Setting up a business selling stuff on Ricardo

You plan to import originals of dubious origin from China.

You plan to buy 'approved' Swiss (or European - doesn't matter) power cords also from China (when I lived in Africa I too used to buy 'British Standards'-compliant plugs and sockets, but lo and behold, they didn't even have a fuse in them nor the place to put one in - so they were certainly not compliant).

You plan to do all this 'under the radar' until you are forced to come out in the open and do business responsibly as it should be done (e.g. from a tax, guarantee offered etc. points of view), and you say so openly on an internet forum.

You reveal the main details of your overall business plan including the brand and product you intend to import, your detailed calculations, the fact that you will keep the stuff in your house and won't insure it, and that you intend to manipulate the goods possibly in non expert manner to make them more sellable.

-> I certainly wouldn't want to buy from someone like you - nor do business with someone of your naivety.

Maybe we should put out a warning to Ricardo and co. that you are about to come on the market?

Welcome to the Forum.

Isn't all electrical/electronic products imported into Switzerland need to have have CE certifications?

The certificate will be checked by the customs?

Is your supplier providing the CE certification (assuming it is the authorized manufacturer)?

CE is NOT a certification - it is a self declaration... you will have a hard time finding a Chinese product without it...

Thank you for your feedback goodafternoon.

Actually, I already said I will not go ahead unless I am 100% sure this is authentic equipment. I have asked the vendor for proof of originality and also contacted Sonos.

The only place I can find Swiss power cords in bulk, ironically, is China. I prefer to source this from CH or EU and will try to find a local shop to buy this from. Note that these are the detachable ones, like the ones used on laptop chargers or computer monitors. They do not contain any fuses.

"Under the radar" was a bad choice of words on my part, but I also stated elsewhere in this thread that I want everything to be above board and do not want any trouble from the authorities. It is my understanding that in CH you are allowed to run a small unregistered "business" as long as the profit is below CHF 5.500.- a year. If this works out, then I will definitely register as a small business. The title of this thread says it all " Setting up a business selling stuff on Ricardo".

I wanted relevant advice from the good people on this forum, so decided to put the cards on the table. I think this actually worked quite well because the feedback has been great. I will take all the advice into consideration, including replacing the power cord, guarantee, insurance etc.

It is not really a business plan, and I would not call my "back of the envelope" calculations detailed (even though it was done in Excel).

Sorry you feel this way, but it was exactly because of my naivety of this subject matter that I reached out on this forum.

You make a good point regarding Ricardo. I should contact them to make sure I am in compliance with their guidelines.

don't worry about negative comments. it is good to get information upfront before you take the plunge rather than figure out you made a miscalculation afterwards.

good luck!

Update: I have decided not to pursue this opportunity any further as I was not able to verify that the equipment is authentic.

The more research I did the more convinced I became that the merchandise was not as advertised, and the less confident I became in the vendor. In fact, this may have been nothing more than a scam. One thing I learned: Be very aware when buying stuff in bulk over the internet from China.

Thanks in part to the great feedback on this forum I will not join the ranks of suckers who get scammed by Chinese "vendors" each year. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

Good decision i think. I had a friend who got scammed from China with something similar...

I don't know how to get good contact in China for small business.

I have heard using alibaba.com is a good source. I cannot confirm it, because I have yet to finish a deal thru them using it yet.

More for research then anything.

You know, being in the EU, (well and island in the EU), importing from Germany might be an option. They make high quality machinery, for example, and their factories you can visit first hand. And of course not that expensive.

I worked a couple years ago for 2 different restaurants. I tried out at one, and hated it, then went onto to the next one I had stayed at for 2 years.

I always ask questions about cost of things and such, and can tell you this. The 2nd restaurant, owned by a Swiss Hoteliers Investment group, had consulted with their new head chef about what to do. Except for the steamer(which the group provided and cost 90,000 CHF-it was state of the art) he proposed giving him a budget of 20,000 CHF. He took that money to Germany, rented a truck and trailer, and went to the manufacturers directly, and bought enough supplies, with warrantee, to establish a kitchen that did 5.5 million in sales annually.

The first restaurant, had invested 1.2 million in equipment(the owner always had to have the "best" in everything). And ironically, a lot of that equipment was imported from Germany. They are also a successful restaurant and store.

My point is, if you are looking to import for profit, there are amazing opportunities right here. Swiss machinery, has it's pro's and cons. Personally I like to be driving a Cadillac when I am in a car accident, but operating it year round is costly on gas and maintenance. It's often the same with Swiss machinery. It looks thin and flimsy, and to people, like myself from Detroit, we think it's not as sturdy. But, in a country where pollution, and energy is so controlled, using a Miele dishwasher for a restaurant(I can't remember any more if it is Swiss or not, and not enough time today to look into this stuff, but it's construction is my point), for example, is far better then using a Hobart.

Hobarts are the un disputed beasts of the restaurant industry. They last forever, and less likely of breakdowns. Except they don't manage extremely well with the hard Swiss water here. But, they draw on water and energy immensely. The Miele ones are light, use so much less energy, cause far less pollution, and when it is time to dispose of them, much cheaper of a recycling cost. In America, if you have a Hobart that is 40 years old, even if it is a power sucker, people will not toss it. If it works it works. In Switzerland, they routinely update their machines, and routinely are tossing them. With the exception of the Lipps mixer, and iconic piece of Swiss engineering. They cost more today, even if they are 40 years old, then they did when they were sold. Problem is, they made them so flawlessly, that they never broke down, and could not repair nor sell parts for those repairs. And went out of business. You need a cherry picker to pick them up.

My point is, well, I already made it.

Further to your points, something else to consider is the quality of some of the German and Austrian products being imported and sold here through the Aldi and or Lidl. I bought a reasonably priced fairly good quality BBQ from the Aldi last year that comes from a manufacture that as it turns out specializes in manufacturing professional kitchen equipment. The BBQ is a side line to help boost sales. It's a superior quality to any of the over priced crap from China being sold here by the major retail leaders.

I plan to upgrade our kitchen when we renovate but I want professional grade restaurant appliances and equipment, a market that seems to be missing here, either that or I'm simply too isolated and not finding the right companies.