From my own experience, I’ve found that you eventually reach that stage if you stay at it long enough. In all my dealings, no supplier from China has ever offered me a bulk discount or a significant price break right out of the gate. It took me building up substantial import volumes over a long period before they finally felt comfortable offering me more favorable terms.
Furthermore, it appears to me that since you aren't operating under a registered business or LLC, you are naturally limited in how much inventory you can realistically bring in through official channels.
Regardless of the scale, just be extremely careful about what you are bringing in to ensure you don't accidentally end up with counterfeit goods.
Of course you’ll need to address all of those questions, though I should warn you that the process doesn't quite unfold exactly the way you might be envisioning it right now. There happens to be an existing thread covering those specific details somewhere on the forum, so it would be wise to take a moment to look it over.
I suppose I can see some patterns emerging here... I will definitely be looking into my thyroid levels, but I am also curious about what else might be out of balance besides my thyroid and sex hormones.
Since I am already planning on making the rounds with my doctors, I might as well make sure I get all those boxes checked off properly.😁
Sarah Rodriguez68, I’m planning to head straight there tomorrow to get at least the thyroid test done, and then we can figure out what to do about the external ones; it feels pointless to wait for my period to pass when I can just get the thyroid work out of the way now.
melloworca6, hmm, I am certainly feeling exhausted, and I find myself napping quite frequently in the afternoons. As for hair loss? I wouldn't say I've noticed any, though my mother would insist that my hair has thinned out. I'm not entirely sure how objective she's being, given that she struggles with her own hair issues, so I suspect she might be exaggerating things a bit.
I am planning to head over to a private laboratory so I can get this taken care of immediately and have the results ready without delay. I was wondering, though—is it necessary to test my peripheral hormones specifically during my menstrual cycle? It seems like that timing could be somewhat unpredictable, to say the least.😢
It isn't necessarily that I overeat, but my diet is quite unhealthy, and I am far too sedentary; honestly, this has always been my baseline lifestyle. Ever since I stopped taking birth control pills—which was over two years ago now—I have noticed a steady, progressive weight gain, even though my eating habits and activity levels haven't changed one bit.
The first oral contraceptives I was prescribed were Yasmin, and while on them, my weight remained perfectly stable. I didn't experience any weight gain, and my cycles were regular (though they aren't anymore), but I suffered from frequent headaches, which eventually led me to stop taking them. Since then, I have attempted to switch to different brands, but some caused such significant side effects that I had to discontinue them as well.
Given that my mother dealt with thyroid issues and eventually underwent surgery to address them, I find myself wondering if there might be a genetic component at play here, so I am considering seeing a specialist to have my own levels checked.
I have also been under an immense amount of stress over the past year due to several life upheavals—dealing with a death in the family, my father's illness, and work pressures—and my moods have been fluctuating quite frequently. It is possible that PCOS could also be a factor in all of this.🤷
Because of these concerns, my priority is to get comprehensive blood work done first, and once I have those results, I plan to consult with both my gynecologist and my primary care physician so we can determine the best course of action. If my blood work comes back completely normal, then I will truly have to sit down and contemplate what my next steps should be.
Hello everyone. Given that I have always had a natural tendency toward weight gain, and considering that I have been struggling with my weight lately despite not eating excessively, I have decided to take a more methodical approach. Before I attempt any drastic dietary changes, I want to first investigate whether there might be an underlying physiological cause—specifically looking into my hormone levels, thyroid function, or perhaps some other systemic issue.
I am curious as to what specific tests or markers I should be examining to determine if there is any underlying imbalance present in my system.
I am planning to have this done at a private laboratory later this week, though I am hesitant to authorize any additional testing that might end up being an unnecessary expense if it isn't directly linked to my weight gain.
If you could please specify exactly which markers or parameters I should request my doctor to examine during my blood work, I would be most grateful.😁 Please, I kindly ask you to write.
Furthermore, if there is any other metric or specific value you believe I should have examined, please do not hesitate to let me know. Before I commit myself to any rigorous dietary changes or intensive exercise regimens, I feel it is absolutely essential that I first identify the underlying cause of my current situation.
Taylor Evans82, if that’s the case, then we have our answer. That annual figure won't exceed our projections, so there shouldn't be any issues at all.🙂
Everything looks great. My next step is simply to get the inventory ordered.🙂
Taylor Evans82, thank you so much... everything is much clearer now. Could you just clarify one thing regarding what you mean by total acquisition cost? Are we talking about imports spread out over a month or a year, or a single lump-sum import?
It seems more practical to just cover their local sales tax, especially since they are only charging 20%.🤔
If the seller is already including the sales tax in my invoice, if I am understanding this correctly, does that mean I won't have to file anything separately with the IRS?
I am asking because I would hate to make a pointless trip to the tax office tomorrow. If that is how it works, I can simply tell the vendor to include the tax, pay them via wire transfer, and consider the matter settled.
Taylor Evans82 said:You'll need an EIN for customs stuff.
That import tax ID (which is basically the same thing as your EIN but listed in the tax registry) is what you need if you want to bring goods in without paying sales tax upfront.
If you aren't registered for sales tax, you can still import goods from within the USA by paying the sales tax the supplier charges (up to a certain threshold), or you can register for sales tax and get an import ID specifically for that. Then, you'd just handle the sales tax on those specific import invoices yourself.
I have my EORI number, obviously, but I don't think I have this other one since I haven't had any reason to use it yet.
Let me see if I'm following correctly... I request that tax number and then I'm set. Now, the seller from the UK is already charging me sales tax. Does that mean I won't have to pay anything else once it arrives here?
edit: I figured out the first part. There is no way I'm registering for full sales tax.😁 So, how am I supposed to know what that specific acquisition threshold is?
So, here is how I see it. I would either settle the payment through PayPal, which I have linked directly to my business checking account, or I could simply wire the funds from my personal account straight to theirs.
Which specific number are you referring to? Are you looking for my EIN?
By the way, does it make any difference that I am currently operating outside of the standard sales tax system?
Hello everyone. Since there is already a dedicated thread regarding imports from China, I was wondering if we have one covering imports from within the USA. I haven't come across a specific discussion on this yet, so if such a topic exists, please feel free to link me 🙂 . It is quite clear that individuals can order products from within the USA without facing any additional tax or duty burdens. However, my question pertains to how the process works for established companies and small businesses ordering goods domestically.
I assume the underlying logic remains the same. Up until now, I have only ever placed orders as a private individual, but an opportunity has arisen for me to purchase certain items for my business from domestic suppliers. Given that we don't need to deal with customs brokers for intra-country shipments, I am curious about what the necessary requirements are.
Furthermore, what is the standard procedure for packages arriving from other parts of the country? Are they subject to inspection, or are they simply delivered directly to the business address? Is the invoice the only critical document to maintain in this entire process?
I would greatly appreciate some firsthand information from anyone who regularly handles business-to-business imports or domestic procurement for their company.
stormyotter6 said:I honestly can't figure out how much this is all going to cost me... could someone help me out? Here’s the breakdown: For example, 350 iPhone USB cables. The price is $233 If anyone could just run the numbers for me on what the customs, sales tax, and everything else would end up being...
Sales tax is generally around 7% to 10% depending on your state, but I can't give you an exact figure for the customs duty rate. There are so many different classifications for various types of cables within the tariff schedule that you won't know for certain until the shipment actually hits the port.
Then there is the freight forwarder's service fee, which would be your third major expense, though that really just depends entirely on which logistics company you decide to hire.
I just got my laptop back from the repair shop, and for some reason, it refuses to load Reddit.
It keeps throwing a "secure connection failed" error at me. Specifically, it says something about an SSL error—some nonsense about receiving a record that exceeds the maximum permissible length, blah blah blah.
Does anyone have any advice on what I should do to fix this? 😳
Nathan Cox25 said:There probably aren't any tax incentives for retail. Setting up a small business involves some kind of registration fee—I can't recall the exact amount—but it isn't breaking the bank. You can't go the simplified tax route here, since retailers and restaurant owners don't qualify for that specific status. You could set up a sole proprietorship instead; as someone mentioned on the forum once, you just need a high school diploma to open a shop as a small business owner. No master craftsman certification required.
Actually, there are incentives available for retail businesses. I personally received assistance through a self-employment program for launching my own company. To be fair, I was fortunate enough to receive my entire grant in one lump sum. I happened to be part of the final group that received the full amount upfront before they transitioned to a structured installment system.
Generally speaking, you can find various types of government incentives for almost any venture, though it all ultimately depends on your specific educational background and other qualifying factors.
