Import strategy for U.S. and Canadian retailers
Get Control of Your Freight, Duties and Factory Costs on Every Container
If you own a U.S. or Canadian retailer that imports from overseas, every cost between the factory and your warehouse comes out of your margin. We help you build an import strategy so you know what each container costs you. Our guidance comes from 40+ years of sourcing and private-label experience, making products for retailers like Walmart, Michaels, Toys R Us and Hobby Lobby.
Free 30-minute call with Karen and Neil. We’ll reply within 2 business days.
40+ years of sourcing and private-label experience
800+ products private labeled
Boots on the ground in China, the U.S. and Canada
Every container costs more than the factory invoice says
You know what the factory charges you. The number that matters is what it takes to get that container to your warehouse, with the freight, duties, tariffs and fees added on top. Many owners we meet don’t know their real landed cost, and they believe they’re already getting the best price.
Freight keeps going up, tariffs keep changing and the import paperwork never gets simpler, so a lot of owners end up taking the factory’s word on shipping and tariffs. That works until a container gets held up in customs, or arrives late or damaged while your own customers are waiting on those orders. By the time the extra cost shows up, it’s already spent. We help you see that number before your next container ships, and we share the network we use and trust in our own business.
Many owners don't know a middleman is there
Plenty of owners tell us they buy direct from the factory. Many are going through a trading company or an agent without knowing it, and they pay for that extra layer on every order.
We’re not a sourcing agent or a trading company. We take the middleman out, connect you direct with the factory and work as part of your team. When you need us to, we handle the factory conversations for you until you’re ready to take them on yourself, and you have us beside you when it’s time to talk price.
Part of your leadership team, without the hire
We join your company like a board of import advisors who sit beside you and your team. We help your people manage your imports, including the hard parts like tariffs, customs and paperwork, by putting the systems, processes and strategy in place that lower your costs and help you avoid costly mistakes. Most companies don’t have that experience in-house, so many of our clients bring us in as their fractional import strategist. We design and lead your import process from the factory floor to your warehouse, and we work alongside your logistics team so every piece follows one plan.
Freight and logistics
We don’t move your freight ourselves. We build your strategy for duties and freight, then set you up with the logistics team from our network.
Factories
We source your product, connect you right to the factory, then guide you through the tariffs, logistics and import rules. We help with the communication, negotiations and relationship along the way.
Compliance
As importing rules get stricter, we act as your liaison and guide you through the rules that apply to your products.
Our trusted network
We share the customs brokers, freight forwarders and logistics team we rely on in our own business, people we’ve tested and use ourselves. You start with partners we already know, so you’re not left searching on your own.
How we work together
It starts with a free 30-minute call, and from there:
We look at how you import today, from the factory to your warehouse.
We close the gaps in your people and partners.
We build your import strategy so you have control of the costs and the timing.
We connect you with the logistics partners we use and trust, and we work directly with them to track and monitor each order from the factory to your warehouse.
Four ways to work with us
Full-Service Consulting
We become your import and sourcing team, from finding factories to getting your private label products made, with our team in China, the U.S. and Canada and our network of logistics and customs partners.
Mentoring & Consulting
Strategy and guidance for owners who run their own importing day to day.
Factory Sourcing (find-only)
We find 2 to 3 factories that make your product and give you their names and contacts, and you take it from there.
Logistics Setup
Neil connects you with our trusted logistics and freight partners.
The free call is where we figure out which one fits you.
Meet Karen and Neil
Karen and Neil Gwartzman are the Co-founders of Private Label University. Neil leads logistics and consulting, and Karen leads mentoring, consulting and marketing. They bring 40+ years of sourcing and private-label experience, making products for retailers like Walmart, Michaels, Toys R Us and Hobby Lobby, and they have private labeled over 800 products, with factory relationships across art, pet, bridal, tools, equipment and more.
When you work with us, you see the numbers, the costs and the reasons behind every recommendation, and you get two people in your corner who answer your questions directly.
What people say about working with Karen and Neil
From our earlier training and coaching clients
“I was having challenges getting into retail stores. I wasn’t ‘retail ready’. I reached out to Karen & Neil because of their 30+ years of experience. They guided me through international logistics, cost, and products. Their training gave me immediate results. Their guidance saved me a lot of time and money.”
Product business owner getting into retail
“Karen and Neil are a wealth of information! I had no previous experience with private labeling and wanted to add an additional revenue stream to my business but felt overwhelmed by the process. Karen and Neil walked me thru the process from beginning to end. An excellent investment!”
Business owner adding a private label revenue stream
“They say it as it is, and unlike other business coaching classes, they literally take you outside the walls of the classroom to bring real life situations and offer solutions that are applicable in the real world.”
Business coaching client
Who this is for
This is for you if:
- You own or run a U.S. or Canadian retailer and import products from overseas factories.
- Freight, duties and tariffs are eating into your margin, and you want a plan instead of guesswork.
- You want to work direct with the factory, with someone experienced beside you when you negotiate.
What happens on your free call
You’ll spend 30 minutes with Karen and Neil. We’ll ask how you import today and where your freight and duty costs go, and we’ll play with the numbers with you to see where a different strategy could work in your favor. If it looks like we can help, we’ll tell you which way of working with us makes sense, and if it doesn’t, we’ll say so. No pressure either way.
Questions owners ask us
Private Label University (PLU) is an import consulting firm led by Co-founders Karen and Neil Gwartzman. We help owners of U.S. and Canadian retailers that import from overseas factories build an import strategy for their factories, freight and duties. Our guidance comes from 40+ years of sourcing and private-label experience, making products for retailers like Walmart, Michaels, Toys R Us and Hobby Lobby.
No. We build the strategy, connect you with the logistics team we trust, and act as your liaison on the import rules that apply to you.
We work with orders of at least $5,000 worth of products, or a full container.
An in-house buyer is an extra cost that comes straight out of your margin. Working with us puts 40+ years of sourcing and private-label experience on your team, which is why many clients bring us in as their fractional import strategist.
It depends on how much help you need, from finding factories for one product to becoming your full import team. We’ll walk you through the options and the pricing on your call.
We start with your real landed cost, the full price of getting each container from the factory to your door, and look for where money is leaking: the factory price, a middleman, freight or duties. You see the numbers, the costs and the reasons behind every recommendation, so every decision is yours.
You’ll get a confirmation email right away. We look over your answers and email you within 2 business days with a link to pick a time for your free 30-minute call with Karen and Neil.
Request your free discovery call
Free 30-minute call with Karen and Neil. We’ll reply within 2 business days.
You can also email us at info@privatelabeluniversity.com.