Amazon sellers always explore for new products, strategies or sourcing. The U.S. and China trade war is pretty intense since last year. Therefore amazon sellers are looking for multiple alternative sources. China is good at producing large quantities in a short time. However, India is famous for unique, handcrafted products.
Handcraft Products
The handcrafted products in India are rare and generally not found anywhere else in the world. For example, Bamboo and cane related items, blue pottery, Jewellery designs are quite unique. On the other hand, Amazon has a special feature to sell handcrafted products. The advantage of selling unique items from India is that suppliers constantly come up with innovative designs. Hence for an amazon seller supplier is same, but everything one can fill their stock with new designs. Also, since handcrafted products have a higher profit margin.
Recently the US removed the Generalized System of Preferences to India. This is a drawback to only Industrial and chemical sellers. Hence, this doesn’t have any impact on retail importers and eCommerce sellers. Less import tariff leads to more opportunity to source from India, especially for unique items.
The order size with suppliers ranges from 20-30 pieces to 500. Order size will vary from supplier to suppler. Also, the type of items, product complexity and price will impact the size of orders. The complex handcrafted jewellery or other luxury items will be ordered in smaller sizes. India is a large exporter of textile, so one can order large quantities of fashion items for their amazon list.
Intellectual Property Protection
Another big advantage in dealing with India is Intellectual Property Protection (IPP). Many companies in china simply copy the design and start producing in large scales. The cost invested for design to companies is a huge setback when they deal with China for manufacturing. One can see the copycat of the iPhone is “HiPhone” in china. Also, there is a case that the entire Apple store is faked in china. Recently, Huawei is accused of stealing technology from Portuguese inventor to make Huawei EnVizion 360 panoramic camera. Indian manufacturers have more respect and ethics compared to china when it comes to IPP.
Communication
In India, almost every corner will speak English. Although India has 23 official languages, the majority of the population speak English. Apart from local vendors, if you are dealing with suppliers or small manufacture, they don’t have a problem dealing with communication. Compared to China, many suppliers in India can speak English easily. This is a very big advantage when communicating on different channels.
Manufacturing
The availability of raw materials, skilled people and infrastructure are important factors when it comes to manufacturing. India has an abundant supply of basic raw materials like steel, silica, copper, aluminium or any other metals. Along with raw material, human resources and necessary infrastructure plays a prominent role in running a factory. Earlier days, in many parts of India there was a lack of skilled labours or infrastructure, but, nowadays that not the case. Recent “Make in India” pitch by the government shows interest in boosting the manufacturing sector. This will help a lot of eCommerce sellers in setting up Private Label products. Also, the demographic point of view shows there is a lot of young population, working-class age group presence makes India the next manufacturing place as well. Coupled with US-China trade war, many eCommerce sellers, Private Label sellers and Handcraft sellers have immense potential by sourcing from India.
Products list that is famous for sourcing from India
- Homeware products
- Lamps
- Furniture
- Shoes, Bags, and Belts
- Precious gemstones
- Stationery and paper
- Cotton products
- Fashion wears
- Eco-friendly products
Finally, sourcing from India is great nowadays, and one can consider India as an alternative to China. However, shipping speed, order size and lack of quick decision is drawback while importing from India. Generally, one must wait to deal with the owner of the company or top management while making decisions. The trade show in Delhi by IHGF is the place to visit and explore the unique products of India. Around 3000 shops participate in across India and it is held twice a year, Spring and Autumn.
