Selling internationally on the net..

[TomUK]

Want to really open up the global market, so I'm launching a .com site.

I need help with the following:

1) Do I get a USA telephone number and is it possible to get sales people to handle my calls (low volume), and is it just a USA number I need, maybe a Europe one?

2) In terms of VAT/TAX, should I set up a international company in a better tax country then this, say a warehouse in virgin islands? Then basically get my suppliers to export the goods to me there (which they will).

3) Virtual adresses?

Anything else you might think I need to think about

 

[xujing]

what kind of your business? I think your products is the mostly reason for the rest things your choice.

 

[TomUK]

No one any experience with this?

 

[sysops]

No one any experience with this?

Hi Tom,

We sell internationally, but dispatch from the UK. Around 10% of our turnover comes from overseas.

We have looked into the logistics of moving the international operation elsewhere, but the overheads are considerable, and it can only really be done if you a) have a god deal of capital and b) are confident of going to high volume in a relatively short time.

 

[Overseas]

you can google for "virtual office". there do exist providers who offer addresses and phone numbers from cities around the world. even skype offers us phone numbers, german phone numbers, etc.

 

[MartCactus]

Getting a USA number isn't so useful unless you can man it during US working hours. If you can do that, depending on your business I guess it could be useful.

As to basing offshore in tax free environment you have to be aware how tax legislation works. If you are in the UK then even if you have a tax free company sitting in BVIs or wherever making tax free money you can't transfer that to you in the UK without paying tax on it. You should certainly take advice for a tax expert on that issue.