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Selling items from the USA in Colombia.

Hello, I am planning a trip down to Colombia in the next 6 weeks and where I live we have a chain of closeout stores where brand new items such as tops that I see the ladies wearing in the pictures on the websites for mail order brides can be bought for as little as $.50 to $2.00 with made in the USA labels. I was thinking of buying a couple of hundred dollars worth and taking them down there and doubling my money as I am taking a large empty suitcase with me to bring back presents for my 7 brothers and sisters. Should i do this and is it a wise idea???
William

By toknight50 on Mar 12, 2005, 14:04 in Friendly Talkzone.

Gator says on Mar 12, 2005, 14:12:

Lots of Colombian Do Just That Why do you think so many stores on Miami Ave. sell so many LARGE suitcases?

"Credidi pretio parvo emere et magno vendere tibi in animo fuisse!" .

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ColombiaBoard says on Mar 12, 2005, 18:22:

Your import plan Excellent plan though you won´t be the first one selling those items, now here are your possibilities:

When you proceed to customs at the airport you have to push the "button", if it´s green... you´ve made it without paying any import duty...if it´s red...well... here´s my advice, first of all take off all the price tags of those tops before packing them...then say that you have dozens of relatives and those are your presents for them...and hope they believe you, otherwise they´ll put a "price" on each item and then charge the standard 15% import duty. Good luck!.

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adrimm (☼Travelguide writer) says on Mar 12, 2005, 20:41:

Why??? Life is costly enough for Colombians, I doubt that you'll be able to much of a markup. If you want to make a buck, buy up a bunch of unique handcrafts or clothes in Colombia (there are lovely high-quality clothes in Bogota) which on a US dollar will be very affordable to buy - bring 'em back with you and sell 'em stateside.

I know somone who buys toeless nylons (suitable to wear with sandalled shoes) by the dozen on her trips to Colombia, COZ she can't find them in the states.

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Bruce V. Shrader says on Mar 12, 2005, 21:13:

made in usa labels & etc. My wife wanted to go into business making women's
High fashion bathing suits. I have seen rolls of
"Made in USA", "Nike" and other high fashion labels
for sale in "sewing supplies" stores in Cali.

You can purchase these labels and sew them in yourself.

I would be careful and find out more about the market
conditions in Colombia before I made any serious investments
along this line of thinking.

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