birdman
3/14/2017 13:11 EST
Hello. I have been to colombia twice and noticed the ridiculously high electronics prices. I sell electronics here in Toronto and they are very cheap compared to Barranquilla. I can buy them here and ship there to sell all while getting a small store in Buenavista mall. I also have a friend who lives in colombia who grew up with me in Toronto and moved there. With the economy trending up, does anyone know if there is high demand for electronics in barranquilla and nationwide in colombia? With the prices i have, i can be very competitive. I just cant find enough info on the web so i was wondering if anyone has any info about electronic demand in barranquilla. Please let me know if you have any info... Thanks.
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cccmedia
3/14/2017 14:41 EST
While I don't know about electronics consumerism in Barranquilla, I make this suggestion....
Before you go too far, find out from an attorney or DIAN about the tariffs your enterprise would be assessed if importing quantities of electronics into Colombia.
cccmedia in La Zona Cafetera
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livinginmedellin
3/14/2017 15:42 EST
A free trade agreement doesn't necessarily cover everything. Sometimes these agreements may only cover goods produced in the countries involved (Colombia and Canada in this case). You need to read the details of the agreement, found here and pay particular attention to rules of origin: http://international.gc.ca/trade-commerce/trade-agreements-accords-commerciaux/agr-acc/colombia-colombie/fta-ale/background-contexte.aspx?lang=eng
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bigjailerman
3/14/2017 21:46 EST
Don't forget to build in your protection costs, and payoff costs, police and otherwise. Just sayin'
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cccmedia
3/14/2017 22:23 EST
How much should an electronics business budget in for protection and payoffs in Barranquilla, Biggie?
cccmedia in La Zona
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regnatarajan
3/15/2017 09:23 EST
Demand for consumer electronics is high everywhere, including Colombia. Colombians have far less disposable income than Canadians, however, and price sensitivity is huge.
Shipping is another huge issue. Getting stock from Canada to Colombia will cost far more than the original shipment from China unless you have some methods I'm unaware of. My own shipping experiences from Canada have been terrible. I ship directly from China, myself, in order to avoid that mess, although I'm just shipping for myself and not a business.
Most importantly, don't forget online competition. Amazon is set to become the world's largest retailer. I buy all my own electronics online, mostly from AliExpress. Yes, some people say they prefer touching things before buying but the overall trend is clear: bricks & mortar stores are yesterday.
I will say this: there are a lot of enterprising people here and there are a lot of places where you can buy electronics here. The fact that electronics pricing is high across the board here indicates to me that there must be some very real factors driving those prices up. I don't know what those factors are but there's no way it's just price gouging or some marketplace disruptor would show up, kick ass, and get rich. Of course, it's possible you might just become that marketplace disruptor but (no offense intended at all) the odds are against it given the amount of competition that already exists.
Business is all about looking for an opportunity and filling that need. You're trying to do that which is great. I'm just not sure that opportunity exists here.
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cccmedia
3/28/2017 15:43 EST
Dear Birdman,
Your terse post about "20 percent, LOL" implies you don't agree with Biggie about supposed protection/corruption costs.
Please expand your input and experience on this issue.
cccmedia in La Zona
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Elexpatriado
3/28/2017 21:18 EST
Most Canucks that come here are pretty naive at first. They don't "get out" much.
DIAN what is that?
Vacuna? Que es eso?
Doubt he would be able to compete with the "Contrbandistas"
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cccmedia
3/28/2017 23:16 EST
'Vacuna' means vaccine or inoculation. If it has a slang meaning, most Gringos wouldn't know it.
DIAN is the customs agency, Dirección de Aduanas Nacional.
cccmedia in La Zona Cafetera
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Elexpatriado
3/29/2017 09:15 EST
I was being a bit satirical (wont say sarcastic) , I am sure you know.
I am sure that is good information for the OP.
Birdman, I hate t burst your bubble, but here is a reason the electronics are so expensive in Colombia. Its because of the high import taxes on these products.
Colombia has free trade deals between many countries. I highly doubt that Canada has a special deal where there is a reduced tarrifs on products imported from third countries like China, Korea, etc. Trade deals usually cover products produced within that country.
Even so, if there was some country out there from which you could legally import electronic items directly or from third countries (pick one- Panama, china, India, Taiwan) for which your total all inclusive costs (original cost, transportation, tarriffs, sales, vacuna (ja ja) , distribution) were significantly lower than what is out on the Colombian market, smart Colombians would be doing it a long time ago. Colombians are quite industrious when it comes to the import/export business. I have friends who ship containers from China, India and elsewhere to Colombia.
If you really want to look at a busineess , look at something that is unique to Canada, and there is a demand in Colombia (like maple syrup?? ). Or vice versa. Like I have a friend who makes these beautifully decorated jewel boxes that might be sold in a fancy gift boxes in Canada at a significant mark up. Or services..out sourcing of drafting services to Colombia (this is a thing I thought of being an ex-engineer).
Personally I am not intersted in any of this type of thing, but if I was that is what I would be looking at.
This is only my humble opinion. Maybe there is someone out there with direct import/export experience that has a different or better opinion.
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regnatarajan
3/29/2017 11:19 EST
+1 @Elexpatriado
That's what I was trying to say but he said it better. Trying to get money out of Colombians when people make $300/mo is not sensible. Get the labour out of Colombians at $15/day and get the money out of Canada (or the US or the western world in general).
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