There are many different business models and importing goods from overseas is one of them.
It may seem an easy way to start such a business, especially if you’ve been overseas and seen all the beautiful goods for sale at such reasonable prices.
However, importing them may have its challenges.
You need the kind of transport company that has plenty of experience importing goods to Australia.
They should also have experience in the kind of goods you want them to freight in.
Each country has its own rules and regulations about what is needed to export their goods to another country; Australia also has strict regulations about what is allowed in, especially when it comes to food and plant material.
This is to protect the country from insects or diseases that could decimate our crops.
In fact, even goods that are made from plant material that is left in its natural state may be banned, since insects can often hide in timber even after it has been cut down and made into chairs and tables.
So the first thing you need to do is find out what the import/export regulations are at each end, then find a company that you can trust to do the right thing so there are no hold-ups or problems with your goods.
This can be difficult because not everyone speaks English, but also because often people from other countries are not as time-efficient as many western countries.
They don’t see it as a problem if goods are waiting on the dock for a week or a month at their end.
So you need to have patience, order things well in advance and find someone who can translate for you. This could be facilitated by using a freight forwarding company.
Such people don’t actually do the transporting; they simply arrange it all for you. They have experience in this and often use the same trusted transport people for the goods they have on their books.
While it will cost extra, the time and frustration you save will make it all worthwhile.
Freight forwarders often have people working for them who speak different languages, and they know all about the many rules and regulations for importing various goods from other countries, because that’s their job.
It can really smooth the way to have people like that take care of your goods.
Using containers helps to keep goods safe, but if you don’t have enough to fill up one container, you have to share it with other people who also need to send goods to the same destination.
It’s important to have all your own goods carefully wrapped and labelled so there is no mix-up at any point in the journey.
