Replying to [DAVID]:Hi, I am from Thailand, in whole page not a single person has recomended to deal with Africans still you are intrested then go ahead. I am a victim of scam from Togo, Camroon.They are the big scamers, never allow them any samples free of cost they will keep demanding the samples when you will stop sending they will stop writting you. They never send you money, yes if you are really intrested go ahead, keep it in mind that you will not send shipment to them till they send you T/T 100% in advance in to your account, do not send samples free of cost charge them freight+sample cost, absolutely no fees or commission of any kind at any cost.
Good Luck.

Replying to [astrobox]:

I am still interested to do and secure business with African countries , no matter what you say and think of them. I am looking forward for more and more businesses from Africa.

Just like " Kunta Kinte " always persistence in life.

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Genuine and legit African Companies friends interested in our PREMIUM Herbal Energy Drinks contact us thru Alibaba.

Replying to [ditz]:

Your advice is sound, so sound that SG bank of France applied it an lost US$ 7.2 Billion to "white" man like you.

Shame to all of you ! - Just that you do not seem to have any, i mean shame.

It is sad to read all these negative comments about Nigeria where i come from. There are fraudstars everywhere and west africa is not an exception; the propensity may be higher, but it will be wrong to generalize. Foreign trade is fraught with lots of risks both from the buyer and sellers position. I have difficulties myself buying from suppliers who insist on Western Union or TT as means of payment. I favour the LC which guarantees some measure of safety to both the buyer and the seller. Does anyone know how i can verify a particular supplier before i send money using TT? Thank you guys.

Hi astrobox,

I agree with the comments of all the other contributors about business experience in west africa.

I am from west africa and I have lived in the united states for 9 years now. I am now getting involved in import and export myself. Doing business in that part of the world can be compared to the "wild west" while you can do business successfully, you have to understand the business terrain by yourself and know the right people to go to. Unlike the west there are no robust government infrastructure to make things easy for a naive foreigner who does not know the market terrain or have the right contact... in a hungry country it takes people of honorable character not to take advantage of such. Africa like the rest of human society is not lacking in people of noble characters but usually these are not the type of people the average naive foreigner would encounter.

What you need astrobox is a trusted local partner you can do business with. I am looking for business opportunities myself and if you think what you got can move lets talk about it.

One fact all the other commentators would not deny however is that as "bad" as the west african market is, it is still foreigners who make the most money out of that market, for decades indians have found the african market very lucrative, not to mention lebanese and in more recent times, european cellphone companies. Of course the big oil companies have been milking the continent for ages now. one personal visit to lagos would reveal to you how the chinese and koreans are taking over the market there.

I currently reside in houston Texas but I may be visiting China pretty soon for trade purposes. I am looking for good business opportunities and reliable global contacts. If you are interested you can send me an email ilaboya@dalagcorp.com

No expericence in these countries....

i work in west africa for the last 13 years.  many scammers in the internetshops.  the real business people do not spend a lot of time on the internet.  better you go there and find a partner or stay out.  doing business just via the internet you will loose.  even going there i lost a lot of money until i found good clients.  i live in west africa six months per year.

Like we all know, business is a risk. In Nigeria just like in other countries all over the world, there are scammers and there are also a lot of genuine business people who are ready to entrust 100% of their money to people to do business as well, they too get scammed by other people all over the world. I talk more about Nigeria because I am Nigereian and have been in business for 10 years, my company has done business with other countries, China inclusive for more than 6 years. There are a lot of business opportunities in Nigeria . But like with any other business transactions with any other country in the world, you have to take precautions and follow your instincts.

You need to locate business partners who are distributors or interested  in your kind of product.  You don't need a contract with the government.

Good luck in 2010 

Mrs Femi Ogunwumi

Because of as much Fraud ;
WARNING FROM CHINA AOTHORITY
Fraud: Company policy for the payment terms:
Money Gram
Western Union Money Transfer
T/T on Private Account
That the payment by Money Gram, Western Union, like also T/T private account all cheats use. Those want on no case direct business and other payment methods, like Bank warranty, cash & Carry, Collection, Cash on delivery payment. The cheats will on no Case Face to Face Business.

Because of as much Fraud ;
WARNING FROM CHINA AOTHORITY
Fraud: Company policy for the payment terms:
Money Gram
Western Union Money Transfer
T/T on Private Account
That the payment by Money Gram, Western Union, like also T/T private account all cheats use. Those want on no case direct business and other payment methods, like Bank warranty, cash & Carry, Collection, Cash on delivery payment. The cheats will on no Case Face to Face Business.