Which is easier to do, importing or foreign trade agency? Come and share your experience!
Solved#Import agent#
I recently want to get involved in the field of import and export trade. At present, I'm whether to directly do import business or choose to do foreign trade agency. If I directly do importing, it seems that I have strong autonomy, but I may face more risks; doing foreign trade agency seems relatively easier, but I'm also worried that it's not easy to find customer resources. Are there any knowledgeable friends who can analyze this for me? Which is easier to do, importing or foreign trade agency? Please mainly talk about it from aspects such as business difficulty, risk, and profit model. Thank you.
Professional consultant answers
Amanda YangYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Cost control consultantConsult
Both importing and foreign trade agency have their own characteristics, and it's difficult to simply determine which one is easier to do. In terms of business difficulty, importing requires handling numerous links, such as overseas purchasing, transportation, customs clearance, etc., and each link has professional requirements; foreign trade agency mainly provides services for customers, with the focus on understanding customer needs and market conditions, and it requires high interpersonal skills and market sensitivity.
In terms of risks, the risks of import business are concentrated on goods, exchange rates, policies, etc.; while for foreign trade agency, the main risk is customer default. In terms of profit model, importing makes profits from commodity price differences, and the profit margin may be large but the uncertainty is high; foreign trade agency makes profits from collecting agency fees, and the income is relatively stable but the scale is limited. If you have rich resources, strong anti-risk ability, and are familiar with international trade processes, importing may be more suitable; if you have a wide network of contacts, are good at communicating, and don't want to bear too many risks, foreign trade agency is a good choice.
Jennifer WangYears of service：4Customer Rating：5.0
Market development consultantConsult
For importing, you have to find your own sources of goods, control the quality, and also worry about transportation and other things. There are many things to do. Foreign trade agency mainly connects with customers and does things according to their requirements. It's relatively not that complicated, but you have to have customer resources. If there are few customers, you won't earn much from agency fees.
Emily LiuYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Settlement and payment expertConsult
Doing importing requires a large upfront investment and ties up a lot of funds. If the goods are unsalable or encounter any unexpected situations, you will suffer heavy losses. As long as the customers of foreign trade agency are reliable, the general risk is small. It's just that the competition is fierce, and it's not easy to attract customers.
William YangYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0
International logistics consultantConsult
If the import business is done well, the profit is high. After all, you directly control the goods. Foreign trade agency is less flexible. You have to do what the customers require, and you also have to constantly pay attention to market changes, otherwise customers are easy to lose.
Sarah ZhangYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Document expertConsult
For importing, you have to have your own channels and teams to handle various problems. For foreign trade agency, as long as you focus on service and help customers solve problems, but it's also difficult to stand out among many peers.
Michelle ChenYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Business coordination consultantConsult
Importing may face various trade barriers and policy changes, and it's troublesome to deal with them. Foreign trade agency is more about coordinating and communicating. As long as you have strong communication skills and handle customer relationships well, you can also develop stably.
Joseph ZhouYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior foreign trade managerConsult
Importing has high requirements for cash flow. From purchasing to collecting payment from sales, the capital chain cannot be broken. Foreign trade agency has relatively less capital pressure. It depends on the volume. Only when there are more customers can you earn more from agency fees.
Andrew HuangYears of service：7Customer Rating：5.0
Supply chain optimization expertConsult
For importing, you have to establish your own brand and market. The difficulty is high, but once successful, the earnings are lasting. Foreign trade agency follows customer needs and is relatively passive. You also have to be careful that customers are snatched away by peers.
Elizabeth LiYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Compliance and risk managerConsult
The import business involves overseas market research, supply chain management, etc., and the complexity is high. Foreign trade agency mainly focuses on service and market promotion to attract customers. It's just that sometimes customers' requirements are too harsh and it's also a headache.
David LiYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Senior customs declaration consultantConsult
If you can cooperate with high-quality suppliers when doing importing and get good goods, the profit is. Foreign trade agency is afraid of encountering unreliable customers who delay paying agency fees or change their minds suddenly, which will affect the earnings.