How to Find Manufacturers and Freight Forwarders for Your Amazon Private Label Products

How to Find Manufacturers for Your Amazon Private Label Products?

The journey to selling on Amazon is a long one. The first step, of course, is to choose a product that fits your budget and aims to be in a market with a level of competition that you can enter. The next step is to turn your idea into a product ready for sale. You may be wondering how to find manufacturers, especially if this is your first time selling on Amazon.

Finding suppliers or manufacturers can be a risky process for you, whether you are an experienced seller or a first-time seller. You want to find a supplier that will not only supply stock, but also become your business partner as your company grows. With the information we will provide in this article, we will make this job easier and more understandable for you.

Domestic Manufacturer vs. Foreign Manufacturer

Your first step is to decide whether to buy from a domestic supplier or an overseas supplier. Many vendors manage the procurement process through China as it is much cheaper to source from China, even if there are costs such as transportation and quality inspection. Both options have advantages and disadvantages and will ultimately depend on your preferences, capabilities and budget.

Advantages of sourcing from abroad:

Cheaper production costs

Diversity of producers

Wider product range

Understanding and experienced producers

Suppliers who are familiar with the product and the opportunity to make changes to the product more easily

Disadvantages of sourcing from abroad:

Product and manufacturer inspection difficulties

Legal protections or payment guarantees are not available to all producers

Transportation cost and customs clearance

Communication barriers and cultural differences

Advantages of sourcing from the local market:

Easier to deal with in terms of language and culture

Ease of verifying the reliability of the manufacturer and following the process (such as visiting in person)

Disadvantages of sourcing from the local market:

Higher minimum production quantities for most producers

Limited product and differentiation options

Mass production challenges

Variable price issues

Transportation processes are not fully established

You don't have to choose one over the other; consider these factors when doing your research.

Must-Have Features of a Supplier

Your goal is to find a supplier with whom you can build a profitable and long-term partnership. As you begin your search for suppliers to help you get your product ready for sale, make sure to choose suppliers with the following characteristics:

Good communication: Do they respond to your messages in a timely manner? Do they take your explanations into account? Are they good at using the language you communicate in?

Helpfulness and Openness: Do they answer your questions completely? Are they honest about problems and transportation delays? Consent to a quality check by an inspector

Respectable: What do other vendors in the same field say about them? Do they offer you their business license?

Experienced: Have they been in business for at least 3 years? How many orders do they prepare each year?

Flexibility: If there is a problem with production, do they offer solution options?

Affordable: Do your profit margins allow you to work with them? Do they negotiate prices?

Also, look for suppliers who will have a wide range of products and can keep up with your growing Amazon business. If your orders increase drastically or you want to diversify your products, look for a supplier that can meet your needs now and in the future.

Finding Suppliers

To find the right partner as quickly as possible, create your supplier list with at least 10 suppliers to contact initially. The process may seem overwhelming at first, but there are multiple resources that can speed up and streamline your search.

Resources

The internet is a great starting point for searching for suppliers. Most online sites allow you to browse products and contact suppliers around the world in one place.

Alibaba is one of the largest online wholesale manufacturing platforms and is also one of the most popular shopping sites for sellers looking to source products from abroad.

Because fake accounts are harder to track on a massive platform like Alibaba, Alibaba offers several categories of supplier verification to protect buyers from fraud and improve payment security. Some of these are as follows:

Trade Assurance: If the supplier doesn't ship the product within the specified time or the product quality doesn't match what you specified in your contract, your payment will be protected by Alibaba.

Gold Supplier: Suppliers with the Gold Supplier badge have been audited and verified by an approved auditor.

Customs Data: You can access trade records for all companies shipping to the US.

Audit Service: If you place an order with Trade Assurance, you have the option to have a quality control inspection by an Alibaba-approved inspection company.

To further narrow down the options, you can filter the search results by sellers with Trade Assurance and Gold Supplier badges. You can also check the supplier's company profile to determine their credibility by checking their certifications, production capacity and physical location before initially contacting them.

If you want to get more detailed information about the critical steps of choosing a manufacturer, such as what to pay attention to when choosing a manufacturer, which badges to work with, which parts of the manufacturer's profile should be examined, you can attend the FBAPro Private Label Training Program 2.0 Edition Training and get support from our professional trainer.

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Other popular online options include

Fairs

Trade fairs offer buyers the opportunity to talk directly with many potential suppliers at one time. The Canton Fair, the largest and longest running trade fair in China, is held twice a year. Most of the booths display products ready for sale, but you can still find out if special orders can be made by contacting suppliers. You can also collect free product samples instead of expensive shipping. Being able to communicate with suppliers face to face is important to build trust and develop a better relationship for future orders.

References

You can get a more accurate assessment of a supplier from someone who has worked with them in the past on how to find the best manufacturers for your needs. Always consider your profit margins when looking for suppliers. Pay attention to minimum order quantities (MOQ) and add up costs such as production, shipping and FBA fees to determine if you can actually make a profit.

The next step is to hire a freight forwarder to deliver your products to Amazon warehouses. In this step, let's take a look at choosing a freight forwarder and what to look for in the shipping process:

Transportation Processes and Transportation Company Selection

Choosing a suitable transportation company to deliver your products to customers is as important a step as choosing a supplier. Although the things we need to pay attention to in this step are generally similar, knowing the steps to be followed regarding transportation and frequently encountered transportation terms will help you to make this process easier and harmless.

How to Find a Freight Forwarder on Alibaba

On Alibaba, you can search for products or manufacturers as well as transportation companies (freight forwarders). You can search on Alibaba with keywords such as Freight Forwarder. Compare different companies and review services, rates and customer reviews.

Contact them: Contact potential freight forwarders. You can contact them individually via email or Alibaba's messaging system to ask questions and get quotes, or you can contact them collectively by creating a list of freight forwarders, just as you would with a supplier.

Check References and Reviews: Customer testimonials and company reviews allow you to learn about the reliability and quality of service of the shipping company you choose. Positive customer feedback can indicate a reliable and workable company.

Confirm Certifications and Competencies: International freight forwarders may hold various certifications and competencies. Make sure they are experts in export, import, customs clearance and transportation.

Service Diversity: Different transportation methods may be required to move different products to different destinations. When choosing a freight forwarder on Alibaba, consider the range of services they offer and their global reach.

Shipping Terms

When communicating with shipping companies or making agreements, you may come across some shipping terms. Here are some frequently used shipping terms and their explanations:

FOB (Free On Board): The seller loads the goods on board and brings them to the port and covers the costs of loading them on board. The buyer is responsible for the transportation and other costs of the goods arriving at the port.

CIF (Cost, Insurance, Freight): The seller covers the transportation cost, insurance and freight of the goods. When the goods reach the buyer, the buyer is responsible for customs duties, insurance premiums and local delivery costs.

EXW (Ex Works): The seller prepares the goods at its premises and the buyer receives the goods at the seller's place. The buyer is responsible for transportation and export.

LCL (Less than Container Load): If you do not have enough goods to fill the full capacity of the container, you can share the same container with goods from other suppliers using the LCL method.

FCL (Full Container Load): If your goods are in sufficient quantity to fill the container to its full capacity, you can use the FCL method to fill a container completely with your own goods.

Customs Broker: An intermediary specialized in customs clearance. It can be used to arrange customs clearance of your international shipments.

Bill of Lading (B/L): In ship transportation, it is an official document confirming receipt of cargo and fulfillment of the contract.

DDP (Delivered Duty Paid): Means that the seller assumes responsibility for transporting the goods to the buyer's specified destination, paying duties, taxes and other charges.”

Understanding shipping terms is important to avoid problems in communication and agreements with the shipping company.

Conclusion

The process of finding a manufacturer and transportation company is a critical step in finding the right partner. It is important for the success of your business to have your products produced by the right manufacturers and delivered to customers reliably. Learning the uniqueness of communication with the manufacturer and understanding the terms of transportation will enable you to make agreements correctly. With careful research, you can find affordable, reliable and efficient companies and succeed in your business.

You can join FBAPro Private Label Training Program 2.0 Edition Training immediately to learn product production processes on Alibaba, supplier communication techniques, negotiation techniques and stages with suppliers, choosing the right shipping company, shipping terms that should be known and used, all of the shipping tactics that you can profit thousands of dollars and more, and you can advance your Amazon processes healthier and more doubtlessly.

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