@debbie007 If I understood well, you want to do everything from packing to logistics by yourself after you have bought the product. In that case, lot of manufacturers from Alibaba (there are manufacturers, who make and sell the product, and there are traders who just sell products and can lead to overpricing or scamming) offer OEM - which is them packing and putting your logo/design on everything from the product to the box, and sending you the final product, which you just ship to your customers. If you're based in Ireland, there is still couple more years in Brexit, you can surely target Europe and have easier transactions in European Union. My supplier has 3 different shipping locations: China, USA and UK, and it is my choice from where I will ship the product, which affects both the price of the product and the price of shipping (meaning you can get cheaper and faster), so I really don't need to handle that myself. Chinese are negotiators. First of all, most of the original prices on Alibaba can be lowered, especially for quantity. Even their MOQs can usually be lowered if the number's too much for you to start with. If you build a trust-based relationship with your supplier, you will soon get even better prices, just after few transactions. I don't think you should pay an agent, maybe just pay for hour or two of consulting about importing, just to know where you stand; also, most of that you can find on google. What I learned about the Chinese is that they function totally differently, and you have to be very careful. For example: you find a product, you like it and decide to buy 10 pieces of it. So you contact the buyer, agree to the price, shipping, even sample (which you MUST order before making a commitment to buying more for selling; most of them will just require for you to pay for shipping). You get the sample, it is a beautiful black watch, and you love it, you finalize the deal and then you get the order for 10 pieces to sell. What you get is 10 yellow watches and you're freaking out because that is not what you ordered - that is what they probably couldn't sell. The thing is, you can't do nothing about it because you didn't say you wanted 10 black watches, and that's how China's laws work. People have recieved smaller or larger items, different materials, different colors, so be sure to ask everything you need to know and be very specific about your order. Don't trust the descriptions and don't trust the pictures before you see it with your own eyes. Make sure you keep all the communication before making a deal on Alibaba platform, because it can be used as a contract. Also, think about the shipping, it may be expensive. Do you want to have free shipping? Because, just a psychology fact, people will give up from buying if the shipping is higher, even if they pay more for the same product with free shipping - people love free shipping. Can you cover it with a higher price and still be competitive? Do you want to leave it to the buyer? This is all the math you need to include in your plan, and see if it fits your ambitions and wishes. Hope that answers your questions, if you have anything else just shoot.
Off the topic:
I am actually visiting Canton Fair in Guangzhou in October with my partner. Really looking forward what we're going to see there.
