Starting a business

ltcjackwatson wrote:

Any recommendations of a shipping/air frieght company that ships from the US to Vietnam that is reliable and inexpensive, that handles customs and duties for cosmetic products.   Also, anyone know what rhe customs/duties would be?  Thanks for rhe assistance!!

I have no real idea about cosmetic products to Vietnam but I do have experience with shipping agricultural/scientific product, specifically seed, to countries in South America from the US.  Destination countries were specifically to Chile and Argentina.  Chile was considered upright but Argentina customs had a reputation for demanding bribes.  Of the big 3 (UPS. FEDEX. and DHL) DHL was a little more expensive but the best at handling international affairs like customs certification.  Customs were generally free in our case as they were intra-company shipments. 

Remember that paying customs is OK but paying bribes to foreign authorities is a violation of US law.  You will never be prosecuted if you do things one-off as tourist at the airport or even on your first shipment, but regular payment of foreign bribes may attract US authorities.  If you end up shipping regularly, it will probably be better to employ an agent within Vietnam.  You pay him a flat fee and he pays the bribes, avoiding US enforcement.

I expect that your value to volume ratio will mean that you will not be shipping full ocean-going containers, but maybe pallet loads.

Just curious about shipping cosmetics from the US to Asia.  Aren't most  cosmetics manufactured in China nowadays and repackaged as brand name in the US?  Additionally, I know that in Hawaii, Japanese brands are considered superior by women of all ethnicities, although they may be made in China as well as labor is very high in Japan.