Import from China advice

[Biztips2018]

I needed some advice and answers to my few questions from the experienced online retailers, as I am new to selling online, I will be highly appreciated for your help and guidance. I am interested in importing some home decor , kitchen essentials products, some clothings and may be some other products.

1. In order to import some products from China through Alibaba to UK, do we need to obtain Import Licence from UK?
2. Do we need to obtain Customs registration and also to inform HMRC incase planning to start imports?
3. Do we need to have Excise and VAT registration before importing?
4. Is there any other alternative for importing few products initially without doing the import licence?
5. If I want to bring the products from China, can I put my own Logo and Brand name, to do this do I need to obtain any certifications and approvals or can I use their own certificates but my logo and name on products?
6. In other cases if I bring some products in their (manufacturers name) , do I need to ask for testing certificates copies, which certificates are required to sell in UK as per the law?
7. Does the products need to have specific legal requirements, if so what?

Thanks for your help in advance.

 

[CHUKTC]

Hi You raise a number of questions there which are commonly raised by people looking to import goods. They are important questions which I will try and answer for you below.
1, 2 & 3. No you don't but you will need an EORI number - to get this is simple but you do need to be registered fro VAT to do this. You don't kneed to inform HMRC of your intentions but you will obviously file each import as it arrives. You do need to register wit HMRC when you start a business (If you have not already done so) irrespective of whether you are involved with imports or exports, either as a sole trader, partnership or private limited company.
4. To avoid obtaining an EORI number (and hence VAT registration) you can get an agent to import the goods for you. We do this for a number of businesses and would be happy to help you with this.
5. Most factories in China offer 'white labelling' and will allow you to put your own branding including Logos on your products provided it doesn't infringe someone else's trademarks (you should check this). Most factories will do this for you but if the quantities are small this might work out quite expensive. If they have any certificates they may still be valid but you need to look on an individual basis.
6 & 7. Certificates is a thorny issue and you need to exercise caution on this. Every product is different, some require no certification, others are tightly regulated with many regulations your product needs to comply with. If you don't have the correct regulations you cant legally sell it in the UK! CE marking is common and most suppliers in China do not understand the regulations at all. It is a self certification process and in many cases the mark is applied falsely without the appropriate supporting paperwork. Areas where you need to be especially careful are food products, cosmetics, food containers, electrical items and mechanical items. If you are not sure seek advice. It's something we would be happy to help you with. https://chinauktc.com/contact-us/

 

[paulears]

..... and of course CE marking is dead very shortly because the UK will have to start its own testing and compliance systems - they have kind of got it on the back burner, but the Chinese factories cannot test anything to the new UK standard yet - so going to be interesting for a while. CE meaningless and no replacement for a while.

 

[Import Expert]

https://www.tradepractitioner.com/2018/01/ce-marking-post-brexit/

 

[Maple Sourcing]

5. Does the products need to have specific legal requirements, if so what?
------ What products are you after? It depends on specific products, for example, if the product connects to mains supply, it must be approved with strict safety standard, but if it connects to USB, the standard is much easier.

I'd suggest you got to Amazon to find the products close to yours, and check what kind of certificates (or none) they claim to own.