How to Sell Baby Formula Online?

tik tok on 20/10/2017 - 10:36
Last edited 22/10/2017 - 15:52 by 1 other user

Hopefully, its the right forum.

Was on ACA again yesterday - people buying baby formula in groups and selling it online. I know this has been going on for a while, including sales of vitamins.

My question is, if I have to sell baby formula online, how exactly does this work ?
Buy formula from Coles (4, of course), list it on ebay, and pray for a sale ?

Where/how are these guys selling baby formula. I would have thought one sale a day would be good for starters and on TV I see individuals buying at least 20 of them a day. That's quite a sale figure for a specific online business tbh. At a net profit of $2 a formula - sell 20 of them and make 40 bucks a day. Around $800 a month. Thats a few bills taken care of.

Cheers,

Food & Grocery

Comments

  • bobbified on 20/10/2017 - 11:55
    +9

    Why don't people who have babies try and beat these guys at their own game?

    These guys wake up early and clean out the stock from the shops. So why not also go early and buy 5 or 10 at the one time? If an item is there to be sold, it's fair game.

    Buying up all the baby formula isn't something I would do, but it's not illegal or anything.

    When Aldi/Coles have those items on sale once a week/month and everyone else is going early to get it, who do you whinge to when you show up late and miss out?

    • Karlos101 on 21/10/2017 - 07:39
      +2

      As someone who has kids. They are not predictable with sleep and feed times. Its not as easy as saying. "Just beat them at their own game". Mass buyers and exporters need to be slapped with fines. I know lots of mums who are put out and have kids in need because they cant breast feed nd hVe trouble finding formula at their local shops.

      • ronnknee on 21/10/2017 - 13:25
        +5

        That's capitalism for you.

        • yannyrjl on 22/10/2017 - 16:12
          +1

          no one is stopping these mums who can't breast feed from purchasing these formula, just have to pay the market price. communism on the other hand is so fair that no body can get formula because it would never have been produced or the quality is so bad that no one wants it (oh wait, that's what happened in china !!! and that's why they want our stuff)

        • ronnknee on 22/10/2017 - 16:25

          @yannyrjl: Agreed.

      • Thenarrator on 21/10/2017 - 16:58
        +19

        You cant tell the market to stop buying just because your son john smith the second has unpredictable sleeping and feeding times.

      • [Deactivated] on 21/10/2017 - 18:19
        +10

        I supposed companies should be slapped with fines for trying to sell Australian made stuff outside of Australia.

        Wonder if that would have saved Holden

      • mb403 on 21/10/2017 - 19:00
        +6

        And as someone who has kids I order online, direct from the manufacturer. (mumstore by nutricia)

        • spaij on 23/10/2017 - 23:19
          +2

          I don't know why more people don't mention this. Also, I recall in one of the articles on the topic, A2 said that they preference Aussie parents first & ask anyone who needs A2 products​ to feed their child in Australia to contact them directly and they will look after them…

      • AustriaBargain on 22/10/2017 - 13:15

        Instead of buying one can at a time and replacing it when it runs low, why not stock up, I think is what he meant. And if it's the cost then why not put it all on a credit card, the interest will be very tiny if you pay it off one can's worth a month. A few cents interest surely must be better than spending hours driving around looking for one can, and even if you are unemployed and your time is free you still have to pay for the petrol. I guess it just comes down to how much or how little you value your own time at the end of the day.

      • jacross on 23/10/2017 - 15:11
        +1

        As someone who has kids…plan for unpredictability.

      • jacross on 23/10/2017 - 15:12

        Does that include Woolworths and the manufacturers that get the fines? Because they are exporting. Because the whole issue is a fugazi, there is stock, and ACA got you shook.

    • MessyG on 21/10/2017 - 22:44

      Asking the consumer to drastically change their purchasing behaviour at great inconvenience to them (greater still if you have an infant) is a terrible marketing strategy in the long term.

      • bobbified on 21/10/2017 - 23:14
        +2

        It's not the supermarkets "asking". It's what you want. It's been mentioned a few times that there's a few particular products that are targeted. There are plenty of others to choose from. So if, for whatever reason, someone wants that particular one and that particular one only, then they just need to do whatever they need to do to get it. Things in life aren't always easy.

        I'm going to get the shit negged out of me for saying this, but if it wasn't the almighty mothers whinging, would this even be news? Why doesn't anyone else whinge about other products that sell out quick like this? What do people do? Those who want it go line up earlier. It's purely based on demand.

        I would understand the complaining if the supermarkets opened the shop earlier so that these guys have access to it before everyone else. But it's not that - they open for everyone at the same time and everyone has the same opportunity to purchase it. If anyone can't be stuffed making the effort, then who's problem is that? There's no way things can be made convenient for everyone at the same time.

        And ask yourself honestly - if you were the one with the right contacts and making so much money off doing something that's so simple and not illegal, would you be willing to give it up so that it doesn't inconvenience people you don't even know? Fact is, with these simple and effective ideas, if you don't do it, someone else will.

        Just for the record, I don't buy or sell that stuff. I'm just sick of all the whinging.

        • [Deactivated] on 21/10/2017 - 23:56
          +3

          I'm sure if they paid 3X the asking price, they'd have international students queuing up outside their house carrying any brand of milk powder they wanted.

        • MessyG on 22/10/2017 - 07:28
          +3

          As I mentioned in a previous entry, there was only one type of formula on the market my daughter could have due to milk allergy before we would have had to go on the prescription stuff. It was incredibly hard to get because it was being sold into Asia.

          This isn't the same as complaining about a store selling out of lipstick or electronic products. This is about being able to feed infants who are too small to have anything other than milk. The fear of not being able to feed your child is horrible, made worse by a complete lack of understanding from the general public. Other people have mentioned it on the thread.

          There are tons of different kinds of formula for a reason - different babies have different needs. Mine had to have a hydrolyzed formula - she was completely allergic to the standard partially hydrolyzed ones. It was not an issue of not being able to be stuffed to go and find it - but my god, when you're running on max 2 hours sleep a night for months, not being stuffed would be a completely legitimate reason not to compete with hordes of cashed up people stripping the pallets at opening too.

          And it's a bit hard to line up earlier when you've got small children. They may be asleep. They may be hungry. They may have just done a giant shit. You can't just hop in the car and go wait outside for the shop to open.

        • bobbified on 22/10/2017 - 10:13

          @MissG:

          And it's a bit hard to line up earlier when you've got small children. They may be asleep. They may be hungry. They may have just done a giant shit. You can't just hop in the car and go wait outside for the shop to open.

          This is the thing - who's kid is it? And why should the mother get priority or extra consideration from everyone else?

          I'm more than happy to give up my seat anywhere for expectant mothers or anyone else who looks like they need the seat more than I do. Shopping centres and other services provide facilities for mothers and young kids, etc. There's no problem with it and I think the people that benefit from those things should feel grateful. My problem is when these "extras" are not/can't provided for whatever reason and the mothers feel that they've been cheated out of their right/entitlement.

          This kind of things happens a lot in the office - the company allows flexibility, but when it comes to the whole team trying to finish off some work towards the end of the day and they "have to leave now because their baby wants to see mummy". Guess who gets stuck with finishing off the work? Yet when it comes to performance reviews, they complain that their pay rise is less than everyone else's.

          Really sick of this entitlement mentality. The world doesn't revolve around mothers and their kids.

        • MessyG on 22/10/2017 - 10:14

          @bobbified: Formula isn't an extra. It's not shampoo. Some infants can't be breastfeed for many reasons (my best example is a woman has had her breasts removed due to previous breast cancer) and they need formula to sustain their lives. It's not entitlement at all.

        • bobbified on 22/10/2017 - 10:17
          -1

          @MissG:
          If you need it, you find a way to get it. If you can't go frequently, then stock up on it when you can.

          Sitting there whinging isn't going to help. Expecting the rules to be changed to suit yourself is where the "entitlement" bit comes from.

        • MessyG on 22/10/2017 - 10:21
          +3

          @bobbified: As I've already written, we did get it. We rang around pharmacies, my husband drove for hours and fortunately we've moved past that stage of infancy. No one who needs to feed a hungry baby is sitting around whinging about it and being entitled. They're out for hours trying to find it, driven by the terrible anxiety that you might not be able to feed your child. And damn right I'll complain about it - there are people out in regional and rural areas that don't have multiple pharmacies to source it from, who then have to drive 100+km to feed their child. It's ridiculous. If you think my suggestion to an OzB to consider alternative ways to make money instead of profiting at the expense of families is whinging, I suggest you have a look at some of the other things that get posted up on this site that really really constitute whinging.

        • Ughhh on 22/10/2017 - 10:30

          @bobbified:

          Would it be "entitlement" to feel angry if for example, a private company bought the Murray River or the gov decided to send 80% of Australia's source of drinking water to another country because they are willing to pay more and needed it?

        • bobbified on 22/10/2017 - 10:52

          @Ughhh: They already do that kind of thing with all our other resources. What's even worse is, the resources are sold to other countries cheaper than it's to us locally! What's been done about it?

        • bobbified on 22/10/2017 - 10:59

          @MissG:

          We rang around pharmacies, my husband drove for hours

          If the people buying it up can get there hands on it (again, the supermarkets open at the same time for everyone), then I can only assume your husband was doing something wrong in his attempts to get it.

          I wouldn't be surprised if you rang pharmacies and they told you that had no stock (even if they did have stock) because they know that it'll sell out without having to "hold stock" for someone who they don't even know would show up or not.

        • [Deactivated] on 22/10/2017 - 13:15
          +4

          @MissG:

          Find an international student. Pay him $90 for that tin of milk. I'm sure your husband's time is worth more than that.

          Making money is always profiting at the expense of "families".

          Why should we pay dentists and doctors any money at all. They're profiting at the expense of families!

        • MessyG on 22/10/2017 - 15:12
          +1

          @lolbbq: You stand there. I'll stand here. I'm pretty comfortable with the view.

        • [Deactivated] on 22/10/2017 - 23:50
          +2

          @MissG:

          Cool, its not going to get you anywhere. Your view isn't going to affect me nor increase the supply of milk powder (neither is mine anyway).

          We in the developed world have been on top for so long that we think everything we do is morally right and that we deserve everything.

          If some "upstarts" from developing countries try to beat us at our own game we cry foul "studying is not the most important thing", "its not the quality of universities that matter", "if they didn't have oil they would have nothing", "money is not everything", "surely these rich people are rich because their money is dirty", "it must be made by child labor".

          Suddenly capitalism is bad because other countries are starting to catch up.

          When it benefits you it is fair and good, if it doesn't benefit you it is unethical.

          Yea, the world is a much bigger place than you.

        • MessyG on 23/10/2017 - 08:37

          @lolbbq: No, the manufacturers increasing their supply to China, as they have done, will increase supply. That is the fair solution. Bellamy's has been granted more rights to sell in China. I'm comfortable with that.

          I don't have the problem with formula that I had because we don't need anymore, so it really has nothing to do with me, I just care about other parents doing it tough. Again, pretty comfortable with my position!

        • jacross on 23/10/2017 - 15:14
          +2

          And it's a bit hard to line up earlier when you've got small children. They may be asleep. They may be hungry. They may have just done a giant shit. You can't just hop in the car and go wait outside for the shop to open.

          Yes you can. You can actually. I've been there. It's hard. Lots of things in life are hard. This isn't unreasonably hard. It's not even the hardest thing about having a newborn by far.

    • wozz on 23/10/2017 - 08:33
      +1

      Pretty tough when you're getting 2 or 3 hours of sleep sometimes, unfortunately not always easy to plan when to go and do things

      • bobbified on 23/10/2017 - 09:41

        Pretty tough when you're getting 2 or 3 hours of sleep sometimes

        Sorry for sounding harsh, but if the formula is that important, then having 2-3 hours sleep sometimes shouldn't stop anyone.

        I often get 2-3 hours sleep (and sometimes no sleep) then have to go into the office. I don't let that stop me. If I told my boss that I can't come in because of that, I'd be sacked.

        • wozz on 23/10/2017 - 10:14
          +1

          that's the thing with having a kid, it's completely different from having a job (I used to think I was busy, done plenty of 100+ hour weeks, 20 hour shifts etc)..
          Whereas with a job, eventually you get to sleep, with a kid there is no weekend.. so there is no comparison (sure you might get a 6 hour sleep, but it ain't the same when it's broken 2 or 3 times).
          You really really can't compare having a kid to having a tough job!! It is completely different and a hell of a lot tougher.

          I used to think I was pretty good at having no sleep, but it can be a very different story once you have your first kid.. So it really does feel like torture sometimes having to stay awake, you want to get every little bit of sleep you can. Really sucks to have to try and stay up when you know this might be your only opportunity!

        • bobbified on 23/10/2017 - 12:11

          @wozz:

          I don't disagree that it'll be tough to raise kids - I don't doubt that for a second.

          Guess what I'm saying is, if I need something badly enough, I'll always find a way. And I honestly amaze myself sometimes.

          If I can't be stuffed, then it means that it probably didn't mean that much to me anyway.

        • wozz on 23/10/2017 - 12:16
          +1

          @bobbified:

          Yeah you definitely do find a way, it just sucks that you have to when you're in a tough enough situation (not that it isn't my fault I'm in it)

        • jacross on 23/10/2017 - 15:15
          +2

          @wozz:

          Yall act like those of us who managed to cope didn't have kids. We had kids and coped.

        • wozz on 23/10/2017 - 18:53
          +1

          @jacross:
          Lol can't argue.. I know you always cope somehow.. People somehow cope with triplets etc, that is unfathomable to me

        • jacross on 24/10/2017 - 08:55
          +1

          @wozz: Parents with triplets have magical coping powers that I can't possibly grasp or understand in any way!

  • pikapika on 20/10/2017 - 11:56
    +1

    Just resell it here on the blackmarket instead of trying to sell it to the Chinese..Sure you'll get some pretty desperate parents wanting to pay BIG DOLLAR for it.

    • Euphemistic on 20/10/2017 - 14:11

      I suspect the desparate parent (sleep deprived and all) will be very willing to visit you to purchase. If you are lucky you'll just get a talking to for profiting at their expense. If you aren't lucky you might need to spend all that hard earned on dental bills after they knock your teeth out.

      • pikapika on 20/10/2017 - 16:30
        +3

        And there is such thing as sarcasm but yeah, doesn't often come across on the internet very well unless you use a ;) face my bad.

      • jacross on 23/10/2017 - 15:16
        +1

        Pretty bold parent that want to jack a dealer.

  • smashed on 20/10/2017 - 12:07
    +5

    Previous post: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/266378

    "
    Give me a business Idea..

    Are there any business ideas that you çan share ?
    More the detail the better.

    Cheers
    "

    • tik tok on 21/10/2017 - 14:49
      +1

      Good research. Don't understand the relation though. That post was asking for ideas, this is discussing one !

      • smashed on 21/10/2017 - 14:55

        I remembered the thread.
        No harm in trying to find a good business but you are unlikely to find it on the news, though I guess it is possible :)

  • chumlee on 20/10/2017 - 12:59

    I think there's a bigger market in China for selling babies

    • TheBooleanOne on 21/10/2017 - 22:12
      +2

      OP's argument would be that if it wasn't illegal, then he would probably do that too

  • [Deactivated] on 20/10/2017 - 13:02
    +1

    I think your mental calculations are a bit optimistic. Sending 20 large tins a day is a fair amount of work for $40, let alone damage or loss in transit. If you are working a separate job then it's all taxed in your highest bracket.

    • tik tok on 21/10/2017 - 15:02

      Good point about the taxation. Hadn't thought of that.

    • rkura on 21/10/2017 - 22:57

      Just to clarify, you'll be taxed at your marginal rate, not at the highest tax bracket. E.g. if you earn 50k, every extra dollar you earn will be taxed at 32.5%

    • jleno on 22/10/2017 - 03:03

      well that's where the daigous beat you too - they don't pay tax

  • Ughhh on 20/10/2017 - 13:17
    +1

    Unless you have contacts in China and know what you're doing, you'll probably get scammed.

    • tik tok on 21/10/2017 - 14:55
      +1

      Dont know why you got negged. But thats a fair point.

  • tsunamisurfer on 20/10/2017 - 13:18
    +1

    I've never had a problem with this practice.

    They aren't breaking any laws, they have just as much right to that product as anyone else.

    This happens every day everywhere, dare I say it especially on Ozbargain, where there are more people wanting a particular deal or item than there are deals / items.

    If people got into it before I did, thats just life.

  • nephilim on 20/10/2017 - 13:43
    +5

    Remember its only a few of the most expensive varieties that sell out, most babies dont even need it.
    A lot of weird mums who want the most expensive baby formula because they spend the most on advertising and gold labels on its can. Marketting 101.

    • ihbh on 20/10/2017 - 14:06

      Agree. I wonder what the demographics of the Chinese buyers are. Are they rich or dumb or both (which sounds contradictory)?

      • scrimshaw on 20/10/2017 - 14:39
        +2

        It's due to the one child policy in China and also because of their desperation in getting quality food that is safe.

        ""The one child policy has meant that two parents and four grandparents may see a single baby as holding the future of their whole family. They are prepared to do everything to ensure their one precious baby has a successful life" she says.

        "Formula marketers have tapped into this desire to falsely claim their products enhance brain development and health. Child prodigies and sports stars abound in marketing campaigns, and hospitals are recruited to promote formula brands to new mothers in hospitals."

        https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/newscentre/news_centre/stor…

        so yeah, every parent wants their kids to become the next Lin Dan / Yao ming / Jack Ma / super-smart business entrepreneur, so they feed them the most premium stuff they can find.

        Chinese mainlanders also distrust their own companies' products. Spoke to a few of my Chinese friends and they say they chinese companies keep the good stuff only to be sold overseas but their local markets are full of low quality or potentially hazardous stuff.

        • tonyjzx on 20/10/2017 - 14:48
          +7

          https://www.google.com.au/search?q=one+child+policy+in+China…

          effectively over

          i was lambasted for this on other forums for expressing this opinion…

          if you have chinese or someone coming here and buying houses and land then i agree, this is a problem. Property is a finite resource.

          However if chinese come here and buy baby powder, then make more damn powder? I mean I dont get why the companies arent salivating that more people want to buy their stuff.

          If Chinese come here and buy Rolexes or Mercedes Benz's then make more?

          I dont get why this is a problem thats uniquely Australian.

          Is Australian industry so bad that they cant ramp up supply to meet demand?

        • scrimshaw on 20/10/2017 - 14:52

          @tonyjzx:

          effectively over

          That's true, from the perspective of us westerners. However when I asked why birth rate is still a problem,most chinese couples say that they prefer fewer children so that they can concentrate on raising one (dedicate more resources and time to that one child) and also maintain a better standard of living overall.

          They like being rich, they like feeling rich, and they like to "show off" how rich they are. When I worked in retail, I have a lot of chinese customers buy literally, thousands worth of stuff for their child(ren) in a single shopping trip. Makes me feel poor when they start counting the cash in their wallets and I have to be the one to serve them.

          This is from conversing from some of the chinese people I know, but mainly older generation. I don't know what the trend is for younger gen.

          As for why the Chinese like our Aussie made products — it's because they're aussie made that they prefer it. They buy up AU/NZ made honey, lamb / sheep products (meat, vitamins, dried placenta, and furs) and other 'healthy' things. It's just their perception of Australian goods in general — that's green and good for your health

          Is Australian industry so bad that they cant ramp up supply to meet demand?

          They are very selective in the stuff they buy, so only certain supemarkets are depleted but not all retailers face the same problem. They like certain Aussie made brands and they won't buy anything that has a "Made in China" mention on the packaging.

    • greatlamp on 22/10/2017 - 08:08

      Everyone want's Bellamy's because its 'organic', they put out full page ads in magazines, and all the mummy bloggers recommend it.

      There are other hydrolyzed baby formulas that sit on the shelf for months.

    • AustriaBargain on 22/10/2017 - 13:19
      +3

      My cat only eats the most expensive per gram variety of fancy feast, he gets an upset tummy if I don't get him that specific trendy brand of cat food and if I give him any other brand he'll be up crying all night his belly swollen tight as a drum, foul smelling farts occasionally leaking out of him, husband stressed out driving all over the country past midnight looking for more of this top tier fancy feast, we find ourselves arguing over fancy feast because of it, and our dreams are nightmarish visions of going to Coles and seeing that the cardboard tray that usually holds the fancy feast is empty, such horrible dreams. About the fancy feast.

      • BartholemewH on 22/10/2017 - 16:29

        I know what you mean. I had a nightmare that our pram wasn't a limited edition Bugaboo once.

  • Noire on 20/10/2017 - 14:05
    +1

    Very entertaining.

    https://www.facebook.com/hannah.dixon.5688/videos/1664487740…

    • Deridas on 21/10/2017 - 12:14
      +1

      Thanks for the link.

    • dufflover on 22/10/2017 - 18:23

      Go figure Chinese people who have no privacy from their government complaining about no permission to be filmed. Also go figure it is perfectly legal to do it in a public place (ok sure, Coles may set a rule, but I doubt they would). Go ahead and call the police mate …

    • stonkered on 22/10/2017 - 22:05

      Lol, 'i understand it's legal but it's wrong"…go away Hannah.

  • skillet on 21/10/2017 - 09:12

    Chinese tour agencies involved in milk powder blackmarket. The tourists are the mules. Milk powder is the new gold in China.

    What is the media trying to do? We need to think with a different mind set. Help the local parents of newborn us priority but this is also a great opportunity.

    Aren't you proud Aussie made stuff is winning their heart? We are viewed as a pristine and mainly unpolluted land to them. So our produce must be top quality. We can't beat them by volume but we have the quality.

    Production must be increased to satisfy demand and this is will just going to get worse because demand is going up every year. Their local milk powder will take years for the consumer to regain confidence after the scam fiasco. Besides which parent would let their newborn drink milk from cows who live on polluted waters. It's time for us to get in and monopolise while they are in need. This is a great opportunity to make our country proud and strong.

    Someone mentioned various local food companies has online store in China and their prices are quite reasonable (~AUD31 vs Coles $26) so these shortage issues should be worries of the pass soon.

    • tonyjzx on 21/10/2017 - 17:02

      My question has always been… where are the coles wollies amazons harvey normans of the world trying to cash in?

      You would think that a capitalist country like Aust. would be happy for these new customers and yet this demand ends up falling into racist Today Tonight segments.

      Businesses whats your problem?

      Sell more stock, make more money.

      It makes me disappointed in Australian industry when they cant make more money when demand goes up.

      • [Deactivated] on 23/10/2017 - 13:47

        They're always trying to turn people against the foreign alien, it is what makes people afraid and angry. It also drives up the clicks and the views.

        Australian ideals and morals always superior. Everything else is unethical/exploiting/restrictive/"unaustralian". Indian IT workers stealing jobs, Middle eastern "terrorists", Dirty Chinese money stealing houses and milk powder.

        Australia is less than 0.4% of the world's population and the world is a bad scary place.

    • tik tok on 21/10/2017 - 21:36

      Chinese tour agencies involved in milk powder blackmarket. The tourists are the mules. Milk powder is the new gold in China.

      Are you taking a piss or do you have data/reports to back this up ?

      • tonyjzx on 21/10/2017 - 21:40

        well think about this logically

        do you think that tourists are filling their rollerbags w/ tins of formula?

        the cans are big heavy and they're worth $25 or so

        is it worth it?

  • stralya on 21/10/2017 - 15:26

    You're probably better off buying shares in a daigou like Aumake (AU8). Let them do the hard work, sit back and watch the profits roll in.

    • owli on 22/10/2017 - 17:14
      +1

      or A2M, averaging 50%+ gains every month for the past two years.

  • [Deactivated] on 21/10/2017 - 15:37
    +2

    Saw the video as well and made me think of a hoard of OzBargainers swooping on a deal.

    I would just go to Coles/Woolies and wait for the Asian buyers to swoop, then blend in by helping them grab them, then ask them for a job.

    • jacross on 23/10/2017 - 15:21

      HAHA this is EXACTLY what OzBargain is like.

  • itsdougie on 21/10/2017 - 15:59

    You don't even need to send the formula as far as China. There is also a market for Australian made formula in Jakarta. I have a mate at work that sends care packages to Singapore too, his niece makes a nice little profit.

    • tik tok on 21/10/2017 - 21:38
      -5

      Any chance you can put me through to him/her ? I have more than one untapped market in mind.
      I just need to understand how they operate (advertising, sales, shipping, etc). Happy to pay a royalty on profit if need be.

      Cheers,

  • tonyjzx on 21/10/2017 - 16:59

    This is kind of overblown IMO. Sure you have the chinese emptying out say, Hurstville, but like today, I went around to the 2nd biggest coles woolworths in syd. and they had heaps of stock.

    • tik tok on 21/10/2017 - 21:39

      Agreed. Same with Chemist warehouse. I see Asians buying trolley loads of vitamins and the staff promptly restock them.

  • shortgum on 21/10/2017 - 17:17

    Pls tell me why aus baby formula powder so popular to china. don't get it.

    • bobbified on 21/10/2017 - 17:45

      It's the stricter quality control we have here. There was a scandal in China a few years ago and some babies died as result of the dodgey ingredients that were added into the local products.

    • silverrat23 on 21/10/2017 - 17:56

      In short:

      • Baby Formula's terrible in China (as in "killed 3 infants and poisoned many many more"-kind of terrible).
      • Australia produces many high-quality goods, baby formula included (damn right we do).
      • More and more international students are coming to study here, most with family back home and wanting to help.
      • More and more Chinese citizens are wanting such formula, since supply is short in China.
      • Why stop at just helping family when you can profit. After all, the opportunities are there ready for the taking.

      Connect two and two together and that's your reason why.

    • Lucky13 on 22/10/2017 - 02:16

      Info on 2008 baby milk formula scandal in China - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Chinese_milk_scandal

    • AustriaBargain on 22/10/2017 - 13:21
      +1

      Less likely to find limestone mixed in with a sealed tin of Australian baby formula. The less limestone your baby drinks the better chance they will have in life.

  • eneloop on 21/10/2017 - 19:51

    Naughty AussieB

  • dlwstc on 21/10/2017 - 19:53
    -7

    New to the site, but I am running a legitimate exporting business based in Perth. Just wondering if anyone who has access to reliable supply to baby formula (Aptamil, A2, etc)? Please contact me if you do to see if we can work together.

    • tik tok on 21/10/2017 - 21:39
      -1

      Yeah, right. First post and you post this.

    • mini2 on 23/10/2017 - 14:44
      +1

      Costco. Used to be able to order them by the pallet load.

      I'm surprised none of the anger been vented at Costco….

  • LittleKatie on 21/10/2017 - 20:57
    +1

    How much does a tin of formula sell for in China?

    • shvivi on 23/10/2017 - 14:50

      $50~$70 Delivered

  • revo on 21/10/2017 - 21:28

    If you think this will be a successful business, maybe think about investing/buying shares in this area? Unless you have direct contacts in China, who know how to distribute the product, then you might have a chance, but otherwise it isn't a business you want to build on. Australia will eventually improve distribution with a system which fulfills the needs of internationals and locals. There are many ways to make a side income, and this idea probably isn't the best way to go about it. Good luck!

    • tik tok on 21/10/2017 - 21:40

      I never knew this type of a business would be a public offering. But I will research the shares part. Any pointers on what I can google for (company names etc) ? Can you please share some other pragmatic ways ?

      • revo on 21/10/2017 - 21:53

        Note, I am not providing financial advice, you should do your own research should you decide you want to invest. Names that come to mind are: Bellamy's, A2 Milk, Bubs. Just have a look at their share price history.
        In terms of business ideas, look for where you strengths are, what are you good at, what do you know a lot about and what are you passionate about. Use those as a starting point. The rest is up to you.

      • Third_Gear on 22/10/2017 - 07:37

        WHA has a lot going for it with accreditation etc. BUB is another one to research. As always do your own research!

  • nobby148 on 21/10/2017 - 22:08
    +1

    You need contacts set up a wechat account thats what my gf use to do she had some contacts where ppl enquired about some stuff and she would buy them then ship it out. Problem with this is its very difficult for you to make much money now from selling baby formula as there are lots of daigou stores in Australia notably Kiwibuy I don't know how they operate but I presume they have other ppl on wechat that sell directly to them if not then there are lots of daigou stores in and around Sydney that makes it a extremely tough market. If you don't know the right ppl you can't do it, I have urged my gf to continue with it but she's lazy so oh wells lol

  • ganymede on 21/10/2017 - 23:24
    +2

    I don't understand the fuss about baby formula, what happened to the good old breast milk? How the older generations survived before baby formula was invented?

    • tik tok on 21/10/2017 - 23:27
      +2

      My guess is, a number of reasons. The prime one being a lot of women, just naturally, aren't able to express milk. This is more common than you can imagine. I have mates whose missus' have had C section (supposedly, the hormones indicating milk production aren't activated (or something like that))and their kids have been on formula from day 1.

    • [Deactivated] on 22/10/2017 - 14:10
      +1

      Because the current rhetoric is not matched with proper education and genuine support.

    • owli on 22/10/2017 - 21:48
      +2

      I have been trying to figure this out for a while now, I dont know anyone in mainland China but I have Chinese family in Indonesia and they all will use formula.

      • Gullible parents who fall for the advertising that says formula is superior.
      • Nowhere near as much support from the hospitals for breastfeeding as we have here.
      • I heard that since breastfeeding is superior + it cost big money it is a class/status thing. Anyone who breastfeeds is a poor villager.
      • Caesareans are preferred or pushed onto them, I found they rarely do the GD test, so being Asian and eating 3 serves of rice a day the baby probably grows too large and they have to have a c-section anyway. This removes that first part of skin to skin bonding/feeding while the mother is in recovery, meanwhile, nurses are feeding the newborn formula.
    • MessyG on 23/10/2017 - 08:54
      +1

      Myriad of reasons. Older generations survived but with much higher neonatal mortality rates than we have now. Some women simply don't have the milk supply to meet the infants needs, some have had their breasts removed due to breast cancer and physically just can't, some have medical problems which require medications that come out in the breastmilk - I could go on, it's a big list.

      • ganymede on 23/10/2017 - 11:00
        +1

        Fair enough but I am left wondering what percentage of the population opt to use baby formula because of myriad of reasons you listed above or just out of convenience.

        • MessyG on 23/10/2017 - 12:56

          Hah! It is far more convenient to breastfeed - no bottles to wash/sterilise/dry, no water to boil, no going to the shops to source sold out formula, no having to cycle through a gazillion different teats and waste money before finding one the baby will take. Breastfeeding is a dream by comparison. Just a lot of women either can't or really struggle with supply. There might be some out there who find formula more convenient, I've never met one. Formula feeding is messy, expensive, and time consuming!

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