Does anyone here work at, or own a business that imports stuff to the US? i am interested in starting a business and i need some information regarding customs, tariffs, shipping charges, licenses, etc...

any help would be appreciated.

it can be someone importing exhausts for cars, clothes for babies, carpet? um... you know, general stuff from another country... how does one get started in this business.

 

you need to find some place to import it from first.

 

It all depends on what you are importing and where it is made, there isn't a single answer for importing. Some products are duty free, others are not. I import from the UK, China and occasionally from India, they are all different.

 

for now, it would be taiwan, but maybe all over asia...

would i be able to read a dummy's for importing, or some sort of guide that can take me through the steps?

 

it's called logistics...

 

I'm not trying to be mean but it seems like you have no experience in this field. Why dont you work for an import company for a few years before thinking about starting a business?

Here is a tip if this helps any:
To get started, I advise you that you come up with the product first. Importing business requires a lot of risks for a small return in the beginning. (due to logistics)
It also depends on whether you are going to sell the product to retailers or wholesalers. For example, say you want to import baby products. You won't be able to sell the products yourself because you have to bring the products in a 40' container out of a time. You will need a wholesaler who will distribute to the retailers. Plus, there are a lot of safety laws for certain items and baby product is one of them.

you will need a seller's permit to sell the products.

 

well, i am sure 99% of the people who start up businesses never worked for an import company. I am sure they just took a lot of time, and did trial and error in figuring out what needs to be done. I was just asking if anyone here has done something similar and would like to share their experiences.

 

[QUOTE=dkhl,Jan 25 2007, 08:36 AM] well, i am sure 99% of the people who start up businesses never worked for an import company.

 

i don't disagree with that. i was saying that for me to want to import something, i don't need to go work for a company that does importing. working in sales, marketing, distributing, any type of supply chain type job should open doors and ideas for me. plus, if i know people who have done it, i can pick their brains out.

 

i completely disagree

if you know people who have done it but you have never done it, its not a good sign of a business owner. you may know how to pick their brains out but you wouldnt know what's good and bad