Importing from China: First-generation Chinese Immigrants' Side Hustle
Connecting Factories in China with Consumers Worldwide
We are Stella and Amy. We share firsthand stories and perspectives that are either lost in translation or simply inaccessible to you. Together, we bridge cultural divides and bring the world a little closer—one post at a time.
Back in the day, if a first-generation Chinese immigrant started an import business, it usually meant opening a grocery store—stacking shelves with soy sauce, crispy chili oil, and bags of jasmine rice, bringing a taste of home to their local community. Fast forward to today, and the new generation of immigrants is still importing from China—but instead of stocking supermarket aisles, they’re filling up e-commerce stores. Armed with supplier connections, bilingual skills, and an eye for trending products, they’re quietly building online brands, selling everything from kids’ cameras to sleek home decor. The corner store has gone digital, and these entrepreneurs aren’t just serving their own communities anymore—they’re selling to the world.
E-Commerce as a Side Hustle: A New Path for First-Gen Chinese Immigrants
Many first-gen Chinese immigrants land stable jobs in North America, work hard, and climb the corporate ladder. But for many, something still feels off—long hours don’t always lead to financial freedom, promotions are slow, and job security in fields like tech has become more fragile with recent layoffs.
Meanwhile, peers in China leverage convenient manufacturing capabilities and a robust supply chain to launch businesses and rapidly build wealth. Watching from afar, many first-gen immigrants start questioning if they should rely solely on their salaries.
Without a family safety net in North America, they feel the pressure to build true financial independence. Instead of waiting for promotions, many turn to e-commerce as a side hustle. With low startup costs, flexible hours, and unlimited earning potential, e-commerce offers a chance to build something of their own without quitting their day job.
But financial motivation alone isn’t the full story. These entrepreneurs have a unique advantage: direct access to China’s manufacturing ecosystem. While others struggle to find reliable suppliers, they know how to navigate the supply chain. And that’s where their real advantage begins.
The Secret Advantages
While anyone can start an online store, first-generation Chinese immigrants have a built-in advantage that sets them apart—a direct pipeline to China’s vast and highly efficient manufacturing ecosystem.
For most Western entrepreneurs, sourcing products from China is a daunting process. They rely on Alibaba, middlemen, or third-party sourcing agents, often struggling with high costs, inconsistent product quality, and long negotiation cycles. But for first-gen Chinese immigrants, the process is second nature. They know where to find the factories, understand the supply chain, and, more importantly, speak the language—giving them a unique competitive edge.
Direct Access to Manufacturers
Unlike Western entrepreneurs who go through intermediaries, many first-gen immigrants know how to navigate China’s supply chain directly. This gives them:
Better pricing by bypassing middlemen.
Faster production times with priority orders.
The ability to customize design of products, rather than selling generic items.
Bilingual and Bicultural Edge
Speaking both Mandarin and English allows them to negotiate directly, avoid miscommunication, and spot trends early. Their understanding of Western consumers also helps them select and market the right products—something many Chinese manufacturers struggle with when selling overseas.
Trust That Doesn’t Cross Borders
China has evolved into a high-trust society over the past few decades, possibly due to widespread surveillance and rapid economic development. Domestic business transactions are now smoother and more reliable than ever. However, this trust does not easily extend across borders.
For manufacturers, dealing with a random foreign seller carries risk—if something goes wrong, they have no way to track them down. But when working with overseas Chinese entrepreneurs, the dynamic changes. Manufacturers feel a stronger sense of reliability, knowing that these business owners share cultural ties and a common understanding of expectations.
Independent Sellers v.s. Sell on Amazon
While access to China's supply chain provides a competitive edge, many first-gen immigrant entrepreneurs take a distinct approach to e-commerce success. Rather than competing on Amazon's terms of low prices and rapid fulfillment, they focus on building sustainable brands through three key strategies.
First, they differentiate through quality and presentation—developing private-label products and distinctive packaging to cultivate customer loyalty while avoiding the race-to-the-bottom pricing common among marketplace sellers.
Second, they reshape consumer expectations through strategic inventory management. Rather than relying on instant fulfillment, they use pre-orders, limited-edition releases, and U.S.-based warehouses for in-demand items, shifting the focus away from speed to exclusivity and value.
Third, and most crucially, they bypass dependency on marketplace algorithms by building authentic customer relationships. Through social media engagement, influencer partnerships, and brand storytelling, they transform one-time purchasers into loyal brand advocates.
In essence, these entrepreneurs succeed by creating their own market space, where brand value—not just price—drives consumer decisions.
Chinese Factories’ Push to Go Global
Chinese manufacturers are under immense pressure. Fierce domestic competition, shrinking margins, and overproduction have made it harder than ever to stay profitable. Many factories are barely breaking even, forced to cut prices to win orders in an oversaturated market. To escape this cycle, selling directly to overseas consumers has become an urgent priority.
While first-gen Chinese entrepreneurs have leveraged their supply chain expertise to build online businesses, many manufacturers are now trying to do the same. They see the success of leading Chinese companies expanding internationally and want to replicate it. Instead of relying on bulk orders from retailers, they hope to sell directly to consumers through online platforms—a shift that, if successful, could give them greater control over pricing and profitability.
In one of our previoius newsletters, Selling from Factory, we covered the story of Tony from LC Sign, a factory worker in China who went viral on Instagram and successfully built a brand. But most Chinese manufacturers aren’t that lucky.
Despite their ambitions, most manufacturers struggle to make this transition. While they excel at production, they lack the skills and infrastructure needed to succeed in global e-commerce. The most common challenges include:
Lack of marketing expertise – Manufacturers are used to fulfilling orders, not creating consumer demand. Digital advertising, content marketing, and brand storytelling are foreign concepts to many factories.
Poor branding and packaging – Even when their products are high quality, they often fail to meet Western design expectations, making it difficult to attract customers.
Customer service struggles – Handling individual buyers, managing returns, and delivering a seamless shopping experience require an entirely different business model than wholesale.
Geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China – The ongoing trade war and shifting tariff policies (including the current 10% additional tariffs on Chinese imports) create uncertainty for manufacturers looking to expand into North America. Political risks, regulatory scrutiny, and potential restrictions on Chinese businesses or businesses importing from China, make long-term planning and market entry increasingly complex.
The imposed tariffs on China by the Trump administration—and the ongoing threats to raise them further—have made the old model of selling low-cost Chinese goods unsustainable. With rising import costs, simply undercutting competitors on price is no longer viable. To maintain profitability, factories and sellers must invest in branding, quality, packaging, and service to add a premium to their products and justify higher prices.
The Future of Importing from China
As manufacturers continue to struggle with branding and marketing, first-gen Chinese entrepreneurs are stepping in, using their bilingual skills, supply chain expertise, and deep understanding of Western consumers to bridge the gap.
However, this relationship isn’t purely collaborative—competition is emerging. As more manufacturers attempt to build their own brands, they may find themselves competing with independent entrepreneurs targeting the same markets.
For now, there is room for both. Many manufacturers will still need experienced sellers to bring their products overseas, while some first-gen entrepreneurs will carve out their own space by building independent brands. As Chinese manufacturing and global e-commerce evolve, those who adapt fastest—whether as suppliers, brand builders, or marketers—will be best positioned to succeed.
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We are Stella and Amy. We share firsthand stories and perspectives that are either lost in translation or simply inaccessible to you.
