A Couple of Questions

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  1. #1

    A Couple of Questions

    There seems to be some knowledgable people here,,, I need to know about the nuts and bolts of doing business in HK. I am importing some new technology. Units between 40 and 320 kilos, occasionally over 3000 Kg. Between 1 and 20 units at a time.

    1) Does anyone know a trustworthy and reliable shipping agent who can take care of shipments from Fujian province? They need to be flexible, we will start off with smaller shipments but there could be the odd massive one. Is there a dummies guide to import/export in HK and Shenzhen on the net? Any good books?

    2) After the units have arrived, what's the best way to get them from the port to the customer? This will be banks/distro agents/government etc. Any reliable movers?

    Can I expect some customers to have their own delivery systems? Would some prefer this? Highly speculative, I know, but any thoughts are interesting.

    3) (Most important) I have money to support myself but I need a way to structure payments between the company, HQed in the USA, shipping from Fujian, and customers here. I expect payments to be between 10 and 250K USD

    Example: A 100,000 USD payment from a bank, government or distro agent through us to the supplier. The supplier wants 100 per cent up front. I can't cover this myself.

    We are a fairly new player. The company, however, is fairly well established. What's the best way to keep everyone happy?

    i) An escrow agent?
    ii) L/C?
    iii) Partial shipments?

    I have a good relationship with the company and they are as trustworthy as anyone, possibly it's best to have the payment made directly to the supplier in the USA, and ask them to forward us our cut? This might be better than losing 10 per cent to a third party.

    I need someone to talk me through the intricacies and politics of middle man transations. I know it can be done, I just need to know about every eventuality in detail.

    Again, are there any guides out there?

    Last, my first 180 day UK visa will expire in early September. I want to go to Macau for a few days and then return, but I want to do everything above board.

    5) What is the immigration climate like right now? In the unlikely event of me getting questioned/flagged at HK entry, is it worth me having a business plan and a few letters of intent to show them? I intend to sort out paperwork on my second 180 visa. I should be an asset to HK because this tech will definitely improve the economy and I have high tech businesses supporting me. I just don't have time to visit Immi before I go.

    I'm afraid I am under an NDA so I can't talk about the exact nature of the units, but they are commercial and legal.

    I appreciate any answers that anyone may have.

    Last edited by PhoenixTech; 20-08-2009 at 04:36 PM.