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Import/Export to India

Anything related to sourcing or importing products.

Walter Hay

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As with any new start-up, the only thing you can expect is the unexpected. I did not think it would take this long to understand the regulations for the products I will be importing. I expected the regulations would be complicated, but I was not ready for the lack of knowledge from many in the FDA and USDA in regard to these regulations and who I should talk to. Essentially, I have been handed off some 20+ times where they would tell me to call this person or email this division, only to have to wait for a reply. Luckily I found a person at both the FDA and CBP who have been very helpful and I am just now making legitimate progress on the regulatory and import front. After speaking with the FDA, USDA, and CBP I was informed I should lock down all regulations and ensure I have all the paperwork in place before I even bring samples over, so as to not have the samples detained or rejected at the Point of Entry.
You have given yourself a lot of unnecessary work by trying to do it all without qualified guidance.

Here is a brief extract from the 4 1/2 pages of my sourcing and importing book dealing specifically with Customs Brokers::
"This section is primarily concerned with consulting Customs Brokers for advice. It is usually not necessary to engage the services of a Customs Broker for handling Customs clearance of your shipment. This is because almost every freight forwarder, as well as every air courier service employs in-house Customs Brokers. If your freight forwarder or air courier service is unwilling to include Customs clearance in their fee you should look for another forwarder.

Customs Brokers can advise on such things as whether you need certificates of compliance with various important regulations such as anti-dumping legislation, food, medicine, safety, etc., licenses or permit
s."

If you have questions, you can ask me either in my thread: Sharing my lifetime experience in export/import. Product sourcing specialist.

Or if it is confidential, send me a private message.

Walter
 

Mikkel

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just be weary... if it is a reputable regulations dealing firm, they will charge high, regardless of what they say to you... Unless they really need business thats a different story... other than that keep on trucking.
10-4 I'm going to do my best to bootstrap this as much as possible and try and avoid those firms, they certainly seem expensive.
Topic very well done.

It gives an idea of what the entrepreneur's job is. Many unexpected events to find the solution.

I wish you success. :bicep::fire:
Thank you, @Matt_2190. It is a constant struggle to ensure I am focused on the most important tasks. Sometimes I do go well, other times, not so much. Having this community certainly helps me reframe my perspective to put me on a better path to being effective.

You have given yourself a lot of unnecessary work by trying to do it all without qualified guidance.

Here is a brief extract from the 4 1/2 pages of my sourcing and importing book dealing specifically with Customs Brokers::
"This section is primarily concerned with consulting Customs Brokers for advice. It is usually not necessary to engage the services of a Customs Broker for handling Customs clearance of your shipment. This is because almost every freight forwarder, as well as every air courier service employs in-house Customs Brokers. If your freight forwarder or air courier service is unwilling to include Customs clearance in their fee you should look for another forwarder.

Customs Brokers can advise on such things as whether you need certificates of compliance with various important regulations such as anti-dumping legislation, food, medicine, safety, etc., licenses or permits."

If you have questions, you can ask me either in my thread: Sharing my lifetime experience in export/import. Product sourcing specialist.

Or if it is confidential, send me a private message.

Walter
I was unaware that my customs broker would be able to help with these sorts of regulations. I should have reached out to them prior to see what they could help with. My broker will be back in the office on Monday, so I will be speaking with him then! Thank you, Walter. If I have any general questions I'll post in your thread. If it is a more specific question then I'll send you a private message.

Looks like I need to re-read those 4 1/2 pages over again!
 

Matt_2190

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Thank you, @Matt_2190. It is a constant struggle to ensure I am focused on the most important tasks. Sometimes I do go well, other times, not so much. Having this community certainly helps me reframe my perspective to put me on a better path to being effective.
I assure you, that this is the entrepreneur job . And we all go through it.
Just try, fail and improve constantly. :clap::
 
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Mikkel

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UPDATE:

Since my last update about a month ago, I have been speaking with my customs broker who has been quite helpful with some of the confusing aspects of importing.

I also received multiple ISO and FDA certifications. What piqued my interest was, how I determine if these certifications are legit.

I won't post these certifications in public so as to not disclose my supplier or the specific products I'll be working with. However, I was looking at some of the certifying companies and began to search for their companies online. The certification company(well will call them Company A) website seemed sketchy to me, it didn't pass the sniff test. I found a resource called the CERT Search to check if specific certification companies are accredited and another link from CERT Search where you can enter the certification #.

To me, this makes me nervous to take these certifications at face value. Almost foolish to accept these certifications. I was told by my supplier that Company A was being used another company called QVC from India to help with certifications. QVC does appear to pass the initial sniff test when looking at their website. They claim they "have[an] alliance with Institute for Testing and Certification(ITC) Zlin Czech Republic." Now, neither QVC or ITC are accreditated by ISO according to CERT search, Red Flag.

I told my supplier I would do more digging but he appears to be in agreeance that if we are to import into the USA we need to make sure that the certifications are coming from accreditated certification companies, like TUV SUD, TUV Rheinland, or SGS. Honestly, I wouldn't even feel comfortable importing products into the US without having them properly tested by one of the three(3) companies mentioned above, due to the nature of the products.

All is to say, it has been a massive headache trying to sift through this.

As always, I'll be plugging away. Samples will probably be delayed since testing does not happen overnight.
 

Niptuck MD

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Great thread and useful info. I dream about working not only inside the country but also abroad. It seems that India might be a good choice. But what about the visa and other necessary documents? Is it difficult to get them?
Visa is straightforward albeit lead times may vary. You have to go through vfsglobal .. I have used it before and its straightforward. If you need any assistance feel free to DM me, as I have extensive experience in this region and know the vernacular of the southern regions.
 

Walter Hay

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Honestly, I wouldn't even feel comfortable importing products into the US without having them properly tested by one of the three(3) companies mentioned above, due to the nature of the products.
Good thinking!

Walter
 
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