Import From China Business
A practical guide for starting a small business
2010-
Import from China
Sell on eBay
Sandra Kell
Ontario, Canada
Baby Products
Profit This Year: $10,400
“I started with $1,000 and began importing baby products from China. I sell them on eBay, Facebook and in my local stores. After 8 months, I am earning $400 a week. I finally quit my day job!”
Learn How
Shoes Australia
Shoes Australia History
Shoes Australia has a rich history. The first shoes invented in the world were estimated to have happened somewhere between 50,000 B.C. and 20,000 B.C. The first image of man wearing shoes was depicted on a rock painting in Spain around 15,000 B.C.
Shoes Australia made by Aboriginals were traditional sandals created from plant materials. Such Shoes Australia still follow very ancient designs today.
Consumer goods from ship wrecks in Australia such as the Sydney Cove in 1797 can reveal much about the Shoes Australia's fashion history.
- The shipping vessel, the Sydney Cove owned by British merchant house of Campbell and Clark from Calcutta was used to develop trade with the new colony of New South Wales.
- The cargo was collected from China, Europe, Malaya and India to be sold at Port Hope.
- Consumer goods were excavated from the ship wreck including 242 pieces of leather footwear.
- The shoes were large ranging from 215 mm to 285 mm suggesting that they were men's shoes.
- They had narrow insteps and flat heels.
- They were also made straight for either the right or left foot. Individual right and left shoes were not available to the world until the 1830's.
- The shoes from the wreckage were probably made in India due to the red coloring used in the shoes was commonly used in India around that time.
- Also, the shoes were made from goat hides rather than hides from cattle.
Successful Shoes Australia Companies
Similar to the clothing industry, Shoes Australia has been impacted by cheap imports. However, there are Australian shoe manufacturers and retailers which still do very well in spite of the global competition.
R.M. Williams
- Reginald Murray ("RM") Williams started the R.M.Williams company in 1932 focusing on quality boots design and production. Its shoes can be found across the global worn by businessmen on the streets of London, government leaders, movie celebrities, sports champions and media figures.
Colorado Group
- Colorado Group is a large Australian shoes and clothing retailer and wholesaler which
began over 140 years ago with a focus on the mid to upper-
middle market brands. The company has 430 retail locations in Australia and New Zealand. Its world class brands include: Colorado, Mathers, Williams, Pairs, Jag and Diana Ferrari.
Scanlan & Theodore
- Scanlan & Theodore is a small fashion company in Australia focusing on women fashions for the upscale market since 1987. The brand's fashion products are about clean, simple and modern lines. The company's ten boutiques in Australia also sell shoes and accessories imported from overseas.
Johanna Preston and Preston Zly
- Johanna Preston is one of Australia's most famous shoe designers concentrating on
high quality, highly unusual handmade shoes. Her craftsmanship was developed through
a lathe-
making course with a master shoemaker. Her sculpture partner helped her to make heels for the Australia shoes.
Shoes Australia Import Opportunities
Cindy and Daniel Gilbert, founders of the Australian Shoe retailer, Australian Hype DC are perfect examples of how someone can capitalize on the Shoes Australia market by Importing to Australia.
- Their obsession with feet and shoes resulted in a trip to Europe to do some major shoe shopping.
- They discovered that what was missing in Australia was a line of edgier street wear styles.
- Hence, the Australian Hype DC shoe store concept was born in 1998.
- This highly successful couple now has 30 stores in Australia where shoes are displayed in an art gallery fashion.
- They still travel around the globe importing interesting shoes from Paris and New York to the local Australian shoe market.
Shoes Australia Industry Overview
Shoes Australia as an industry involves those businesses which manufacture mass produced products as well as those custom made. There are a couple hundred of shoemaking businesses in Australia employing several thousand workers and generating almost a billion dollars in revenue.
What other interesting niches are still missing in the Shoes Australia market? Take a look around and you too, can be the next Cindy and Daniel Gilbert.