Stop selling hair, the Hair has the Wuhan Virus

Jan 23, 2020 | Get Help

What to answer a client who tells you the hair has the Wuhan Virus?

The Wuhan virus is spreading around the world in a rapid tempo. The Chinese New Year is not helping, as millions of people will travel and potentially spread the Wuhan Virus. We all know China is the number one exporter of Artificial hair, and hair can be synthetic, human or even from animals.

Your clients can easily make a link between the outbreak of the Wuhan Virus and the hair you offer. But is it true, should you stop selling hair because of this coronavirus? A virus very similar to SARS that resulted in more than 8000 cases in 2003.

Are your clients right, there is indeed a risk with buying hair now, or can you convince them to keep on buying hair?

What is the Wuhan Virus?

The Wuhan virus is a so-called coronavirus, like the SARS and MERS viruses. The common symptoms include for example a running nose, headache, cough and fever. The more dangerous kinds of the virus will lead to shortness of breath, chills and body aches.

At this moment it is too soon to know how the virus will evolve. Will it simply going to die out or will it have a serious worldwide impact? It is fully understandable if people, like your clients, have questions about the safety of natural products they buy from that region.

How is the virus transmitted?

The coronaviruses mostly spread through coughing or sneezing of by touching an infected person. But not only by air, but it can also spread if faecal matters encounter another creature’s mouth. In this scenario can serve as a potential viral crossover point. If the hair is not cleansed well enough the virus could be transmitted.

What to tell your clients?

If your client hesitates to purchase the hair, there are several points you can share in the conversation with her.

First, the Wuhan province, the source location of the virus, is not known for the manufacturing of hair extensions.

Secondly, most human hair is imported from abroad and manufactured in China.

Third, the production of hair includes the cleaning, there is a very little chance a client will receive raw uncleansed hair.

Only if clients purchase products like shaving and paint brushes made from animal hair, they must check the origin.

Keep on selling hair

The hair extensions market is famous for the various stories about the origin, production and treatment of the hair. About Indian hair people defend the hair is stolen from the donors. In some regions the production is not very environmentally friendly and uses very aggressive chemicals. And we all know there is no rule book about the use and communication about the grading system.

Luckily you are used to explain to your clients the truth about the hair you are selling. This is part of your marketing plan. So, this new story, about the danger of the Wuhan virus for the hair extensions, is just one more story you must explain. Tell them the truth and tell them it is safe to buy hair. Show them you are the expert and they will keep on returning to you for more hair.

Please leave a comment if your clients ask you about the safety of the hair you are selling.

Top 40 Questions to Ask a Hair Vendor Not to Get Bad Hair

40 Questions to Cross Exam Your Hair Vendor

Buying hair wholesale is always stressful. Especially when the hair vendor is located far away. What if it’s a scam? What if you receive poor quality or no hair after transferring money?

Are you familiar with this feeling? You have been searching to find the best hair for your clients and you try to contact the hair vendor. That is not easy because they are living in a different time zone, and you have your job or kids to take care of (or both). You are not always in the position to call. You manage to contact your vendor short before picking up the kids from school. His English isn’t very good, and you need to go. You think of questions to ask and get some answers. You order hair samples, but as you hang up and get in your car, doubts arise. Did you ask the right questions? And did you understand enough of what he said to place the order? You thought buying hair would be more fun! This does not feel right.

What questions should you ask the hair vendor abroad, to be sure you will get the best hair? How to avoid all this stress?

To get the best price and quality for the hair you need and not to forget anything, I composed a list with 40 + questions you can ask your hair vendor. Bookmark this post to have the list at hand when you call your vendor.

Prepare yourself before you call the vendor

You need to know the questions to ask hair a vendor before you contact them. The first impression is always the best. The same goes with your hair vendor or supplier. But what should you ask? I’ve compiled a list of questions to ask a hair vendor that will help you decide whether to buy their hair and how to negotiate better terms. You can use these questions to ask the companies on your hair vendor list.

Help of hair vendor

With the help from Lydia, who runs a Chinese hair business, I composed the top 40 Questions to ask a hair vendor before buying hair extensions. This will aid your search in finding a reputable hair vendor. A hair vendor can make or break your business. This list will help you to find the best vendor and start selling in time so you will not miss a business opportunity.

The list of Questions to Ask a Hair Vendor

1. What kind of hair does your company sell and what is it specialized in?

2. How long has the company been in business?

The year of incorporation is a good indicator how successful a hair business is. See the years of incorporation of 20+ hair stores.

3. What sets you apart from other companies?

4. Are you also selling on a marketplace like Amazon or AliExpress?

Read what stores also sell on Amazon, Alibaba, or AliExpress. For the products sold on a marketplace they need to follow the guidelines of the marketplace.

5. Can I have a video or Skype tour to see your facility or products?

6. What is the density of your frontals and closures?

7. Do the bundles and closures match in color?

8. Are there Synthetic Fibers In your hair?

See how the hair vendors describe the quality of the human hair.

9. Is the hair processed and if so, how?

10. Is the hair cuticle aligned?

11. Virgin or raw hair?

12. How are wefts constructed?

13. Have you had any issues with lice?

14. What is the true origin of the hair?

Your hair vendor might source the hair in multiple countries. Not the country of the factory but the origin of the hair is an important factor. See where most vendors source their hair.

15. How do you go about removing nits?

16. How is the length of the hair measured (true in length or not?)

17. Can the hair be colored, bleached or dyed?

18. Is the hair heat resistant?

19. How long will the hair last with proper maintenance & care?

20. What are the maintenance guidelines for this type of hair extension?

Wooden Hair extension Hanger with double side anti-slip strip & portable Protection case

21. Is there a silicone coat applied?

22. What is the process to ensure high quality and how do you maintain high quality?

23. What is your return policy?

Errors happen, your client can regret her order, or you receive the wrong hair. The return policy of the hair vendor is a good indication how they will support the growth of your hair business. See the different return policies of 20 wholesale suppliers.

24. Is there a restocking fee if there was a manufacturing issue?

25. How do you handle complaints?

26. What are the shipping conditions, in time to deliver, holiday seasons and expenses?

27. What is the minimum order quantity?

28. Is the weight of the hair excluding packaging?

29. Do you allow sample orders?

30. Do you accept PayPal?

31. Do you have any promotions on holidays, such as Black Friday or Christmas?

32. Do you change your pricelist often?

33. What about export and import duties, who is paying?

34. Is the shipment insured and who pays the insurance fee?

35. Do you offer discounts to regular customers?

36. Is the wholesale price negotiable?

37. Do you manufacture tags, bundle bags, or shipping boxes?

38. Can they arrange private labelling for you, so you can sell using your own brand name?

39. Can I get images of the products for promotional purposes?

When you start selling you might have not enough images to show to your ideal clients. See what wholesalers allow you to place hair pictures on your online store.

40. What is the business advice you have for me selling hair?

Mastering the Art of Inquiring: Questions to Ask a Hair Vendor

In the realm of hair selling, knowledge is power. The more informed you are about your suppliers, the better decisions you can make for your business. However, striking a balance between a thorough inquiry and building a good relationship with your hair vendor is key. After all, you don’t want your supplier to feel like they’re under a cross-examination. Therefor in this blog post, we’ll delve into the realm of effective questions to ask a hair vendor, helping you navigate through the hair market with confidence and ease.

Selecting Your Queries: Quality over Quantity

While it’s tempting to bombard your hair vendor with a plethora of questions, remember that quality trumps quantity. The most relevant inquiries often yield comprehensive answers that address multiple concerns. Instead of overwhelming your supplier, focus on the most pertinent questions. Sometimes, all it takes is a few well-formulated queries to paint a clear picture.

Covering All Bases in the First Conversation

When initiating a dialogue with a potential supplier, addressing certain crucial aspects upfront can save you time and energy. Start by delving into inquiries about hair type, origin, and quality. Understanding these foundational elements will help you determine whether the supplier aligns with your business goals. If they remain promising on your shortlist, delve deeper into questions related to shipping and pricing.

Exploring Alibaba Hair Vendors: Wholesale Opportunities

During your vendor search, you’ll likely encounter a diverse pool of suppliers, including Alibaba hair vendors. These independent sellers utilize the Alibaba platform to offer hair products such as wigs and extensions. Alibaba primarily caters to wholesale hair, meaning these vendors are equipped to meet the demands of resellers. While Alibaba hair vendors may offer more attractive prices, it’s important to note that they often have a higher minimum order quantity (MOQ).

Navigating ALIEXPRESS: Tailoring to Individuals

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The alternative Chinese marketplace, AliExpress, caters more to private individuals seeking hair products for personal use. While it’s not a guarantee that you’ll find the best hair vendors on Alibaba, the quality of hair products on both platforms can be comparable. However, the nature of transactions differs between the two platforms, warranting a strategic approach to vendor selection.

Precision in Formulating Questions

Whether you’re engaging with suppliers on AliExpress or Alibaba, clear communication is paramount. Ensure you understand the expectations of the hair vendor before posing your questions. When interacting with an Alibaba hair vendor, providing a concise explanation of your intention (buying hair for resale) is essential to receiving relevant responses. This clarity will prevent misalignment in vendor recommendations.

Unveiling Insights on AliExpress: A User-Friendly Approach

Asking questions on AliExpress is a straightforward process. Clicking the “Contact” button on any page allows you to initiate a conversation with the hair vendor. Be mindful of potential delays due to time zone differences and public holidays. If responses are delayed, consider exploring other vendors or utilizing the platform’s dispute resolution system.

Embarking on Dropshipping: A New Avenue

For those venturing into dropshipping, exploring Shopify’s Oberlo can connect you with dropshipping hair companies and AliExpress hair vendors. As dropshipping gains popularity, align your queries with the provided list of questions. Additionally, inquire about the vendor’s dropshipping experience, shipping procedures, confidentiality measures, and branding possibilities. Ensuring your customers receive their orders seamlessly is crucial for your business’s reputation.

Balancing the Quest for Free Samples

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While the idea of receiving free hair extensions samples with free shipping may sound enticing, it’s important to approach this notion thoughtfully. Prioritize building strong relationships with your vendors over seeking freebies. Establishing rapport can lead to opportunities for sample orders and valuable business insights.

Local Hair Vendors: A Viable Solution

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In the wake of the pandemic, sourcing local hair vendors has gained significance. Seeking hair vendors in your proximity—be it Houston or Atlanta—can offer advantages during inventory shortages. Having a nearby vendor enables you to swiftly fulfill client orders, ensuring customer satisfaction even at slightly reduced profit margins.

Support and Assistance

Conversations with vendors abroad, especially when English isn’t their native language, can pose challenges. Learning and adapting with each interaction is essential. If you find yourself in need of guidance, don’t hesitate to seek support. I’m here to assist you, whether it’s coaching, advice, or support. Together, we’ll identify the best hair solutions for your ideal clientele.

Concluding Thoughts: A Harmonious Approach

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As you embark on your hair selling journey, remember that trust and rapport are vital components of supplier relationships. While it’s important to gather relevant information through your questions, striking a balance between thorough inquiry and fostering a positive connection is key. So, do not cross-examine your supplier; instead, engage in open and informed conversations to cultivate successful business partnerships. If you ever need assistance or guidance, know that I’m here to help you navigate this dynamic landscape and achieve your business goals.

I have to thank Lydia for the ideas and help with finding the right questions!

Lydia

Founder, MyChineseHairExtensions

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So You Think You Can Sell Hair?

Dec 20, 2019 | Get Help, Make Your Dream Happen, Prepare for the Launch

So, you think you can sell hair?

You have been dreaming about it since you were a little girl. You love hair and you want to do hair every day! You love to sit with your friends and do breads or weaves. From sunrise till sunset! You want to sell the hair online. Right? It is obvious you also want to sell hair. You have seen your friends buying and selling and now your moment has arrived, you are going to launch your own hair store! You are convinced, you can sell hair!

First find the capital, the suffering has started

The first thing you do is to start saving money, you help your family and the money you get you carefully set aside. Or you take a part time job, next to college or the university. You save every penny you make. Except once a month when it’s a night out with your friends. The other weekends you stay home, while your friends go out and have fun. You also buy less clothes; you can still wear that shirt or the blue trousers. Consume less is also very eco-friendly. Your friends do not understand it and you notice they hardly show you their new clothes anymore. But you have a goal, your own hair business! For that goal you are willing to sacrifice a lot. And you save the planet in the meantime. But you also feel that nobody told you being an entrepreneur was this tough. After 6 months of saving you think, this must be enough for the start of my hair business. I have the capital and now let’s start selling hair. You want to let the money work for you!

Use the money or lose it

You know you only can sell hair, if you have hair to sell. Without the hair nobody will buy from you. You need to show the hair to your friends to start. Let them feel the hair so they will fall in love. They will beg you to get the hair! Yes, you are ready to start a hair business. You know you can sell hair.

You start to google and type; “how to sell hair extensions“, or how to find hair suppliers! The results show you a great site about all you need to start selling hair and a lot of other sites from hair suppliers. Isn’t it great? The day you decided to make your entrance on the hair market, hundreds of shops and manufactures are ready to open their doors for you. So much hair, difficult to make your choice.

What to do next? You do not want to risk your money on fake hair. You know some hair is really bad hair and because there is no hair police nobody will help you if you receive lousy hair. A Chinese hair seller even told you the hair grades 6A, 7A and so on are no guarantee at all. Everybody can grade his hair. No check by anybody. Except by your client because they will complain and ask for a refund if you sell them hair as 8A and it is bad hair. You want to stay away from this nightmare.

Looking to build a successful online business? Get a free comprehensive guide that covers everything you need to know about running a dropshipping business.

Ask questions

Okay, what is the best thing to do if you are stuck, if you do not have the answer? Ask! There is no such thing as dumb questions they told you at school. The website How to Sell hair Extensions even has a special page where you can ask questions by mail or WhatsApp. So, you wrote your question on the app. “What hair to buy to sell a lot!” That is exactly the problem you are facing. You want to know what the best hair is I can buy so I can sell hair to everybody who wants to buy my hair.

Action is reaction, or more questions than answers

After you sent the app you receive the answer. Thanks for asking “What hair to buy to sell a lot!”, but that is not the right start. If you want to sell hair you first need to know whom you are going to help to solve her hair problem. Go out and ask questions, have chats with women and girls who are looking for hair. And do not forget to spy on the competition. Who else is selling hair and how do they promote the hair? Or if there are no shops in your town, perhaps there is too little demand for hair.

This is odd! You ask one question and instead of one answer you only get more questions and even some tasks to perform! You were ready to start selling and now you must put the money back on your savings account and to do some homework. This does not feel right. You have been dreaming and thinking so long about starting your hair business and still you can’t start!

You know what the market wants

You have been talking hair with your friends since they started to buy hair extensions or weaves. You love to read magazines about hair, and you have bought hair before. So, you know the kind of hair women want. You also know to whom you want to sell, women between 18 and 45. So you finished your market survey and are ready to buy the hair. You have seen some shops on AliExpress that sell hair so all you need is to place your first order!

No Money, No Gain but you do have Hair

You invest all your savings because this way you can buy Brazilian and Peruvian hair, 18 inches and 20 inches and 24 inches because you love to have long hair. Not cheap the 24 inches, but your clients will pay you for this gorgeous hair. You use MoneyGram because that is the cheapest way of paying. You want to use your money to invest in hair to sell and not in payment providers or other services.

After a week you finally receive the hair. You nearly kissed the guy from FedEx when he handed over the parcel from AliExpress. This is the moment of truth, today your hair business is officially opened! An unpleasant surprise was the tax you had to pay before you got the hair. Lucky your mother supports your venture and she paid the tax this time.

You realize you should have bought some drinks to celebrate, but let’s sell first. You open the package and the hair has a certain odour. Not nice, but for the rest the hair looks nice. You call your friends and ask them to come over. Now you have so many bundles of hair, your friends are rushing their way to you. They like the hair, except for the smell. So much hair and they can touch it, feel it and they open all the packages. This is the hair heaven on earth! One of your friends tells you. You note the expression, because that could be a good name for your hair business.

But your friends do not buy the hair. The length is not good, they prefer 14,16 and 18 inches or they want deep curly and the smell. But it was a fun night and when your next shipment arrives, they will buy from you. Promise! But make sure the hair is not smelling!

They leave and you stay behind. All the hair is out of its original packages, and you do not recall anymore what was the Brazilian and what the Peruvian. You go to bed and plan to sort it out tomorrow. Your first day in business you did not sell hair and you had to pay the import tax (well your mother did).

The hangover

The next morning you enter the room and the smell of the hair has taken over the room, it makes you kind of sick this early. So, you open all the windows of the house. You still must sort the hair and you want to make pictures for your Instagram account. But what was again what? Suddenly it is less nice to sell hair. You have the hair, but your friends did not want to buy. You put the images on Instagram and now people start to react. “Lovely and how much?” All day long you are busy to reply the messages, but nobody buys. Okay, most of your Instagram followers are your friends or the friends of your friends. But still somebody could be so kind to buy the hair from you?

So You Think You Can Sell Hair

Now you can’t sell the hair, you can neither buy new hair. Your friends have promised you to buy from you when you have 14 and 16 inches, but how can you get the money to buy this new hair?

You feel the passion for your own hair business leaving the house through the open windows, you do not want to sell hair anymore. You thought you could sell hair, but instead you lost all your savings and are stuck with a lot of hair nobody wants to buy.

What went wrong? Leave a comment and I will contact you

200 + views within 8 hours after launch website for a Chinese Hair Supplier

Nov 20, 2019 | Prepare for the Launch, Sell Online, WholeSale Companies

Website for a Chinese Hair Supplier finished

Business is connecting people, and this is not different for the Hair business. Thanks to the internet, it is easier to get connected to leads and clients abroad. Not only easier but also cheaper. Yesterday I finished the launch of a website for a fast-growing Chinese Hair Supplier. It was a great project to work on. Not only with the design and launch of the website. Also with the growth of visitors to this website for a Chinese Hair Supplier.

The design of the Website for a Chinese Hair Supplier

The company knew what they wanted and that helps a lot when you design a website. Sometimes people only want a website and they need help to define what kind of site. This time was different. The principal, a Hair Supplier had some clear ideas about what they needed. They wanted to have a website they could scale up following the growth of the business. We shared quite a few WhatsApp messages. Based upon the first ideas and suggestions from the principal I first prepared a mock-up. A template of the pages of the website, with the colours and fonts to use.

Launch your own hair store with the all in one hair business package, complete with hair samples

Hosting company for DomainName and hosting

Once we had a common understanding about the needs and looks of the website, we agreed to select Bluehost for the hosting. A safe location for the website outside China ensures stable operations. This hosting company has a 24 / 7 support and me and my clients hardly suffer down time.

Combination shop and blog

The website is responsive. This means regardless the device the visitors are using like, phone or desktop they will enjoy the content without any limitation. Thanks to a combination of a web shop module and a blog module, visitors can for example zoom in on the products. But the Chinese company also wants to publish blogs to share their expertise about hair and the hair business.

Because the Chinese hair supplier preferred tailormade offers for their hair clients, it was not desirable to have a full fledge web shop. Just an outlet to show the products.

It was fun to work on this website, even with the time difference. I woke up early to be able to enjoy the input and suggestions of the principal about the Chinese Hair Supplier Website. I myself am in The Netherlands and thus my day starts short before midday for my Chinese Client.

200 Pageviews on the afternoon after the launch

Now we launched the website we need to grow the number of visitors. These visitors can contact the sales team using phone, WhatsApp or a contact form.

To get the first traffic I wrote a blogpost about wholesale hair in Kenya. This was my gift for the client because of the launch and all pages already attracted nearly 100-page views. Not bad for the first day after the launch. Especially if you realize we only measured during 8 hours. We installed Google Analytics after the launch.

Would you like to have a blog, website or webstore?

If you consider having an online presence, let me know so we can discuss your needs and support your hair sales with a tailor-made website, blog or store.

Where to source hair at favorable prices?

Oct 15, 2019 | Find Hair, Launch Your Web Store, Prepare for the Launch, WholeSale Companies

Where to source hair at favorable prices?

This week Kahagi from Kenya asked me where to source hair at favorable prices. The aim was to purchase the hair at conditions that allows women outside Nairobi to purchase gorgeous hair at a fair price.

What are the retail prices of hair in Kenya?

To answer the question, of where to find suppliers who offer hair at advantageous prices, we first must analyze what the price level is. The challenge with comparing the price of hair extensions or weaves is the quality element. You can compare the price in Ksh, but you do not know the quality. Except you first buy all the hair and test the hair after installment. But this is not really an option.

The various A grades will not help you either, it works to compare the hair of one single supplier, but you cannot compare these grades between different manufactures or suppliers. There is no hair police, so nobody checks if the A grades are a realistic reflection of the hair quality.

Today, I will only analyze the price of the hair based upon the price. Some stores do and some do not share their prices. For the purpose of this post I compared the prices of some products that seemed to be comparable.

Hair Store Names

Be Your Own Boss in Kenya

What does the competition tell you?

I explained it was difficult to compare the hair of all the stores and re-sellers. But this does not indicate you have no figures you can use to estimate the price range for your hair. If you know these prices you will be able to start the calculation of what favorable prices you need.
For Kenya there are a lot of stores that publish the prices of hair, weaves and wigs on their website or Instagram account. I simply visited the sites and made a list of prices for Body Wave, Straight and Kinky, plus some wigs.
This exercise gave me for example the average retail price for body wave 16, 18 and 20 inches:

16 inch, Ksh 9,000;
18 inch, Ksh 9,800;
20 inch, Ksh 10,800;

You can make a nice bundle deal out of this!
These prices come from stores that have a certain reputation already. From a marketing point of view, you could consider offering the hair for a lower price. Next to the price of the competition, you need to take into consideration other points of the service offering. What about the transport, the expenses to store and conditions to maintain a good hygiene around the hair? What kind of after sales do you offer, will you accept returns, or only exchanges.
All these factors you must consider if you set your retail price.

How to calculate your retail price

I have shared several posts with how to calculate your retail price. For example:

How much to markup Donna Bella Tape In extensions?
How to create a profitable pricing strategy for hair extensions

You can use this information to guide you to calculate your selling price.

Human Hair at one third of the retail price

I can offer a bundle of Body Wave for say, one third of the retail price. In other words, you will have nearly 70% to cover expenses, like shipping (say USD 30 for the first 3 kilo and USD 10 for every extra additional kilo) and payment. Add the other operational and marketing expenses and you could have room to or lower the retail price if needed given the market, or you could have a higher profit margin.
If you want to be a middleman and purchase the hair to re sell to other stores or salons. You will have to control you expenses and keep an eye on the market. You will have to share the margin with the reseller. Here you can obtain a higher margin by purchasing the hair at a lower price by buying more kilos.

So, you can source the hair with me, or I can help you to find a reliable source for the hair.
Leave a comment if you are interested in hair for, at least, one third of the retail prices given.

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