Doing business in Makassar/ Manado

As for jewelry there is no question that Makassar (Ujung Pandang on lots of older maps) should be at the top of your list.  There is no greater and finer jewelry making tradition in Indonesia (and arguably all of Asia) than that of the Makassarese and Bugis people.  This tradition goes back many centuries, and their creations, (coveted world over) are even superior to the best Balinese goldsmiths.

As for antiques, that’s a bit more of a dicey issue because for many Indonesians that includes “antiques made to order.”  If you’re after the “real McCoy” then again it would be Makassar.  The reason is simple, for many centuries Makassar was a key and strategic center of trade and it always enjoyed a great deal of wealth and plenty of money to fashion great treasures, or to import them from other regions…in particular, China.

If you’re looking for Dutch colonial artifacts then Surabaya would be the best place for that.

Hey. Thank you for the information. We are just trying to get information on the requirements to do business there. How safe is it, how welcoming to foreign business people erc.

Regards

The requirements you will need to comply with in order to legally conduct business here will depend on the specifics of your business activities.

For example, if your planned trips to Makassar and Manado are primarily buying trips to acquire an inventory to export out of Indonesia then a business visa would suffice.  However, if your plan is to both acquire that inventory and sell that inventory within Indonesia (these hotels you mention) then you will need to establish a business.  To establish a business you’ll need an Indonesian partner and good legal representation (an attorney). 

Based on the very sketchy details you provided in your original post, my initial reaction is to suggest that you learn to walk before attempting to run, and in that regard you test the waters here very carefully before endeavoring to derive any of your income from business venues within Indonesia (hotel gift shops, etc.).

Our business as operated in many countries and all with similar rules on our business operations. Because we buy from the public in hotels , there are neser usually any laws to prohibit these transactions. I as usual just try to find out any issues tha may arise. We always inform the local police regarding our visits.

If you have any details of freight forwarded companies I would be by grateful?

Kind regards

“Because we buy from the public in hotels , there are neser usually any laws to prohibit these transactions.”

This sounds like something I used to do many years ago in Macau and well before the hand over.  In those days I would set up residence for about a week at the Mandarin Oriental right at the hydrofoil pier and prior to arriving in Macau I would run adds in the local newspapers advising that I would be there for certain dates looking to buy “family heirlooms” from anyone in China wanting to bring their things by for me to have a look.  The border between Macau and the mainland was very open and very unlike as it was in Hong Kong so folks from the mainland could simply walk on through the border gates and meet me in Macau.  Once stocked up I would run my “treasures” over to Hong Kong on the hydrofoil boats and deliver them to my packer and shipper for forwarding back to the states.  This venture was extremely lucrative. 

Sometimes one simply needs to be a bit creative to work around but still comply with local laws.

I can definitely see a similar approach being used in Makassar.  I haven’t done this here in Indonesia myself only because I decided to carefully organize a network of excellent local “pickers” who do my leg work for me these days.   

Here in Indonesia there is no need to inform any local police of your presence unless you are going to travel to very restrictive (and remote) areas of some Provinces.   The hotel where you will be staying (or the owner if a private residence/villa) is obligated to do that for you.  Moreover I don’t think you’d need a business visa here for that sort of activity either since you would presumably not be selling here…only buying, and any visa is an OK visa for buying in Indonesia!   

Unless you plan to do your shipping from Bali I’m not able to provide you with any recommendation for freight handlers, packers and shippers.   

Good luck and I expect you’ll find Makassar to be fertile ground, although like most everywhere in the world these days it’s more and more difficult to find really great pieces.

Ubud hi. From your knowledge and experiences does this kind of format work with the locals? Bringing items to sale for cash?  We have only been to one country ( Morocco) that it didn't.

In my experience...and I've been in the antiques and fine art business since 1972...money is the single language that does not require an interpreter.

Out of curiosity, what was the problem in Morocco?