There’s money to be made in the import / export game – just ask Seth and his Malawi Cane business, which is a classic example of spotting a gap in the market and going for it.

Our boss man has detailed the challenges he faces with that business HERE, but let’s take a look at which products are proving popular right now with regarding our imports and exports.

Over on DutyCalculator they’ve got a list of the current trending imports and exports, using their own calculations, and here’s what they say is proving very popular with regards being brought into the country.

The most popular first:

Motor vehicles, clothing, watches, shoes, laptops, toys, hair extensions, microphones, cameras, car parts and cellphones.

And in terms of what is being exported from our shores to the rest of the world:

Craft supplies, wines, cars, clothing, artwork, soccer jerseys, cashew nuts, jewellery, scuba diving equipment, guitars and fireplaces.

The wine export business goes without saying, but who’s sending cashew nuts overseas? The Department of Agriculture says that they grow pretty well in warm subtropical areas like the Natal coast, so maybe someone up there is making a fortune.

Mmm, cashews – tasty. If they only they didn’t cost an arm and a leg for a kilogram.

Must be nice having all that rain and moisture, KZN.

The fact is this – there’s always going to be a gap in the market, some kind of niche where you can make proper cash if you act promptly.

Success here requires two boxes to be ticked: you’re going to need to find the product, and then you’re going to need to jump through every bureaucratic hoop that comes with the import / export game.

Part of the growth that Seth’s Malawi Cane business has seen can be summed up pretty succinctly – Berry & Donaldson.

He’s a busy man, you know, and that means he needs a freight company that handles all the logistics. That’s what sets Berry & Donaldson apart – from purchase through to delivery, they help you through the complicated process of getting your cargo to and from the required destinations.

They’ll also negotiate with contractors and pay all the duties, taxes and rates incurred when buying or selling cargo, and you’re getting more than 50 years of experience sitting on your side of the table.

I don’t know how you’re going to make your riches – maybe it’s nuts, maybe it’s fireplaces, it better not be cane furniture – but get the experts on your side and you’re off to a good start.

[source:dutycalculator]