Importing from China

nassime1

I am asking this question on behalf of a friend who is new to business.

He is planning to import about 100 items from China which will cost him about $2000, he will be selling them on ebay later. The question is :

can he just as a private person do this?
what are all the costs he needs to know such as vat and customs.

any suggestions is very much appreciated

ormus

depends on the items.
duties and tarriffs vary enormously according to the item/widget.
also be aware of shipping costs.

you need to goto a local customs excise office to read the blue book. its very very big!
every product has a ref code number, youll need this number.
i dont think you can do this online yet??? havent checked myself.

buglawton

Perhaps this should be n the Charities & Small Biz section as you'd get more suggestions there. There are an amazing number of pitfalls, for instance most companies in China are not allowed to export, so they use Agents who hold the correct certificate. But even THOSE agents don't have official permission and 'rent' sertification from yet another co. Upshot is that most suppliers cannot legally re-import and faulty returned goods.

Having said all that, if your friend is ready to take his/her chances, then look at http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds/en/tarhome.htm to get the import code you will need to put on the Customs Forms. Then apply for a pseudo-TURN number which is like a dummy VAT number that gets your import duties formalized. Usually they are 17.5% + 3% ish. If doing sea freight and you need a UK import agent to get your goods out of Customs and deliver to your door, PM me for the one we use. Air Shipments to your door may be simpler - in this case tou fill in all the Shipper's special forms using that Taric Code and they will bill you for the duty.

The above is the official way to do it - some try personal parcels. Best of luck!

buglawton

Perhaps this should be in the Charities & Small Biz section as you'd get more suggestions there.

There are an amazing number of pitfalls, for instance most companies in China are not allowed to export, so they use Agents who hold the correct certificate. But even THOSE agents don't have official permission and 'rent' certification from yet another co. Upshot is that most suppliers cannot legally re-import and faulty returned goods.

Having said all that, if your friend is ready to take his/her chances, then look at http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds/en/tarhome.htm to get the import code you will need to put on the Customs Forms. Then apply for a pseudo-TURN number which is like a dummy VAT number that gets your import duties formalized. Usually they are 17.5% + 3% ish. If doing sea freight and you need a UK import agent to get your goods out of Customs and deliver to your door, PM me for the one we use. Air Shipments to your door may be simpler - in this case tou fill in all the Shipper's special forms using that Taric Code and they will bill you for the duty.

The above is the official way to do it - some try personal parcels and may get an excess duty charge if the goods are found to be for business. Best of luck!