Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya

Posted by Felix on Monday April 16, 2012 13:31:38:

There is a growing number of computer users in Kenya and this also is creating a lot of demand for portable computers such as laptops. Kenyans need laptops now more than before and the market keeps growing. Students, professionals, business executives, workers and even housewives would like to have something like their own portable laptop and this is where you can make a lot of profit. All you need to do is make it available to the.

What this business requires
- An internet connection
- A US shipping address
- An online buying account
- A valid visa or mastercard

What brand of laptops can one buy?
There are a lot of laptop brands available in the market and you can decide to focus on the major ones such as Apple, Sony, Hp or Compaq. There are a lot of other brands such as Toshiba, Samsung, Acer and so on. They come in various sizes and shapes and the best ones are mostly the American version which last longer. It is better to buy original brand new laptops if you are importing but that doesn't meant you can't also import cheap ones such as refurbished or used laptops.

How does this business work?
Well here is the process:
- You open an online buyer's account with a site like Amazon.com
- You also open a US shipping address here. Cost about $70 per year
- You get a card from your bank such as Visa or Mastercard with around $500 funds
- Browse laptops on Amazon website
- Order for your preferred laptop. Best to look for free shipping deals
- Receive it with your US shipping address
- Re-ship it to Kenya within 30 days. Cost about $70 per laptop via DHL or Fedex.
- Track your shipping online
- Wait for delivery and collection
- Sell to end buyers

Costs involved
- Foreign currency costs for loading credit card
- Actual purchase price
- US mail forwarding account
- Final shipping to Kenya.

Laptop business is good business
There are lot of cheap and expensive laptops on sites like Amazon, Google shopping and others. You can search based on brands, prices, free shipping, brand new, refurbished and so on. There is always a market for laptops in Kenya and if you know how to buy and sell them, you are in good business. People invest something like $400 on a laptop and sell it for $450 or $500 which is not bad profit. SO just calculate your costs when doing this business so as to know where to put your selling price.

Buy Original laptops online from Amazon

Comments:

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by Samuel Mwenda on Tuesday June 5, 2012 at 12:20:55:

Hi,
Thanks for your very informative and enlightening site. I need to inquire on a point though, you mean it costs US$70 to ship a laptop within 30 days from US to Kenya via DHL or Fedex?
I will appreciate your swift response as I need to send for a laptop from the US soonest.

Regards,
S. MWENDA, 0720 695 828

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by Felix Okoli on Tuesday June 5, 2012 at 12:20:55:

Yeah, it cost about that range ($70 to $100). If you want to ship from the USA to Kenya using DHL, it mainly depends on the weight or size or size of what your are shipping, whichever is more. For laptops, it's mostly about the weight.

You can estimate price for shipping here: http://www.myus.com/en/international-shipping-rates/

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by Phillis on Friday June 15, 2012 at 14:9:12:

Thank you alot for your helpful information. Please advise me on the best quality for a laptop to go for from USA?

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by Felix Okoli on Friday June 15, 2012 at 14:9:12:

Well, if you ask me, I'd say buy the Sony Vaio or Dell Inspirion laptop. They are both awesome and come with Windows 7. I personally use a Sony VAIO and it's fast and reliable. They both come also with 4gb ram.

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by Phillis on Saturday June 16, 2012 at 7:3:20:

Thank you Felix. I find this information very helpful.

Kindly do you have an idea what is the price of the two recommended laptops would most likely be here in Kenya. Sometimes i find taxing a bit too much Felix?..or you would advise me to import still?

Importing or local buying for a personal laptop?..into consideration on shipping and taxation charges.

Thank you very much.

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by Felix Okoli on Saturday June 16, 2012 at 7:3:20:

I guess the best way to find out is to do the maths. Besides, what kind of taxes are you talking about? Anyway, the best thing about buying laptops from the usa is that you get it from the source and you can take advantage of deals.

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by Phillis on Monday June 18, 2012 at 8:40:15:

Thank you Felix again for your feedback.

I mean the tax charged on any imported item?...

Also i agreed completely with on the advantage of getting laptops from the source.

Thank you and have a wonderful day.

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by Felix Okoli on Monday June 18, 2012 at 8:40:15:

I guess the best way to find out is to import a single laptop first before importing in bulk. I also got to know that used computer imports such as used laptops attract more duties than brand new ones. Besides, you are not really the one doing the import, it is DHL who is acting on your behalf as you would pay in advance so unless they contact you, you don't really have to bother about paying for duties.

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by Felix Okoli on Monday June 18, 2012 at 8:40:15:

According to http://www.kra.go.ke/customs/faqcustoms.html#Q7,
import duty for new computers are at 2.25% of cost while used computers attract 25%, ,so do the matths

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by Sidney on Thursday July 12, 2012 at 8:30:43:

What an amazing conversation!Felix,I've wanted to purchase a laptop for my studies...I think buying from the US would make a good deal.But how sure is one that delivery gonna happen and that it's not just fraud?Would like to know.
Good day!

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by Felix on Thursday July 12, 2012 at 8:30:43:

Well I've tested myus.com and they don't disappoint

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by George on Friday July 13, 2012 at 23:33:25:

Hi,thanks for this info-however how do i set up a us address

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by Felix Okoli on Friday July 13, 2012 at 23:33:25:

It's simple. Just go to myus.com and register for an account. You can choose a 1 year account or a per use account

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by Phelps on Friday July 20, 2012 at 10:14:22:

Great article. My bank doesn't have visa so I was asking which local banks offer visa or which one do you specifically use? I also enquired from dhl and was told that besides shipping costs, there is around $70 charges for a new laptop and $200 for a refurbished one. Is that true, just for my confirmation from an experienced person.

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by Felix Okoli on Saturday July 21, 2012 at 11:3:0:

About $70 to $100 should be the only charge you have to pay DHL through your US shippers for shipping a 1kg new laptop from US to Kenya. You are likely to get free shipping within the US to your US address when you buy from an online store like Amazon. As for Visa card, KCB does offer Visa card you can use for internet shopping from Amazon. Besides, if you have a paypal account, you can also shop online from ebay.

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by Pat on Monday October 15, 2012 at 20:19:37:

I am in the US and am looking for a computer to send a Kenyan friend and I have a tech question that I hope u can answer as I can find info on the internet. Kenyan plugs use BS1363 so how does the US configuration work. Will my friend need an adaptor to be able to use it there? Thanks in advance.

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by Felix Okoli on Monday October 15, 2012 at 20:19:37:

Best advice is to look at the specifications on the product before purchasing them. With the specs, you'd know the ones that are compatible with that of Kenya. It would also be wise to buy commonly used types of electronics in Kenya when shopping online so that it matches any plug

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by David on Sunday May 26, 2013 at 20:13:20:

wow dis is awesome. ok am in kenya and i was wondering what are the documents required for me to pick my laptop from DHL

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by Felix Okoli on Sunday May 26, 2013 at 20:13:20:

It should include your receipt of payment, id card and invoice. Just basic things to prove that it's yours and you paid for it.

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by Mary on Thursday January 9, 2014 at 8:24:9:

Hi. You mean laptops are not taxed in kenya? if they are taxed, what are the rates? what other costs/expenses might apply?

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by Geoffrey on Saturday January 11, 2014 at 22:22:34:

How much does a laptop cost there in US please? I mean wether new ones or used.
Waiting for your reply plz.

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by Esther Gitau on Thursday May 29, 2014 at 14:14:41:

Hi please clarify on whether laptops import is taxable

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by Felix Okoli on Thursday May 29, 2014 at 14:14:41:

As far as I know used laptops are taxable while new ones are not.

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by Maingi simon on Monday June 30, 2014 at 15:58:2:

Where do i collect the product after shipping

Re: Make money importing and selling laptops in Kenya Reply by Felix Okoli on Monday June 30, 2014 at 15:58:2:

DHL will normally ship it to the address you specify with your US shipping agent.