Hello,

I’m looking at importing a few specialist electronic devices from china and selling them on Ebay. Only on a small scale and nothing fake. There are a few people selling similar items on ebay already (I’ve found the exact same models on alibaba) 

I’ve contacted a number of suppliers as to whether they have a CE certificate for their product and I’d have to say that having read a few posts on this forum from Aussie, he’s exactly right when he says that 999 out of 1000 don’t have them. Those that do, are either stolen and poorly edited on photoshop or just made up from scratch. Of the 6 I’ve received so far, 1 looks genuine enough.

I know how to do my due dillegence, and I’d say of the companies I’d like to trade with – they aren’t trying to rip people off – it’s just not economical for them to get their product certifed as it will be out dated within a year or two.

So onto my question! – As I’m such a small importer – do I really care if they have a genuine CE certificate? I’m fairly certain my competitors on Ebay don’t have their own CE certs for the product and are selling them without problems.

Whats the likelyhood of customs stopping the shipment and demanding to see the proper certs?..bearing in mind they will have a CE marking on the device – whether it be fake or not!

Quoting from [highvector100]:

Whats the likelyhood of customs stopping the shipment and demanding to see the proper certs?..bearing in mind they will have a CE marking on the device – whether it be fake or not!

Yes you need the certifications if you are going to sell the product. This is a safety issue so the size of your operation nor your method of selling has no bearing here.

As the importer of the product you are legally responsible for that product in your country. So if there are problems then you are the one who could get sued.

Your concern is not really whether customs will let it through or not but what happens after you sell the product.

Thanks for your reply Egernia,


Yes, you're right. I am responsible for the product once it's in the UK. Sad as it is however, I would have to bite the bullet on this point as otherwise I would not be able to compete with larger sellers who can import in bulk thus reducing costs, or fellow Ebayers that are unaware they are operating without legit CE certification (I imagine the number of people who fall into this catagory will be quite high) or simply just don't care.


I'd love to become large enough - that it's cost effective to get my own certification but starting out in this competitive environment these days is tough and the only real way to get your head above water is to cut overheads as much as possible in the interim.


I'm not too concerned about being sued (this statement might come back to haunt me!) as my product is highly unlikely to cause injury, my volume is very small and I'd be competing against several other sellers in the market selling the exact same device. I understand it's a possibility but I'll roll the dice and see what happens.


The thing that would kill off the idea, is if Customs were able to seize the parcel at the port.


James

“”” the only real way to get your head above water is to cut overheads as much as possible in the interim.



I'm not too concerned about being sued (this statement might come back to haunt me!) as my product is highly unlikely to cause injury, my volume is very small and I'd be competing against several other sellers in the market selling the exact same device. I understand it's a possibility but I'll roll the dice and see what happens.

Can we  maybe go over the little bit of your post ,as per above ? “Cut overheads as much as possible in the interim period “ ? Ok ,but to what degree or depth does the overhead cutting reach  ? Miss out on the appropriate certifications for your product and there would be more than your overheads being cut .Remember ,CE  is basically  concerning  safety of use for product. For you as the importer ,anything goes wrong (after you sell the thing on) ,the buck stops right at you .

 

“not too concerned about being sued “ . UK  is becoming an increasingly  litigious society . Perhaps you should  be concerned . Your imported gadget /gizzmo might appear completely innocuous in terms of its potential to cause harm . With no history of harm potential But , who can be 100% sure of future problems ? Is it really worth taking the chance? Seems to me the dice are  loaded , but not   in your favour .

 

”The thing that would kill off the idea, is if Customs were able to seize the parcel at the port. “ ….Customs would go a darn sight further than just seize /impound the article at the port . You  ARE  deemed to be the importer ,so they would be after you.Don’t be fooled into thinking that Customs and Excise  will in turn be fooled into accepting a CE sticker on the product as being legitimate .They would simply tell you to  provide the real certificate ,pertaining to the product . You cant show the real certificate ?Then the proverbial hits the fan .

 

“”competing against several other sellers in the market selling the exact same device”All the more reason to realise then ,that there will  obviously be  proportionally more chance of the  gadget getting stopped somewhere/sometime   at  a UK customs entry point . The customs guys do their checks , find the product has bogus CE .So then the word is out .Stop these things coming through and trace back to importer.Again , the proverbial hits the fan and you as the importer will be the one it then drops on .