South America is a large toy market with long supply lines, and the distance from Yiwu is the fact that shapes everything else. Freight is a bigger share of the landed cost here than almost anywhere, which changes which products make sense to import and which do not.
This is how we would think about a first order for Brazil, Peru, Chile or the markets around them.
Freight decides more than price
On a long route, the carton is the product. A bulky item that sells at a low price has to justify the space it occupies in a container, and frequently it does not — which is why buyers in this region tend to favour products with a high value per cubic metre.
Ask us for carton dimensions, pieces per carton and gross weight before you compare anything. Then work out the cost per unit landed, not the unit price from the factory. On this route the two numbers can rank products in a completely different order.
Bubble solution is the clearest example. Shipping liquid across an ocean means paying to move water, which is why the concentrate and powder formats exist — a powder that makes seven gallons arrives as a fraction of the weight and volume of the solution it produces.
Consolidate, or you will pay twice
Groupage — sharing a container with other cargo — lets a smaller buyer ship without filling a container, at a higher cost per cubic metre. A full container is cheaper per unit but requires volume. Most first orders from this region start as groupage and move to full containers as the buyer’s volume grows.
If you are buying from more than one supplier, consolidate in Yiwu before shipping. One consignment means one set of documents and one freight bill, and it is usually the single largest saving available to a new importer.
Import rules vary, and some of them are strict
Import taxes, documentation and product requirements differ between Brazil, Peru, Chile, Colombia and the rest. Some of these markets are among the more complex in the world to import into, and none of them should be treated as interchangeable with the others.
Your customs broker in the destination country is the right source for what applies to your product and your route. What we can supply is the product data, the material information and the test reports that exist for the model — the things any certification or clearance process will ask you for.
What sells here
Price-sensitive, high-volume items with strong visual appeal. Bubble guns and wands in animal and food shapes do well, because the purchase is an impulse and the shape is the whole sales argument. Squishy toys have been strong across the region and are compact enough to ship efficiently.
Large items — water cannons, garden machines — are bought by buyers who already have distribution and can fill a container. For a first order they are usually the wrong place to start.
How to begin
Sample first, test with solution in the unit, then order broad rather than deep. Our minimum is 5 pieces per design and designs mix freely, which makes a first order from this region a manageable risk rather than a container-sized bet.
Tell us the destination port and the quantity you have in mind and we will send packing data with the quotation. WhatsApp: +86 173 4881 6397. See the range under bubble guns, bubble wands and bubble solution.