Go Factory To Consumer (F2C) from China via e-commerce with Wilson Blues

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Update So many people interested in selling on Amazon USA from Hong Kong, we wrote up a guide Why Hong Kong is Right for your Amazon FBA business, now back to this podcast!

Update Sept 2016: We have an extensive blog post on this topic of F2C here

Interested to learn how to fulfill products directly from Chinese factories and ship to end consumers in the global market? Then today’s show is for you!

Happy 2015 everyone – going to start this year off with the most popular request from my year end survey for a F2C (factory to Consumer) show, and as always you can find the show notes on the website at GlobalFromAsia.com/episode66 as some of the products and services mentioned are Chinese names and you may not know how to spell them when listening, so I have them all linked on the site. What is F2C? It is also known as M2C (manufacturer to consumer) which is an extension of C2C which is consumer to consumer like eBay and Taobao marketplaces and B2C which is business to consumer which is a business such as an e-commerce website or an established eBay shop or Amazon.com selling to the consumer – now we have manufacturers and factories in China shipping directly from China to the end buyer’s home in middle America. It has been happening for years and I have watched it progress when first coming to China in 2007 as the shipping and logistics keeps improving.

So I got Wilson Blues on the show, a local Chinese friend of mine who I met as an organizer of Startup Weekend over the past few years and he has been making a full-time income as long as I’ve known him selling on eBay, Amazon, and his own websites products that his family factory makes – Sandals! He was a bit nervous to come on the show as English isn’t his first language, but this guy rocks! He has the experience and service providers many people keep asking for and shares openly. So without further ado, let’s jump in.

Topics Covered in this Episode

Intro Wilson
Met at Startup Weekend
English is awesome thanks for sharing, and came all the way from chaozhou, a few hours away.
Why did you decide to do e-commerce business?
How did you pick the brand name Sandalup?
What are the differences you notice selling on both eBay and Amazon
You use Paypal – how about any other payment processors or merchant accounts?
How do you fulfill your orders?
What are the shipping choices, costs, and time frames
Do customers know or care you ship from China?
Biggest challenge running your F2C business
Expansion plans for your business in 2015?

People / Companies / Resources Mentioned in this Episode

Global From Asia Survey page
C2C = Consumer to Consumer
B2C = Business to Consumer
M2C (F2C) = Manufacturer (or Factory) to Consumer
Chaozhou, China
Startup Weekend Shenzhen
Wilson’s business Sandalup.com (not online now)
eBay
Amazon
“factory mindset” – volume over margin
Paypal
Ocean payment
Widely Pay
DHL
Option 1 – Airmail via Hong Kong Post (2 – 3 weeks, with or without tracking, 2 US dollars)
Option 2 – Sino / US express – many carriers, he uses Yanwen (10 days, 6 US dollars)
Option 3 – DHL (3 – 5 days expensive, depends on country / location)
Wilson’s Linkedin
Wilson’s contact information. wilsonflamenco @ gmail.com

Episode Length 26:24

So thanks Wilson for coming on the show – I know you were nervous about doing it in English but I am sure people got a lot of value out of it – if you guys can also reach out to wilson and thank him for me, I would love that.

Also if you like the show and the content – please leave me an iTunes review – we get about 1,000 listeners a week now, and I know some have trouble using the iTunes system but it helps the show a lot and is a great way to say thanks and support the continuing of Global From Asia in 2015!

Cheers everyone and see you next week
Mike

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10 Comments on “Go Factory To Consumer (F2C) from China via e-commerce with Wilson Blues”

Russell Smith

01.09.2015 at 4:53 pm

Nice episode guys, really appreciate it. I’ve been shipping direct from China with limited success.

I find it really doesn’t translate well for Ebay / Amazon businesses as the delivery time is just too slow and you get killed in the ratings. I reckon it seems like a good option for your own eCommerce store / brand though.

Have you guys used 国际小宝 (Guo Ji Xiao Bao) or E-You Bao for shipping options? We used before, seems it can be pretty fast, cheap and tracked. Wonder if it is related to Yanwen. It’s not easy finding the exact info, not being Chinese, it seems to change.

Michael Michelini
01.14.2015 at 8:54 am
hey Russell,
so happy you enjoyed the show and thanks so much for the comment! I agree with you about shipping times from China- but somehow Wilson and these Chinese-based sellers find a way or make it work – I’ll ask Wilson to reply here too.
I haven’t heard of that shipping option… there seem to be quite a few when you dig just a bit. Hope to get Wilson’s feedback soon
1. Russell Smith
  01.14.2015 at 12:43 pm
  Right, that’s what I’m talking about.
  There are all these options that locals have access to that as a foreigner it’s harder to find. Factories and businesses can get deals with post services and I think the Gov’t even subsidises in certain cases. The deals seem to vary from province to province too. I’m sure SZ / GZ / DG is one of the best places.
  It would be cool if we could uncover some of these for people to have access to.
  I know we were using Guo Ji Xiao Bao and E-You Bao directly out of Jiang Su to USA for like 7-10RMB tracked, small package 7-10 days.
  1. Michael Michelini
    01.14.2015 at 1:59 pm
    True that, lets uncover these hidden gems for westerners like us!!
    When we getting you in a future episode!?! 🙂
    Get updates on my newsletter
    https://www.globalfromasia.com/subscribe
    1. Russell Smith
      01.14.2015 at 2:19 pm
      Sounds good man! See what Wilson can uncover about the two I mentioned… they may have moved on / evolved / become unavailable…
      As for podcast… let’s do it when I arrive in SZ later in the year!