Do you think of starting a business in Malawi?
But you are not sure what business to start
Or you are simply looking for new business ideas that require low capital
Read on
I will share with you one exciting business opportunity in Malawi
By the end of this article, you’ll learn one viable online business that you can start in Malawi
It is called online business
That is a business which is done over the internet, of course with some modifications to fit the country-specific
You might already know, there are unique businesses that are done online.
In this blog, I will dwell much on one specific kind. It is a business that you order goods from China online without going there.
It is an exciting business.
It’s one of the fast-growing businesses in Malawi.
As more efficient online payment options are penetrating the Malawi economy, selling online will be very common and more profitable.
Therefore, now is the right time to venture into it and make a name.
The unique thing about ordering goods online from China to sell in Malawi is that it requires less capital than you would think. Yet it gives more room for steady business growth.
Why import from China?
Great question
Answer; because more of the households and institutional items found in Malawi are made in China.
Malawi imports most of its merchandise directly or indirectly from China.
Verify this statement yourself. Just check your wardrobe, kitchen, entertainment equipment, cosmetic store, or go check lab equipment at telecommunications companies, hospitals, and industrial laboratories.
China produces most of what the Malawian market can afford. Unlike China, products made in the USA, UK, Germany, and Italy are expensive for most people in Malawi. This is the reason the online business ordering goods from China to sell in Malawi is most viable and sustainable.
Having looked at the background information, let’s have the specific details on how to start the business of ordering goods online in easy steps.
First Step: Identify a need,
Identify a hot selling product that is in demand where you are. This is a key step because all the other steps mainly depend on it. If there is market demand, there is a business opportunity. Ensure that you choose a fast-selling product to maximize capital gains.
Second Step: Search for the product,
Go to your preferred Chinese website such as Alibaba .com or 1688. com.
Search on the website for the desired product.
Find quality products that are affordable.
If searching a product on a website that is in Chinese, use translating tools to change the page language into English.
Also, instead of searching for product names, use pictures. For instance, instead of you typing ‘shoes’, instead, use a picture of a shoe. This helps to get less filtered results.
Third Step: Contact the shopping agent
After finding the product, contact a shipping agent.
The agent act as a middleman who helps make payment on your behalf to the Chinese supplier. This is important if you’re shopping on a website that does not accept direct payment from outside China. So they require that you send payment to the agent, who then pays the supplier.
Agents charge a fee between 5% to 10% of the total purchase.
Another role of the agent is to facilitate the shipping process and quality inspection of the items purchased.
Shipment of goods from China to Malawi can either through air or sea. Air shipping is faster, usually taking 9 -14 days. On the other hand is sea shipping, which takes about 60 days for goods to arrive in the country.
Sea shipping is cheaper and convenient for heavy goods, low-value, and high-volume goods.
Air shipping is convenient for high-value- low-weight products.
Fourth Step: Tax clearance and Collection
The fourth step is custom clearance with MRA. Once the goods are cleared, they can be collected. And be ready for sale.
Usually, when shipping parcels through Air express like FedEx and DHL, tax is prepaid before they send the goods. Here, once goods arrive, you collect them directly from the express companies premises without you going to do clearance at MRA.
It is vital to know the taxes applicable to the goods you import. Knowing taxes in advance helps to estimate the landing cost of the shipped items in advance.
Well, the steps outlined above once followed will help you shop and ship goods from China to Malawi without going there.
However, to start a profitable and sustainable business, there are few more things to consider. In the next paragraphs, I put forward a few of them.
Market demand
As pointed before, market demand is the key to business. Only order products that have a readily available market. Or products which you may penetrate the market easily after you introduce them. Avoid the mistake to buy online goods which are not in demand.
Passion
Invest in products that you are passionate about. Sell what you love. Every business comes with challenges. It is the passion that propels business people forward, even when business is slow. If you have a passion for the products you sell, it will be easier to sell and sustain the business in the long run.
Understand the products
Apart from identifying the market need and having a passion for a particular niche, it’s equally vital to fully understand the products that you sell.
A deep understanding of your products helps you to source quality goods and is becoming a bonus in marketing.
Especially when you are to sell the products to new clients who may need to learn more about the product before they buy.
If you haven’t used the product, google research and customer reviews may help you learn more about your product. Well, there isn’t much to learn if ordering shoes, but if ordering cosmetics cameras or medical equipment you’ll need to know specific specs of the products.
Niche out and aggressive marketing.
Lastly, on the list is choosing a market niche. Right from the start, choose which area of the market to play your trade.
Avoid the temptation of being a general dealer. Build a brand around a selected product, then increase buying volumes.
An increase in buying volume will give the advantage of buying at cheaper rates (higher MOQ) which in return will bring you more profits.
Summary
In the post above, I have described the steps required to start an online business in Malawi. The market opportunity is still enormous, hence, there is enough chance for everyone to venture into such kind of business.
For more details, get the Online Shopping from China and USA to Malawi PDF book. In the book, I describe each step in more depth and further discuss areas necessary to scale up the business.
Use the details below to buy your copy of the book
