own auction set up, bidding requirements, and terms and conditions. This means that not all online travel auctions are the same. Some require membership fees while others allow you to sign up for free but have restrictions on how you bid. It’s important to get as much information as you can about the travel auctions you find online. Read through all the information provided on each website (including “terms and conditions”) and get a feel for how you bid on airfare through each travel auction.

Browse all of the current Travel Auctions. After you’ve read through each travel auction’s user information and bidding guidelines, the next step is NOT to sign up. You need to first check out a few travel auctions currently underway on the site. This will give you an opportunity to check out what different travel tickets are going for. You may find that the travel auctions have very high opening bid amounts or only offer expensive package deals that are out of your price range. Always check out the bid amounts before you even think about signing up with a travel auction site. It will save you time, effort, and money. read more »

Drop shipping is a very simple way to make money using the internet. There is very little risk or capital investment required when setting up but, understandably for a business that promises easy money, there is a lot of competition.

All you need to do, is to advertise a product that you don’t have in stock, take orders from customers and pass them on to the wholesaler. The products are then dispatched by the wholesaler, leaving you to pocket the difference between the retail and wholesale price. There are many internet outlets offering you the chance to buy your way into this business. They are in fact selling you lists of wholesale suppliers who will undertake delivery to customers in their country. The popularity of these lists and the lure of making money through the internet has attracted a lot of people to drop shipping. Inevitably that means it is hard to find products you can sell in this way with a sufficient margin to make it worthwhile. This problem is magnified if you are end up having to pay international shipping costs on individual products.

But because the way to make money through drop shipping is by using information, the web means that you can still find a niche or two in which to operate this kind of business. The key is to use the Business to Business (B2B) online marketplaces that are a growing resource. Here you can find for free, millions of listings of products for sale and trade leads. Once you have identified a product which you think you can sell and then locate a supplier who can handle shipping direct to your customers, you will be in a position to begin drop shipping. This is a term which may have recently acquired a bad reputation but is actually just an advanced form of supply chain management (why should the retailer keep costly inventory?). read more »

Since most of the businesses throughout the world have access to the Internet, many astute entrepreneurs and trading companies are using the Internet as one of the primary means for developing their import and export businesses.

Already a big slice of global trades are taking place through the Internet. According to Forrester Research, a major marketing research company, worldwide online exports will escalate to US $1.4 trillion in 2004, and cross-border e-marketplace trade will exceed US $400 billion in this year alone.

However, cross-border trading will create a division between the companies that actively import and export using the Internet and those that don’t. Companies that are slow in adopting the Internet will loose competitive edge to the more proactive Internet-savvy counter parts.

If you are already involved in international trade or planning to either import or export products, Internet could be your primary source of gathering data, researching prospective market, finding clients and, may be even, for doing your entire business online.

First, let’s look into the export side of the international trade. Like any other business, exporting requires proper planning. Well-documented and clearly written export marketing plan will work as your road map to success. The following steps are essential for any export endeavor. Identifying products for export

Although, in any given time you may find numerous products that qualify as exportable one, your chance for success will increase substantially if your chosen product met the following criteria:

- You have been handling this product for local market for several years

- You have full confidence in the quality of the product

- The value of the product matches or exceeds the imported similar ones

- You have guaranteed availability of this product for export read more »

If you are thinking of starting your Import Export business online, you need to remember that every business takes time to succeed, therefore you need to be patient and well researched.

The initial step is to conduct a market survey and focus on the markets best suited as per your needs. You need to build a corporate International Image and work towards establishing your credibility in the market. Your credibility will be the key to your success in an online import-export venture. Your presentation should be impressive as well as trustworthy. This will increase your chances of attracting foreign buyers.

Focus on your branding strategy

In order to qualify as a player in the international arena, you need to work on your presentation skills and corporate identity. Your corporate identity will speak about your company’s goals, mission and values. It plays a significant role in establishing credibility on the global front. You need to have a relevant logo, stationery and cash line.

Analyze:

You need to investigate about various markets, government plans and buyers. Start by building contacts and talk with them. Conduct a detailed market research survey and try to get maximum knowledge. Familiarize yourself with the key players in the business and potential buyers as well as merchants. Visit trade fairs and business conferences related to your field and keep yourself updated on the latest market trends and changes.

Market evaluation requires gathering relevant date, information and research. An ideal market would be one that is likely to generate maximum profit for your Import/Export business on the Internet. You can obtain information on the Internet or by contacting the Chamber or trade and commerce. While making a selection of the markets you must know the market trends, requirements, target customers, local and global competitors.

Export/Import Regulations and Terms of trade:

You need to be in sync with the latest rules and regulations in order to start you Import and export business online. For this you need to contact your industry association and relevant export authority and enquire if there are any possible requirements for your products to be exported. You might need to apply for an export license, certificate or permit. A well established export body is the best place to seek guidance. read more »

The Internet has opened up a whole new era of business opportunities. Falling trade barriers combining with easy access to trade information thanks to the Internet have created dramatic possibilities and sparked the growth of global online trade in virtually every area.

Many companies are taking advantage of electronic media quite aggressively by making new contacts, tapping into new markets and reducing costs with the help of online technologies.

Whether you are starting a new import business or planning to expand your existing business, you too can use the Internet as your primary channel for getting information, sourcing products or services, finding suppliers and doing your marketing.

Before the Internet era, finding a viable product for importing was not an easy job! Trade shows and traveling to foreign lands were the two best options available for getting hands on information on a product and its supplier. Today, required information on any conceivable product from virtually any market is available at your finger tips.

Finding a product

If you know what you are planning to import, a substantial work is already done! Otherwise, your first step is to choose a feasible product or service to import. Whether you are planning to import a general merchandize or an industry-specific product, do your homework right.

Browse through Catalog repositories, B2B exchanges, electronic trade boards, trade journals and virtual trade shows to find a product. If you know the manufacturing country from where the product is possible to source, check out the country specific portals and exchanges. Here is a list of high quality electronic trade boards:

For China made products: www.alibaba.com
Sourcing from India: www.trade-india.com
For Russian Products: www.rusbiz.com
Products from Europe: www.europages.com
From South Korea: www.ec21.com

For other country-specific or industry-specific B2B exchanges check out this list: http://dmoz.org/Business/E-Commerce/Marketplaces/

Your criteria for choosing a product for importing should include:

Your prior knowledge of the product you intend to import and its industry. Your possibility of success increases considerably if you know the product well.

Access to required quantity of this product. If you spend time and effort in developing a local market for a product and unable to deliver, you will loose business and reputation.

Quality of the product. This is a crucial aspect for developing a market for any product. Quality of the product should be consistent with market requirement.

High profit margin. As import incurs many expenses that are specific to this type of business only, prior to import anything, you should carefully calculate all required expenses and see that you still make handsome profits. You can check out the sites of your prospective competitors and make a price comparison to get initial idea on your products present market price.

Finding supplier

Once you know – what you are planning to import – your next step is to find a reliable supplier for this product.

Emarketplace or B2B exchange

B2B exchanges can be a good help in getting suppliers of the products you are planning to import. read more »