Top 10 Posts of 2017

Only a few hours to go and we will officially wrap up 2017! To celebrate, let us take you down memory lane and look at our most popular posts of the year.

Let's get right to it!

10. Using Import Records to Find New Suppliers for Private Label Products

The vast majority of importers only use Alibaba to find suppliers, so finding a supplier not advertising on Alibaba will give you a considerable advantage in sourcing your products. Using public import records is one of the ways to do this, and we've had extremely good success using this method to find high quality suppliers with reasonable prices and who don’t actively solicit new clients.

9. Air Courier VS Air Cargo (And How to Save Money and Lose Money With Each)

A lot of people don't even realize that air freight actually exists. Most people know the distinction between shipping something via air vs. ground, but not many know that another distinction can be made within international air shipping: air courier vs. air freight. Taking advantage of air freight rates has saved us thousands of dollars at times when we really needed to ship via air.

8. How to Clear Customs when Importing into the U.S.A., Canada, and Other Countries

One of the biggest importing challenges, especially for beginner importers, is clearing customs once the goods arrive into their destination country. Although the exact customs paperwork is different for every country, the procedures are more or less the same, and this article will give you a solid overview of the entire process.

7. How to Sell on Amazon.ca and Import Products into Canada

Listing items on Amazon.com does not automatically make your items available for consumers from Canada, which means you are missing out on revenue from 35 million consumers if you list on Amazon.com alone. If you feel like you've tapped out all of your maximum income on Amazon.com or if you'd like to increase your income by 10-20%, listing your items on Amazon.ca is a relatively painless way to do that.

6. How Non-American Importers Can Sell Their Products in the USA

We tend to attract a lot of international readers wanting to get in on the huge American ecommerce market and we get asked a lot if it's possible to do, and if it is, is it easy? This post answers these questions and gives you an overview of the entire process, from using FBA to sales taxes. Dave is well-versed in this topic, as he is a Canadian selling to US consumers.

5. Everything You Need To Know About The Canton Fair

For us, going to trade shows in China is by far the best way to find suppliers and source items. We detailed our experience during our visit to the Canton Fair in this post and this should serve as a good guide should you decide to visit Asia for these events.

4. Part 2: Alibaba Unofficial Guide, Contacting and Negotiating with Suppliers

If you don't have the time or resources to go to a trade show in Asia or if you just want to get a feel of importing the easy way, Alibaba is still a good place to start. There are many things you need to get aware of to make your experience as relatively painless as possible, and this blog series is a must-read before you start. Check out part 1 here.

3. All About International Ocean Freight & Step by Step Instructions

Sea freight can get intimidating, especially if it's your first time importing from China. It's only scary for the first one or two times though, and once you get over that hump you'll soon get the hang of it. Dave lists step-by-step instructions on how to do ocean freight, from what fees to pay to what to do once the goods arrive at the port.

2. 8 Secrets to Picking the Perfect Product to Wholesale from China

One of the hardest things to do when starting to import from China is actually finding what products to import. No, it's not as simple as finding a product that is all the rage right now (hello fidget spinners from 7 months ago). There are many things you need to consider, and this post covers most of them.

And our number 1 post of the year:

1. How to Get Your Shipments from China to Amazon FBA

By far, the question “How do I ship from China to FBA?” is the question we get asked the most at EcomCrew. It's understandable–the entire process can get complicated and there's many things you need to know to ensure everything goes smoothly. While it can be complicated, it's not incredibly difficult (we've done it a gazillion times after all) and this post is a good read to give you a solid understanding of the process and your options.

And that's our top 10! Stay tuned for more awesome content next year (we mean it, things are really going to get a lot more awesome).

From everyone at EcomCrew, happy new year!