Is It Legal To Import Brand Name Merchandise From China? Part One

With all the education there is about the wholesale industry, I am still stunned by the unrealistic expectations people have when sourcing brand name merchandise. Individuals who pursue product marketing as their buisness venture of choice, are naively under the impression that just about any product will be affordable to them in any price range, and through various wholesale or surplus supply sources.

Reality, however, always seems to get in the way of our ideals. Most current, in vogue, branded merchandise usually has restrictions in the way it is distributed. For example, LV Handbags are usually never sold wholesale to individuals and while there are exceptions, you will never see too many “half off” sales of Louis Vuitton Handbags.

Unsold inventory is not passed along to wholesalers, or the secondary surplus market. Excess product that cannot be sold is usually destroyed. In terms of online retail sales the only web portal that markets LV handbags is Eluxury.com. Moet Hennessey, a leading luxury products group, owns Eluxury.com as well as the rights to sell a number of additional products under the Louis Vuitton moniker.

Moet Hennessey also owns most over the counter retail stores that distribute Louis Vuitton merchandise. Not all brands are as restrictive, but some corporate buying policies can still provide barriers to entry in different ways. Both Nike and Reebok do not confine the sale of their product to wholly owned corporate retail, or online stores.

They distribute their brands to retail giants like Footlocker, and will supply most independent clothing or sporting goods stores if they have the infrastructure and the funding to meet their monthly, or yearly purchasing minimums.

Most small business start-ups do not have the financial strength to endure the costs of carrying popular branded merchandise. However, a limited amount of Nike and Reebok merchandise can find their way into the secondary surplus and wholesale market, but finding the real deal is also a rare occurrence.

Despite some of the strict purchasing obstacles that corporations can provide, it does not prevent some people from giving up on the search for the branded merchandise of their choice. Some will try to bypass a company's wholesale distribution chain or corporate purchasing restrictions by searching for the original equipment manufacturer.

Since most popular retail clothing, apparel, sneakers, and electronics are manufactured overseas, the ever-vigilant Entrepreneur will usually turn to importing as means of securing items that have popular retail status here in the United States.

Is It Legal To Import Brand Name Merchandise From China? Part One - By Robert C. Potter

Is It Legal To Import Brand Name
Merchandise From China?
Part One - By Robert C. Potter