UK customs

Importing from China

[Factor]

Hello

I recently bought some textiles from China and I'm thinking of importing some more to sell in the UK, however confused over rules and regulations concerning airway bills, bills of lading and import duties etc. I was going to contact Customs & Excise but does anyone out there have any additional advice to offer e.g. Is it necessary to have a chinese agent to ensure shipments go smoothly or is that being overly concerned?

Any comments gratefully received!

Thanks
Factor

[Faith]

Hi. We use a UK freight agent to handle our incoming goods from the Far East and they complete all the paperwork and clear them through Customs. It worked out much cheaper than using a Chinese agent too. If you want their details PM me and I'll send them to you.

[Factor]

Thanks, that would be brilliant!
Factor

[Faith]

I've sent it via Sticky Mail. Good luck!

[julesn]

As Faith has said, a good freight agent should help you with many of the issues, but I'd recommend getting a basic understanding of all the relevent areas even if you aren't an expert in them all!

If you Google around you'll find lots of resources that cover most of these areas:

- Sourcing - Finding a factory or agent to supply you, arranging samples, negotiating price and terms
- Payment - Will you have to pay 100% up front? What are the risks of this? Maybe use a Letter of Credit instead?
- Transport - By sea or air? Who will handle it? How much will this cost? Will the shipping costs make the goods too expensive to make any money from? See this thread [webmasterworld.com] for a start on this
- Inspection - do you want a third party to inspect the goods before you pay for them, or even if you've had to pay for the goods up front, maybe you want them inspected before you incurr the shipping costs?
- Accounting - dealing with VAT, duties - Customs & Excise can advise on this, and your shipping agent in the UK would generally handle the paperwork when the goods come in (you'll still need to know how to account for it though)
- Local regulations - safety requirements etc

Regards,

jules.