Hardware store's 'overseas custom order': Branding pull pins with a logo for an old Nigerian client
In the backyard of a hardware store at the entrance of an old alley in the city, dozens of shiny tow pins were lying on a tray - the freshly sprayed black logos on the metal surfaces still gleamed. This was a rush order for a Nigerian regular customer, 'Ade'.
"Ade came across me on short videos in 2022. At that time, he was repairing trucks in Lagos and urgently needed a missing hitch pin. I packed 50 pieces overnight and sent them over, and that's how our relationship continued," Old Li said, wiping the grease from his hands with a smile. This time, Ade specifically sent a message on WeChat saying, 'We want to have our company's logo printed on the parts.' He immediately borrowed a laser engraving machine from a friend and adjusted the parameters for the logo file three times. 'The African weather is hot, and the paint has to cure under the sun. I tried three types of materials before I dared to print it on.'
Who would have thought that this neighborhood hardware store, stocked with wrenches and pipes, now does half of its business with African customers. 'At first, it was just helping Ade with some emergency parts, then he introduced friends from Ghana. Now, a lot of the people repairing trucks in West Africa order towing pins and bearings from me,' Old Li said as he pulled out the ledger, which noted 'Ade 200 pieces, with logo, balance due upon bill of lading'-compared to the screws sold to local neighbors, export orders bring higher profits, but they also come with more worries: calculating container shipping costs, checking Nigeria's customs regulations, and even choosing wooden pallets for packaging that meet fumigation standards.
In the backyard, Old Li's son was taking photos of the pull pins with his phone: 'I'll send these to Ade later to check the goods. It's the middle of the night over there, but once he wakes up, he can take a look.' On the shelves, besides the locally commonly used plumbing fittings, there were also cardboard boxes with English labels - goods prepared for African clients. 'The neighbors always say, 'You run a hardware store and still do foreign trade?' But really, we just sell our high-quality parts to people in distant places who need them. If they want a logo printed, we help print it - that's just basic business.'
These traction pins should have been taken to the port early tomorrow. Old Li has already made an arrangement with Ade: once the goods clear customs, he'll have him film a video of the local truck loading the parts. 'Even small businesses can reach far. Next time Ade wants to print a different logo, I'll already be familiar with the machine.'
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