Is it legal in the UK to purchase from highstreet shops and re-sell them for profit?

[addycat]

I'm in the process of setting up a business on ebay and registering with HMRC and was wondering if I could purchase goods from highstreet shops and re-sell them for a profit on ebay? Some of the trade warehouses I visit have similar items which are available cheaper in some highstreet shops.

 

[oldeagleeye]

Are you serious. Ebay is CHEAPER than the high street but to answer the question there is nothing illegal about bying from the high street.and selling on.

The minute you leave the shop however the goods become 2nd hand lowering the value even further and you can only sell as 2nd hand even if you put as new in box which means any guarantee may be invalid too.

Rob

 

[deniser]

I think the OP may be talking about clothing. Lots of people buy designer clothing at TK Maxx and sell it on Ebay. If you have the time and know your fashion, you can find the odd gem which will make you a prefot on resale.

You can also buy high street clothing as mail order returns and ends of line etc. in bulk from wholesalers. These quite often have the label cut out.

I don't believe there is any law which stops you from reselling these items as long as you don't hold yourself out to be that shop.

 

[Esk247]

not illegal but have you tried selling on Ebay recently? people only buy antiques and cheap as chips stuff, if they want designer fashion they'll go to a designer store or buy from a designer label, if they want 'retro' then it has to have some age to it, something about it that makes it unique, even then it can take a week to sell one item and your margins will be very tight.

Buying from a high street store and then trying to make a profit from it is not going to be much of a goer i'm afraid.

Why not just look at selling from wholesalers? you can undercut the high street as you don't have to pay for a shop.

 

[papverpoppies]

I think the OP may be talking about clothing. Lots of people buy designer clothing at TK Maxx and sell it on Ebay. If you have the time and know your fashion, you can find the odd gem which will make you a prefot on resale.

You can also buy high street clothing as mail order returns and ends of line etc. in bulk from wholesalers. These quite often have the label cut out.

I don't believe there is any law which stops you from reselling these items as long as you don't hold yourself out to be that shop.

I know someone who sells the QVC returns on Ebay and makes a very good little living.

She visits one of their outlets, shops till she drops and then re-sells.
All the labels are removed - and they are sold as new - but without labels/tags

Poppy xx

 

[Esk247]

I know someone who sells the QVC returns on Ebay and makes a very good little living.

She visits one of their outlets, shops till she drops and then re-sells.
All the labels are removed - and they are sold as new - but without labels/tags

Poppy xx

bet she's been on ebay for a while though, from people i've talked to, newbie sellers aren't making any money because people are looking for the feedback ratings before they buy. If you're new, you have limited feedback.

 

[papverpoppies]

bet she's been on ebay for a while though, from people i've talked to, newbie sellers aren't making any money because people are looking for the feedback ratings before they buy. If you're new, you have limited feedback.

About 3 years, but I believe the only way to get the products sold on QVC (apart from buying them from them - expensive) is to visit the outlet shops, so this kind of gives the sellers on Ebay and edge.

I, still believe there is a market to be had on Ebay, you have just got to be selling what the folks want - plus the profits are not so high these days, as more people are doing it.

Poppy xx

 

[silvermusic]

I think the OP may be talking about clothing. Lots of people buy designer clothing at TK Maxx and sell it on Ebay. If you have the time and know your fashion, you can find the odd gem which will make you a prefot on resale.

You can also buy high street clothing as mail order returns and ends of line etc. in bulk from wholesalers. These quite often have the label cut out.

I don't believe there is any law which stops you from reselling these items as long as you don't hold yourself out to be that shop.

The big question is can you make money selling on items bought at High Street outlet, yes, but as has been pointed out only IF you know your market extremely well, I would suggest that there's far too many busy fools on eBay trying this and doing nothing more than playing at shops making no real money. Take a look at the number of items right now in the clothing section http://clothes.listings.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQloglZ0QQsargnZsalicQQsocmdZListingCategoryOverview and right now it's a quiet time, wait until there's a free listing day and see those numbers of item rise by between 30 and 50%.

Every now and then I manage to pick up a few items in my line that are silly prices I just can't get from suppliers, but I stress they are few and far between nowadays, in the past it was more viable, but not nowadays and certainly not something you can do in enough quantity to make a viable business.

 

[deniser]

I think there is a bit of confusion in this thread. I was answering the question in the title namely "Is it legal in the UK to purchase from highstreet shops and re-sell them for profit?"

Reading the OP without the title is quite a different question as it seems to be asking if one can have a viable business doing this. I agree with Silvermusic.

It might be fun as a hobby though.

 

[Esk247]

I think there is a bit of confusion in this thread. I was answering the question in the title namely "Is it legal in the UK to purchase from highstreet shops and re-sell them for profit?"

Reading the OP without the title is quite a different question as it seems to be asking if one can have a viable business doing this. I agree with Silvermusic.

It might be fun as a hobby though.

yeah but then you're sticking to the OP (original post) and not going off on a tangent..which would make a unique thread on UKBF as every thread goes off on a little walk around and ends up talking about Maggie Thatcher at some point.

 

[silvermusic]

To just answer the OP with a simple yes/no doesn't actually answer the bigger question that's actually being asked. I don't see it as going off at a tangent at all.

 

[paulears]

If you purchase goods from any source and they are new - as in they are not used, then you can sell them as new. There is NO difference buying from the local wholesaler or buying from the local currys!

The number of hands a product passes through is irrelevant. Manufacturer to distributor to wholesaler to retailer to customer. This person opens the box and tries it out. Now it's been used. If a retailer puts it on display and switches it on, like a TV - then if it has tiny scratches or small scuff marks they'll sell it as shop soiled with full guarantee. If it's still as out of the box, despite being used, they can still sell it as new - this practice has always been the case. Some purchasers insist on a brand new one in the box, others take the view that the retailer only displays perfect ones!

The only caveat to all this is the warranty - and this resides with the end user and is between them and the seller. The SoG Act also applies between business and business. Any consumer warranty is between them and the business - but the business will normally receive support from the manufacturer or agent. So if you buy from Currys, and then sell to somebody else, the only way to get spare parts would be via you as a third party, and Currys (and I'm just using them because they are a big firm) has you as the customer, and do not have to provide warranty support if you have sold it on.

So buying complex expensive goods means you stand the warranty yourself worst case. Buying clothes that won't really need expensive repairs is a risk perhaps worth taking?

 

[UKSBD]

I know someone who used to buy Radley handbags from Debenhams about 10 at a time, keep them for a bit, then sell them on ebay at a profit.
Not enough money in it to run as a business, but he made a bit of pin money.