Why I Import
Recently I ordered a product from Aliexpress. A sub-section of Allibaba, which is a place to find wholesalers of just about any product.
I was informed by Aliexpress I could expect my order to arrive in 15-25 Days. I ordered on 22:33 Jun. 12 2016. It was to be delivered on July 1, 2016. Today is July 9, 2016 and after many requests to the merchant I still have not received my merchandise.
Where do I begin? With the idea that I’m to wait 15-25 days for shipping? I understand this product is coming from half way around the world. Ok, so I accept this, because waiting doesn’t cost anything and the price I paid for this product was so low that it was a good exchange – time for low cost.
Next
Next, after asking for tracking, and taking far too many emails to receive the tracking number, it turned out to be a USPS tracking number. That wasn’t the original carrier, it was the LAST carrier.
Prove a Negative
The merchant also asked me to PROVE I did not receive the package. Really?! Really. How do I prove a negative? Please, come to my home and look around. Please, ask the postal carrier, who makes mistakes all the time, if he hand delivered it to me. I invite you to do all of these. Or, you can take my word. My word.
Now, I understand that the post office makes mistakes, truly I do, but if you are the overseas merchant, ask yourself this… What would it benefit me to argue and lie? What ultimate benefit? Would I get one free set? Would I get an additional free replacement set? For what? To sell that one set? And, if I leave a negative review, how will that set with your customer service rating? Is the cost of a refund, repair or return (what I learned from J.C. Penney) worth that one negative review?
How about trusting me that I am not one of the multitudes who wants something for free, and am as good as my word?
Being a Merchant
As a merchant, who have often times been the lowest of low in societies, I operate with this in mind – it is my job, my secondary only to creating an amazing product that no one else is creating, to get my product to you. If, for some reason, it is damaged in transit, or does not appear, it is my job to manifest your desire of my product in your hand. That, friends, is true Sorcery!
No Excuses!
All this done without excuse, without issue. It is my job to make your buying experience as pleasant as possible.
Now, I have not gotten one “lost in transit” request. So, if I get a bunch after this post I have either angered the transportation gods or… It will definitely be suspect. I have mailed hundreds, or maybe thousands now, of soap orders and only a handful have been damaged, but none lost.
After all this, I realized that waiting for something to be shipped from another country is one thing, but dealing with the mistrust is harmful. It’s harmful to me, so it must be harmful to others. Trusting that someone will do what they say, after I give them money, is difficult. Once this barrier is crossed, hoping that merchant is honorable is also a barrier.
Then, trusting that all the players will do their jobs along the transit route, well… An act of trust that can’t be taken lightly.
Why I Import
I spent months researching products, suppliers and then building a relationship with one that I landed on. If you are serious about doing this, don’t believe the youtubers, it does take focus, attention and time. Time most of all. Some claim it can be done in 2 weeks, blahaha… ! The time difference is an issue, so each email or message has a delay, up to 15 hours. That’s just one part…
I committed thousands of dollars to importing Sorcery Products with the hope that my work and offer of connivence would benefit not just me, but you too. Do not get me wrong, this is my job, but I also want to help others, in how I can. Now that I’ve navigated these waters a few times, I am much more seaworthy, and will continue. This is why I import, because its a painstaking job, but who wants to wait 15-25 days for shipping? I shortened that time, and want to shorten it so much I ship USPS priority to track your package, and get it to you in 2-3 days. How’s that for collapsing time?
This too, is Sorcery.
I hope that my business practices will help to affect, NOT CHANGE, but certainly affect the way business is conducted with every interaction.
And don’t get me started on private label, which we do… I’ll save that, and quality control, for another day.
If you want to benefit from Sorcery Products visit this page.
The post Why I Import appeared first on Sorcery Soap™.