How Brazilian importers can evaluate a product from China

1. Demand in your own channel

Start with who will buy the product and where: your shop, your marketplace store, your dealers. Look at what similar products sell for there, how many sellers already offer them and what customers complain about in reviews. A product that sells well in another country or channel has not yet proven anything in yours.

• Who buys it, and through which channel
• Price range and number of competitors in that channel
• Common complaints in reviews of similar products
• Seasonality: when it sells and when it stops

2. The price you can pay

Work backwards from the selling price. Take out the marketplace or channel fees, the taxes on the sale and your margin: what is left is the landed cost you can afford per unit. If the factory price plus freight, import taxes and fees goes above that, the product does not work at that price, however cheap it looks in China.

• Selling price minus fees, sales taxes and margin = the landed cost you can afford
• Compare it with the supplier's price plus freight, taxes and fees
• Example with made-up numbers: a product sold for R$ 100, with 20% in fees and sales taxes and a 30% target margin, leaves R$ 50 for the landed cost

3. Rules, certification and labeling

Classify the product in the NCM early, because the code sets the import taxes and shows whether an import license may be needed. Check whether the item needs Inmetro conformity assessment, Anatel certification (anything with a radio, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) or Anvisa regularization (for example, cleaning chemicals). The Consumer Protection Code requires product information in Portuguese. Missing one of these can hold the goods at customs or take them off the shelf.

• NCM code and import taxes
• Inmetro, Anatel or Anvisa, where they apply
• Label, manual and warranty in Portuguese

4. The supplier and the product itself

Check that the supplier is the company it claims to be, whether it makes the product or buys it from another factory, and whether it has shipped similar products before. Approve a sample, write the specification down (materials, sizes, colors, packaging) and agree on an inspection before shipment.

• Company registration, and whether it is a factory
• Approved sample and written specification
• Inspection before shipment, against the sample

5. Logistics: volume, weight and packaging

Measure a carton and weigh it. Freight is charged by volume or by weight, so a bulky product can cost more to move than to buy. Fragile items need packaging that survives a long trip, and some goods, such as lithium batteries, have transport restrictions. Small lots can travel in a shared container instead of a full one.

• Carton size, weight and units per carton
• Packaging that survives the trip
• Transport restrictions for batteries and other dangerous goods

6. After-sales and spare parts

Plan what happens when a unit fails: who analyses it, which parts you keep and for how long the supplier will provide them. In Brazil, manufacturers and importers must keep offering spare parts while the product is imported and for a reasonable time after.

• Warranty terms in writing
• A parts list for each model
• A way to identify each unit sold

Go, adjust or drop

With the six checks done, decide. Go when the landed cost fits, the rules are clear and the supplier has passed. Adjust when one point can be fixed: different packaging, a certified model, a smaller first lot. Drop when the price does not work or the rules are too heavy for the volume you expect. XT Brazil can help with each check, from sourcing and inspection in China to the import with a Nota Fiscal.