Advise Me on Intriguing Int'l Trade Oppty

RE: [spiers] Advise Me on Intriguing Int'l Trade Oppty

Shel,

thanks for the excellent info... I have a ups account, so I'll request they send
it "expedited" and let
y'all know the results.

I have another sample shipment coming from China, handknotted carpets this
time... and this
particular person calls all express service "UPS" ... as in UPS post office, UPS
Fedex , or UPS UPS!
Not sure if this is a triumph of advertising from UPS, and not sure if it is
just her, but there you
have it.

John
On Wed, 12 Jul 2006 18:10:04 -0700, "Shel Weinberg"
wrote :

>
> John et al,
>
> I've been doing my research on best way to ship rather small orders of
> textiles from Asia. My business has been importing several packages per
> month ranging in value from $1000 to $10,000.
>
> My conclusion is that working with UPS, Fedex or DHL is by far most cost
> effective, even for orders of $8 - $10,000. UPS is my favorite and
> their "expedited" service is advertised to take a day or two more
> (although it usually gets here just as fast as express) and is the least
> expensive.
>
> Yes you have to pay the duty plus a $25 customs transaction fee, but the
> customs brokerage entry fees are built in to the price and perhaps more
> importantly, this system does not slow the shipment down as often
> happens with a customs broker. Usually get it in 2 - 3 days, even from
> India.
>
> The other advantage is that the rate includes carriage all the way to
> your (or the customer's) door unlike air cargo shipments where often you
> need to get the package at the airport.
>
> You can even go to the UPS website and get an all in quote online by
> entering the points of origin, destination, weight, size and value.
>
> Its working for me.
>
> Best
>
> Shel Weinberg
>
> phone: 360 299 3579
> mobile: 360 941 5443
> shel@sheldonweinberg.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: spiers@yahoogroups.com [mailto:spiers@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf
> Of John Spiers
> Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2006 12:42 PM
> To: spiers@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [spiers] Advise Me on Intriguing Int'l Trade Oppty
>
> Folks,
>
> My Hong Kong tailor is importuning me to open a biz here in USA having
> custom clothes
> measured in USA and made in Hong Kong.
>
> I think I mention in my book a fellow in Seattle who did exactly this
> for 25 years here in
> Seattle, but through in the towel when congress made the paperwork
> process overwhelming
> for this biz.
>
> I would never run such a business, but owning it would be fine. To
> investigate this
> possibility, I put on my 3 piece pinstripe suit made by these Hong Kong
> tailors, and visited
> the competition in the Seattle area. I walked in and introduced myself,
> mentioned I lived
> locally but bought tailored suits in Hong Kong. Then i said, "tell me
> how come I should buy
> from you and not from Hong Kong". (Mustn't ask "why"... "how come" is
> much less
> threatening...)
>
> He looked at the suit, and his first best answer was "well, that is a
> fall weight suit..." that was
> his best shot!
>
> Then he explained how tailoring works in USA. The customer selects
> fabric, the tailor takes
> your measurements, and sends them to a plant back east which executes
> the suit, and a
> second fitting is done back here in the shop. Same with shirts, but
> different factory.
>
> I read all about this in Forbes once, the biggest such plant being
> Oxxford in Chicago. Inn
> essence USA tailors are simply measurement taking storefronts, and you
> select from a set
> range of avaialble fabrics.
>
> Hong Kong on the other hand, with the worlds widest selection of fabrics
> on hand, and
> efficiently managed, can give one a wider range. Next, their ability to
> accomodate outside
> the box is unsurpassed. I've read several tests that put hong kong
> tailors ahead of Saville
> Row tailors.
>
> What occurred to me was these USA tailor shops are for people who must
> wear suits, wheras
> a Hong KMong tailored product would be for people who love to wear
> suits.
>
> And the trick in buying suits tailored is not to get a $500 suit for
> $300, but a $3000 suit for
> $700. I was surprised the normal price point for the local tailors suit
> is about $900 he said.
> Rather low i thought.
>
> Seattle's premier tailor shop works on the same basis as the others, so
> it seems to me there
> is room for very high end, upscale tailor shop.
>
> Now some people do have suit made in hong kong and sent to USA. To
> avoid the heavy costs
> and taxes and paperwork, it is commonly misprepresented as to what is
> coming in. A formal
> entry done by a broker can be $90 - $150 .... and takes time... and
> there isd I believe a 10%
> tax... much is done to get around these legal hurdles.
>
> Avoiding the tax is foolish, i think, but the broker fees are hefty.
> Happily I can fill out those
> forms myself, or teach a clerk to do it cheap, since it will be the same
> thing over and over. I
> will have a reality check conferenced with a customsbroker on this.
>
> I have an associate who has connections with real tailors, so that part
> is covered. Starting
> small and financing a few suits a week is no big deal. And a tailor
> shop can be anywhere.
>
> I am meeting with an auctioneer this afternoon, who often works charity
> events. For
> advertising, we'd auction off a tailored suit, such as the auctioneer
> wears, one of ours. We
> get our name in front of high rollers who in turn buy one of our suits,
> named in the auction,
> and then we sell the winner 2 other suits when he shows up to be fitted
> for his tuxedo.
>
> By the way, this Tailor will be in Seattle on July 18 and 19 if you want
> to meet him yourself
> and get a gorgeous suit made to fit. he takes credit cards, and you pay
> in advance, but I've
> worked with him 30 years now...
>
> But to the point... anything I am missing here? Anything I should
> cover...problems I should
> look out for?
>
> john

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