It's not just plates coming in from China anymore.  With an emphasis on building the world's largest economy, China is literally exploding with manufacturing opportunities both large and small.  You name it, you can find a supplier in China.  With websites like made-in-china.com and alibaba.com matching up manufacturers with North American importers, it has never been easier to create an import/retail business.

The United States Department of commerce has predicted imports from China will grow by 22% from 2013 thru 2015 and much of that growth will be fueled by small business entrepreneurs.

Whether yous business is a small mom and pop T-shirt printers, an audio electronics distributor, or a full blown megawatt solar and wind generator contractor, you can find basic materials or complete systems from a manufacturer in China.  Better still, with heavy subsidizing by the Chinese government, shipping is ridiculously cheap.  Don't be surprised to find it costs less to ship a 100lb product from Shanghai to New York than it does to ship it from New York to Toledo.

Take Industrial Camera Sales & Service out of Grand Rapids MI.  This distributor exists soley online. One hundred percent of its products are drop shipped from distributors and manufacturers.  Products like inspection cameras or sewer drain cameras are shipped direct from China.  Says JD Martin, Sales Manager for Midwest Distribution "I hate like hell to be contributing to the trade deficit, but products like drain and inspection cameras were priced out of reach for most contractors until they became available out of china".

It's true, the price of a small "snake camera" ( a camera with a flexible fiber optic bundle similar to a borescope ) can be had for under $100.  That puts it easily within reach of the home consumer.  "I bought this inspection camera on a whim and now use it fairly often to retrieve items from drains or hard to reach place, and even peek behind walls and into engines" says Bill Abraham of Holland MI who spotted the camera on Industrial Camera Sales website.

High tech, low tech, toys, pet supplies, garden supplies, and thousands of other general purpose products can be purchased direct from China today.  It's tilting the playing field in the direction of the little guy who, until now, has been unable to compete with the buying power of large box stores. 

We can expect to see this trend continue.  By 2020 it is likely that online websites plugged in directly to manufacturers worldwide will be the norm rather than the rarity.

- Austin Brown is a freelance writer residing in Seattle WA.