Help with finding customers abroad
Question
Hi,
I am a fairly new company and i have started exporting earlier this year. The company is a luxury customising business & we are an online business based in the UK. We customise goods (mainly consumer electronic goods i.e mobile phones, tablets, headphones as well as diecast car models & electric ride on cars). We mainly customise our products by gold plating them or using swarovski crystals to make them bespoke.
Website is www.trulyexquisite.co.uk
The reason for my question is because when i first started i got in touch with the UKTI who put me in touch with an ITA. As i was a new company i was told i would need to build up my business first and build up a client base before i could really get help finding customers abroad (middle east was my main target market). Also the ITA was concerned about whether or not i would be allowed to customise certain products (I.e Apple & Samsung etc).
I have had legal advise and was told there is no law to say i cannot customise and sell these products. As well as that i have spoke with Samsung when i needed help putting the phones together who never said i was not allowed to do this. I’ve not had much luck from Apple however, as i have contacted them a couple of times with no answer back but on their legal page and t&c’s there is no mention that i can not customise these goods once bought.
Also these goods are 100% genuine who i buy directly from Apple or Samsung and as far as i am aware once you buy a product you are allowed to do whatever you like with it.
Anyway recently i got in touch with UKTI & the ITA and was being told pretty much the same thing and that is that if i dont have direct permission from the Brand owners then the UKTI as they are part of the government can not help me in terms of helping me find customers abroad despite there being no law about customising goods & selling them.
I was just wondering if anyone knows more about this & whether or not i can get help.
Regards
Kunal
Answer
Hi Kunal.
If you can’t get help from UKTI then you can ask us independent export consultants to help you. We are currently active with exporting and opening new markets, we do travel for our clients, so we keep up to date with the growth opportunities.
Please contact me or any of the other independent ITA’s.
[email protected]
http://www.exportadvisory.com/
Answer
Hi Kunal,
We’ll be having a Philippine electronics industry webinar on 31st August, 10AM BST. We’ve invited industry experts who may help you with your concern. They would have knowledge with this and also the overview of the nearby markets.
For more information on the webinar, you may visit this link: http://www.britcham.org.ph/uksmesphilippines/events/webinar-opportunities-in-the-philippine-electronics-industry-31-august-2016-10am-bst-5pm-pst/
We’re also organising a cross-sector trade mission this October. For more info, please visit http://www.britcham.org.ph/uksmesphilippines/events/bccp-trade-mission-to-the-philippines-4-to-6-october-2016/
Regards,
Patricia De Mesa
British Chamber of Commerce Philippines
E: [email protected]
T: +63 2 556 52 32 ext 302