How Should Ecommerce Sellers Find Alternative Suppliers During Coronavirus Outbreak?

February 22 02:15 2020
How Should Ecommerce Sellers Find Alternative Suppliers During Coronavirus Outbreak?
“The deadly Coronavirus has been eating on the Amazon seller business since its outbreak in China.”

Ecommerce is an ever-evolving business domain. Since its inception, it has been known to leverage the way people shop and sellers sell. Among all the big names in the eCommerce industry, Amazon is undoubtedly a massive eCommerce marquee that has established its credibility since its very beginning. 

Being an Amazon seller is undoubtedly a beneficial move to set your foot in the eCommerce industry in the most productive way. There are plenty of factors that influence Amazon selling. Industry factors, from the rate of demand to supply, every little element makes a significant difference. 

Coronavirus Disrupting The Amazon Sellers Business

China is undoubtedly the largest manufacturing chain in the world. A majority of Amazon sellers around the globe acquire their products from Chinese manufacturers. The outbreak of Coronavirus is preventing Amazon sellers from obtaining their products from the Chinese territory. They are extremely concerned about the widespread of life-threatening Coronavirus as many manufacturers are short falling in providing products at the right time. Furthermore, it is quite dangerous to acquire products from an infected area. 

More than 1 million Amazon sellers are dependent on the workers in China who are living in the region where Coronavirus has killed more than 1000 people and sickened more than 40,000 people. Amazon sellers are in apprehension that running out of the product supply will gradually wipe out their business. Already they have been working to fill in the shortage of products that were meant to come from China. It’s like the lifeblood of Amazon sellers is in a dangling situation after the outbreak of Coronavirus. 

Facts About Coronavirus Outbreak in China

  • Coronavirus is an air derived infection that has flu-like symptoms.
  • On 3rd January, the reported cases of Coronavirus went to a massive level in the Wuhan area.
  • Currently, Wuhan is completely locked down.
  • People from the around the world are advised to not enter China until May 2020
  • After Chinese New Year, people are taking longer to come back to China for work.
  • People are advised to wear N95 masks to protect themselves from infections, especially in the infected areas.
  • Though Coronavirus is not as deadly as the Swine flu, it has claimed many lives in China.


How is Coronavirus Impacting Amazon Sellers?

Amazon sellers are largely affected by the outbreak of Coronavirus. There has been a disruption in the supply of China manufactured goods to the Amazon sellers, which has gradually increased their concern to meet their sales goal. 

  • Holidays for the Chinese New Year have been extended that has raised the concern of Amazon sellers.
  • The factories situated in the area of Hubei or Guangdong have been largely affected by manufacturing.
  • Several regions have been locked out, which means workers cannot get in or go out to supply the products. 
  • Amazon sellers have been looking out for an alternative to fill in the gap. 


How Can Amazon Sellers Find Alternative Suppliers?

Product sourcing decision is the most crucial step to make in Amazon FBA seller business. And after the outbreak of Coronavirus, the filtration of products has become more stringent than ever. It has become more than imperative to find another way to locate reliable suppliers and get non-Chinese products.

Use Tools To Find Suppliers

Technology has certainly harnessed the eCommerce industry. In this hour of need, it has come to Amazon sellers as a boon. There are plenty of tools that will help Amazon sellers to locate promising alternative suppliers. After researching websites and forums, we found a few free tools to find reliable suppliers that can meet seller’s end goal of sourcing. Take Manufacturer Heat Map for example, it can help a lot in exploring new options for credible suppliers.

Go For Private Label Manufacturers

Another great way to find reliable suppliers is to go for private label manufacturers. These are the companies, salespeople, or representatives, through which a majority of retailers make their purchase. One of the great things about these manufacturers is that their prices are often low and products are pf good quality. Amazon sellers can join hands with private label manufacturers to fulfill their product demands. 

Try Different Countries To Source Products

In order to find non-Chinese suppliers, it is essential to look out for other promising manufacturing companies that can provide the same quality product on a budget-friendly price range. Amazon sellers are advised to go look out for countries that can match the product characteristics of China. India, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, and Korea are some of the major countries that can be taken into consideration to source products outside China.

Other Online Sources 

There are plenty of websites that have been sourcing products for eCommerce industries for a while. Now is the time to prioritize these websites and make use of them to meet the growing demand for different products. Amazon sellers can seek assistance from these websites to make a bulk purchase of the products and bridge the gap between the demand and supply for their products. 

The Bottom Line

Coronavirus has disrupted the lives of Chinese people, and it has created a massive impact on the global economy as well. There’s no doubt in asserting that China is the largest supply chain in the world. Anything and possibly everything is sourced from China. The eCommerce industry has been largely impacted by the outbreak of Coronavirus. The product availability of Amazon sellers have been disturbed as many of Chinese regions have been in complete lockdown. 

It is a matter of concern as more than a million of Amazon sellers were dependent on Chinese suppliers to source their product. Now, they have reached a situation where they have to find alternative suppliers to get their required products. 

There are plenty of ways in which Amazon sellers can find reliable suppliers for their product availability. The above mentioned were some of the ideal ways that can be used by Amazon sellers to overcome the effects of Coronavirus on their product availability.

If you have anything in your mind related to this topic, please feel free to comment below. We’d love to hear your thoughts and help with your concerns.

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