Is it legal to re-sell imported goods from China on Ebay?

Question

I have found top brand electrical items from China selling on Ebay for a fraction of the cost they are selling at from UK based sellers. People seem to be wary of purchasing goods from far overseas. I am thinking of doing a deal with a Chinese seller whereby they send items in bulk and I sell from the UK, then send the profits to him, keeping a percentage for myself. I have already purchased an item from this seller and it was excellent. Does anyone know if this process is legal? (eg tax, customs laws).

Answer 1

YOU can sell, but the profit is taxable

Answer 2

It is legal to resell imported goods. This sounds like you are acting as an agent on their behalf. Do you have an agents contract? What is your legal / contractual obligations? Who carries 'risk & title'? What payment / remittance terms do you have with the supplier? DON'T PAY UP FRONT FOR GOODS THAT MAY NEVER ARRIVE!! Start with a value that you can afford to lose!!
What are your obligations to the UK/European clients? Are the items all CE marked (an absolute necessity in the EU!), and as the (exclusive? / non-exclusive?) agent in the UK what is your requirement for CE documentation? What is your exposure to counterfeit (CE) documents and counterfeit goods?
Who is importing the goods into the UK (you or them)? Have you looked at the requirements for registering the imports with the HMRC (go to their website) and charging / paying VAT duties.

The situation is not impossible; many people make a great living sorting out all the details and doing what other people dare not. Even if this deal does not work out you will have learnt a great deal for the next deal.

Have courage, work through the details, and chase your dream!

Let us know how you get on. Maybe in 1 yr you'll be asking us a question like;

"How do I spend my first million pounds profit?"

Answer 3

It is not so simple. You will have to get involved with import procedures and it can be quite a complex process but don't be put off just do your research and make sure you know what you are doing. I can't understand why you would send the profits to the seller in China. Simply agree a price with them and any profit you make is yours.

Answer 4

First if the goods are branded, check whether they are not counterfeit. If they are see if you can sell them unbranded, if they are so cheap and such good quality, why not, as long as you do not pass them for the 'real' thing?

Then check any import taxes and import restrictions.

Then check whether your goods are VAT liable in the UK (most likely) and keep your VAT affairs in order.

And most of all, while some people stumble on good ideas some of the time, most of the time if it is too good to be true, it is because it isn't true! Do some background checks on your seller. He is on eBay and you would be the first one to discover this gem?

Answer 5

You will probably have to advise the UK buyer that the item is imported from China, as for customs etc. unless they check your parcel it is unlikely that you will be taxed.

If the importer sends the goods to your home address it could be considered a gift and not investigated further.

Answer 6

do no longer purchase from China! maximum of it incredibly is counterfeit products, no longer the actual element. Ebay is severely proscribing some manufacturers and products to ward off counterfeiting. All you will do is harm your self financially with the help of finding out to purchase for products to resell from China. while you're allowed to checklist the products and somebody buys one and proves it counterfeit, you're able to extremely bypass to detention center for it whether you probably did no longer comprehend it become counterfeit. Legally, in case you resell something, you're able to comprehend it incredibly is a actual merchandise.

Answer 7

There are MASSIVE counterfeiting operations in that part of the world - especially CHINA. I would NEVER buy anything from China ( and I've been on eBay for 5 years now). They counterfeit EVERYTHING - Razors, DVDs, software, knives, lenses.....etc.

Also the deal you suggest sounds very dodgy. Just because the item you got was "excellent" doesn't mean it wasn't counterfeit.

Answer 8

1

Answer 9

As an importer you will have the same liabilities that a UK manufacturer would have. Also you need to have samples tested by an accredited EEC test house for conformity with our legislation.

Answer 10

Yeas it is and many people are doing it , you can get chineese wholesalers from Slaehoo, http://salehoo.deals-guide.com