Answers Needed, Formulate A Business Plan.

[BSJ]

Hi everyone, instead of asking for answers with this thread I though I would describe, in a general sense, what I want and let the knowledgeable ones guide me to the right people. I am trying to formulate a business plan. Would be establishing a shop for domestic sales and export via mail order.

Advice on:

Importation.

* Is there such a thing as a consolidating service in Europe and U.S. that will collect all your pallets from individual suppliers and place into a single container which will ship the lot in one go?

* Once in LOS there is a Free zone (http://www.customs.go.th/Customs-Eng/) where I can leave items until needed. Is it economical to leave pallet loads there as a convenient storage facility or a the fee's and charges fairly steep?

Product.

*What is the best site to visit for rules regarding food, food additives, drugs, alcohol and the labelling requirements. This site wasn't much help. http://www.moac.go.th/eng/

Any good advice will be appreciated. Cheers

[JimsKnight]

Unfortunately you're unlikely to get good answers, not quite because people don't know what they're talking about, but because it's akin to revealing how 'they' made it.

It's the same as new guys coming into the offshore game, no-one wants to help them because they have the 'they'll take my job mentality.'

Good luck in your quest though

[CWMcMurray]

Sent you a PM, but the short answer is "yes, people are doing exactly as you described every day" and "find a freight forwarder you trust."

They are not in the business of steeling your ideas (or they would be out of business pretty quick), they just want to help manage your supply chain and move your freight.

A freight forwarder could also help to answer all of the questions you have raised about import regulations.

Edited November 8, 2008 by CWMcMurray

[BSJ]

Thanks for the input guys. Won't be in country for a few months yet so their is no rush.