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Your Complete Import Plan: Product, Landed-Cost Sheet, Supplier Shortlist & Permits

The capstone project for Import & Export Business — a free Business course. Pass it and you earn a certificate anyone can verify.

Start the course free Download the project workbook

The project unlocks once you complete the lessons. The workbook is free to download now so you can see exactly what is expected.

What you will submit

A link to a Google Sheet or document (or clear photos compiled into one PDF/doc) containing: your chosen product with its four-filter justification, your full landed-cost sheet showing cost per unit and selling price, your vetted supplier shortlist of at least two suppliers, your permits-and-regulations list, and your honesty-and-risk paragraph.

What to do, step by step

  1. Choose ONE real product you would genuinely import into Nigeria from China, and in a short paragraph justify it against the four filters from Lesson 2: real Nigerian demand (say where you saw it — which market, sellers or platform), healthy expected margin, a size/weight that ships affordably, and that it is not on the import prohibition/restricted list and not needing a permit you cannot get.
  2. Build a full landed-cost sheet (Google Sheet, Excel, or a clear table) for a realistic first order quantity, with one row per cost layer: product cost (China unit price × quantity), China-side fees (sample, any sourcing-agent fee, local delivery, export packaging), international freight (state sea or air and your quote), Nigerian import duty + applicable levies + 7.5% VAT, clearing-agent fee, inland transport, and a buffer. State the exchange rate you used and the date you checked it, then show your landed cost PER UNIT and the selling price that gives you a real margin.
  3. Assemble a vetted supplier shortlist of at least two candidate suppliers (Alibaba, 1688, Made-in-China or via a sourcing agent). For each, record: years in business, status (Verified/Gold/Assessed), whether Trade Assurance/escrow is offered, review quality, MOQ, unit price at your quantity, and any red or green flags you noticed.
  4. Write a permits-and-regulations list for your chosen product: its likely HS code (with a note to confirm the current duty for that code with the NCS / Nigeria Trade Portal), whether it needs SONCAP (SON), whether it needs NAFDAC, whether it touches the prohibition/restricted list, and a one-line note that you will open a Form M through your bank and clear through a licensed agent.
  5. Add a short honesty-and-risk paragraph (150-250 words) covering: how you will pay safely (escrow / Trade Assurance, not a personal account), one forex risk you are watching, and why you will declare the true value and correct HS code rather than under-invoice — naming a concrete consequence of getting caught.

Files to work with

Project workbook (fill in, then submit)The whole brief, an evidence checklist, the grading rubric as a self-check and the link-sharing steps in one file. Opens in Word, Google Docs or WPS.Word · 7 KB

How it is graded

CriterionWeight
Product choice & demand validation — a real product justified against all four filters (demand, margin, shipping-friendliness, legality) with concrete evidence of where the demand was seen20%
Landed-cost sheet correctness & completeness — every cost layer present (product, China-side, freight, duty + levies + 7.5% VAT, clearing, transport, buffer), exchange rate stated, and an accurate landed cost per unit leading to a sensible selling price30%
Supplier vetting — at least two suppliers shortlisted with status, Trade Assurance, MOQ, price and clear vetting reasoning that shows scam-awareness20%
Permits & regulations accuracy — correct, product-specific list (HS code/duty note, SONCAP, NAFDAC, prohibition list, Form M, licensed agent) referencing the real Nigerian regime20%
Payment safety, forex & honest-declaration reasoning — clear plan to pay through escrow, a real forex risk identified, and a concrete reason for declaring honestly10%

You need 65% overall to pass. A failed submission comes back with feedback and can be revised and resubmitted.

Before you submit: make your link public

If your work lives in Google Drive or Google Docs, open Share → General access and change “Restricted” to “Anyone with the link” (Viewer). Then paste the link into a private browser window: if it opens without sign-in, you are ready. A private link cannot be graded — it is the single most common reason a good project fails.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to finish Import & Export Business before submitting the project?

Yes. The submission screen opens once every lesson in Import & Export Business is marked complete. The lessons are where the methods, the Nigerian context and the worked examples the project depends on are taught.

How is the project graded?

An examiner scores each rubric criterion from 0 to 100 and weights them as shown on this page; you need 65% overall to pass. Most submissions are graded within minutes and you get written feedback on what was strong and what to improve.

Can I resubmit if I fail?

Yes. A failed project comes back with feedback; revise the weak parts and resubmit. A passed project is final — the certificate is issued and cannot be re-rolled.

What do I actually submit?

A write-up of what you did (under 5,000 characters) plus a public link to your work — a Google Drive folder, Google Doc, spreadsheet, GitHub repository or video. The link must open without sign-in; a private link cannot be graded. The free project workbook on this page walks you through all 5 steps.

Is the certificate real?

Yes. Passing this project issues a certificate with a unique verification code. Anyone — an employer, a client, a school — can open the verification page and see that the certificate is genuine and which project earned it.

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Import & Export Business is free and self-paced. Finish the lessons, complete this project, and the certificate is yours to share.

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