How to buy wholesale headphones from China
Hisuper HernándezShare
Do you want to import electronic products from China?
With many years of experience in the electronics sector, I can confidently say that wholesale headphones are an excellent option, especially wireless Bluetooth headphones. In China, there are various wholesale headphone suppliers and manufacturers with a wide range of headphones and earphones at affordable prices.
Since I have extensive knowledge in this field, I'd like to share with you information about wholesale headphones from China. In fact, you can easily learn about it through the following points:
Chapter 1. Different types of headphones you can choose from
In China, headphones are offered in different designs, but they are divided into three main categories:
- Over the ear
- In the ear
- Headphones
Different types of headphones in China offer different features and are specifically designed for specific audiences. By understanding these different features, you'll easily find the best Chinese headphones for your target audience.
And if you're wondering what kind of headphones to buy for your beloved clients, read on...
Over the ear
Typically, over-ear headphones have thick headbands and large cups that completely cover the ears. They are the most comfortable. However, some are more compact and have smaller cups that rest on the ears, providing deeper bass.
These headphones are best suited for those looking for a more comfortable fit but aren't bothered by the large design. Artists and singers often adore this type of headphone.
In the ear
These earphones are usually ultra-portable and have small tips that insert into the ear canal.
They are best suited for listeners who want an ultra-portable headphone design and are comfortable with the in-ear fit.
Headphones
The earbuds are small, ultra-portable earphones with tips that rest on the edge of the ear canal.
They're more appealing to those looking for an ultraportable design but find in-ear headphones uncomfortable. They're also the most common type of headphones and often come with new cell phones.
Below are the different classifications by function:
| PREMIUM HEADPHONES | BLUETOOTH HEADPHONES |
| SPORTS AND FITNESS | DJ/PROFESSIONAL |
| GAMING HEADSET | SURROUND SOUND HEADPHONES |
In many cases, headphone manufacturers tend to divide them into two categories: regular headphones and headphones with a microphone.
Nowadays, many headsets are used as accessories for cell phones or computers. They also often have a call function. Therefore, it's important that the headset has a microphone so you can receive calls.
Before purchasing the headphones from the supplier(s), you need to find out whether they have a microphone in the wholesale headphones or not.
Based on my personal experience, people usually prefer to buy headphones with a microphone instead of buying regular headphones without a microphone.
Plus, I've also found that people love cool Bluetooth headphones with a charging case.
The headset includes a Bluetooth earpiece and a charging case. When you open the box, you'll see the Bluetooth earpiece. This headset is virtually identical to AirPods, with a left and right side. It also features wireless connectivity.
When you see these Bluetooth headphones, the first thing that comes to mind is "Air Pods." This is due to the similarities they share. But, of course, they're not Air Pods because they don't have the Apple logo.
If you think the different types of headphones we discussed above are great, then you can try them and start your wholesale headphone import business from China.
Chapter 2. The regular price of wholesale headphones
If you visit a Chinese electronics wholesale market or an online headphone platform, you'll quickly notice that headphone prices in China vary. Generally, the wholesale price of headphones in China is split into two categories.
But the good news is that there isn't a huge price difference between the different models. Typically, the price difference is around $0.30. Wired headphones, such as over-ear, in-ear, or earbuds, usually cost around $2.
On the other hand, Bluetooth headphones are more expensive than wired headphones. This is because they are made with lithium batteries and have Bluetooth modules. Therefore, their price is slightly higher than that of wired headphones.
I've previously discussed the price issue with many Bluetooth headset sellers in the Chinese electronics wholesale market. They say the current price for Bluetooth headsets is divided into three tiers: $3.00, $4.50, and $7.50.
Based on the supplier's experience, they say most of their customers prefer to purchase the headphones at a wholesale price of around $4.50.
For example, the Bluetooth earbuds with a charger I mentioned earlier cost around $4 in China. However, you can also find Bluetooth earbuds with the same design, but at a higher price, at $12.50.
The main reason for the price difference is due primarily to the different chipsets that Bluetooth headsets incorporate. This is similar to the CPU in a mobile phone. The type of CPU in a phone determines its price.
For example, a phone with a Snapdragon 845 CPU might cost around $450, while a phone with a Snapdragon 660 CPU might cost around $220.
Currently, the main Bluetooth headset chip manufacturers in China are as follows:
BES: BES2000L/T/S, BES200U/A;
JIELI: AC410N;
AppoTech: CW6690G, CW6676X, CW6611X, CW6687B/8B;
ANYKA: AK10D Series;
Quintic: QN9021: BLE 4.1, QN9022: BLE 4.1;
Actions: ATS2829, ATS2825, ATS2823, M-ATS2805BA, ATS3503
The main difference with Bluetooth headphone chips lies in their sound quality. This is especially important for audiophiles, who demand higher sound quality. Therefore, they focus more on purchasing high-quality Bluetooth headphones, such as Beats and Sony, with excellent sound.
But the average consumer is more focused on purchasing headphones with wireless capabilities.
With so many Bluetooth designs on the market, it's important to look for the right features, high quality, and customer needs. Finally, the most popular Bluetooth headsets are typically priced around $4.50.
Chapter 3. Common Mistakes of Novice Headphone Importers
3.1 Non-Chinese brands
If you're familiar with the various headphone brands available on the market today, you've probably heard of Bose, Beats, Samsung, and Sony wireless headphones. These are some of the most popular headphone brands in the world. Furthermore, most of these brands have factories in China.
Many of my clients always want to know if I can find these factories and work with them simultaneously. They also want to know if the quality of the headphones is similar to Bose's. And, if so, could you include your own branding on the headphones and sell them at a lower price than Bose's to attract more customers?
Of course, this isn't true! Only those who are unfamiliar with China's trade policies would have this idea. Think about it: if the wholesale headphone business were that simple, many people would easily make money from it. But that's not the case, as there are rules to follow.
In fact, it's very difficult to find an OEM factory for a well-known brand in China. This is unless you have contacts at that factory. Otherwise, you may not be able to contact these OEM factories.
Even if you contact regular sourcing companies, they have no way to help you source from OEM factories. The main challenge is that these OEM factories don't advertise themselves. As a result, it's difficult for sourcing companies or for you to find them.
However, if you're lucky enough to find these OEM factories through special channels and contact them, the results won't be as good. These factories typically prefer to work with large, well-known brands, and their minimum order requirements are often very high. Therefore, purchasing from them will require a large investment, which could cost you a small fortune.
3.2 Famous Chinese brands
Since the process of wholesale sourcing of famous international headphone brands from China is very challenging, is it possible to directly wholesale some well-known Chinese headphone brands, such as Xiaomi and Astrotec, from China to overseas?
Well! I'm very sorry to inform you that this method isn't viable either.
Wholesalers of these Chinese brand headphones have their own overseas sales strategies. For example, the Chinese company Xiaomi has only entered the Indian market, making it difficult to purchase its headphones in other countries.
In fact, you are allowed to buy dozens of these earphones from China, bring them home, and sell them in your country. But if you want to wholesale Xiaomi earphones from China to your country, this is not allowed. The reason is that no supplier will be able to export batches of Xiaomi earphones for you.
3.3 Imitation headphones from China
In some cases, importers may choose to select imitations as products of interest to import from China into their country. However, China is currently very strict with imitations and prohibits them. Therefore, this type of practice has serious consequences for transportation, especially in customs inspection and clearance.
As a way to evade customs, importers of counterfeit headphones from China are now using a different method by which they transport the brand label separately from the headphones to their destination.
What they do is ship the headphones without brand labels by air or sea to your country. They then package the brand labels with express shipping or transport them directly. Once the headphones and brand labels are shipped to your country, they are reassembled and sold there.
You shouldn't do this at all, as it's still very risky. Whether in your country or in China, customs will destroy the fake as soon as they find it. You'll then suffer serious damage. Therefore, when purchasing wholesale headphones from China, you should completely avoid fakes to avoid these problems.
Further reading
- Mistakes you shouldn't make when buying wholesale from China
Expert tips to avoid these mistakes when importing from China
Chapter 4. Four Things You Should Know About Wholesale Headphone Suppliers in China
If you want to succeed in the wholesale headphone business in China, you need to understand your suppliers well. You need to know where to find them, their minimum order quantity , their packaging, and their customization options.
4.1 Where to find your headphone suppliers?
Since headphones fall into the category of consumer electronics, finding a supplier is very easy. You'll just need to look for professional headphone suppliers at various trade shows that wholesale electronics. You can also find headphones from suppliers of speakers and mobile phone accessories.
Most of these suppliers are located in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Yiwu. Furthermore, their factories are concentrated in Shenzhen. Therefore, you can go directly to Shenzhen, visit the supplier's factory, or contact them online through Alibaba.
For more information about electronics suppliers, you can check out our article “Wholesale Electronics from China .”
4.2 The basic MOQ of suppliers for different earphones
In most cases, the basic MOQ of each SKU is 100. While for some larger on-ear headphones, their MOQ may be only 60 or 80. And for some smaller in-ear headphones, their MOQ should be more than 200.
These are some of the most basic minimum orders. But if you want to add a logo and customize the pattern on your earbuds, the minimum order will increase to over 500. Fortunately, the 500 minimum order is for the entire quantity, not just a single SKU. In this case, you can choose between 3 and 5 SKUs.
4.3 Choose the right packaging for your headphones
Currently, most headphone manufacturers use expanded polypropylene (EPP) bags to package their earphones for their customers. However, some manufacturers offer packaging, the cost of which is included in the quote. The packaging cost is approximately $0.30.
If you want to use your own packaging or use a higher quality one, the manufacturer will charge you a packaging fee of around $0.50.
Before requesting a packaging change, you should know that headphone manufacturers often require a higher minimum order when making such a request. This is because they also ask the packaging company to do it for them. In this case, the packaging company usually requests the minimum order.
In such a scenario, the best solution is to look for a sourcing agent company , because they can provide similar packaging services with a lower MOQ.
So, whether you find a packaging company on your own or enlist the help of a sourcing company, know that you can send these packages directly to your supplier. And they'll help you pack them for free.
4.4 Supplier Suggestions for Headphone Customization
Since earbuds tend to be small, there aren't many customization options. Typically, vendors offer three types of customization solutions.
Personalize your headphones with your logo
To customize your earphones, adding your own logo is the easiest solution. For example, if they're made of plastic, you can print your logo on both sides, as shown below:
If your earphones are made of metal, you can engrave your own logo on both sides of the earphones using laser, as shown below.
Customize a totem
Another way to personalize your headphones is by printing some cool patterns on both sides of the headphones or replacing all the patterns on the back with your favorite images as follows:
Customize your own packaging
Many customers love to customize their packaging. They prefer to replace polypropylene bags or ordinary boxes with elegant packaging like the ones shown below:
If you have your own packaging design, you can send a sample directly to your supplier. They will package it according to your preferences.
In fact, this type of custom packaging will be more attractive to your customers than traditional packaging, as it will look more appealing and match the aesthetics of your local customers. Plus, your marketing will be much simpler.
Chapter 5. Certifications for importing headphones into your country
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
The FCC's job is to regulate everything electronic, including WiFi, Bluetooth, radio, broadcasting, etc. Therefore, before importing any electrical device that transmits radio waves (in any way), it must be certified by the FCC.
The FCC has two regulations: regulations for intentional and unintentional emitters. Intentional emitters include Bluetooth speakers, Wi-Fi devices, radios, or smartphones. Unintentional emitters include headphones, earbuds, power banks, PCBs, etc.
EC
The CE marking is a mandatory seal of conformity for those wishing to import into Europe. It essentially confirms that your product is manufactured in accordance with certain European standards. It covers a wide range of standards and is the minimum requirement for importing into Europe, regardless of the type of product.
RoHS
ROHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) regulates the use of six hazardous substances in products. These substances include lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium, PBDEs, and PBBs.
It is closely linked to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive 2002/96/EC, which sets targets for the collection, recycling, and recovery of electrical equipment and is part of the legislative initiative to address the growing problem of toxic electronic waste.
Outdoor barbecue
BQB is a certification process that any product using Bluetooth wireless technology must pass. This technology, as defined in the Bluetooth system specification, enables short-range wireless data connections between devices.
Chapter 6. A special earphone you've never heard of
In fact, many people who have worked in international aviation may have come across this device, but they don't know that it's a single-use headset.
Once, during a flight, I noticed these unique headphones. I discovered that the ones provided came packaged anew each time, as shown below:
The headphones feel cheap, and the workmanship is also rough. But it's good to know they don't affect their use at all. The only problem is that the sound insulation is poor.
So I asked the flight attendant, "Are the earbuds repackaged after disinfection for the next use? Or are they disposable?" The flight attendant replied yes.
I subsequently conducted a survey on disposable earbuds in China and discovered that many wholesale disposable earbuds from China for airplanes and tour buses. Therefore, if you search for "disposable earbuds" on Alibaba, you'll find many suppliers.
Disposable earbuds are priced at around $0.20, which is very economical. Furthermore, their minimum order quantity is typically very high, exceeding 1,000 units. However, they are single-use devices with a high minimum order quantity. Furthermore, they are used very quickly.
For this reason, if some of your customers are airlines or tour buses in your country, I would suggest you try wholesale disposable earbuds from China.
Conclusion:
After sharing so many experiences with you about wholesale headphones from China, it's clear that wholesale high-end headphones from China is not a great option.
But if you want to sell high-quality headphones at a price of around $5, then China is definitely a good option for you.
You can start by visiting China's electronics wholesale market, searching on Alibaba, or contacting us as your sourcing agent in China.
