I received a lot of emails when I was a procurement officer talking about buying accessories from China. Typically, the questioners are newbies and small business owners who are involved in the gold niche market. They asked me a number of questions about Chinese accessories in the email, including where to find suppliers of wholesale jewelry, how to import jewelry to the United States, the best jewelry to import from China. They're trying to see Google's answer. But sadly, Google search does not find the right solutions, which is really bad. I put their questions and the answers I shared in this article to help more of these confused people, hoping people will find more useful information on how to import jewelry from China on Google search results. If you have the same question, then thank you for finding the solution to your puzzle here. Let's dive right into it. We've got a quick view of the main structure of the full content before we start.
Lots of customers asked a few months ago to help them import jewelry products via emails from China. Because with its advantages of high value, small volume, low shipping costs, and high profit, they think this product nitch is pretty promising. But in this field, few of them have sufficient experience. When I searched how to import jewelry from China on Google, helpful articles were not published, so I write this article. Regardless of whether you buy online jewelry from China or visit China in person, this article will be very informative and useful.
Chapter 1: Why Import Jewelry from China?
I don't know what adjectives come up in your head as people talk about jewels. But for me, lightweight, small volume, unique styles, and high value... First of all, these came from my head. To people who use accessories in their daily lives, such terms may not mean much. Still, they all send a valuable message to a smart business person that silver is a good niche market, particularly for newcomers.
- A) Lightweight and small volume means that, even in large quantities, jewelry can be easily transported.
- B) Unique styles make it easy to make changes to your method of jewelry, making them different from your competitors. As we all know, customers are more attracted by the unique jewelry.
- C) A high value means that you can make a substantial profit mainly by importing jewelry from China.
You're a lucky man. Because in China, jewelry's wholesale price is often very cheap, but in your country, the retail price may be expensive. You can choose to import jewelry from around the world, but it has a unique advantage to import jewelry from China. The jewelry industry in China is so well developed that in Yiwu International Wholesale Market, you can find nearly every jewelry accessory supply for jewelry making. The cost of jewelry is not high for the part of the raw materials due to the easy access to raw materials. It is expressed primarily in computing engineering. It will be a bit expensive for some diamond-encrusted accessories, like the earrings below. Part of the cost is labor for these rhinestone earrings, as the diamonds on these earrings need to be digitally polished one by one. This consists of handmade jewelry, so the price can be somewhat lower than the regular earrings. But on a global scale, the wholesale price of Chinese silver is still very cheap. After all, China has a large population and cheap labor. Do you know, there is a population of nearly 1.4 billion in China, what a crowded country it is!
Chapter 2: 5 Mian Jewelry Importing Channels
Alibaba.com
If you've ever imported goods from China, you've learned about the Chinese Alibaba website because it's the cradle where every business person who wants to buy products from China starts reading about the items. Alibaba has more than 5,000 accessories vendors. You can quickly gain information about Chinese jewelry through alibaba.com, as long as you have internet access, even if you're in the Arctic Pole. A lot of fashionable jewelry designs can be found on the website of Alibaba. Please note, however, that Alibaba's rates and MOQ were scribbled by the sellers, which is not reference quality. This is just a marketing tool, and buyers can quickly catch the eye of the retailer. Although the cost is not necessary, for specific product details if you have a look in mind, you can still send mail directly to the retailer. The retailer will be pleased in your inbox to connect with you.
The AliExpress best-seller section will provide you with some useful information about the best jewelry to import. Another cool thing about this website is that goods with lower MOQs can be imported. And the products are very affordable, to top them all. Importers can also export from Alibaba in this class. It's a great way to get products to the source. You can find suppliers here who are going to sell you jewelry accessories at low prices. One of the most essential steps to build a successful online business as an importer of jewelry is to find a reliable supplier that can provide you with nothing but the best products. And to make things better, Alibaba's MOQs for jewelry accessories are now smaller, which for start-up importers is quite high.
Made-in-China.com
Besides Alibaba, you can also check out Made in China, AKA MIC. It's a B2B site like Alibaba, but not as famous as Alibaba, with a relatively small number of suppliers around 2000+. But it doesn't stop you from finding the right suppliers of wholesale jewelry. Product information on MIC is more authentic, including price and MOQ. Nonetheless, I suggest you contact the manufacturer by email to access the most reliable product information. MIC will have a lot of factory capital, and their MOQ is usually higher than that of Alibaba. Whether you're using Alibaba or MIC in particular, you can always find your supplier, but you never really know your supplier's power. So before the bulk order is determined, you’d better collect the samples from various suppliers and decide the next step of purchasing plan after you receive samples.
B2C Website, Such as Dhgate, Aliexpress, and Personal Websites
If you start your jewelry business, then at the very beginning, I don't suggest that you look for suppliers on Alibaba. Because of the MOQ problem, you can't often meet the suppliers ' requirements, so it's hard to work with them. Even if you can find a vendor who is willing to work on a small number of MOQs with you, it will take a long time. You should pay more attention to your store's marketing in the early stages. To find your jewelry supplier, the right thing to do is visit Dhgate, Aliexpress, or some other personal website. All of these channels are B2C services aimed directly at the end-user so that the cost can be a little lower. But the good thing is that you can even cooperate with them in the form of dropshipping. It allows you to quickly test whether your customers will like the product or not.
Please note that the jewelry provided in this way is generally non-customizable, meaning you can choose only from the styles that already exist in their stores. You can't ask them to customize it for you. If you find your products popular with customers after a period of testing, then to reduce costs, you may consider finding the same product on Alibaba or MIC and importing it for retail at wholesale prices in bulk to your country. You can be sure to find wholesalers or manufacturers for your products with over 6000 + distributors in China selling millions of accessories. If you can't find the same product, look at a similar factory and send it to your style. They’ll be happy to help you customize your jewelry.
Sourcing Company
If you don't think you can get right suppliers on your own and seeking suppliers can be a waste of time, you could ask for help from a sourcing firm that can be your supplier in China. They are going to help you, screen suppliers, confirm samples, monitor production, inspect goods, and send them to your country. You only have to pay a certain percentage of the service fee for all of these. Their service fee would usually be equal to the total amount you buy, which means that the larger quantities you purchase, the smaller the service fee rate you pay. Helping you save time in search of suppliers is the most significant advantage of sourcing a company.
Jewelry Exhibition
If you don't like Internet purchases and want to locate the suppliers of fashion accessories, then the best way to partake in some jewelry shows is to fly directly to China. You can search online for information on these exhibitions. You will select products directly from vendors at the exhibition, gather their catalogs, and contact details. I need to remind you that this channel requires you to personally fly to China, so you should collect more information about the exhibition you want to attend on the website before you arrive. For instance, where is the hall of the show? How to get from the airport to the pavilion? Where is living near the exhibition hall convenient? Looking for suppliers through this channel is like traveling to a famous scenic spot in China. As long as you can get a detailed plan ahead of time, I believe you will be able to harvest the best wholesale jewelry suppliers at the exhibition.
Local Jewelry Wholesale Market
If you come to China to take part in the exhibition, then after the presentation, I do not recommend that you return directly to the country. You can go to the wholesale market for accessories in China for a look. If you can't find a suitable supplier at the show, then I think you'll undoubtedly gain something from the wholesale market in China's jewelry. The wholesale market for silver is much more competitive than the exhibition. You can always find some unique jewelry as long as you take the time to walk around the different booths on the market. Imagine that the jewelry you bought is unique and can never be found by your competitors. It's going to help your business grow. In China, the wholesale market for silver is mainly concentrated in Yiwu, Guangzhou, and Qingdao. And each market has its characteristics.
Yiwu Wholesale Market
When you come to Yiwu, the Yiwu Wholesale Market can't be missed. Yiwu Wholesale Market is a broad wholesale market where you can import at wholesale prices any item you need. Yiwu Wholesale Market's jewelry zone is primarily focused on Floor 2, District 1. You can find a wide range of trendy jewelry here, including hair accessories, earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets, pendants... I have to say there is only jewelry you can't think of, but you can't find any jewelry at all. Usually, the jewel in the wholesale market of Yiwu is in stock, which means that as long as you choose a style, even a dozen can be sold. This is a significant advantage over the other channel's MOQ. Rich and varied styles and quality are the power of Yiwu's jewelry products, lower prices than Guangzhou jewelry. And it is more convenient to buy from the Yiwu market. Whereas, its drawbacks are: the systemic rate of vendors is more competitive than Guangzhou; the bulk of models and layouts are imitative, the poor quality of goods with depressed costs.
Yiwu market is rich in jewelry wear, plenty of designs, and low prices. At the same time, the drawback is that the suppliers ' overall level is more economical than Guangzhou. Most of the styles and designs are not original, so be sure to pay attention to products for imitation. Some people will answer that the quality of Yiwu products is diminished. That's one-sided. In Yiwu Wholesale Market, you can easily find cheap pieces of jewelry. But if you're pursuing the lowest price, it won't be suitable for the quality of the products you buy. You will have a subjective opinion on the price level of your product after you have asked a lot of suppliers. Your supplier's quoted price is well below this level of pay, so he must have used inferior materials, so the cost is not high, and the price is naturally low. But the worst is the quality of these products. Therefore, it is an unwise move to pursue the lowest price on the Yiwu market!
Guangzhou Jewelry Wholesale Market
The Xijiao Tower, Liwan Square, and the International Commodity Market in South China are Guangzhou's most popular jewelry markets. The wholesale market of Guangzhou's jewelry is not as complicated as Yiwu. The production is also reasonably competent. Since their position is very close, the jewelry industry in Guangzhou has been led up from Hong Kong. So the most creative and nearest to the global fashion trend are the jewelry models and crafts of Guangzhou. Yiwu company jewelry people usually go to Guangzhou to buy some new techniques and then manufacture accordingly. The maturity of the jewelry industry in Guangzhou makes it higher in quality than in other cities. But the MOQ of Guangzhou’s suppliers usually is higher, which means Guangzhou is not suitable for small-quantity importers (hundreds of units of one item). Except you are their old customer, they may help to do some occasional small orders.
- A) By visiting the Xijiao Building, you can find high-quality and reasonably priced wholesale fashion jewelry. It's on the Guangzhou Railway Station's side, and you can find it easily.
- B) You should not miss the Tsuen Wan Plaza if you are interested in rhinestone jewelry or silver jewelry. Here's the largest and most professional crystal jewelry wholesaler in China.
- C) If you have no ideas, go to the South China Commodity Market, and I'm sure you're going to find some inspiration there!
Regardless of which jewelry wholesale market you are visiting, you will consider Guangzhou Jewelry's style and model to be the most creative and close to global fashion trends. In the past, several types of jewelry on the wholesale market in Yiwu are based on Guangzhou's jewelry theme. I want to share a little story with you here. When the internet was underdeveloped, many business people from Yiwu went to Guangzhou to buy some of the latest jewelry styles, then brought them back to Yiwu to reproduce them, and then sold them on the Yiwu wholesale. But now the Yiwu businessmen are no longer doing this, so where do their ideas come from? I am thinking of introducing this part to a new post.
Qingdao Jewelry Wholesale Market
Qingdao's jewelry on the Korean market is often trendy, and here you can find the Korean wholesale jewelry market. Qingdao is very similar to South Korea, and even many jewelry factories were established in Qingdao by Korean jewelry firms. Most of Qingdao's jewelry is, therefore, some jewelry in the Korean style, and the quality is excellent. The Sino-Korea International Commodities Market and Jimo Limited Commodities Market are among Qingdao's retail jewelry markets. Qingdao is located in northeastern China, meaning that it is very similar to Korea. Several Korean jewelry manufacturers have been drawn to set up factories there. Hence the primary product is Korean style jewelry, and the quality usually is high. Jewelry wholesale market also can be found in Qingdao, and the most popular two among them are Sino-Korea International Commodities market and Jimo Small Commodities market.
Chapter 3: 2 Typical Jewelry Importers
The one with their model in hopes of finding a cooperative processing plant. These importers are usually some of the most prominent well-known brands in the world, such as Wal-Mart. They're going to have their design drafts and are high supplier requirements. Generally speaking, only large jewelry manufacturers in China can work with them to meet their different import and creation needs for jewelry. If you're just a foreign distributor or an independent brand website, then you don't have to waste time searching for these essential manufacturers. On the other side, finding them is tough for you. The minimum order size, on the other hand, is often tiny. In this situation, you can go to the retail jewelry market to check for different vendors to help you make minor changes to their original items to suit your design needs. As I described above, most importers, including suppliers, propose new styles, their primary purpose when visiting jewelry fairs is also to select new techniques. But how are suppliers of Chinese jewelry getting their product designs?
Most large-scale factories have their designers, taking the new styles of some top international fashion brands as a reference, then adding their idea and revising, creating a unique style of their own, then recommending it to customers. They also choose beautiful forms from the complete orders of big customers to be taken as a reference, introduce other importers with/without their review. Middle and small suppliers who can't afford to have their individual designers usually go to Guangzhou and Qingdao to buy samples of new styles, then copy to customers ' designs.
For example, if you want to make a triangular silver earring, you can find the silver jewelry supplier directly, and then find in their store a similar triangle earring. Finally, what you need to do is explain how to customize for a small change with the supplier. Based on your needs, the manufacturer will help you deliver. Such manufacturers have the benefit that they typically have a large workspace of more than ten men. Therefore, as their production capacity is limited, the order quantity will not be very high. But they can provide excellent service to your requirements. The one who doesn't know which style to buy, hoping the typical method will be found. Another sort of supplier's business model is to keep up with the market, and most of the items that they need are in inventory. They're going to buy a little bit of what the supplier's got in the house. If you're such an importer, Alibaba will help you solve the issue of demand. If you want to travel to China, then you can go straight to China's retail jewelry market, instead of giving priority to attending the fair, as this will help you more effectively finish your purchasing strategy.
Chapter 4: Jewelry Shipping When Wholesale from China
The jewelry's size is small, so you don't have to think about the amount of shipping. The most common way of transporting jewelry on the Yiwu market is usually international express delivery such as FedEx, UPS, DHL... Because the jewelry is quickly updated and has high timeliness requirements. The best choice is the worldwide express distribution. Nevertheless, sea transportation is still the most economical option for a large number of importers. Even though the sea shipping time is extended, experienced importers will calculate the hot selling period and then place the order two months in advance. One month to produce the supplier, and the other month to offset the shipping time. But you need to pay attention to one more thing. International express shipping costs are still relatively expensive, so I suggest you don't even use international express if your jewelry profit margin isn't huge. In this situation, importers tend to buy as many jewelry as possible to meet the minimum criteria for the restructuring of maritime freight. And to ship goods by sea, they use the LCL system. This is an excellent way to send, as well. Most importers often choose this form of shipping to extend their needs when there are no burdensome delivery time requirements.
Air Freight
If you are importing a large product that is too large for couriers, let's say a shipment of 500 kg, air shipment may be the best method of shipping for you. Airfreight provides a lower cost to importers compared to what courier companies are charging for large purchases. This option is not for light cargo importers. Terms and control of security are tighter, and transit time depends on the schedule of the airline. But in 2-10 days, you can expect to receive your delivery, which is not bad. Therefore, importers need to know that when the products arrive at the airport of origin, there is extra work involved. You’ll have to handle customs clearance and other documentation on your own (unlike with courier companies). This may be a callous process for newbies.
Sea Freight
Although shipment can take a very long time to arrive, it can hold a significant amount of jewelry items and goods. It helps to reduce prices. Depending on the destination, transportation time usually takes 15-30 days. What most experienced importers do is place their orders a couple of months early. Doing this will ensure that they get their shipment soon enough for the fashion season. It will also allow the importers to offset the sea's long waiting time.
Shipping
There are two terms you need to be familiar with:
- FCL – Full Container Load
- LCL – Less (than) Container Load
But you can choose either FCL or LCL if you are a famous importer or the delivery is between 8cbm and 15cbm. It's up to the case. Today, when you buy more than 15cbm, FCL is your only option. Just like air freight, if you ship jewels from China, you'll have to comply with paperwork and customs clearance. Importers must also be responsible for delivering supplies to their store or factory from the terminal. Sea shipping is quite economical, mainly if you are cool with logistics management, customs clearance, and other paperwork that is required. It is also the best way for large bulk orders to be done.