ExPats who are active in e-commerce...who else?

[WaveHunter]

I thought it would be interesting to network with other expats who are also successfully earning a living through e-commerce while here in Thailand.

 

I was a successful private label seller on Amazon FBA before moving here, and I continue to do so as an expat here in Thailand.  I am currently testing the waters of FBL through Lazada. 

 

If you reply, please do not assume I am doing this illegally.  I am not.  I was very careful to structure my business to be fully compliant with Thai rules and regulations in regards to "work" by consulting with a good Thai attorney before moving here.  I won't go into the details but suffice it to say that I do not need a work permit or special visa to legally manage my FBA business.  Nor do I need these things to sell on Lazada. 

 

If you are tempted to accuse me of somehow being dodgy or working illegally, then you do not understand cross-border e-commerce principals and practices, especially as they relate to "ASEAN" countries (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).  Please do some research before you try and hijack this thread with silly, uninformed remarks and troll-like behavior.  I already experienced this in another sub-forum here on ThaiVIsa and am hoping to interact with more sophisticated members of this business sub-forum.

 

My reason for starting this thread are simple.  I want to network with other like-minded expats about experiences of conducting an e-commerce business specifically as an expat. 

 

My learning curve just to understand the legalities of this was steep so I would be happy to share what I know.  The learning curve for other aspects of the business are ongoing and so I would welcome advice on many topics.  An example would be traveling to China for product sourcing.  Considering that a trip to China for product sourcing is just a short flight from Thailand, the idea is very attractive.

 

The focus of this thread is intentionally wide and I hope the discussions will be all-encompassing (legal, logistics, sourcing, fulfillment, etc).  Obviously I will not discuss my specific products or revenues since that is proprietary, but all else is fine.  Just keep it serious...and be nice!

Edited February 24, 2019 by WaveHunter

[neeray]

This is in my future. The product and the plans are all in place but the "rubber hasn't hit the road yet". I will follow this thread with great interest.

 

Thanks for starting it.

[roobaa01]

ever done coin and stamp auction as ecommerce ??

 

wbr

roobaa01

[WaveHunter]

6 minutes ago, neeray said:

This is in my future. The product and the plans are all in place but the "rubber hasn't hit the road yet". I will follow this thread with great interest.

 

Thanks for starting it.

Hi Neeray; welcome to the thread ????

 

[WaveHunter]

17 minutes ago, roobaa01 said:

ever done coin and stamp auction as ecommerce ??

 

wbr

roobaa01

I have not.  Sounds a little too competitive of a niche for me, plus I am more into private label business model as opposed to auctions.  I started out doing auctions on eBay in the States but it quickly became apparent there was no way at all to scale an auction-type business to really be profitable...at least to my satisfaction.  That's not to say you can't if you have a genuine passion for it though.

Edited February 24, 2019 by WaveHunter

[roobaa01]

10 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

I have not.  Sounds a little too competitive of a niche for me, plus I am more into private label business model as opposed to auctions.  I started out doing auctions on eBay in the States but it quickly became apparent there was no way at all to scale an auction-type business to really be profitable.  That's not to say you can't if you have a genuine passion for it though.

take a look www.numisbids.com, www.philasearch.com

wbr

roobaa01

[WaveHunter]

3 minutes ago, roobaa01 said:

take a look www.numisbids.com, www.philasearch.com

wbr

roobaa01

Are you actually doing this here in Thailand?

[roobaa01]

no, i have been doing it for 2 decades outside thailand and earned my fair share.

 

wbr

roobaa01

[Khaeng Mak]

What platform do you intend to use to build your websites?

[WaveHunter]

30 minutes ago, Khaeng Mak said:

What platform do you intend to use to build your websites?

I have a website set up for branding purposes but don't use it to sell products at all.  In other words, it's just a generic website with no shopping cart functionality.  I rely on the Amazon platform entirely to drive traffic, and to sell & fulfill my product orders.  My website is really only to validate my product lines in the eyes of potential customers.

 

The Amazon platform (and the Lazada FBL platform) is more effective in these regards than I ever could be through my own website and that allows me to scale business far more effectively, especially as a remote seller.

Edited February 24, 2019 by WaveHunter