Chatteling Learning Path

Gordon,

Not a problem, I will pick it up directly.

How do you build a network of buyers? I know everyone is looking for something, but very few are looking for the same thing over and over again.

The main people looking for the same thing that I can think of are businesses and collectors, which would definitely put you in a continual good deal finding mode for them.

Ankesh,

Thank you for taking the time to write all of that up, that is one wisdom packed post!

I too have shipped internationally and always found it a pain...

Since you are on this forum, and I am on this forum, have you found any problems people in India have that could be resolved with an agent in the U.S. and one in India? Wink, wink...

In case you didn't get the above would you like help sourcing any products in the U.S. for sale in India?

Thanks again Ankesh I really appreciate it!

[GordonJ]

Go go google. Look for consignment. Look for bike shops. Look for collectors, look for music shops...

In EVERY town there are businesses who BUY stuff to sell. In fact a couple of successful franchises operate as chattelers, Play it Again Sports is part of a company with several recycle franchises, including GAMES and Clothing and they all BUY stuff and local versions often have consignment.

Watch guys, ephemera collectors, toys, MUSIC stores...a quick tour on Google will give you many people who could be part of your network of buyers, but it takes TIME, which most people won't do, to get to know them and know what they buy.


Why don't they do it themselves? Most do, on a limited basis, which is why if you
Buy OVER There, you can SELL over here.

A network of buyers is what makes chatteling so easy. And it is very similar to Jim Straw's MILLIONAIRE IN A YEAR course too.

BUYERS are the SELLERS. Again, 5 mins on google in those categories above will yield many buyers.

Gordon

Originally Posted by shelbyc

Gordon,

Not a problem, I will pick it up directly.

How do you build a network of buyers? I know everyone is looking for something, but very few are looking for the same thing over and over again.

The main people looking for the same thing that I can think of are businesses and collectors, which would definitely put you in a continual good deal finding mode for them.

Thanks Gordon, will do, now let's see if I can apply some of what I learned.

[Ankesh]

There are quite a few products that do awesome in India. The problem is, I don't have the resources and the know-how to get them past customs over here.

Example: the iphone 5 thats going to be releasing next week. If it releases for $550 or $600 retail in USA, then in India - it will sell for Rs45000+... about ~$800 or more. And selling them requires no effort.

Laptops that sell for $300 and $400 during Thanks Giving weekend will sell in India for Rs60,000 or ~$1100.

But here is the rub: you can't buy and sell more than 1 iphone or 1 laptop. Because in India, you are exempt for only Rs25,000 worth of goods before you have to pay customs duty of 35-45% for electronics.

There are a few folks who do it on a larger scale, but they have contacts in customs offices and can get things through without paying duty - or at least paying duty on every item. Bribing is rampant in India. But I don't plan to get involved with things like that.

Can't think of products that can get through without customs issue... most non-electronic products are manufactured and available cheaper in India. (For eg: college textbooks that sell for $120 in USA cost ~$20 in India.)

But I'll keep my eyes open.

Fun profitable story: a friends uncle used to buy 2nd hand cranes from all over the world and import it to India. And then rented it out to construction companies for a couple of years before selling them. Made a lot of money. So I'm pretty sure that there are a lot of opportunities. Just not opportunities where I have the skills or the know-how to complete the deal.

I understand, well if you need a personal iphone maybe I could help you out in finding one.

The crane is an interesting story, if you ever do want to attempt something like that they have auctioneers over here who specialize in heavy equipment, their name is Richie Brothers. The auctions are pretty fun to attend and I'm sure if we can arrange shipping and importation duties the pricing would allow a profit.

Just some food for thought, I'm not yet in the position to do so but if you find a buyer I could find a seller.

[GordonJ]

Originally Posted by Ankesh

Can't think of products that can get through without customs issue...

OK, I'll give you a few ideas.

Back in 1965 I bought a book on YOGA. My mom went ballistic, thinking I was joining a cult or becoming a Buddhist or something showing how ignorant most Americans were about not only yoga, but about India in general let alone Buddha.

Today, Dave Letterman takes an hour each day to practice YOGA.

One of my favorite places to eat serves up traditional Tandoori Chicken.

The products you could easily export/import are...

IDEAS.

Or information. Or concepts. Or recipes.

All things IDEAS.

Traditional Indian FOLK medicines, not the medicines or herbs or teas, just the information.

You EXPORT your ideas, import ideas from around the world.

I just mentioned mushrooms. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems that I've come across several FOLK medicines and teas from India regarding certain mushrooms.

Patterns for those beautiful Indian blouses, dresses and shirts.

How to make a tandoor oven
How to serve a traditional Indian Wedding Dinner sort of thing.

YOU, as an expert on USA, can import HOW TO.

Best American Colleges for Indian Students.
Places in the USA You Must See When You Visit.

Nothing like a first hand report from someone who's been there.

So, Ankesh, in my opinion you have untold products to EXPORT without paying a single cent in tribute, er, tariffs.

Selling IDEAS and perhaps IP, like software, might prove to be a way around some of that problem.

Gordon Alexander

[Dien Rice]

Originally Posted by shelbyc

Since you are on this forum, and I am on this forum, have you found any problems people in India have that could be resolved with an agent in the U.S. and one in India? Wink, wink...

Hi Shelby,

Here is a service which helps people in Australia buy and ship products from the USA...

http://www.priceusa.com.au

The problem it solves is that sometimes things are much cheaper in the USA than they are in Australia. Also, some things which are available in the USA just aren't available in Australia at all.

Furthermore, many US retailers won't ship many items to Australia (probably they figure it's too much hassle). For example, Amazon will happily ship books, CDs, etc. to Australia, but they generally won't ship toys, electronics, and so on.

Here's how it works...

• What this service (Price USA) does is they have a person in Australia (I believe it was founded by an American who moved to Australia), and they also have an agent in the USA.
• An Australian who wants to buy something from the USA, tells Price USA what they want to buy, along with a link, and other information if known (e.g. size and weight).
• Price USA then gives the customer an estimate of the total cost (which includes a certain percentage added on as their profit), and asks the customer to pay a deposit.
• Upon payment of the deposit, the Price USA agent in the USA will order the item, and have it shipped to himself/herself (within the US).
• Upon receiving the item, Price USA can then give the customer a final quote (since now they definitely know the dimensions and weight, so they know exactly how much it will cost to ship, whereas earlier it was just their best estimate), and once the rest of the total amount is paid, they then re-ship the item to Australia, directly to the customer.
• If the customer doesn't pay the final quote, Price USA keeps the deposit, and also can resell the item, e.g. on eBay, to recoup more of the cost.

There are others who do this kind of thing, too... I haven't extensively researched it for other countries, though.

I think there are no duties/tariff problems in Australia as long as the value of the shipment is under $1,000. (Once it is over $1,000, then you have to worry about duties/tariffs/taxes.) Not sure how it would work in other countries...

Best wishes,

Dien

That's an awesome idea. I bet with Amazon Prime having free shipping on a ton of items your percentage cut doesn't have to be too much.

I love Sowpub, thanks for sharing!

Dien, did you get my PM?

Man Gordon, you're a one man band of ideas.

I love it!