i live in australia, and i will be travelling to china soon.
i am looking for importing ideas to australia from china on things
that you think will work well here. are there any pitfalls that i
should be aware of?
i have experiance in building amongst other things.

Before travelling to Cina for business, you may want to post your
requirements on sites like http://www.chinayellowpages.org or
http://alibaba.com. Have a look at the response you get and arrange
appoinments in advance. Ask for their certifications and/or agency
verification done in advance.

Choke, 

I think you should separate your question into two different ones: 
(1) What are the legal procedures you have to go through in order to
import legally from China (licenses, levies, etc.).
(2) What kind of things should you import from China.

check the goods before ship to your side. You have to do it by
yourself, negotiation, pay the money, take the goods and check the
goods, arrange transportations and so on. Many people from South Asia,
Easten Europ and Afica staying in GuangDong China and doing
import/Export business.

I would know your product first, find out what is popular in your
country, and well it is selling. Then find a supplier in China,
Alibaba.com is a great source for suppliers, I'm there everyday. Just
post a buy lead, and what you are looking for, also inquire of
companies selling the produt, you should have pleanty of offers in no
time.


If the exporter in China wants to sell to you they will help you as
far as your port in Austraila, Just ask for a CIF quote to destination
port. Importing it in to the county is your job, So find a Customs
broker or shipping agent to help with paper work and duties.


If the product already sells in your country you shouldn't have a
problem unloading it at a cheaper price,