Does anyone have any leads on wholesale companies in the UK that are reliable, reputable and easy to work with? I�m mostly looking for Etnies clothing right now, like board shorts, T-shirts, hats, etc.

I’ve seen a lot of requests for this kind of clothing and brand-related items. Must be that summer is right around the corner! Any time a business wants to offer branded clothing, I always recommend contacting the manufacturer directly. Have you tried calling Etnies? Going directly to the source will cut out any middle men from eating up your profit; however, larger companies generally ask for a large MOQ order, typically in the thousands.

Here’s their basic information for UK contacts to get you started:

Address:

Sole Technology United Kingdom
Lower Ground Floor, Brewhouse (Wilderspool Business Park),
Greenall's Avenue
Warrington, Cheshire WA4 6HL
United Kingdom

Phone:
+44 87 075 03100
Email:
*Visible to qualifying WF members only*

Website:

etnies - Action Sports Footwear and Apparel

A US-based company I’ve used before is eFashion Wholesale. They will ship internationally though. They typically offer a large range of brand name clothing, surf and skate related, as well as other brands.

You might be interested in some of their other inventory, giving you one source from which to carry similar products or entirely different listings. On top of that, they also carry purses, cosmetics, shoes, accessories and maternity wear. They have a little bit of everything but maintain a focus on wholesale clearance lots.

http://www.efashionwholesale.com

What’s the margin of profitability when shipping from the US to the UK? What is efashion’s MOQ?

eFashion is an off-price wholesaler and they guarantee that brands are genuine. You can resell genuine brands for a higher price than you would, say, a fake (while selling fakes is also illegal). You’d have to check directly with the company’s catalogue and prices to determine your profit margin, but these types of products are generally in high demand because the label keeps such a tight hold on distribution.

You can get a sense of what you might want to order by looking at their website’s catalogue.

I always like to call a company and have a chat prior to purchasing. I can get much more out of a sales rep over the phone, armed with the general information I have about them. I like to get a sense of who the company is, how they treat customers, and so forth.

Here are their contact vitals:

Email:
*Visible to qualifying WF members only*

Phone:
00-1-732-866-9976 for international calls

Efashion sells their product in packs that include 24 or 36 items. Each pack comes in a variety of colors and sizes.

Shipping is configured online at the time of order for international destinations. International orders are shipped either via DHL or USPS, and you should consider any taxes and duties that will be charged upon entry to the UK. Customs can charge duty from 12-20% of the total cost of the consignment. VAT is generally about 17% of total order (and VAT is charged on cost of goods and shipping).

You can find current fees and schedules at the HMRC website:

HM Revenue & Customs: Home Page.

The company does not generally require an MOQ, because product moves so quickly. As a result, you’ll probably need to build a few example scenarios of cost to profit margins based on shipping, tax and duties.