Chinese Connection & Ebay

[2Curious]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? AZ
Was approached on Ebay about a potential partnership with a gentleman in China to buy goods there to sell via Ebay. With China manafacturing everything has said he can access just about any goods for a very economical price. Am wanting to investigate this further and understand if there are any legal ramifications I need to be aware of by entering into such a partnership. There will not be bulk orders but individual orders initially. All payments and money exchanges would go through Paypal or wire transfers. Any feedback on the legality of this process and union would be appreciated.

 

[justalayman]

you need to talk with a lawyer. You will have concerns with duties, import fees and such with international purchases.

Personally, I do not see why somebody in China wouldn't just open their own eBay store.

 

[FlyingRon]

I deal with a couple of chinese merchants via their ebay store. I've not had a single problem (other than deciphering their attempt at English which I have to admit is better than my Chinese). However, if they approach you as a wholesaler, I can guarantee you will be in trouble. There's a 99% chance that the goods in question are COUNTERFEIT or otherwise illegal to import and sell in the US. People get burned on this all the time and some of them come crying here after they get their accounts shutdown or sued.

Brand names, even those that are, in fact, manufactured in China, don't distribute through international channels that involve chinese wholesalers hawking overseas.

 

[Mass_Shyster]

You want to be concerned about product liability. If someone sues claiming they were injured by the product that they purchased from you, they will sue you. Under normal circumstances, the merchant turns around and impleads the manufacturer. If you can't get the manufacturer to step up to the plate, you may end up holding the bag on a) attorney fees for your defense and b) a large judgment.

You need an attorney to work through your options.