Importing & UK suppliers

hi i am new to salehoo and have been on here 4 a good amount of time searching around it. i live in the uk and am looking to sell products on ebay uk. i cant seem to find any good uk wholesale/dropship suppliers (prices seem to be more than listed on ebay) i have thought about importing products from us or china but am unsure on customs charging. could someone please shine some light on customs charging for me please and maybe give me some tips to find good price uk suppliers. ( not found a definate product or market to sell in yet ) but im sort of interested in finding branded mens under wear ( calvin klien boxers) or electronics (digital phot oframes)

gary

many thanks

Hi garyv,

Welcome aboard!

That is quite true, there are products that seem to be the same or cheaper on eBay than from wholesale suppliers. Why is this? Well, its like this: eBay has become an extremely competitive marketplace and a lot of wholesalers sell on eBay directly to the public! Unfair yes, but its the reality.

With regards to your concerns on importing to the UK, here's a SaleHoo blog that may help you out:

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Electronics is not really the easiest product to sell. Why? Since there are so many other sellers who are selling it and most electronics sell at the wholesale price or below wholesale on eBay. That's how intense the competition is. But if you do wish to stick with the electronics industry, then here is what we suggest:

* Use liquidation suppliers to get bulk lots at prices well below wholesale.
* OR: Purchase from wholesalers in very large quantities (and when we say very large, we mean a spend of $200,000 or more) - this is how the big eBay powersellers do it.
* Increase your feedback and get powerseller status BEFORE entering the electronics market. This will give you more visibility in the search.
* Sell via your own website or your eBay store if possible, as buyers generally pay more from these venues than eBay.
* Add third-party extras and up-sells to your orders. These will help you bump up your margins to a much more acceptable level.
* Better still - consider selling accessories for electronics rather than electronics themselves. Accessories are very popular, have less competition, cost less to ship and have much greater margins.

You may actually have a better shot at selling branded men's underwear. We also suggest that you start out by selling a few things you can find in your home. That way you won't need that much starting capital and you won't have to worry about customs and importation. Also this will help build up your feedback (Mind you, a good feedback is very helpful in convincing customers to buy from you).

Here's a forum post that may help, please have read:

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All the best - cheers!:)

Richelle pretty much said it all. Welcome to SaleHoo, Gary. It's great to have you here!

Cheers =D

Hi Gary,

If you have any other questions, you may post it here or send us an email Link hidden: Login to view

Welcome to the site! :)

All the best,

i everyone thanks so much for the advice. just 1 more thing. i have read a little about importing to uk but how do i know exact what i would pay. fo instance ... say i bought 200/pc drink flasks from us and wanted to import to uk how do i get a price on what i would pay for that product extra (duty, tax) ect ???????????????

Hey Gary,

You will need to pay import duty and VAT on your import. You can try looking up the classification code for drink flasks here (but it's a subscription service only):

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Or use a copy of the Tariff for free at a library.

But it's usually easier just to give Customs a call on 0845 010 9000 and they can give you a verbal quote over the phone if you provide them with an accurate description of the item.

You might find the FAQ on the HMRC site helpful:

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