Sourcing Innovative Products to Import

Local Distributors Wanted for New Patented Inventions on Alibaba

Aug 26, 2009 Daniel Workman

This article describes new product opportunities including a video camera watch, an automatic fire extinguisher and a mirror that displays automated advertising messages.

A major benefit of globalization is that entrepreneurs no longer have to design and produce their own products.

Instead, international traders source creative products from around the world, then distribute them in local markets. Even if the foreign owner has patent rights on a product, entrepreneurs can negotiate exclusive distributorship rights in their target markets.

Distributors can benefit from cheaper mass-manufacturing, particularly where the source country is a developing nation like China or India with less expensive labor costs.

Finding Innovative Product Ideas

Alibaba is a leading international trade website. Businesses from around the world market new innovative products on Alibaba, searching for distributors in other countries. Users simply enter the keywords “innovative new products” into the search bar at the top of the Alibaba website. Hundreds of creative new products are then listed, complete with photo images and company contact information.

Below is a selection of intriguing products currently listed on Alibaba.

Video Camera Quartz Watch

Marketed by BHNTCP IMPEX from Hong Kong, this designer watch contains a tiny video camera that can capture up to three hours of video action. The watch has two megabytes of memory built in, while the video camera uses AVI format which can be uploaded to YouTube. The video-camera watch comes with a rechargeable battery, an online manual on disc, a USB cable plus a battery charger.

Fire Knock Out Automatic Extinguisher

The Fire Knockout is a foam-based fire prevention product invented in the Netherlands. After contact with an open fire, the Fire Knockout container automatically sprays an extinguishing haze over the flames. The extinguishing fluid also prevents the fire from re-igniting.

The Fire Knockout is effective against combustible Class A fires, liquid Class B fires, gas Class C fires, as well as electrical fires. The product can be installed near high-risk objects such as electrical panels, engines and gas cylinders. Alternatively, the Fire Knockout can extinguish flames after being thrown into a fire from a safe distance.

Motion Mirror Containing Advertisements

The motion mirror has an embedded light-emitting diode (LED) screen on its top left side. About the size of a laptop monitor, the LED screen displays a series of pre-set advertisements that users will see when they preen themselves in front of what otherwise looks like a large regular mirror.

Guangzhou Tengling Auto-Change Picture Advertisement Products, the Chinese company responsible for this innovation, specializes in similar mirror marketing technologies. Guangzhou offers a number of language options for the displayed advertisements; these include English, Dutch, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

Like many of the innovative companies on Alibaba, Guangzhou offers a product sample delivered in five days for prospective new distributors to peruse. But unlike smaller competitors, Guangzhou can produce up to 2,000 mirrors per month to fulfill larger orders.

Emergency Cell Phone Charger

Made in China, the patented emergency charger operates on one rechargeable AA battery. When a cell phone is depleted, users can power up to 120 minutes of extra use by connecting the emergency charger to the drained cell phone via a short adapter cord.

Patented Bookmark Pen Clip

The bookmark pen has a patented clip design that allows users to insert a thin metal bookmark into a specific page location. The bookmark has a curved head attached to a small lightweight cylinder that holds a pen or pencil flush against the book’s back binding. The bookmark clip’s design resembles the pocket clip found on most pens, only slightly larger to accommodate most book sizes.

The Chinese wholesaler will imprint custom logos on the bookmark pen clip, which can then be used as a promotion piece. The minimum order quantity is 3,000 units.

Entrepreneurial Due Diligence

Alibaba also has many other innovative product opportunities to explore.

In all cases, entrepreneurs should request detailed product literature complete with photos, and ask for references from existing clients. Products like the thermal imaging camera that purportedly checks for swine flu temperature changes, or the automobile plug-in charger that supposedly reduces diesel fuel charges, demand extra careful attention to detail. Particularly when products are promoted as new innovations, importers must ensure that the goods performs as advertised.

Another wise business move is to submit product details to the local customs authorities to obtain an advanced ruling on the required tariff duty classification. That classification will determine duties that will be payable.

The copyright of the article Sourcing Innovative Products to Import in International Trade is owned by Daniel Workman. Permission to republish Sourcing Innovative Products to Import in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Innovation: Watch Combined with Video Camera