Customers from USA

[Family_Walls]

Hi,
Was hoping to tap into the obvious experience out there.

When Family Walls was set up we were primarily aiming at the UK Family Market.

However, recently we are getting requests from overseas - especially the USA for this wall art.

Apart from the courier issues to overcome (Family Walls are relatively light - but need to be packaged carefully to ensure they are delivered in perfect condition) - is there any advice and guidance out there regarding the pitfalls of selling to customers in the states (e.g. any potential customs and excise issues we may encounter etc).

Thanks for reading.

Pete

[JCTurner]

Can't think of many pitfalls, but you can charge ex-VAT (if you're VAT registered) so this saves non EU customers 20%. You should add a customs label to the package, these are available from Royal Mail (I've pre-filled some in that just have to be signed and dated before applied to the parcel). They may get charged import tax, but this is generally lower than our 20% so still works out a good deal.
Just warn them that the package can take 5-8 working days to arrive to the USA (Airmail).

[jonathan]

We get stuff from a supplier in the US and standard mail takes around 10-14 days. If you want 5-8 days as Mark suggests, you may have to pay more...

[Family_Walls]

Thanks for the tips - appreciate it.

We've started looking at options of getting them printed in the USA and delivered internally keeping the cost down for the customer.

We just need to find a printer (or printers) who can give the right level of quality printing that we need (our reputation in this market is really important to us).

Not proving too easy at the moment so we may go back to plan A and get the walls exported.

Pete

[Paul Norman]

A fairly significant percentage of our Soleheaven.com sales go to the US, and various other places too.

We charge ex-VAT, and send using Fed-ex.

If the items are of reasonable value, the customer may be charged a levy by US tax authorities on entrance to the country. It is worth mentioning this in your terms and conditions. It will be on a relatively random basis, it seems, but regular. And, of course, is completely within their rights.

[Family_Walls]

Thanks for that extra advice.

We still haven't confirmed our methods yet (been side tracked by a big UK show coming up) - but this is another avenue to look at.

Pete

[Importexportbusiness]

Originally Posted by Family_Walls

Hi,
Was hoping to tap into the obvious experience out there.

When Family Walls was set up we were primarily aiming at the UK Family Market.

However, recently we are getting requests from overseas - especially the USA for this wall art.

Apart from the courier issues to overcome (Family Walls are relatively light - but need to be packaged carefully to ensure they are delivered in perfect condition) - is there any advice and guidance out there regarding the pitfalls of selling to customers in the states (e.g. any potential customs and excise issues we may encounter etc).

Thanks for reading.

Pete

Depends on the value of the goods, and how you freight it. If its by air and the value is quite low then you will be fine.

[Paul Baldwin]

If you are selling to the USA make sure your product liability insurers know

[casssimplyb]

Yes, I agree with Paul - you need to make sure your insurer is aware that you are selling overseas and be sure to verify whether your insurance costs will change or stay the same.

Also, make sure you understand your agreement with the shipping company you are using. Shipping costs should be clearly stated so that you can properly track your revenues vs. income.

[david.waller]

Hi Family Walls,

If you find that your current insurer is not willing to include USA exposure within their insurance product, please feel free to get in contact and we should be able to help you.

[SetupaCompany]

Outsourcing the printing to the US (assuming you can find a suitable supplier) would be a good move if you feel the US business can be really built upon and will not just be the occasional order.

For one thing, they can hopefully also handle any US returns too as it would be even more costly if your customer had to return an item for some reason and had to send it all the way back the UK.

If you can, try and find some industry specific US forums and see if you cant make some good contacts there.