Building an Import / Export Business [Paperback]

Kenneth D. Weiss (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0470120479 | ISBN-13: 978-0470120477 | Publication Date: December 21, 2007 | Edition: 4

This bestselling, up-to-date guide shows you how to start your own import/export business, from researching a raw idea to a successful launch to ongoing, profitable business operations. Complete with real-life examples from importers and exporters, it helps you every step of the way, from targeting a market and preparing a business plan to dealing with foreign currencies, shipping procedures, customs requirements, and more. It also shares tips to help you take advantage of NAFTA and other trade pacts, plus online resources to help you start and grow your business.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The bestselling, up-to-date guide for starting your own import/export business

Do you dream of traveling to exotic places to buy or sell your lines of merchandise? Building an Import/Export Business shows you how to start your own business, from researching a raw idea to a successful launch to ongoing, profitable business operations. Author Kenneth Weiss objectively and accurately describes the difficulties and rewards of this kind of business.

This practical resource discusses new security procedures put into place since September 11, 2001, and predicts the response to problems with goods from China in mid-2007. Topics include:

• Information on targeting a market, preparing a business plan, managing finances, dealing with foreign currencies, marketing, and more

• Details of shipping procedures, customs requirements, and other government regulations

• Samples of commercial, banking, transportation insurance, and government-mandated documents

• Tips to help you take advantage of NAFTA, CAFTA, and other trade pacts

• Real-life examples from importers and exporters

• Online resources to help you start and grow your business

• Whether you want to participate in the global marketplace or fine-tune an established import/export business, this book helps you every step of the way.

About the Author

Kenneth D. Weiss is the owner of Plans and Solutions, a corporation that helps importers, exporters, and other firms with business planning, trade logistics, regulations, and marketing. He has been an importer and exporter, a lecturer on international trade, and a consultant to numerous private firms and government organizations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 4 edition (December 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470120479
• ISBN-13: 978-0470120477
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,405 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Business & Investing > International > Exports & Imports
  • #5 in Books > Business & Investing > International > Global Marketing
  • #6 in Books > Business & Investing > Marketing & Sales > Marketing > Industrial

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learn from experience, July 9, 2010

By 

Herbert Sloop Mellecium (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Building an Import / Export Business (Paperback)

The author of this book is very experienced, and it shows. He also conveys the sheer excitement of owning an export or import business unlike any other other book I've read. And if you can't be excited about what you're doing, why are you doing it? Unlike other books, he also starts out with a self-examination (yours) about how you would fit into such a business. Understanding the personal side of the business, yours and your business contacts, is arguably more important to success than understanding the mechanics of the business. Thus this book is an exceptional preparation for the business as a whole. I also liked that many points are illustrated with vignettes, small stories from experience that make the points much easier to understand. But as is often true, I found some of the information simplistic, such as the financial forecasting which was back-of-the-envelope, nothing you could ever run a business on. I also found that a considerable portion of the references to online sources were obsolete, essentially useless. Online references, even government ones, are too dynamic to publish, and I wonder why anyone even does that. From the overall tone of the book, I suspect the author has experience as an ex/im broker, that aspect of the business that has the lowest overhead and investment. If attractive to you, you definitely want to have this book. If you are a merchant importer or exporter, you will also want this book as it contains all those bits of deep experience of the kind you cannot find anywhere else.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some good information, December 13, 2009

By 

Tax Accountant "Tax Accountant" (Nevada) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Building an Import / Export Business (Paperback)

Some good information in this book. It was a little outdated, but I understand that this business is very fluid and canges all the time. Most of the business information was common-sense, practical stuff. I wish the authors had given more concrete examples of what to expect when you actually start exposting and importing goods, and which countries to avoid, and for what reason, etc.

Still a good book with basic information that is useful to someone trying to get into export-import.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for people with just a bit of knowledge, July 29, 2011

By 

Charles Rounds - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Building an Import / Export Business (Paperback)

This book is easy to follow, well written and actually fun to read (if you are reading it, you probably find this interesting). I look forward to getting a business started soon. The people's comments about needing an update is correct. Some of the url's are out of date.