How To Import Goods From China To Nigeria

Nigeria is currently one of the biggest importing countries in the world. As such, many of the products consumed are sourced from overseas.

China, on the other hand, is the biggest exporting country in the world. More than 50% of goods consumed in Nigeria are directly or indirectly imported from China.

One of the major reasons why China is the most patronized exporting country among Nigerians is that Chinese goods are way cheaper compared to products gotten from Europe, America and the likes.

Plus, it’s easier, and safer to import from China to Nigeria than from most other non-African nations.

However, the fact that China is best when it comes to importation doesn’t mean there are no or little hurdles involved.

In fact, with Nigeria’s strict rules and regulations on importation, it’s not easy to import any goods from other countries as there are lots of procedures involved. In addition, there are different checks and balances you need to look into as well.

Now the question is, how do I get started? What are the procedures? Read on to learn more.

Here are some vital information on some of the procedures required to ship goods from China to Nigeria.

Importing Goods From China To Nigeria: A Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Determine What Kinds of Goods You Want To Import

The very first thing you do as a newbie in China importation is to make decisions on the kinds of goods you want to import. You don’t just pick up something just like that simply because the price is cheap or based on fantasy.

It’s advisable that you carry out a survey on which types of goods are scarce yet so much in demand. It should be something that’s uncommon but people like to have it. Take that as my own piece of cake for you.

Products like small kitchen electronics like electric blenders, toasters, mixers, rice cookers, etc will sell well. Also, electronics like laptops and palmtops will also sell well. You can do otherwise if you are starting with so much money.

After your survey and checks, make a list of goods you think can earn you more profits. If you have limited resources, choose the most profitable one among them. If you have much more, go for all.

Step 2: Choose Your Merchants

After carefully picking out some of the goods you wish to import into Nigeria from China, the next step is to choose merchants that sell them.

You don’t have to fly down to China to do anything, but if you have the money, it’s okay. You can select from a list of merchants on different Chinese e-Commerce platforms like Alibaba, AliExpress, or Wish. They all have verified merchants who sell these things on their website.

Step 3: Bargaining With Merchants

Next is to start negotiating with different Chinese merchants to see which one fits correctly into your deal.

Perhaps you’re curious to know how these merchants can be trusted? Well, the truth is, most of these platforms are well known and trusted globally. As such, all merchants are properly scrutinized before they are allowed on these platforms.

But, if you’re still in doubt, you can make use of escrow, or better still, once you’ve bergained with a particular merchant. Start buying in small quantities from the merchant, increase the quantity gradually. That way, you can gain their trust.

You can as well check reviews from other customers about a particular merchant to see if there are more positives than negatives.

Before you finally strike a deal with any merchant, the shipping method is one important thing to consider. Although your merchant is in charge of this, you should also be aware of the providers they use. UPS and DHL are considered the safest and fastest when it comes to shipping from China to Nigeria.

However, their prices are very high. It may cost you extra expenses, which may in turn influence your selling price in Nigeria. Once your goods have arrived at the Nigerian ports, you take charge of the transportation expenses to your final destination.

Key Takeaways

Importing goods to Nigeria often comes with lots of hassles due to the stringent rules and regulations guiding goods importation into the Nigerian ports.

The shipping company and yourself have lots of licenses and permits to obtain before you can start bringing goods from China.

Plus, once your goods reach Nigerian ports, they will have to be licensed and inspected by agencies like the Nigerian Port Authority, National Bureau of Standards, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, and the Customs service. So, you need to be ready for the hurdles and expenses it will incur.

Bottom Line

Importing goods from China is much easier than from other Non-African countries. Not minding the expenses to be paid to several agencies, if your goods are in high demand in Nigeria, you will still make enough profits as goods from China are relatively cheap.

Feel free to drop comments if you have any questions, observations, compliments, or additions to this post.