You forgot to include a few other fees associated with importing. The shipping which can be extremely expensive, and the Custom Duty/Taxes on the items once the items arrive in the US. Custom Officials have been coming down hard assessing fines because overseas sellers have been marking shipments as "samples" or "gift" so that the buyer avoids paying taxes. Regardless of the amount you bring into the US, if it is a commercial item that will be sold, you must pay the taxes on it at the time of entry. If they open the package, and determine the item is commercial when it is marked as "gift" or "samples", they will hold the package, and assess their own value to it. If you want the package released, you will have to pay whatever amount they assessed, and I can assure you that it will be much higher than if the seller just filled out the paperwork correctly.
I am new to this forum but not new to the business side of importing. I have been importing from around the world for 12 years, I am in Asia at least 4 to 5 times a year. I have a line of leather goods manufactured in Guangzhou, China, and I import the leather in from Argentina. Once the items are completed, I have them sent to my store in Central America where they are sold. However, I also bring goods into the US regularly and I can tell you that to ship 1000 pieces will be at a minimum of 2 to 3 times what you paid for the items. Then once your package arrives, cross your fingers and pray to whatever GOD you believe in that it is something you can use. It is a fact that Alibaba has many, many scammers posing as reputable businesses, and are known for sending boxes of garbage just to get a tracking number to prove they shipped the item. What is in the box is your word vs theirs. Not trying to scare you but do a simple Google search and you will find some interesting stories. Also, don't get me wrong, I have found some great contacts through Alibaba, but once you add in all the fees in addition to the cost of the item, the price doesn't look all that different based on buying the items stateside. Not to mention, buying them locally, if there is problem, you can get a refund, it is rare that you will get a refund from a seller on Alibaba. Usually they will just stop answering your emails, or they tell you they will make it right on your next order, but that would require placing another order, and there is no one you can contact to assist with it. Don't be fooled by that "Gold Supplier" status they have on their either, that is just there to dupe the uneducated. If you choose to proceed with this, this is how I would go about it; contact the supplier and request a price list and ask do they provide samples. I personally would never order 1000 pieces on my first deal with an overseas supplier. (By asking for samples, your initial investment will be small, you will probably get an amount that you need and don't need others to go in with you, and you will get to see the quality of the items you are getting, which is extremely important.) Also ask if they will accept Paypal. Some don't..they require a bank wire transfer which is another expense. If they do accept Paypal, request that they send a Proforma Invoice to your Paypal address, instead of you simply sending them the money through your Paypal account. This way if something goes wrong, Paypal knows that you were paying for goods, and may assist in getting your money back when filing a dispute. You wire the money, the bank can't help. This happened to me after dealing with a supplier for nearly 2 years. I wired the funds, and the supplier up and moved. Vanished with my money, and we had a good working relationship.....or so I thought!
I can go on forever but I think this is enough food for thought. If you have any questions feel free to drop me a msg as I am always happy to help.
Good luck with it all!
Katrina