Selling on Amazon, Etsy, Ebay and Retirement Visas.

[smx1313]

Hi,

I'm looking for info regarding being an active online seller, living, creating and shipping from Thailand

I'm interested in hearing from expats who run similar a side hustles while living in Thailand with a some sort of Visa.

 

Sitting on a beach or mountain doing nothing does not appeal to me at all. I need to keep busy.

 

Is it possible? Does it count as work?

I'd love to hear from anyone who can share their experience or point me in the right direction to research this myself. 

 

[Don Chance]

I think you will find that shipping costs are too high.

[BritTim]

It will definitely be regarded as work. However, it might be tolerated if all you are doing is sourcing Thai products and selling them online. Risky.

[mania]

10 minutes ago, Don Chance said:

I think you will find that shipping costs are too high.

Years ago when I tried this is what I found too. Shipping was impossible & time lines too long for delivery

China seller do ok by sending bulk to a shipper in main countries...like USA then they ship from that stock etc

[save the frogs]

i think some people who sell on etsy get the buyer to pay for shipping costs. not sure. 

 

[Denim]

23 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

i think some people who sell on etsy get the buyer to pay for shipping costs. not sure. 

 

I sell on Etsy and yes, buyer pays the shipping costs.

 

Prior to covid I gave free shipping as it was a lot cheaper. Now , the nearly three fold increase means I have to pass on the shipping cost. In addition  I have had to stop shipping many things as the new postal charges make the item too expensive. 

 

When things were going really well I was making between 40-60 thousand profit a month. Now down to about 3000 or less a month. I will be getting my state pension in September and plan to give up my online shop. No longer worth the effort.

[Don Chance]

5 hours ago, mania said:

Years ago when I tried this is what I found too. Shipping was impossible & time lines too long for delivery

China seller do ok by sending bulk to a shipper in main countries...like USA then they ship from that stock etc

This is the way. Ship entire container to the Amazon warefhouse.

I would suggest one of kind art items.

[CecilM]

And banks will become suspicious if you have too many small incoming deposits. They’re beginning to keep an eye on likely online sellers who likely don’t pay income taxes. (It was in the news a while ago.)

[AustinRacing]

Also find out import/export regulations regarding items you plan to sell. As you’ll be generating income in Thailand you maybe liable to pay tax and need to register a company and things associated with that. Unless there’s something unique about the product you plan to sell or you have a better way to ship it, you may find there are businesses that have been doing this for years and you’ll be competing with them. Can you beat them?

[Celsius]

8 hours ago, CecilM said:

And banks will become suspicious if you have too many small incoming deposits. They’re beginning to keep an eye on likely online sellers who likely don’t pay income taxes. (It was in the news a while ago.)

This. 

 

Also selling on Amazon is not worth it amymore. I did really well in the past when i was dropshipping from amazon uk, de, ca etc. to Amazon US customers. It was such a stupid and easy way to make money. Literally paid off my condo with the profits. These days amazon will ban you just for registering.

 

Very very difficult. Etsy is easier, but I don't bother anymore. 

 

I am testing shoppee and lazada at the moment. Thai customers are quite different tho and it is price, packaging and presentation that matters. The big upside is that logistics and shipping is so cheap here that it is almost worth it to sell anything really. But It is a lot more difficult to make a sale.

[DrJack54]

Rubbish thread not related to visas and work permits 

Cannot understand relevance to legal work permits 

[sabaiguy]

1 hour ago, DrJack54 said:

Rubbish thread not related to visas and work permits 

Cannot understand relevance to legal work permits 

calm down and move on.

[Skipalongcassidy]

8 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Rubbish thread not related to visas and work permits 

Cannot understand relevance to legal work permits 

Then don't read it... just skip over it... nothing says that you have to click on it... I like it.

[Jimjim1]

On 7/8/2023 at 12:20 AM, smx1313 said:

Hi,

I'm looking for info regarding being an active online seller, living, creating and shipping from Thailand

I'm interested in hearing from expats who run similar a side hustles while living in Thailand with a some sort of Visa.

 

Sitting on a beach or mountain doing nothing does not appeal to me at all. I need to keep busy.

 

Is it possible? Does it count as work?

I'd love to hear from anyone who can share their experience or point me in the right direction to research this myself. 

Hi, all of the answers so far have assumed that you will be handling the goods first hand from start to delivery, surely you will be presenting your own website that encompasses as many of the items for sale by manufacturers world wide that you wish to be associated to and therefore your site will do nothing more than introduce the buyer to the seller and any sales through that introduction will generate income for you paid through the company you are allied to IE Amazon etc that way you have no stock, no handling or delivery fees and any income is paid to an off shore account monthly.

Why would anyone other than a manufacturer want a warehouse full of paid for stock waiting for possible buyers when the manufacturer has already covered that aspect and can undercut you in an instant..

 

if your website is properly set up and your word association is top line and at the top of Google, etc search engines they will open your website in the first 5 pages and your potential customer will see it and open it and proceed from there to view, order and pay, and all you need to do is check everyday that your site is still in the first 5 pages.

Each search engine will have your site registered to it and each will be allied to the companies you use again IE Amazon, Etzy, Ebay etc, etc and all of them will be associated with English speaking Countries around the world.

Sounds complicated? Yes it is but once you have set it up it becomes ever more easier.

 

Now for the negative nay sayers who say it can’t be done, How do you think the big names do it.

[Denim]

4 minutes ago, Jimjim1 said:

Hi, all of the answers so far have assumed that you will be handling the goods first hand from start to delivery, surely you will be presenting your own website that encompasses as many of the items for sale by manufacturers world wide that you wish to be associated to and therefore your site will do nothing more than introduce the buyer to the seller and any sales through that introduction will generate income for you paid through the company you are allied to IE Amazon etc that way you have no stock, no handling or delivery fees and any income is paid to an off shore account monthly.

Why would anyone other than a manufacturer want a warehouse full of paid for stock waiting for possible buyers when the manufacturer has already covered that aspect and can undercut you in an instant..

 

if your website is properly set up and your word association is top line and at the top of Google, etc search engines they will open your website in the first 5 pages and your potential customer will see it and open it and proceed from there to view, order and pay, and all you need to do is check everyday that your site is still in the first 5 pages.

Each search engine will have your site registered to it and each will be allied to the companies you use again IE Amazon, Etzy, Ebay etc, etc and all of them will be associated with English speaking Countries around the world.

Sounds complicated? Yes it is but once you have set it up it becomes ever more easier.

 

Now for the negative nay sayers who say it can’t be done, How do you think the big names do it.

It's called drop shipping.

[Jimjim1]

3 minutes ago, Denim said:

It's called drop shipping.

Call it what you like but he would not be handling the goods which is what the essence of the answers were about.

My reply negates the need for him to do that.

[Bigz]

None will give a toss or know in Thailand. Ignore those who say otherwise. On the other hand the shipping fees and times are insanely high and whatever you are trying to sell will be offered at half the price on eBay, Amazon,etc

[Seppius]

Every niche, every product, and every idea you have will have been done a thousand times or more before. Hard to get a start now in drop-shipping, and affiliate market.

 

Most of the TikTokers, YouTubers and the like you see, telling you how easy it is, Are only trying to sell you a worthless training course

[smx1313]

Thank you for all the response's.

I'd to clear up a few points.

 

I'm not looking for info on how to drop ship, sell online, or the logistics of doing so 

 

I currently (for several years now) have manufacturing done in Thailand.

I have a wholesale and retail customer base, shipping systems in place.

Basically the only change that will happen is that I change my base of operations from the USA to L.O.S.

The whole thing is run from my small apt.

 

I lived in BKK in the Thaksin Shinawatra era. 

Selling online from a room in a guesthouse, "under the table" was easy (not so much today).

Back then it was easy to sell retail online, ship to customers directly. If it was small and light it cost about the same to ship from BKK to San Francisco/London/Berlin as it did from NYC to those cities.

 

I'm researching info on visa regs. Essentially, is this considered "working"?

I'm interested in talking to those who have, currently or in the past, done something like this in the past.

Maybe there is a Asean Now page that deals with this subject?

 

Thanks again for all the response's. 

 

 

[smx1313]

On 7/8/2023 at 11:00 AM, AustinRacing said:

Unless there’s something unique about the product you plan to sell or you have a better way to ship it, you may find there are businesses that have been doing this for years and you’ll be competing with them. Can you beat them?

I currently manufacture in Thailand. I sell my own designs. 

[smx1313]

On 7/7/2023 at 7:36 PM, BritTim said:

It will definitely be regarded as work. However, it might be tolerated if all you are doing is sourcing Thai products and selling them online. Risky.

I currently have manufacturing done in Thailand. I would just change my base of operations from USA to L.O.S.

[bbko]

On 7/9/2023 at 4:30 PM, Jimjim1 said:

Now for the negative nay sayers who say it can’t be done, How do you think the big names do it.

These days the big name and even moderately sized companies buy in bulk (container size) and have the entire containers shipped to their selling country and ship items at a much lower price. 

I have a old high school friend in the states that's into importing from China (container sized) and selling in the USA, he asked me if I was willing to routinely fly from Thailand to China and bulk shop/buy for him to be his exporter.  I gave it a pass as I wasn't fully aware of all the ins & outs.

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, smx1313 said:

I currently have manufacturing done in Thailand. I would just change my base of operations from USA to L.O.S.

My opinion remains the same. It is work, but might well be tolerated as it does not compete with Thais for work. If the authorities are aware, it comes down to the discretion of the officials. They could definitely come after you if they wanted. I recommend you keep a low profile.

[smx1313]

11 hours ago, BritTim said:

My opinion remains the same. It is work, but might well be tolerated as it does not compete with Thais for work. If the authorities are aware, it comes down to the discretion of the officials. They could definitely come after you if they wanted. I recommend you keep a low profile.

Thank you for getting back to me.

That's my hunch as well. I wonder if there is a "working" visa? Something that allows you to conduct business. I mean, if my company in based in the states and I'm there as it's rep.....?

 

I guess my real question is where can I learn about diff visas available?

I'm going to check youtube school of law. 

[BritTim]

54 minutes ago, smx1313 said:

Thank you for getting back to me.

That's my hunch as well. I wonder if there is a "working" visa? Something that allows you to conduct business. I mean, if my company in based in the states and I'm there as it's rep.....?

 

I guess my real question is where can I learn about diff visas available?

I'm going to check youtube school of law. 

There are a number of options. Whether any fit will depend on many factors.

 

If your company is large, creating a representative office in Thailand might be possible, with you as the country manager. Under some circumstances, this can give you a work permit without the normal requirements in terms of Thai employees. This is very difficult to get. The company must be substantial, and you must demonstrate that the presence of the representative office benefits Thailand.

 

If you have a high income, check the various options under Long Term Resident (LTR) visas. These can come with virtual work permits (again with no requirements in terms of Thai employees).

 

For visits to Thailand as your company's representative, you may be able to get a multiple entry Non B (business) visa. This provides you with 90-day stays on each entry, but the work you are allowed to do without a work permit is limited. In many cases, you are allowed to do the same tasks on a visa exempt entry. I doubt this is what you want.

 

There are businesses in Thailand that, for a hefty price, can provide you with a visa and work permit by you, on paper, becoming an employee or associate of their business. One such business advertises its services on AseanNow (check the ads of the top of this forum).

[smx1313]

8 hours ago, BritTim said:

I doubt this is what you want.

Well, It might be close enough to start.

Thank you for your help!

[darrendsd]

I sold on eBay from Thailand for around 14 years, never had a work permit

 

However...

If you are buying things from Thai suppliers it is my interpretation that you do need one

 

If you are dropshipping and have nothing to do with Thai suppliers you wouldn't need one

 

As others have said above it's a dying market, it was profitable in the past but with higher postal costs and various other things it's hard to make a decent profit

 

After 14 years I gave up on it as I just wasn't making money any more

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[OJAS]

On 7/9/2023 at 6:37 AM, Skipalongcassidy said:

Then don't read it... just skip over it... nothing says that you have to click on it... I like it.

Well I thought from the title that this thread would be all about flogging retirement visas on Amazon, Etsy (never heard of them) and Ebay. Most disappointed that it isn't as I'm sure that there must be a market for such visas from retirees who can't afford the minimum financial requirements!????

[BritTim]

17 hours ago, darrendsd said:

I sold on eBay from Thailand for around 14 years, never had a work permit

 

However...

If you are buying things from Thai suppliers it is my interpretation that you do need one

 

If you are dropshipping and have nothing to do with Thai suppliers you wouldn't need one

 

As others have said above it's a dying market, it was profitable in the past but with higher postal costs and various other things it's hard to make a decent profit

 

After 14 years I gave up on it as I just wasn't making money any more

Just buying goods in Thailand for export can be done without a work permit. Indeed, the authorities have reported that attending trade shows in Thailand, together with buying goods while there, is one use case for a visa exempt entry. However, some other activities commonly associated with running an import-export business in Thailand cannot legally be done without a work permit.

[smx1313]

On 7/12/2023 at 3:11 AM, darrendsd said:

After 14 years I gave up on it as I just wasn't making money any more

2003-ish I was living in BKK. Buying in Pratunam and selling on ebay and in person in the states. It was much much easier to make a buck on ebay simply because Thailand based sellers could not open an account/sell.

Now they can. When that happened (2010-ish?) all of my suppliers became my competitors.

The online market place is constantly changing, left me in the dust several times.

I've adapted, have my own brand and customer base. Manufacturing in Thailand.

 

It's chugging along nicely. Not getting rich, but it takes care of what I need it to take care of.

I want to keep doing it in "retirement", simply because I enjoy it.