Exporting To The Uk

[Neeranam]

I'm going to the UK next week and am taking samples for the purpose of exporting.

I don't know the first thing really about this kind of business and am looking for tips on how to do it, things to avoid etc.

These things are mostly gifts, decorative items and handicrafts supplied locally here in Isaan. I have a relative with a gift shop and a couple of friends with their own general stores. I'm not looking to make a fortune - just a little side-line.

How do I compete with the internet sites selling this stuff?

Do I need to set up a web-site?

Customs problems? Is it ok to take a large bag of samples?

Do I need to hire someone in the UK, any problems here?

Is this a crazy idea?

I really want to hear from you with experience of doing this, especially on finding the buyers.

Cheers,

N N

[snoophound]

I have a thai friend in Melb that had a VERY good business importing stuff for restaurants.

Plates,candles,tablecloths etc.

The special Thai plates for various dishes ie:ones shaped like a fish or banana leaf etc were good margin and popular.

Candles and Tablecloths also...but chinas better now for those.

She just drove out and hit all the restaurants.

Maybe an idea for someones GF in UK.

Hi,

I know a bit about this, and furthermore I'm willling to share my knowledge, cos for the moment I've abandoned the idea....

The killer thing was buyers. I didn't have any, and didn't have any success finding any. So that was that. Never sold anything. And yet there is a demand for this sort of stuff, and the western prices are still very high compared to Thai markets...

One lesson you can have for free, don't waste time trying to sell wholesale on ebay. The "wholesalers" there are fakers trying to catch ebay newbies. They are mostly ignored. I tried offering a genuine 1 dozen lot, got no responses; and afterwards realised, anyone who knew what they were doing, would look directly for suppliers, not pay premium rates to ebay.

Try going to one of the "BIG" (Bangkok International Giftware) trade fairs, held 4 times a year in Muang Thon Thani, Bangkok, just to get an idea of what others are doing. BTW, the prices they quote there are much higher than what they charge in your local market!

My website is thaigecko.com. Take a look. I spent a lot, probably waaay too much, time getting this set up (I mean months). It's built on one of the best-known shopping site engines, OSCommerce. OSC is free software, but you have to customise it, which is a bit like saying, "you want a car? Here's the steel, but you have to customise it...." I also put in a fair bit of effort into online marketing, ie getting links from other sites. I still get the odd enquiry, long after giving up.

If you're interested, I'd consider selling that site, with or without customisation to what you need yourself. That's actually my main motivation for writing to you now :-)

To give you the general idea, the general public only sees half of the site; there's a lot of invoicing/order tracking/customer database stuff available when you log in as the administrator, and potential for connecting it to various accounting software.

There are no special customs rates/rules on the Thai export side, with two possible excepts; Buddhas and anything that could possibly be confused with illegally harvested wood, i.e. teak. I've been told that these are such nightmares thath it's best not to carry such products. Samples are fine, with the same 2 exceptions.

I reckon a great idea would be to have a retail outlet in a UK city, so that you effectively provide your own buyer. If you've ever looked into that type of shop, they always seem to be quite busy just from passing trade, even in odd locations. And of course, 20-30 quid for a simple lamp is great value there. Of course it takes a fair bit of capital to start a retail outlet in the UK.

Don't try to sell retail online from Thailand, the shipping costs are impossible and no one trusts Thailand. Online might be worthwhile if you had a UK base though.

Well there's a few ideas anyway... Best of luck,

Cormac

I'm going to the UK next week and am taking samples for the purpose of exporting.

I don't know the first thing really about this kind of business and am looking for tips on how to do it, things to avoid etc.

These things are mostly gifts, decorative items and handicrafts supplied locally here in Isaan. I have a relative with a gift shop and a couple of friends with their own general stores. I'm not looking to make a fortune - just a little side-line.

How do I compete with the internet sites selling this stuff?

Do I need to set up a web-site?

Customs problems? Is it ok to take a large bag of samples?

Do I need to hire someone in the UK, any problems here?

Is this a crazy idea?

I really want to hear from you with experience of doing this, especially on finding the buyers.

Cheers,

N N

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[Neeranam]

Thanks a lot for your reply, Cormac.

Not sure why this post was in Snoophounds

One lesson you can have for free, don't waste time trying to sell wholesale on ebay. The "wholesalers" there are fakers trying to catch ebay newbies. They are mostly ignored. I tried offering a genuine 1 dozen lot, got no responses; and afterwards realised, anyone who knew what they were doing, would look directly for suppliers, not pay premium rates to ebay.

I haven't considered using that ebay.

Try going to one of the "BIG" (Bangkok International Giftware) trade fairs, held 4 times a year in Muang Thon Thani, Bangkok, just to get an idea of what others are doing. BTW, the prices they quote there are much higher than what they charge in your local market!

I've been to one already and got some contacts - mostly around Pratunam and yes they all went cheaper by quite a bit. The last time I went back to the Uk I had some success with Burmese silk cushion covers.

My website is thaigecko.com. Take a look. I spent a lot, probably waaay too much, time getting this set up (I mean months). It's built on one of the best-known shopping site engines, OSCommerce. OSC is free software, but you have to customise it, which is a bit like saying, "you want a car? Here's the steel, but you have to customise it...." I also put in a fair bit of effort into online marketing, ie getting links from other sites. I still get the odd enquiry, long after giving up.

If you're interested, I'd consider selling that site, with or without customisation to what you need yourself. That's actually my main motivation for writing to you now :-)

To give you the general idea, the general public only sees half of the site; there's a lot of invoicing/order tracking/customer database stuff available when you log in as the administrator, and potential for connecting it to various accounting software.

I'll have a look but doubt if I'll be buying it - well not for a while anyway.

I reckon a great idea would be to have a retail outlet in a UK city, so that you effectively provide your own buyer. If you've ever looked into that type of shop, they always seem to be quite busy just from passing trade, even in odd locations. And of course, 20-30 quid for a simple lamp is great value there. Of course it takes a fair bit of capital to start a retail outlet in the UK.

My brother has a couple of shops in the UK and he has the business brains in the family. I'll be discussing a few ideas with him.

Don't try to sell retail online from Thailand, the shipping costs are impossible and no one trusts Thailand. Online might be worthwhile if you had a UK base though.

Thanks for the tip.

Well there's a few ideas anyway... Best of luck,

Cormac

Thanks mate.

I have a thai friend in Melb that had a VERY good business importing stuff for restaurants.

Plates,candles,tablecloths etc.

The special Thai plates for various dishes ie:ones shaped like a fish or banana leaf etc were good margin and popular.

Candles and Tablecloths also...but chinas better now for those.

She just drove out and hit all the restaurants.

Maybe an idea for someones GF in UK.

Thanks Snoophound.

Finding someone with the time to do all the travelling and cold-selling is the problem right now.

[CarlBkk]

I would recommend steering clear of the typical Thai OTOP handicrafts if you want to enter the UK import market quickly and easily. There are hundreds of small businesses and individuals attempting to sell your "tourist" products B2B and retail within the UK - I meet a new one at least once a fortnight (I also import from Thailand). I would definitely spend the time to search out something different from Thailand...there are things around. Wooden platters, animals, colourful decorations, cushion covers (rarely real silk), artificial flowers, silk handbags will all make a little bit of money in the short term, but I don't think they'll give rise to a sustainable business.

Cold calling is the cheapest way of testing acceptance for your samples, but it's a pain.

I'd do the following, it worked for me:

1. Search out something special and unique which isn't going to cost (or lose) you stacks of money (nothing you see on Silom, no heavy furniture)

2. Think of your target market - women in their 50s? Restaurants? People colour co-ordinating a new home? How big do you think this market will be?

3. Test-trade by airmailing a few boxes over, come back too and do a few small events to check their popularity and pricing.

4. Get some postcards printed and mailshot your target businesses.

5. Book a trade show and cold call if you have time to let businesses know you'll be there.

Having a UK contact and storage address is pretty much essential until you've become established with your customers. Trying to operate a B2B business solely from Thailand is very very difficult. It will take you a while to get 10+ business orders regularly which may then enable you to get a sufficient income while abroad, but in my experience customers do expect a UK business registration, UK telephone contact, invoicing/credit and fairly fast returns/repairs/deliveries within the same country to begin with.

[Thaicoon]

I started doing this Ten years ago, not much stuff regarding handicrafts coming into the Uk then so i was lucky and made quite a bit of cash out of it all, i stopped about 15 months ago, as my sales slowed up, i am lucky as i buy cheap and sell retail in my shops so i can keep the prices lower than other retail outlets, in the UK now the market is a bit flooded, everybody is doing it, you see thai stuff on market stalls in the high street etc, if you are thinking seriously i could give you some good contacts in Chaing Mai, i also used to buy goods in Isarn, as that is where i spend most of my time, i used to bring back Furniture, wood carvings, Guians, Cartwheels, the Guians and wheels I would buy in essarn, but they are now high prices to buy in that region, if you were thinking of wheels, i have about 120 in a yard in Chaing mai, i could do you a deal. check my site out. www.gandajones.co.uk

Edited December 18, 2005 by Thaicoon