As a new user of this site (I just stumbled in via Google) I would like to thank all of you for having this discussion right when i need it.
I am starting a small (hopefully not for long!) online business aimed at the Wine Decor market. having worked in the wine trade both in Australia and now the US for about 20 years I feel i have enough knowledge of what makes a product good and will sell.
Now of course the fun begins by actually sourcing these products! his discussion has certainly opened my eyes to the world of Importing!
I have joined Alibaba (I think it is wonderful so far!) but of course the question becomes: Who is that at the other end of my keyboard? Are they for real or is this just some scam artist who is very plausible.
I for one need help desperately in the following fields:
1> US/ California law on importing. What forms do I need? What fees/ taxs/ duties/ hidden costs will the Government hit me with and how can I calculate these BEFORE I do a deal?
2> Actual shipping. FedEx (my US internal shipper) is WAY too expensive to use to move a couple of pallets from China to SF. So I need someone who has room on the back of a container who can squeeze in a few things. How on earth do I find those people?
3> Paying the bill to the supplier. This is really tricky. Western Union??? um no! Paypal would be nice I guess, except there is no Yuan account type! A bank account with a large US bank that does lots of business in China? Citibank maybe? Then I can put money into my account, Citibank can confirm with my supplier that the funds are there and ship, then i release the funds via Citibank when the product is rece'd and checked here? I don't know if that is a normal practice.??
4> I must be forgetting something here so please please please let me know what else i need to know before i sink my seed money into a scam!
thanks all!
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