Are you thinking of starting your own business, or improving an existing one? Are you planning to import pet equipment or accessories from China?
You've probably noticed the mass migration of people to cities, the increasing number of elderly people, and couples getting married and having children later in life.
All this has caused the popularity of owning pets, which means a greater number of people who are ready to spend money on their pet.
What's more, if you look at Google trends for Serbia, you can see that the word dog has more searches than Aliexpress and Alibaba combined.
This tells you that you are on the right track and should at least consider starting a business selling pet supplies. And today, in the age of online sales, all of that is even simpler, especially if you narrowly specialize in a certain type of product.
Here we show you how it's done and what you need to know when importing pet products from China
It is known that:
You can always resell goods you purchase from local dealers. At the same time, you know that someone will always have better prices than you.
But know that you can also start an independent import from China and create your own margins.
Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day.Teach a man to fish, you have fed him for life. Lao Tzu founder of Taoism 500 BC."
How to import dog and cat equipment from China
Selling pet products means selling pet products for dogs, cats, birds, hamsters and many other animals.
If you are interested in which products or animals are the most profitable to import, the answer is simple.
In first place is the dog, then the cat and then everyone else.
Products for pets can be collars, cages, pet leashes, then bowls and various feeders, locators and many other similar products.
These products are almost all imported from China as their wholesale product prices can be very low (when we say all we mean the whole world). There are many foreign companies in China that not only produce there, but also export their products from China to other countries. This includes Artemis Company, Costco's Brand, Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Pet Foods Inc. and others.
What are the advantages of importing pet products from China?
There can be many benefits when you import products from China in bulk, but at the bottom of it all is the price and the quality you get for that price. Some of the advantages of importing pet products from China:
- You can get pet products at cheap and low prices.
- Importing pet products can bring you great earnings.
- In China, you can brand products and sell them as your own recognizable brand. Later you can market that brand in other countries and markets.
- You can get the best quality pet products.
Where can I find suppliers of pet products in China?
There are thousands of suppliers, both trading companies and manufacturers on Alibaba, Made-in-China, Globalsources and other Chinese B2B portals.
More than 858,000 products from 1,070 suppliers are listed in the pet products category on Alibaba.com.
The same search on Globalsources.com results in more than 52,800 products and 3,359 suppliers.
You can be sure to find almost any pet product you've seen in the West in China.
But which of them to trust and with whom to cooperate?
Is price the only deciding factor or is there something else?
How to choose the best manufacturers of pet products?
First,
you must select the product category you want to import. If you're going to buy, say, stainless steel dog cages, make sure you find a supplier that specializes in making that particular product.
Stay away from retailers that offer a little bit of everything, even if their business is listed in the pet category.
Secondly,
find suppliers that match or at least roughly match the following:
a. Registered capital exceeding 2,000,000 RMB (RMB - Chinese currency yuan)
b. to have at least an ISO 9001 certificate (the more certificates the better) c. Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) or Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (Sedex)
Quality control
Quality control before delivery is mandatory when the first the road imports any kind of products from China. However, the quality inspection of pet products can be quite complicated and it is often different from other inspections.
For example, the inspector must simulate how a cat or dog uses a certain toy, due to the extreme wear and tear of pet toys due to scratching, biting, etc. While this testing may not require advanced equipment, it is critical that you instruct your agent on how to perform all of the tests in order to properly "simulate" real wear.
Minimum order quantities (MOQ)
A minimum order quantity requirement is often set when purchasing any product. Here are some examples:
- Towel for dogs: 10,000 pcs
- Large dog bed: 100 pcs
- Biodegradable dog waste bags in a roll: 100,000 rolls
- Cat climbing tree: 80 pcs
- GPS locator for a dog: 500 pcs
As you may notice, the MOQ is lower for more expensive and bulkier items (such as a cat tree or dog bed). Many suppliers are willing to offer a lower MOQ for your first order or permanently reduce it if you use standard materials and colors.
Product fairs for dogs, cats and other pets in China
HKTDC Hong Kong Houseware Fair (link)
Although this trade show is not exclusively focused on pet products, attendance at the show is still mandatory for importers of pet products. HKTDC organizes a special event called World of Pet Supplies during this fair.
Pet Fair Asia (link)
Pet Fair Asia is the largest trade fair for pet supplies in the Asia-Pacific region. It is held in August every year in Shanghai, China. Here you will find more than 1400 exhibitors from all over the world. Please note that this fair is more focused on pet food unlike others.
China International Pet Show (CIPS) (link)
CIPS is also held annually in Shanghai, at the National Exhibition and Convention Center. Here you will find more than 1500 exhibitors.
Canton Fair Phase 2 (link)
Pets are a big market and as such are indispensable at the world's largest trade fair, held twice a year in Guangzhou. Here you'll find a variety of manufacturers for everything from pet toys to modern electronics. We have shown you only some of the fairs.
On the page fairs and accommodation and link Animals & Pets Trade Show you can view and find all pet trade shows held in China.
Categories of pet products
As in all industries, pet product suppliers specialize to varying degrees in a particular category or subcategory.
The following is an overview of a few examples of categories in the pet equipment industry:
- Aquariums and accessories for fish
- Clothes and accessories for pets
- Beds and accessories for pets
- Bowls and feeders for pets
- Cages and houses for pets
- Pet Carriers and Travel Products
- Coffins and urns for pets
- Pet cleaning and care products
- Collars and leashes for pets
- Pet food
- Pet health care and accessories
- Pet toys
- Pet Training and Training Products
- Other products for pets
This division is only conditional, because there are really many different types of pets as well as products for pets. Specifically, this one was taken from the Alibaba site.
However, we would single out another newer category that includes modern technology, which includes tracking devices and other consumer electronics for pets.
It is common for a manufacturer to produce items in two or three categories. Be aware that suppliers who offer a number of unrelated product categories (ie dog cages and pet cleaners) are most likely a trading company.
Therefore, a company that deals with plastic and plastic products in 99.99% of cases will not make metal bowls and feeders.
Once you determine your niche, search for products only within that niche and products within the selected category!
Ideas for more successful sales
1. Follow the trends
You must constantly follow the trends in the world, be up-to-date and follow what are the popular innovations on the big world sites such as Amazon or Aliexpress and try to keep up with them when it comes to your product offer.
2. Follow seasonal products
Offer products that follow the seasons. For example, devices for washing dog paws are more popular in late autumn, winter or spring, while equipment for bathing a dog logically in summer. If you are ordering in bulk, with the container, make sure that you start the procurement on time, say 6 months in advance, so that you have the goods ready in the season!
3. Come up with something new
There are many ideas everywhere. Here is an idea that is not really ours (it was seen on TV), but it can be very effective. Buy a mini laser for engraving and blank plates for necklaces. With the purchase of a necklace, your customer can, for example, engrave the name of their pet for free.
4. Investments in sales
Selling small (tiny) products is ideal for starting your own business. You can create an online store for little money, or even better, use one of the existing online platforms and sell goods using fast delivery services. The money you save for renting the premises + the accompanying costs for the premises, invest in internet advertising!
5. Focus your business on a narrow niche
Choose your niche.
A niche is what you do, in this case what you sell.
For example, the best-selling products are for dogs, but there are various dogs, big and small, from shaggy and hairy, to those with short hair or no hair, then dangerous and those that are very tame. Trained and obedient and those who are not.
Pick something narrowly specialized and stick with it.
Try to have, for example, all products related to hair, grooming and grooming for a dog, or even better for grooming a specific category of dog.
These are our suggestions and our ideas for starting or improving a business by importing and selling goods from China for pets.
If you need help finding, controlling, inspecting or importing goods from China
We will be happy to help you!
