Posts by Ronald Allen5

Any recommendations for a DJ in the Šibenik area?

Michael Hayes8 said:If you're using Alibaba, you can actually see how many years each vendor has been active on the platform, which is really the first thing you ought to check; if they’ve only been around for a single year, I’d probably just steer clear entirely.
Alibaba also has its own community forums, so you can pretty much dig into the feedback and gauge how much people actually trust a specific seller.

Then there are those "Gold Members" who have been around forever, yet I still read stories about them scamming people without any consequences. The real issue is that Alibaba doesn't offer the kind of protection you get with, say, Amazon...

People suggest hiring an agent to inspect the goods before shipping. But how do I know that agent isn't in cahoots with the supplier? I could end up paying both of them and losing everything.

It's a minefield of "what ifs." Still, considering we import stuff from China every single day, it leaves me with plenty of questions...

How are you all sourcing manufacturers in China? Is Alibaba the go-to, or is there a better way? I’m assuming I shouldn't be paying some middleman agent...

Michael Hayes8 said:It’s not like shipping from China is some luxury service; of course they can just ship it directly in your name.

I actually had to shell out my own money to cover the cost of getting the samples made first.

What's the best move—stick with DHL or someone else?

How do I go about ordering a sample from China? The manufacturer mentioned they offer this, but what’s the best way to actually request the shipment? How should I handle the negotiation? It's just a tiny package, maybe 6x6 inches and weighing about 3 or 4 ounces. Any idea what shipping might cost? Also, can I just have it sent directly to me personally?

Please DM me if there are any customs brokers or frequent importers from China on here. I have a few specific questions...

I'm looking to start importing some goods and need someone to walk me through the process and give me a ballpark estimate for the landed cost here in the States.

Thanks!

dustyangler80 said:I was wondering if anyone here has experience starting a small business? I’m looking into opening a sole proprietorship—specifically a service-based one—and I'm trying to figure out how much cash I actually need upfront. Like, is it just the paperwork fees, or am I going to need a significant cushion in a business bank account like you would for an LLC?

costs are roughly $333, check google.com for the paperwork details.

Anthony Kern said:You don't even need Partition Magic for Windows Vista; everything you need is already built in. Just dig around in the Administrative Tools for a bit.👍

I'm tinkering around, but I can't quite get what I'm after. I want to expand a partition from my C drive—keep the C drive at about 15 GB and let the new partition take up everything else.

Does anyone have Partition Magic for Windows Vista, or know where I can grab it?

I'm also open to suggestions for something similar—just need to squeeze out another partition...