Do I need permission?

[ICAP]

Hi All,

I'm new here so I hope that this is in the correct section.

I am planning on starting an ecommerce store in the grocery sector and I wondered if I would need permission from the brands I would be selling, to have their products and pictures on my website?

I have been given differing opinions on this and I am now very confused :|.

Any advice appreciated.


Izzy

 

[KRange]

will you be using a wholesaler? you could always email the wholesaler and ask permission to use their images to promote the products on your website?

Or you could take your own pictures as it wont be copyright i dont think as their your own images. i believe you can mention the brand but you cant say "our brand is better then pepsi" as its bad advertisement for pepsi but you could said " we are one of the top suppliers of drinks just like pepsi"
hope this helps in some way

 

[ICAP]

Yes, I will be using a wholesaler. I will ask them to use their photographs or I may just take my own. Thank you very much for the reply

 

[TotallySport]

Technically you need the owners permission of trademarks, so if you put a brand name in a title you need permission to use it.

Most of the time its not an issue if your selling genuine products, but their are brands who don't want you to sell their products and will not allow you to use them.

Pictures have copyright, never use ones you don't have permission to use or you haven't taken, or it cost you dearly.

Ask if you can use your wholesalers pics, or take you own.

 

[ICAP]

Ok, I just want to make sure that I understand.

So if I was going to sell Mars bars (for example), are you saying I would need to get permission from Mars Inc. even if I bought them from a wholesaler? Would the situation be any different if I had bought the Mars bars from a registered wholesale distributor?

Also, if I list the items on my store online and I have a list of the chocolate bars that I am selling, then there would be titles. E.g. 'Mars Bar'. Are you saying I would need permission for that?

 

[TotallySport]

So if I was going to sell Mars bars (for example), are you saying I would need to get permission from Mars Inc. even if I bought them from a wholesaler? Would the situation be any different if I had bought the Mars bars from a registered wholesale distributor?

yes, no

Also, if I list the items on my store online and I have a list of the chocolate bars that I am selling, then there would be titles. E.g. 'Mars Bar'. Are you saying I would need permission for that?

yes.

Thats in an ideal world, most people don't get permission, they wait until they are told otherwise, unless you doing something to devalue the brand the chances are they won't bat an eye lid.

But its upto you.

Cosmetics and beaty products from what I have heard have strictor values than other sectors.

 

[ICAP]

I do understand now. I certainly wouldn't be doing anything to devalue the brands I'd be selling.

There is now a worry that they might say no if I ask them nicely to resell their products and then I definitely could not continue . I'll try to get permission anyway.

Thanks for your help.

 

[TotallySport]

can I ask what sector it is?if the items are sold general in UK wholesalers theres an even slimmer chance youll have a problem, however if you carn't get them from the Uk and have to import them, thats when you might have an issue.

 

[ICAP]

Yes, it is a general grocery/retail store. Mostly imports from Europe. Although there are a few wholesalers in the UK that have the products I want, they are just a lot more expensive than the ones I have found in the countries I need.

 

[TotallySport]

Yes, it is a general grocery/retail store. Mostly imports from Europe. Although there are a few wholesalers in the UK that have the products I want, they are just a lot more expensive than the ones I have found in the countries I need.

won't the import costs bring the prices inline with the wholesalers?

I doubt you'll have problems with grocesry items, if some of the brands are exclusive you might want to get permission, otherwise it might be worth the risk, I doubt anyone has every asked to sell General Heinz products for example.

 

[ICAP]

won't the import costs bring the prices inline with the wholesalers?

You'd think so! The places I found here leave the customers to pay all import duty/customs fees etc. So I assume that they don't actually have any stock and that they only place an order once a customer requests something.

Their average prices per item are 4x what they would be if I went direct and I would still have to pay all of the import duty fees. The only other expense when importing (in this case) is the delivery of the items from [company in Europe] to an airport then to myself.