Where and how to buy things like eyelashes sound easy. However, these things need critical and technical thinking. Do not be content right away without confirming items to be correct.
There are different places to buy eyelashes from China. These include Taobao, 1688, Alibaba, and Aliexpress. You should also consider shipping arrangements and quality checks for the best experience.
Do you want to know how to get high-quality eyelash products for your customers? If yes, we recommend reading the entire article. Who knows? You may also save a lot from this.
Where to Buy Lashes from China?
If you think buying from local stores causes you inconvenience, online stores are there to serve you. If you are near China or understand Chinese, Taobao and 1688 may be your primary option. If you are from overseas, you will never hesitate to consider Alibaba and Aliexpress.
Taobao
One of the largest retail platforms in China, where almost everyone buys on the platform。
It is one of the leading online marketplaces of Alibaba. It was established right after the emergence of Eachnet by eBay. But It’s regret that it is a retail platform.
Alipay is the primary payment method in Taobao. However, they started accepting international payments through Visa, MasterCard, and other types of credit and debit cards in 2012.
If you want to buy wholesale products, Below is one of your choices.
1688
One of the largest wholesale platforms in China，A lot of Ebay, amazon Chinese sellers are in the above goods and then resell.
1688 is another popular online marketplace in China. The company is a sister website of Alibaba. The primary goal is to cater to clients having eyelash business as well.
Anyone can do bulk buying in theB2B industry (1). Therefore, you can save a lot of money from here.
Alipay is also their most paying method.
Alibaba
Alibaba is also a Chinese B2B company. It is an excellent choice for buying different things for business, including eyelashes. Indeed, it is where Taobao started, and a partner of 1688.
Unlike the two websites mentioned above, Alibaba caters to overseas clients. There are automatic translations on the website based on your location.
Payment: Support 60+ countries local currency, 25+ currencies, support 7 primary global payment methods.
Many payment methods are supported, like a credit card, T/T, L/C, D/P, Western Union, Boleto, PayPal, Apple pay, Google Pay, Online Transfer, and other payment methods.
Pay with Low payment cost.
Aliexpress
Aliexpress is sometimes also called AliExpress. It is also a Chinese-owned Ecommerce platform catering to international clients and customers. The company started as a B2B website. However, they expanded in becoming aB2C marketplace (2).
Lately, Aliexpress allows regular, independent individuals to sell products as well. We can now classify the platform as aC2C business (3). Being a company with a wide coverage and improvement, it gives more flexibility to entrepreneurs.
Payment Method: Bank transfer, Credi Card, Paypal multi-way method.
How to Buy Lashes from China?
Taobao and 1688 are fantastic ways to buy things from China if you want to buy them yourself.
However, if you want to shop with Taobao and 1688, there is an effective way：
Sometimes people outside of China ask their suppliers for help to buy things from Taobao or 1688. You can also try this way. or Hire people in Upwork or Fiver who can do this job. Pay them in USD, and they can handle it.
Whatever platform you want to use for buying lashes from China, the process is relatively similar. The following are the fundamental steps you shall consider:
1: Register account
Any platform will require you to create an account before you can purchase items. It will ask you to provide your personal information, such as your name and personal email. Address is also important for the shipment.
Of course, theecommerce platform(4) will also ask for information related to the payment system of your choice. It can be your credit card or debit card credentials, bank information, and others. For B2B platforms, they may also ask for verification that you are a business owner. Failing to provide their requirements will not let you have a complete profile.
2: Connect with Account
After creating your account with your chosen platform, You can download an App on your desktop and your phone: trademanager(6).
Make sure to stay logged in so that you can receive real-time messages from your multi suppliers. You will only need a username or email and password for logging in for most platforms.
3: Communicate and Pay Samples
As you browse items or packages, you may want to check each seller’s profile. You may wish to check onsite reviews from other clients like you. As you go along, you may start communicating with possible suppliers. Often, you can send them a message directly using the platform’s messaging system or trademanager.
Try to ask for images and videos of their products and packages available as much as you can. Videos are more recommended because it is less prone to editing manipulation. Afterward, you can make arrangements with the seller for samples.
You will only pay for a few sets of lashes by this time, letting such things serve as a sample product. Afterward, you are free to decide whether they will be your supplier or not.
4: Buy Mass orders in the future
You can repeat the third step when necessary. When satisfied, you may start buying more bulk lashes from them. If that meets your needs, you may also want to buy from different sellers simultaneously.
We writed before about how to buy lashes from aliexpress and Alibaba, You can refer to this:
How Can I Buy Lashes From Alibaba In 7 Steps?
Beginners Guide To Buying Eyelashes From Aliexpress?
How to Arrange Shipping for Lashes?
Having specific arrangements regarding shipping makes more sense if you want to save money. However, shipping arrangements may differ on the type of platform you wish to purchase your supplies.
For Taobao and 1688
Compared to the two other platforms mentioned, ordering and shipping purchased products slightly differ in Taobao and 1688. As these two platforms are only available in China. so you won’t be able to purchase directly from those websites, So you can do this:
Find A Shipping Agent In China, Combine Shipping
Ashipping agent(5) will be helpful if you are ordering out from China.
They can buy the products you need on Taobao and 1688. They can translate Chinese to English if necessary. they can communicate for you if you have any quality problems, Most importantly, they can help you ship items from China to your current address.
If you buy products from different suppliers, You can combine all the packages in one agent to save cost.
But there are some things in the communication process that you should be aware of：
- Ask for Shipping and Service Costs.
Service cost is one of the considerations you should consider when choosing an agent. You do not want to go with an extremely low price only for the sake of savings. You also do not want to pay for a high cost without meeting your entire needs. With that, you should also weigh in the value exchange for the price they charge.
To verify the service value, you should communicate with your agent comprehensively. Determine all the included services. If not, all are met, one can make arrangements with reasonable charges.
- Be Sure to ask How Many Days for the Free Warehouse Storage Time.
Don’t forget to ask the agent how many free days in the warehouse they can provide. How much will they charge for the warehouse cost?
- Ask for the Shipping Time.
One of the service inclusions you may want to check is the duration of the shipment processes. It may affect your business operation, especially since customers are highly sensitive when delivering.
- Ask for Video When They received your Package.
You can ask your shipping agent for the video on how they do the shipping processes. Included in the video are the samples of packaging. It should not feature any damage both on the box and on the items inside.
- Confirm How much will you need to pay for the Import Tax
Every country or state has its own implementation of import tax. The total amount may vary from one place to another because of such a phenomenon. The best way to determine the tax cost is through your Customs department or Custom official website.
- Ask for the Package Pictures Or Videos Before Shipping
You already asked for videos regarding samples of packaging on the previous step. However, asking for pictures of packages to be shipped also offers security.
To avoid conflict with suppliers and agents when you receive a package and find quality problems, You need to make sure the package problems were not caused by the agent. So asking for pictures and videos is safe, especially for the lash box or lash tray. Keep eyes on if you also buy makeup powder, eye shadow or glass products, or easily shaped products.
Asking them to provide video or pictures is the wisest choice. Tell the agent why you need this; they will surely understand and don’t want to get into such trouble.
For Alibaba and Aliexpress
If you choose Alibaba and Aliexpress, here are the steps you should take.
1. Confirm Shipping Costs With Suppliers
You do not need a shipping agent for Alibaba and Aliexpress. Often, the supplier can determine the shipping payment. To verify the cost specific to your location, you may use the messaging system of your chosen platform.
2. Confirm The Import Tax With Your Local Custom
As stated earlier, import tax varies from one state or country. You can visit the website of your state’s customs department.
How To Check The Quality Of Strip Lashes
You must get high-quality products because it will affect your business. Even the quality of the packaging may also give you a preview of its contents. Of course, quality somehow says about the quality of the service you availed. Now, here are the things you can do to further ensure that you get a high-end package.
1. Confirm No Damage Of The Outer Box
For the initial quality check, examine the packaging. If you can find certain damages, there is a probability that the items inside were already affected.
2. Take Pictures Of Package box
Take pictures of the packages. You can use that, especially if you want to complain about the quality out of inconsistency.
3. Verify Inside Package
Next is checking items inside the package. Check each item one by one. All things you ordered should be present.
4. Check Quantities Of Products
To verify if the purchased products are consistent with the quality is checking the quantity. If you bought for too large bulk orders, counting the items per category is required.
5. Check Product Quality
While quantity is necessary, quality plays a vital role too. Examine each item carefully. No items should feature any kind of damage like breaks and loosen strips.
You can do random quality check if products are too much,
You can check out this poston how to do quality check when receiving your eyelashes(7)
Conclusion
It is not wrong to be meticulous with the product quality. The quality of the products you give to your customers is essential for your business. Thus, choosing the right platforms is vital, especially if you are looking for high-end products. You may visit the four e-commerce platforms mentioned and follow the steps discussed for maximum success.
Sources:
1. B2B industry (retrieved from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/btob.asp)
2. B2C marketplace (retrieved from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/btoc.asp#:~:text=The%20term%20business%2Dto%2Dconsumer,referred%20to%20as%20B2C%20companies.)
3. C2C business (retrieved from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/ctoc.asp)
4. Trademanager ( retrieved from https://app.alibaba.com/ )
4. Ecommerce platform (retrieved from https://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/e-commerce#:~:text=E%2Dcommerce%20(electronic%20commerce),or%20consumer%2Dto%2Dbusiness.)
5. Shipping agent (retrieved from https://www.marineinsight.com/careers-2/who-is-a-shipping-agent/)
6. Alibabab Trademanager download(retrieved from https://app.alibaba.com/)
7. How to do Quality check when receiving your mink lashes? ( retrieved from https://www.ohlalaltd.com/blog )
