Last updated: 7/2009

ur first year!¡±
If you want to start an Import/Export business, you need to know:
7 Criteria for selecting products
6 Things you must do to clear U.S. Customs
The right shipping method for your business
Which payment structure protects you
Generate year-round income stream... even for seasonal products
Get new products alert from global suppliers
Avoid merchandise overstock with a multi-tier marketing strategy
Dear Friend,

If you'd like to get into the lucrative import export business, then this might be the most important month-by-month success roadmap you'll need.

You¡¯ve always known import export is a very lucrative business. The concept is simple ¨C buy something at low cost in one country, and sell it four, five, six times the cost in another country. Yet you¡¯ve also heard horror stories of unscrupulous suppliers abroad, horrendous customs red tape, product quality surprises, inventory overstock ¡­

Starting a new import export business is like planning a wedding. You need to become an expert in many areas all at the same time in a very short time. You have to learn how to evaluate products success rates, you have to be on top of quality issues, product packaging, Customs rules and procedures, marketing, pricing, etc ¨C all very quickly and in a very short time.

Sometimes you wish someone could just give you a step-by-step checklist of things to do. With a step-by-step guide like that, you can focus on generating sales revenues, you can focus on your customers, on expanding your business scope, as opposed to researching the pathway for pot holes and land mines.

Let me share my story. My name is Myrtha Chang. I am a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology MBA program and I run a profitable import business in Newton, MA. But I didn't start off this successful with import export.

I grew up in Singapore and came to the U.S. in 1982 for college as a foreign student. For the first twelve months, I did not, could not buy anything that wasn¡¯t mandatory college required material or supplies. Anything else that I did not absolutely need to stay alive or stay in school, I could not make myself buy because I was going through major price sticker shock! How could I pay $35 for a backpack when I know in my home country, I could get a similar item for $3? How could I pay $9.99 for 3 pairs of socks when I could get 3 dozen pairs for the same amount of money in my home country? A plain 4-legged chair for $24.95? I can get a whole rattan dining set for that amount of money.

At that time, my father in Indonesia had many connections to local Indonesian manufacturers through his work. He encouraged me to import products from Indonesia to the U.S. I definitely saw the profit potential. If you pay $1 for a widget, and can turn around and sell the widget for $5, that¡¯s a no-brainer money maker. So started our string of import-export ventures. First he exported a very popular toy from Indonesia for me to sell in the U.S., then beautiful hand-painted batik sarongs, then hands-free traditional baby carriers and so on and so on.

We had no plan, no evaluation criteria, no marketing strategy, no financial targets. Our business foundation was based on nothing more than that simple widget theory: If I buy this for $1 and I sell it for $5, won't I get rich?

No I did not get rich. What I did get was a boatload of unsold inventory. I don¡¯t remember what ever happened to the inventory. I remember being grateful that because the college student¡¯s life requires me to move from one dormitory to another, one apartment to another, I could use that as an excuse to give away those inventory I could not sell. In other words, I failed and failed and failed.

The turnaround to a successful import/export business for me was when I understood that an import export business will die if it is based on simplistic buy-low-sell-high theory.

I wrote this book, ¡°Your 1st Year in Import Export Business¡± to equip you with the other critical components of an import export business - testing, ordering, packaging, shipping, customs and most importantly, marketing - offline and online.

"Although I had been wanting to start an import business, the process seemed so intimidating. This book explains the different requirements but the best part is that it lays the tasks out month-by-month so I'm not overwhelmed."
Ruth Waworuntu, Framingham, MA

This is a 138-page ebook detailing a proven month-by-month action plan.
It is NOT a report slapped together over a weekend ...
It is NOT a compilation of recycled (or worse, plagiarized) materials; it is not a made-up story of someone who hasn't actually done it. Look at my web site: www.BaliSerena.com. I've been there, done it, and you can too.

This is an official, registered book with an ISBN number (0-9785111-0-7) . If you pick up any book at a book store, you will see the ISBN number on the back cover because bona-fide books have ISBN numbers but not an internet report disguising as a book.

Table of Contents
Why I wrote this book .............................................
Your 12-month action plan ......................................
Is this business for you? ..........................................
Month 1 Set up your business ....................................
Month 2 Decide what products to import ...................
Month 3 Test the market ...........................................
Month 4 Order your products ...................................
Month 4 (cont'd) Ship your products .........................
Month 5 Enter your products through Customs ..........
Month 6 Market and sell your products .....................
Month 7 Market your products on the web ................
Month 8 Packaging your products for retail ................
Month 9 Reality check-did the rubber meet the road?
Month 10 Analyze your marketing programs ..............
Month 11 Refine, refine and refine some more ...........
Month 12 Preparing for year 2 and beyond ...............
APPENDIX
Import/export customs forms ....................................
Online resources for importers & exporters ..............6
12
14
18
25
43
48
59
70
79
94
101
103
111
117
120

123
137

Don't start your import export business before you can confidently answer YES to all these questions.

Do you know...
if your product is a good fit for import/export? (page 25)
the most common reasons products fail to clear Customs ? (page 70)
which shipping method works best for your business? (page 59)
how to generate year-round income stream for seasonal products? (page 85)
how to get new products alert from global suppliers? (page 38)
how to avoid merchandise overstock with multi-channel marketing? (page 83)
what Customs forms you need and how to get them? (page 75)
which payment terms protect you, which protects the other party? (page 50)
Okay, so what's the cost of this incredible resource?
Well, realize that you are not just getting a book about customs procedures, nor a book on marketing nor a book on how to increase traffic to your web site, nor a book on pricing. You are getting a book covering all of the above topics.

In fact if you were to go to buy a book for each of the topic, you would be paying hundreds of dollars. And what about your time to comb through the books, and pull out the stuff that you really need to get up and running your first year?

Then you would need to work with an experienced import-export business coach to put it all together into a step-by-step 12-month action plan for $250 an hour over at least six sessions. By the time you are done, you'd be at least $1,500 in the hole.

But I¡¯m not going to charge you anywhere near that amount. In fact, your total investment for "Your First Year in Import Export Business" is only $24.95. The mistakes it will save you and the extra sales you will make will very easily pay you back many times your meager investment.

So what¡¯s the catch? Why am I giving you something for $24.95 when private training consultations and seminars run in the hundreds of dollars, even over a thousand dollars?

Well, it¡¯s really quite simple. Since you¡¯re downloading this ebook from the Internet, I have no inventory and no fulfillment costs. I don¡¯t need to pay anyone to take the orders over the phone (though you are welcome to call me at (617) 901-4564 to rest assured that I am a real person). This way I can pass along my cost savings to you. So you win and I win.

5 FREE Bonuses with your eBook

Bonus#1: Importing into the United States - A Guide for Commercial Importers.
This 124-page indispensable guide is written by the folks who will clear your goods (or not) - the U.S. Customs. Read in their own words their philosophy and goals, how they assess duty and classify value as well as details of their entry requirements. A must-read resource.

Bonus#2: Business Ethics: Managing a Responsible Business Enterprise in Emerging Market Economies
When you deal with business practices abroad, you may encounter child labor issues, corruption, practices that hurt our environment. The 10 chapters of Business Ethics are organized into five sections that answer the questions:
What is a responsible business enterprise?
What constitutes a business ethics program?
How is a business ethics program structured?
How is a business ethics program put into practice?
How can responsible business conduct be achieved?

Bonus #3: 2005 U.S. National Export Strategy
This 53-page report by the Trade Promotion Counsel identify areas of future growth for U.S. exports, highlighting seven key geographic markets and identifying industry sectors within them that are likely to experience export growth over the coming years. Read about newly negotiated and implemented free trade agreements - such as those with Chile, Singapore, Australia, and Morocco - that open new markets to U.S. exporters.

Bonus #4 The Secret to Winning Every Time
This is written by the marketing guru Jim Edwards well known for his trailer-to-riches success story. If you don't know his story, just google his name on the internet. Starting a business, like pro sports, is a mental game. Arm yourself with the right mind set.

Bonus #5: The Internet Manifesto by Internet guru Richard Schefren
Richard Schefren is the guru of gurus. His client list includes the Who's Who Internet list. This book opens your eyes to why many online businesses fail and how you can avoid the same fundamental mistakes.

If all those bonuses are not enough, here's something else....

You can't lose with our 100%, ironclad, "Better-than-risk-free" money back guarantee

I say "better-than-risk-free" because each of the 5 bonuses are yours to keep even in the unlikely event you decide to return the ebook.

That means you can try it out at my risk while you see if it helps your new import export business or not. And if it doesn¡¯t produce, I honestly want you to ask for your money back. And I¡¯ll let you keep the free bonus gifts as my way of thanking you for giving the book a try. Is that fair or what?

100% Better-Than-Risk-Free 8-Week Guarantee
I personally guarantee that if you make an honest effort to follow the month-by-month action plan for your new import-export business, you¡¯ll make up for the price of this ebook many times over. That's right - revenues you wouldn¡¯t have made or would have lost in costly mistakes if you didn¡¯t have this helpful guide. You¡¯ve got all of 8 weeks to prove to yourself this month-by-month action plan really works. But if you aren¡¯t 100% satisfied, let me know and I¡¯ll issue you an immediate, no-hassle refund right on the spot. Plus, the free bonus gifts are yours to keep regardless, just for your trouble.

There is absolutely no risk, whatsoever on your part. The burden to deliver is entirely on me. If you don¡¯t produce profits using the information then I¡¯m the loser. Not you.

Look at it this way -- $24.95 is really a painless drop in the bucket compared to the money you¡¯re going to waste on poor planning and lack of knowledge. That¡¯s why¡­

You Really Can¡¯t Afford Not To Invest In These
Proven Month-by-Month Action Plan
It¡¯s easy to get started right away. Just click here and you can have immediate access to the ebook. Get ready to set your import export business on the right track.
If you want to get into the lucrative import export business but you had been afraid of the traps and missteps in this business, then this might be the most important first step you take. Order Now on our Secure Server and try it at my risk.
If you have been thinking of getting into import export but are not 100% sure yet, this book will show you what this business is all about. And if you still decide not to get into the business, let me know and I'll issue your complete refund. Click here to order this book risk-free from our secure sever order page.
To your success,

P.S. Just think! You¡¯ll gain from my experience and not repeat common mistakes new importers make. You¡¯ll learn how to evaluate if the product you have in mind is a good one for this business. You¡¯ll learn how to set up a multi-channel marketing plan to market it. Because at the end of the day, it¡¯s about generating sales. Nothing happens until that sale.
Click here to get started with our month-by-month roadmap
P.P.S. Choosing the right product is KEY to your new business.
I use 7 criteria to evaluate if a product is a good fit or not for import/export.
I have put it together into a mini-course that you can request. FREE.
Don't jeopardize your success with a bad-fit product on the get-go.