[haze]

Hello,

I am from New Zealand and am looking at importing from China or any other country to earn a small income in the form of a small business.

If anyone could recommend some reputable sources, tips, and general help I will greatly appreciate it.

I am happy to provide email details to those who may not want to disclose publicly suppliers.

Thank you in advance :)

[joypulv]

Alibaba.com is a source of thousands of sources.
That's all I will say. No one is going to hand out the results of their research to competitors. Business is all about competition, hopefully done ethically, but not warm and fuzzy.
Start small, even though it costs more at first.

[haze]

Thank you Joypulv, I understand people are unwilling to hand out research. I am aware of alibaba.com and a few others. I thought maybe as I am from NZ and unlikely to ever become a competitor to anyone anywhere else in the world, someone could be willing to share a bit more information.

I am only wanting to create a small little business/hobby to earn some extra income, while I am at home with children.

I have limited start funds and the amount if time I can put in to it will vary day to day.

[joypulv]

'I have limited start funds' - then that limits you severely.
'.. and the amount if time I can put in to it will vary day to day.' - that's even more limiting. No business can decide when to sell or not, unless you sell locally only. Online is a ruthless, 24/7 demand by buyers for you to ship immediately.

If I were you I would start now to create items to sell for Christmas at local fairs, on eBay, on etsey, as long as you are prepared to hire helpers to either ship or staff a table at local fairs the month before. Then you can make things any time you want.
Some things sell well and others don't. You have plenty of time to see what sells.
Things I might buy for Christmas:
Red/green table runner
Personalized wide fat stockings with loops for a mantle
Holly (real) - not sure about shipping out of NZ however
Scarf, hat, and mitten or glove sets made of fine lambswool, which you have plenty of

Avoid candles, everyone tries to sell home made candles.

In other words, I would not invest in bulk goods for resale. You don't have the money, time, or knowledge to know what sells. You need to build that knowledge slowly.

Your items need to be small and lightweight for shipping out of NZ, a drawback for every seller in NZ. Unless you sell them at local fairs.