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February 6, 2019 at 8:54 pm #999289Up::0
I’ve been importing general goods to Australia from China and have used brokers without any problems. Now I’m looking to see how viable it is to take the task on myself.
Has anyone done importing from China themselves, without using a broker? If so, how was it? What were the biggest challenges?
February 7, 2019 at 1:28 am #1218783Up::0Hopefully some helpful members will be along soon with some advice to point you in the right direction.
Cheers
February 8, 2019 at 6:56 am #1218784Up::0Hi Alex,
What I can say is… You can diagnose your own medical issues via webMD, or you can see a general practitioner or specialist if you require. If you were going to have an eye surgery, would you go to the surgeon that provides a buy 1 eye get 2nd free? Or one that is a specialist with mountains of knowledge but charges the dearest price?
What I’m trying to say is, custom brokers specialist in that field and know the process inside out. They also require a licence. I believe you can clear it yourself (not sure if your goods are commercial, this may affect it). However for their peace of mind and solving all your issues, it’s much more worthwhile. Your time if more often than not better spent elsewhere making money rather than trying to save money. If you are really concerned, you should go and attempt to obtain a Customs brokering licence, which is extremely difficult.
We move mass freight (FCL containers). Not a single person clears customs themself, but ofcourse this is at a commercial level. More often than not some companies like DHL offer in house custom clearance, but often they aren’t too familiar with your freight and may be charging a higher duty rate.
Cheers,
AndyFebruary 8, 2019 at 11:59 pm #1218785Up::0A lot can go wrong when you are importing. There are an infinite number of problems that can go wrong and for a newbie, it will be a headache, if not costly exercise if you lose your stock or if you have to deal with unfamiliar problems.
An example of an issue is the stink bug infestation that has been plaguing imports. See below for reference.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-43112370
If you are merely importing small quantities, then the risk is lower and it may be worthwhile DIY. Assess the risk and proceed at your own risk is what I am saying.
businesstrade.com.au - buy or sell a businessFebruary 9, 2019 at 4:20 am #1218786Up::0A lot can go wrong when you are importing. There are an infinite number of problems that can go wrong and for a newbie, it will be a headache, if not costly exercise if you lose your stock or if you have to deal with unfamiliar problems.
An example of an issue is the stink bug infestation that has been plaguing imports. See below for reference.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-43112370
If you are merely importing small quantities, then the risk is lower and it may be worthwhile DIY. Assess the risk and proceed at your own risk is what I am saying.
A lot can go wrong with everything when you have never done it before. Sorry, but what you wrote is scaremongering. If the OP has been importing already and found good and reliable suppliers in China, they have already done most of the hard work.
The real issue here, as with every other decision in business is the reason for wanting to do it yourself as opposed to paying someone else to do it.
If it is purely because it might save a few $$, then there is a lot more that needs to be considered than just the direct saving from not paying someone else. The assumption here is that it is about saving.
A good broker, who does the job day in day out, will almost certainly be able to provide value above and beyond just a cost, that anyone doing it for the first time may not be able to match. Plus there is the time and effort involved that could be better utilized elsewhere – that is also a cost.
That said, learning the process is not a bad thing either, just to be aware of how it all works, especially at the early stages where quantities may be smaller (this part I agree with you about risk). Making a few mistakes isn’t all bad either, except for the part where it costs, but that is when lessons learned are more valuable.
Once someone has done something themselves, that is often the best way to find out why it is best to get someone else to do it.
February 10, 2019 at 2:08 am #1218787Up::0Acostar Logistics, post: 263944, member: 113301 wrote:What I’m trying to say is, custom brokers specialist in that field and know the process inside out. They also require a licence. I believe you can clear it yourself (not sure if your goods are commercial, this may affect it). However for their peace of mind and solving all your issues, it’s much more worthwhile. Your time if more often than not better spent elsewhere making money rather than trying to save money. If you are really concerned, you should go and attempt to obtain a Customs brokering licence, which is extremely difficult.Yes that’s true, but there are also a lot of things that the ”specialists” get wrong. Or if you spent the time and money to learn how to do it right it will save you a heap of money.
People say that as a small business that you must use a bookkeeper, but I have seen that many business go back to doing it themselves, because the book keepers have no idea and have stuffed up a business’s accounts. The same goes with a lot of other specialists.
What I am saying is don’t just use a specialist because they call themselves a specialist.
Also sure people say it is better to spend time in you business rather then doing tasks such as customs or book keeping, but depending on your dollar value for your task, you may actually be better off doing it yourself
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