Importation simply means the purchase of commodities (goods) from foreign countries into Nigeria. Mini-importation refers to doing this on a small scale especially for young, aspiring entrepreneurs.
Some people will begin to ask, why mini-importation? To this question I always have six simple answers:


  1.  Nigeria is still not a producing country. This means majority of the commodities we need for our daily lives are being produced in other countries other than Nigeria.
  2.  Majority of the already-imported commodities that are being sold in the market have been over-valued and are no longer advisable for any upcoming entrepreneur who aspires to retail such commodities.
  3. The internet has opened up the world to trade on various levels and has made it easier for young entrepreneurs with no experience to make transactions without any hassle.
  4. The Nigerian market is daily widening and creating more space for young entrepreneurs who have innovative imported commodities to sell.
  5.  Mini-importation is one of the most stress-free businesses an entrepreneur can choose to engage in. From ordering to receiving in Nigeria does not take the entrepreneur any stress as NIPOST has also stepped up its services and people can order from any country and receive in their towns of residence.
  6. NOW THE CATCH – In every mini-importation deal, the entrepreneur gets at least double his money after selling the stuffs he bought. Now, how many businesses do you engage in here in Nigeria and get so much value? Not so many I believe.
WHERE DO YOU IMPORT FROM?

There are quite a number of countries to import from including the United States of America, United Kingdom, Japan, India, China, and Pakistan etc. Of the lot however, China has proven to be the easiest of destinations for aspiring entrepreneurs in Nigeria. The reasons are not far-fetched:
i. China being an innovative country has a lot of production factories producing innovative commodities that has market appeal.
ii. Shipping goods into Nigeria from China has proved to be far easier, faster and cheaper as against shipping from the USA or UK where shipping costs compete with the commodity cost itself.
iii. Majority of the western countries now produce from China. This means, buying from these western countries is like buying from a third-party when you can choose to buy from the manufacturer himself. Therefore, most commodities are cheaper in China than any other country of the world, with the exception of a few things that are not produced in China.

WHAT DO I IMPORT?

To this question, there might be no universal answer that satisfies everyone. But then, there are a few tips that can help everyone make proper imports decisions. Remember, the aim of this guide is to serve you information on how to engage in mini-importation; therefore importation of cars or thousands of television sets in huge containers is not covered in this guide.
So, how do you decide what to purchase?
i. Buy only those commodities that solve basic human problems. This could include commodities that help people cook better, commodities that contribute clothing, those that contribute to healthy living etc. These are commodities that people will always buy being that they are solutions to basic human needs.
ii. Buy only commodities that are cheap enough wherever you saw them, to leave you a worthy profit margin when you sell it in Nigeria. For example, I will hardly advise a young entrepreneur to buy a commodity for $100 that he will sell for $110 if there are commodities he could buy 5 pieces for $20 each and sell the 5 for $25 each (which will make him a total of $125).
iii. Buy innovative commodities only, especially those ones that are not yet in the market, talk less of flooding the market. This gives you the monopoly of pricing and does not force you into a price competition that you are not ready for.
When you have considered these three facts above, you are ready to decide what to buy.

WHAT EQUIPMENTS DO I NEED TO IMPORT?

Mini-importation does not put you under any stress of equipment procurement. All that you need are listed below:

  • Computer System with Internet Connection or a good Mobile Phone (android preferably). Remember, in the absence of both, you can easily go into a cybercafé few times in a week to buy and track your commodities.
  • A functioning bank Master card or Visa card. If you have a funded Pay pal account, you might not need any of the cards.
  •  A minimum of #3,000 startup capital.
  • The ZEAL to do business.
HOW DO I CONNECT WITH THE SELLERS TO BUY?
There is only a simple way by which you connect with sellers, select items you want to buy and conduct your transaction. This is simply through the Internet (via the Chinese on line stores). Below are examples of the functional Chinese on line stores that I know:

  1. www.lightinthebox.com
  2. www.miniinthebox.com
  3. www.dealextreme.com
  4. www.dealsmachine.com
  5. www.sammydress.com
  6. www.banggood.com
  7. www.eachbuyer.com
  8. www.focalprice.com
  9. www.tmart.com
  10. www.everbuying.com
  11. www.chinabuye.com
  12. www.cndirect.com
  13. www.highqualitybuy.com
  14. www.newfrog.com
  15. www.tinydeal.com
  16. www.lightake.com
  17. www.geekbuying.com
  18. www.dinodirect.com
  19. www.gearbest.com
  20. www.aliexpress.com
  21. www.saralovelyhome.com
Now, a lot of persons who have attended one importing seminar or the other in the past have been exposed to the likes of  www.alibaba.com, www.dhgate.com, www.aliexpress.com and a host of others not listed above.
In my experience however, the sites listed above have proven to be more effective and responsive than these old three that most people have been using. With a wide variety of commodities, a quick response system, easy payment methods, prompt and free shipping options and a proper customer support framework, these online stores have my vote over the old three. Aliexpress could be manageable and that is why I have included it in the list.
For the purpose of this guide, we will adopt www.dealsmachine.com as our main anchor. This is not to say it is better than the rest, I am just used to doing my mini-importation from there

That’s all you need to do mini-importation

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