Importing clothes from eastern europe.

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Hi everyone.

I am considering setting up an eBay clothes store with a small range of products and am looking to import clothes from eastern Europe, but I am struggling to wade through the torrent of fakes and scams.

I want to import of east Europe mainly because I am in the EU, so the speed of delivery and lower taxes are both enticing.

Essentially I just want to know how others have found their wholesalers/manufacturers. Is it possible to find reputable ones online and order samples online? If so how do you spot them from the fakes? Or do you have to do it the inks fashioned way and call up factories direct?

Thanks for your time and apologies if this has been asked a million times this week already.
#clothes #eastern #europe #importing
  • Profile picture of the author dave_hermansen
    Almost always the best approach is finding the actual manufacturer of the brands and contacting them directly. If they won't set you up with a wholesale account, they will typically be able to give you contact details for distributors that buy in bulk and will wholesale to you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Importexport
    Originally Posted by danp142 View Post

    Hi everyone.

    I am considering setting up an eBay clothes store with a small range of products and am looking to import clothes from eastern Europe, but I am struggling to wade through the torrent of fakes and scams.

    I want to import of east Europe mainly because I am in the EU, so the speed of delivery and lower taxes are both enticing.

    Essentially I just want to know how others have found their wholesalers/manufacturers. Is it possible to find reputable ones online and order samples online? If so how do you spot them from the fakes? Or do you have to do it the inks fashioned way and call up factories direct?

    Thanks for your time and apologies if this has been asked a million times this week already.
    Do you want to sell under your own label?

    If you want to sell brand names Dave's advice is right, but to find Eastern European manufacturers to sell you either their generic label products or ones with your label attached will require expertise that is too involved to explain on the forum.

    Regarding sale of brand name items in the EU, the relevant EU legislation permits parallel imports. That means that if you can find the item being sold at a low cost in one EU country, you can buy it there, import it, and legally sell it in your own country within the EU.

    Example: An EU branded garment may sell in Estonia for $10, but may retail in the UK for 4 or 5 times that much. You can buy retail in Estonia, and legally sell at whatever price you like in the UK.

    Warning: If you bought that garment in a country outside the EU, parallel importing is not permitted if there is a distributor in the EU and any attempt to import would result in confiscation and possibly prosecution.
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    • Profile picture of the author danp142
      Hello. Thanks for the reply.

      Yes, I'm aware of the law regarding importing branded products from outside the EU and thst it is a big no no.

      I'm only looking to import a small number of units at first, to test the products and practise sales technique. Would it be cost effective to finf a cheap retail price product in the an EU country and sell it for more in the UK? Sounds too easy.
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      • Profile picture of the author Importexport
        Originally Posted by danp142 View Post

        Hello. Thanks for the reply.

        Yes, I'm aware of the law regarding importing branded products from outside the EU and thst it is a big no no.

        I'm only looking to import a small number of units at first, to test the products and practise sales technique. Would it be cost effective to finf a cheap retail price product in the an EU country and sell it for more in the UK? Sounds too easy.
        Yes it is possible, and is often done. It is known as arbitrage.

        I know one lady who has a thriving business buying products retail in another EU country and selling them in the UK at just below the recommended retail price there. The margins for her are quite high.
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  • Profile picture of the author onutzah
    HI there!
    Maybe i could help you out.
    I have contacts in East Europe. I was borned in Transilvania
    WHat type of clothing were you thinking about?
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    • Profile picture of the author danp142
      Specifically men's and women's 'slim fit' clothing. Quite difficult to find.
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  • Profile picture of the author onutzah
    I don't understand the slim fit specific.
    Any producer makes more sizes, from slim to large to xs.
    I wouldn't pick that criteria to chose a supplier.
    Sport?casual?elegant? or specific type of textile?
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  • Profile picture of the author Sarah Hu
    Banned
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    • Profile picture of the author ladyEl
      Hi Dan,
      Could I ask you if you found the clothes from EU for your shop? I am working on my own shop also. I am new in this business and trying to learn from the smart people on the forum. Right now, I am interested in dropshipping from Eastern Europe - clothes, accessories ( specially from Italy) and exotic leather product from Thailand...Would be very appreciative for any advices.
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  • Profile picture of the author phenfrank
    In my view, We can take more care in importing section. Whenever we have proper knowledge about the market and its related updated details will helps a lot to get success.
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  • Yea it is possible to find reputable ones online and order sample online. But in this case we have to take care in importing. Because it is online. So whenever you import the clothes, you have to get proper information about the market.
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    • Profile picture of the author Importexport
      @danp142,
      You can easily locate clothing manufacturers in Eastern Europe who will put your label on garments.

      I know because I recently helped one of my students who asked my support line a similar question to yours. The quantities required were not huge.
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  • Profile picture of the author yoangov
    I believe that finding a trusted wholesaler for Eastern Europe will be a hell of a task. Your best bet is to visit the country personally, find a manufacturer, and talk with them directly so you can agree on certain terms.
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    • Profile picture of the author Importexport
      Originally Posted by yoangov View Post

      I believe that finding a trusted wholesaler for Eastern Europe will be a hell of a task. Your best bet is to visit the country personally, find a manufacturer, and talk with them directly so you can agree on certain terms.
      I agree that it's best to deal direct with the manufacturer if at all possible, but the order of action I would recommend is:

      • Find manufacturers through safe sourcing sites - and yes they do exist for European countries.
      • Do your due diligence on those manufacturers.
      • Choose more than one after communicating with them about your requirements, their capabilities, and prices, as well as their ability or willingness to private label for you.
      • If possible visit those manufacturers to confirm that what they have told you is true.
      • Order a sample or a small quantity as a trial run.
      • If that all goes well, keep at least one sample and specify in your order that the quality of the production run you order must equal sample X.
      I hope this helps, but I must add that there is a lot more to safe sourcing and importing than I could possibly post here. 80 pages would not be acceptable.
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      Use emotions and perceptions to build a great brand. Ask me about my book LabelsThatExploit. For safe sourcing and easy importing from 41 countries globally, see https://provenglobalsourcing.com
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