Finding products that will sell is the main reason for a retailer to go to a trade fair. At BPA Baby & Child, there's always plenty of choice. Using a UK based company to supply your products is the easiest route. Your contract is within British law. If there are any problems you can pick up the phone and someone will speak English. But using a British company also means that the product is available in a large number of outlets. Not much exclusivity here!

One alternative, and one which an increasing number of retailers use, is to import product yourself. If you are the buyer for a major retailer, then the complexity of so doing is made easier as the company will have teams of people who are experienced in all the niceties. But an increasing number of independent retailers are taking this route. So what are the pitfalls?

The first consideration is whether you can actually sell the product in the UK. Despite all the EU regulations, the UK still differs from other countries in what is legal to sell. The whole area can be a minefield and you'll probably need specific advice. The BPA can help - which is one reason for joining BPA Retail!

Standards, Standards

The most obvious regulation which gets in the way of importing is the Fire Regulations. In the UK, certain fabrics, for example, those found on pushchairs, must be fire retardant. This means that a pushchair manufacturer would need to have orders of a certain level to make it worth his while to treat the fabric. If the item has lots of trimmings for example, every one of those trimming fabrics needs to be treated. Incidentally, this is one reason why it sometimes feels as though the European styling is so much more interesting - they can afford to have a tiny bit of contrast here, and a different one there. Many suppliers just can't be bothered with the hassle or will quote much higher prices and it is unlikely that an independent retailer will be able to sell enough for importing to be viable.

While on the subject of standards, it is as well to realise that not everyone in the world makes things to the standards required in the UK or even in Europe. That's not to say the products are necessarily inferior (though you are likely to see some real howlers), just different. At a trade show such as Kind und Jugend, exhibitors are catering for a wide range of buyers. Some of them may not care about Standards at all. Some may require different Standards. It can be very disheartening to see a really interesting product only to find that not only hasn't it been tested to any standard but the supplier couldn't care less either! Many product designers will tell you that if they are not aware of the requirements in the Standard when they first put their ideas down on paper, tweaking the design at a later stage, (especially when it is in production) is fraught with difficulties. Difficult equals expensive and if the volume of sales isn't there, you can hardly blame the manufacturer for not wanting to know.

Finally, you should be aware that many suppliers will swear their product meets “all the relevant Regulations”. However, don't take their word for it. Insist on seeing copies of the relevant certificates and check - and double check - that you have covered all the relevant points. However there are many products which don't need to conform to particular standards and these are a good starting point for the novice.

The last hurdles

So there's the ideal product in front of you and you order. Job done! Or is it? Many retailers tell tales of ordering products at a show, then nothing is delivered. So you email. No response. You phone. The receptionist doesn't speak English. You can't get through to someone who knows what's happening. We've all had problems in dealing with awkward UK suppliers. Dealing with one abroad compounds the difficulties. And when you are dealing with someone for whom English is not their first language, it is all too easy for misunderstandings to occur. Conversations can be lengthy - and of course, you need to keep an eye on the phone bill!!

Paying for the goods you've ordered could be another area of concern. However, talking to a number of retailers who have imported directly, there doesn't seem to have been any cases where money was paid but nothing was delivered - yet! It pays to be wary and make sure you know what is happening, when though you'll probably be fine.

It seems that in the last couple of years, foreign suppliers, especially those in Europe are only too delighted to have British customers. They can be a delight to deal with! So why not give it a try?

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