Don't want to wait for your annual ship to come in? According to the U.S. department of Commerce, over one trillion in goods is imported annually and exporting is equally positive. You can still make good money in one of the oldest forms of trade through an import/export business.
You can capitalize on the fact that you can find goods in one country that are in demand in another. The only difference between now and when Columbus sailed the ocean blue, is that the modern advances in technology and the increased speed of transportation means you can get your money faster. It is kind of like comparing annual returns with monthly returns. In addition, you have a lot more to trade than spice.
Importing is a big business and a great adventure if you love to travel. There are so many opportunities for doing business in the import/export world it is impossible to list all of the items that are fair game for any investor. Did you know that more than 90% of the business in trade is available to smaller companies and independent entrepreneurs? That's right, less than 10% of the market share goes to the larger companies. That leaves a lot of opportunity as an international entrepreneur.
Acting as your own free agent, you can purchase goods directly from a foreign manufacturer, have it packed and shipped then resell the goods for a whopping 800% markup. With technology and faster methods of transportation this is a fast investment to make you huge profits on a monthly or bi-monthly bases.