Big Fat Profits From The Far East

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That area of the world known as the Far East has long been looked upon
as a source of great riches by the Western nations. The Portuguese
were the first to send home great riches from the Orient, but other
nations soon followed. Of all the Eastern nations, the vast Chinese
Empire was the greatest and richest source of wealth. At first the
Chinese Emperors were able to hold the would-be Western traders in check.
No Western imports were allowed into China, but exports were allowed
and had to be paid for in gold. Vast quantities of silk, tea,
exquisite porcelain, jade and many other riches flowed westwards.
After the Opium wars, China was really opened up to unrestricted
trade and the West greatly prospered from this.

Today, the Far East still has much to offer Western traders and no-one
is better catered for than the mail order trader. This book will
reveal how it is possible for the mail order dealer to strike it rich
by making use of the almost limitless supply of goods which are
available from China, Hong Kong, Singapore and elsewhere in the Far East.

The British ail order dealer in inclined to chase down blind alleys
in a futile and profitless effort to find something which will lift
him out of the rut into which so many fall and then remain permanently
trapped. This explains the fact that out of the estimated six
thousand people who engage in home-based mail order, the vast majority
are operating on a part-time basis and making very little money.
In fact, detailed surveys have revealed that less than fifty of these
six thousand are making a full-time living. In addition there are
no more than ten who could be described as very wealthy.

In a previous book of mine, based on an exhaustive and detailed
survey, I estimated that of all the money generated by the mail order
trade, these fifty to sixty prosperous people took over sixty per
cent of it. The other forty per cent was shared amongst the remaining
five thousand nine hundred and fifty - the losers, the part-timers who
never seem able to rise out of the rut. Why are there so many losers
in home-based mail order? As that famous publication 'Recommend &
Approved' pointed out so succinctly, most of these people are not
really mail order dealers at all. The definition of a mail order
dealer is 'one who sells goods by mail'. Whatever else they may do,
the one thing these tiny-scale operators do not do is sell goods by mail.

I don't want to go into great detail on loser activities, but I
suppose one of the most popular is flitting from one MLM scheme to
the next and paying around £25 or the privilege of joining each.
It is worth pointing out that MLM has yet to produce a single
millionaire in the UK. But genuine mail order has produced several,
and at least one who became a multi-millionaire from home-based mail
order, mainly by importing fast selling items from the Far East.
I will repeat those last four words - from the FAR EAST.

So, what I'm suggesting is this. Become a REAL main order dealer - i.e.
sell goods by mail and step out of the rut in which the vast majority
of the mail order circle remain firmly and permanently stuck. Get
off the MLM and chain letter roundabout and start making some real
money as a bona-fide mail order trader. It is an interesting fact
that of the three top earners amongst the fat cats, none is involved
in MLM. One is a professional writer and business consultant, and
both the others sell goods by mail - and both import from the Far
East.

I don't wish to labour this point about wasting time and effort,
but before going on to the main subject of this book, I would like
to quote from a letter I received. It was written by a highly educated
man, an honours graduate and college lecturer. He had been taking a
look at home-based mail order and dabbling a little. The extract I
have chosen from his letter reads as follows.

"I worked out very quickly that most mail order participants do not
actually sell any product, but instead involve themselves in a curious
carousel of exchanging pieces o paper and money. Like cannibals they
feed on each other. The actual amount of money circulating in the
mail order circle remains more or less the same, but it is constantly
re-circulated. One other aspect soon forced itself upon me. A great
deal of the material which has been plonking through my letterbox is
of an incredibly shoddy quality - tatty leaflets, execrable English,
suspect syntax, gruesome grammar, apostrophes scattered like so much
confetti and bizarre spelling."

I must agree with these comments and in some of my previous books I
have myself pointed to appalling low standards of literacy in mail
order literature and repeatedly suggested that professional help be
sought. It is freely available and anyone who wants it can write to
me care of the publisher, if you want pointing in the right direction.

Now let us get on with examining the fantastic opportunities for
British mail order dealers who are prepared to look at the other side
of the world as a source for products which will sell here with massive
profit margins. I will show you that a tremendous range of products
suitable for mail order are available at incredibly low prices. Why
are Far East prices often at a level far below those of our own
products? The answer is that one of the major factors in pricing is
labour costs. The unionised British worker has high living standards,
works for a wage and has a working week which would make a worker in
the Far East green with envy.

How can a Western working man compete with workers who survive on a
few handfuls of rice, who work eleven, twelve or more hours per day
for a pittance? Now you may think that the exploitation of cheap
labour in the Far East is morally wrong, but it is something which
has been going on for centuries and will no doubt go on for many
more years. In the workers' paradise (communist China) the wages
are even lower than elsewhere in the Far East and the exploitation
is even greater. But mainland China should not be ignored as a
source for low priced products.

Let us start with the Far East source with the most numerous sources
for low priced products, Hong Kong. Some people are influenced by a
belief that Hong Kong is almost at the end of the road as a source
for cheep goods. Don't listen to the panic mongers. The reversion
to Chinese communist rule is still some years off. When it does come,
do not expect to see a sudden and total collapse of the free enterprise
system. The Chinese communists know very well which side their
bread is buttered. As is already happening, communism and capitalism
will work hand in hand in the former British colony.

So if you want to deal with Hong Kong suppliers, do so with confidence.
There is another reason why you can have confidence when dealing
with Chinese businessmen, whether in Hong Kong, Singapore or mainland
China. The vast majority are honest and have a sense of honour.
Inexperienced mail order dealers who order goods from the Far East
sometimes forget just how long it takes for good to come by surface
route from the other side of the world. So they sometimes send a
nasty letter to Hong Kong complaining about delay or even worse.
Such a letter would be insulting if sent to a firm in this country.
It is doubly insulting when sent to a place where honour plays such
an important role in business.

You will notice I said the vast majority of Far East businessmen
are honest, not all of them. There are always one or two rotten
apples in every barrel. Happily, it does not make for a major problem.
The Chinese business community in the Far East are very anxious to
protect their reputation for honest and ethical trading and have
methods for policing and monitoring the activities of their own
business communities. There are various trade associations whose
main purpose is to promote the export potential of their own business
community, but I found them very helpful when checking the ethical
standards of firms which I proposed to consider for listing in this
book.

In particular, there were three organisations which helped me a
great deal in sorting the wheat from the chaff. One was an
organisation in Singapore, the Association of Small and Medium
Enterprises (ASME). Another was the Hong Kong Trade Development
Council (HKTDC) and the third was a British organisation, the Ethical
Mail Order Trader's Association (EMOTA). I will refer to all of
these three organisations by their abbreviated titles from now on
in this book. EMOTA has members with extensive experience in Far
East trading and has built up large files of information. Without
their co-operation and helpfulness it would have been much more
difficult to product this book.

This book deals with it's subject with a view to being primarily of
interest to mail order traders. However, I do realise that those
who import, usually on a comparatively small scale, from the Far
East often have other ways of marketing in addition to, or instead
of, operating by mail order. At least two traders who initially
imported original oil paintings from Hong Kong with a view to operating
purely by mail order found other venues of marketing and now only a
small part of their business is conducted by mail order. Both these
traders have made a great deal of money from their business activities
and as I propose to deal first with oil paintings from Hong Kong, I
will provide information on these other outlets for sale.

The import of paintings from Hong Kong can roughly be divided into
three groups:

1. Original oil paintings by Chinese artists, usually in the western
style.

2. Reproductions of famous old masters of the western school.

3. Oil paintings, usually portraits of people, based on photographs
supplied by the customers.

Here I would stress that while a great deal of money can be made from
any of these categories, there are certain pitfalls which the trader
inexperienced in importing must avoid and I will give considerable
attention to these.

Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, you cannot communicate with
suppliers in the Far East in the same way that so many small scale
mail order operators do in this country. You will be dealing with
hard-headed businessmen who are very much profit motivated. They
will often send expensive colour catalogues free of charge to those
they take to be bona-fide importers in this country. But these
catalogues and long detailed lists are often expensive to produce,
apart from the postal costs of sending them to the UK. So, over the
years, Chinese businessmen have become used to receiving numerous
enquiries and requests for trade catalogues from the West. They
have thus developed an eagle eye, almost an instinct, for spotting
the time waster and the curiosity monger.

The practice of so many home-based mail order dealers in corresponding
with hand-written letters, often with no proper printed letter heading,
or at best, one of those little adhesive gold labels with the name and
address printed on it, or a rubber stamped heading, all of these are
o-u-t OUT. You are unlikely to get a reply by sending an enquiry or
request for a catalogue in such a cheap, amateurish way. There is a
good chance your letter will go straight into the wastepaper bin
without even being read. Your letters MUST by typed, never hand-written.
The letters must be sent on properly printed letterheads and remember
that absence of a telephone number on that letterhead is an instant
give-away that you are a small timer who is not worth bothering about.

If you want to deal with Far East sources you had better give a
professional appearance to your business letters. Do not ever give
the impression you are a part-timer operating from your kitchen table,
even if you are. Many Far East traders do not mind sending small
quantities or samples if, I repeat if, they think you are a
bona-fide businessman or woman who may order much larger quantities
later on. So you either operate from the start in a professional
manner or you forget the idea of importing from the Far East.

We will start off by dealing with art imports from Hong Kong,
dealing in any or all of the categories I have previously listed.
There are numerous studios in Hong Kong who are eager and willing
to do business with Western businessmen. I mentioned that there
are some pitfalls which need to be avoided, so I will deal with
these next.

One pitfall is that inexperienced beginners do not realise just
how far away the Far East is. Goods coming by sea take a considerable
time to come from the other side of the world. So it is not really
a good idea to take orders and then to send off the order to Hong Kong.
Not, that is, unless you have the goods sent airmail and that can be
expensive and add greatly to the costs. Far better to build up a
stock, however modest, before you begin to accept orders. Orders
coming by surface mail can take between two and three months,
sometimes longer. Experienced importers may use se freight instead
of surface mail and it is possible thus to cut down on journey time,
but sea freight is really best for larger orders. In the case of
oil paintings, (say) a couple of hundred canvasses or more.

I will explain the differences between surface mail and sea freight
and also explain certain common abbreviations which are used in
export/import when shipping freight. Let us start with the
abbreviations which one will come across most frequently when
importing. When you receive a quotation from the Far East, the
quotation will either be F.O.B., C.I.F. OR C & F.

F O B stands for Free On Board

An F.O.B. quotation means the supplier will pay all costs up until
the goods are safely lodged on the ship. So the quotation includes
the actual cost of the goods, plus costs of transporting the goods
to the ship, plus cost of loading onto the ship.

C I F stands for Cost, Insurance, Freight

This means not only F.O.B. costs but also freight costs up to the
arrival at the unloading port, plus insurance costs for all the
journey from the supplier to when you actually receive the freight.
The goods are usually insured at one hundred and ten per cent of
actual value. You have to make arrangements or delivery from the
loading port to your home or warehouse. So if the goods are unloaded
at (say) Southampton and you live in Birmingham, you will pay the
charges of the freight forwarder or the Post Office for delivery
from Southampton to Birmingham. C.I.F. quotations are often given
if freight is coming by air. If sent by airmail parcel it will be
delivered free to your home.

C. & F. stands for Cost & Freight

It is the same as C.I.F. except that insurance costs are not covered.
You should arrange insurance with the freight forwarder. The same
goes for F.O.B. as insurance costs are yours once the goods have been
loaded at the point of departure.

B/L stands for Bill of Loading

This gives information regarding the weight of the goods, the type
of packing and actual number of parcels or crates, the name of the
ship onto which the goods have been loaded and the ship's date of
departure. Whatever you do, do not mislay that B/L. It is an
important document which you will need to collect your goods.
It will also be needed to produce to the insurance company if a
claim has to be made.

I.L.C. stands for Irrevocable Letter of Credit

This will only concern you on larger orders when the value of the
order is getting close to four figures or beyond that point. It is
a simple but safe process which protects both the buyer and the
seller. The buyer pays sufficient into the bank to cover the cost
of the order. The bank then draft a letter of credit which is sent
to the seller (exporter). It is confirmation from the buyer's bank
that they hold the money to pay for the goods and form a promise
to pay that amount of money to the seller immediately proof is
given that the goods have been dispatched on time and are in
accordance with the description given on the letter of credit.
The seller is thus sure of receiving his money once the goods have
been dispatched, and the buyer is assured of receiving the goods.

But on more modest orders one would not use and I.L.C., but instead
would use a Banker's Draft. Having placed your order, you will
receive a pro-forma invoice from the Far East supplier with a request
that you pay by Banker's Draft. Your bank will make up the draft and
you send it off the supplier. The bank charge for this varies from
bank to bank, but is usually around £5. If the amount of the order
is so small that it does not justify this charge, you can always send
cash. In this case you will get a special envelope from the Post
Office and thus insure the cash at a cost considerably below that
of the Bank Draft fee.

There are other abbreviations used in import/export but they will
seldom concern you. Before leaving the important matter of
transportation I would like to clarify the differences between mail
and freight and ensure there is no confusion. I would also like to
clarify the difference between sea mail and sea freight. Freight
usually only involves orders which are too big to be sent by normal
methods.

SEA MAIL

Cheapest, but with the longest delivery time. You will have probably
heard the song 'Slow Boat to China', but the boat from Hong Kong to
the UK. can seem to take even longer. It is not just the actual journey
time, there are other factors involved, not least of which is that
there are far less ocean going ships than there used to be. So the
frequency of sailing from a port like Hong Kong is very much reduced.
A few years ago such ports would be crammed with deep sea vessels,
not anymore. Your Hong Kong supplier will take the parcel(s) to his
local Post Office where he will obtain a Certificate of Posting and
he will send you a copy of this. Unlike the sea freight, you do not
know when your goods will be placed on a ship, nor do you know the
date of departure.

Your parcel(s), along with many other parcels, will be put in a
container. Only when the container is full will it go down to the
docks to await a suitable ship. Once on the high seas the ship might
sail directly to the UK, if you are lucky, but it is much more likely
that the ship will call in at other ports to off-load parcels for
that particular country. So surface mail seldom takes less than
eight weeks and that would be exceptional. Best to estimate at
least twelve weeks for the journey time. There is a surface mail
weight limit on parcels of fifteen kilograms per parcel.

SEA FREIGHT

Strictly for large orders, but it does have certain advantages over
sea mail as you are able to be aware of what is happening to your
order - i.e. actually know the date on which the ship left port with
your order. As you get more used to dealing with Far East sources,
and if the size of your order justifies the use of sea freight, you
can easily obtain information about shipping movements, such as which
ships are sailing from Hong Kong and when. You can send instructions
to your supplier telling him which ship to put your order on. You
will receive a Bill of Loading (explained earlier) and from this
you will see the date of departure of the ship carrying your goods.

Airmail is considerably more expensive but so much faster. Hong
Kong has one of the biggest airports in the Far East, even if it is
one of the most hair-raising to land at. With aircraft constantly
leaving for the UK. there is little or no delay. But you will notice
I have refrained from giving airmail or other postal costs. The
reason is that postal rates are constantly changing (unfortunately
always upwards) and any information given here on postal rates would
quickly become outdated. It is easy enough to find out current postal
and freight rates from Hong Kong. Probably the HKTDC London office
would be pleased to tell you (address given later) or any main Post
Office should be able to provide information.

Now to deal with the practical matter of importing oil paintings
from Hong Kong, then I will deal with many other fast-selling items
from the Far East. You will notice that although I have mentioned
Hong Kong, Singapore and mainland China I have not mentioned two
other Far East sources - Taiwan and Thailand. There is very good
reason for this which I will come to later. Now to oil paintings
and, for the moment, we will exclude oil paintings from photographs
as this is a subject which deserve a separate section.

The importation of oil paintings from Hong Kong can be extremely
profitable, but anyone who is inexperienced should start cautiously
and in a small way. There are hundreds of studios in Hong Kong
employing artists of varying degrees of skill and expertise. Big
is not always best in Hong Kong. One of the best is a very small
family studio and they all work in one room. What Hong Kong sets
as standards are not necessarily the same as those in the West.
So when you see grades given on the literature from Hong Kong,
there are usually three. Very good, good and standard. These
grades are only relevant to western style paintings and not paintings
in the classical Chinese style. I will interpret these gradings
with my own.

HONG KONG GRADING - MY GRADING

VERY GOOD - EXCELLENT TO GOOD
GOOD - GOOD TO MEDIOCRE
STANDARD - MEDIOCRE TO PRETTY AWFUL

These grades refer to original oil paintings. Reproductions of
oil masters by the better studios are generally of a higher standard.
Original paintings not in the western style and which follow the
classical Chinese style are often exceptionally good.

The reproduction of oil masters is more expensive, but the profit
margin is still very good. It is not usual to buy ready framed oil
paintings from Hong Kong, yet for retail sales it is essential that
paintings are framed. Unless you are an expert DIY man I do not
recommend that you try to make your own frames. There are plenty
of UK. firms who will supply ready made frames. Here are a few of
the good ones.

Saucha Sauda, 40 Great Hampton Street, Hockley, Birmingham, B18 6AA

Northern Framing Company Limited, 86 Miller Street, Manchester, M4 4DY

Art Trade Frames, 2 Dagnan Road, London, SW12 9LQ

Ford's Frames, 10 Brighton Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 3EA

If you are going to sell retail you will need canvas stretchers which
you can buy at almost any art shop. The people in the art shop will
probably show you how to use them if you don't already know. The
canvas is placed on the stretcher prior to being framed.

Those who have imported oil paintings from Hong Kong have found
several lucrative methods of marketing which do not involve mail
order trading. A favourite method is to hire a hall or a large
room at a hotel and hold an art exhibition. Finding the right
venue and the best methods of advertising such an event are often
part of a trial and error process, but very fat profits have been
made by some of those who have imported these original paintings
from Hong Kong. One might say that cold canvassing from door to
door would not be a suitable way of selling such paintings and this
is probably true, but I have heard of a variation which worked very
well for one man. He worked with a charming and articulate lady who
would call at houses and ask if they would like to see a selection
of good original paintings with no obligation to purchase. Response
was surprisingly high and her partner would then follow up and
display the paintings. He did not use any high pressure selling
methods and had no prepared sales patter. He said that English
people generally did not respond to such methods.

One thing I must mention, because at some stage you may be asked
about it. Many of these Hong Kong artists are incredibly good and
are very well known, not only in Hong Kong but throughout the Far
East. Yet when painting for the Western market they usually use a
Western nom-de-plume. Thus Lin Yong Chuen becomes Harry Brown, or
whatever. There is nothing wrong with this practice. Many creative
people use nom-de-plumes or pen names. The top professional writers
may have several. Peter Head has at least six to my knowledge.
You may get asked why an original painting by a Hong Kong artist
has an Anglo-Saxon signature. Now you know the reason.

Paintings from photographs is something which is extremely profitable
and the best sources for this work are in Hong Kong. But past
experience has shown that many of those in this country who operate
this service are often unfair to the Hong Kong studios who undertake
this work in that they often ask them to accept the impossible.
If you operate this service you must insist the customer supplies
you with a photograph which will give the artist a chance to
reproduce a good likeness. I suggest you do not accept Polaroid
photos and it is best to insist that photographs are at least
postcard size. Even then, do not accept if the person is a
considerable distance away from the camera. Remember you are
asking the artist to make a comparatively large painting from a
photograph, so it is no use sending a photograph of somebody
standing at the other side of the garden.

Reject any photograph sent to you which is blurred or out of focus.
It is essential that the facial features of the subject are clear
and distinct. This will enable the artist to produce a painting
which will delight your customer. Asking the artist to do the
impossible will only bring complaints from customers. Of course,
not all the orders for this work are for paintings in which a person
is the subject. A relative of mine used this Hong Kong service for
a painting of her Yorkshire Terrier. The resultant painting was
(in her own words) "absolutely fabulous", but she did supply a large,
good photograph of the dog. She also supplied a photograph of her
very attractive cottage which resulted in another brilliant painting.
But mention of painting from photographs which are not of the actual
customer brings me to a very important pint, and this is the thorny
matter of copyright. Any person running a 'paintings from photographs'
business may run up against occasional copyright problems. If
someone sent you a postcard photograph for a painting to be made
of a photograph of (say) a Pop Star or other prominent figure, or
perhaps a postcard featuring a famous building, scrutinise the
postcard carefully because most of them are copyright. Of course
there is nothing to stop your customer taking his own photographs
of some familiar building or person and then there are no copyright
problems. But this is something you need to be very careful about.

Now I'm going to give some addresses in Hong Kong for those who
are interested in importing the original paintings or the paintings
from photographs service. I will give you names and addresses and
details of what each particular studio offers. My personal
experience are that all the studios I list are first class.
You will notice tat some of the addresses are long and
complicated. The reason for this is that Hong Kong is a
very, very overcrowded place. More like a huge rabbit warren
than anything else. A building which in this country might house
fifteen firms would perhaps house eighty in Hong Kong where space
is at a premium. Copy these addresses down very carefully, exactly
a shown here. You will also notice that a lot of firms use PO. Box
numbers for postal business. The reason is that Hong Kong firms are
more mobile than elsewhere. Workspace is very expensive and leases
are often very short. So a firm may move two or three times in a
year. Use of a P.O. Box number allows continuity of business.
Of course,, this does not apply to all firms and some of those I
list have been at the same address for years. Here is the list:

NAME: ARTS COMPANY

ADDRESS: Flat D, 9/F., Wing Lee Building, 27-33 Kimberley Road,
Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

POSTAL ADDRESS: P.O. Box 98522, Tsimshatsui Post Office, Kowloon,
Hong Kong.

TELEPHONE: 3-7394777-9
TELEX: 41113 ACWKC HX
FAX: 3-7394981

Manufacturer and exporter of high quality original oil paintings
of landscapes, seascapes, flowers, street scenes, harbour scenes,
still life and oil paintings from photographs.

NAME: THE ASIA COMPANY

ADDRESS: 11/F., Flat 4, Hai Phong Mansion, 99-101 Nathan Road,
Kowloon, Hong Kong

POSTAL ADDRESS: P.O. Box 95587, Tsimshatsui Post Office, Kowloon,
Hong Kong

TELEPHONE: 3-660546
TELEX: 40966 YFWON HX
FAX: 852-3-3110293

Full range of oil paintings. Sample packages, write or telex or
free catalogue.

NAME: ORIGINAL ARTS & INDUSTRIES

ADDRESS: Flat 4, 4/F., Cosmopolitan Centre, 760 Nathan Road,
(Side Door), Kowloon, Hong Kong

POSTAL ADDRESS: P.O. Box 78939, Mongkok Post Office, Kowloon,
Hong Kong

TELEPHONE: 3-800728
FAX: 3-971009

High quality original oil paintings. Portraits, masterpiece
reproduction, water colours, Chinese paintings on silk/cork paper.

NAME: THE PAINT BOX

ADDRESS: No 9, 11/F., Block B, Chong Yip Mansion, Pratas Street,
Kowloon, Hong Kong

TELEPHONE: 3-617643
FAX: 3-7250977

Manufacturer/exporter/wholesaler o original oil paintings,
water colours, copies of old masters, paintings from photographs.

NAME: TODAY ART COMPANY

ADDRESS: Room A2B, 1/F., Tai Fu Building, 10 Tai Tsun Street,
Taikoktsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

TELEPHONE: 3-961198
TELEX: 47595 RGMC HX
FAX: 852-3-7894481

Manufacturer/exporter of quality oil paintings, landscapes,
seascapes, portraits, reproduction of oil masters.

NAME: ULTRA ART COMPANY

ADDRESS: Flat A, 3/F., 440-442 Nathan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

TELEPHONE: 3-7808649
TELEX: 52846 HAIS HX
FAX: 852-3-886443

Reliable manufacturer/exporter of quality oil paintings.
Reproduction of old masters. Paintings from photographs.

NAME: VICTORY TRADING COMPANY

ADDRESS: Room 2303, Loong San Building, 140-142 Connaught
Road C., Hong Kong

POSTAL ADDRESS: P.O. Box 33882, Sheung Wan Post Office, Hong Kong

TELEPHONE: 5-417074
TELEX: 67684 VTRDC HX
FAX: 5-8540196

Experienced manufacturer/exporter of original oil paintings.
Varied subjects. Large quantity of stock from 8" x 10" to 24" x 28".

NAME: YUNG'S PAINTING & ARTS

ADDRESS: Room 717, Sincere Building, 83 Argyle Street,
Kowloon, Hong Kong

TELEPHONE: 3-939804
FAX: 3-7899856

Manufacturer/exporter of original oil paintings (Western style).
Also Chinese water colour artwork on cork paper.

NAME: UNITED ASIA ART COMPANY

ADDRESS: Flat C, 7/F., Hang Wan Building, 42-44 Granville Road,
Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

POSTAL ADDRESS: P.O. Box 90760, Tsimshatsui Post Office,
Kowloon, Hong Kong

TELEPHONE: 3-3115963
TELEX: 44750 UNISA HX
FAX: 852-3-7962861

Manufacturer/exporter of original oil paintings.
Oil portraits from old masters. Oil paintings from photographs.
Free samples and photographs for bona-fide businesses.

NAME; DOMINIC'S ART GALLERY COMPANY

ADDRESS: Block C, 1/F., 183-189 Fa Yuen Street, Kowloon, Hong Kong

POSTAL ADDRESS: P.O. Box 78786, Mongkok Post Office, Kowloon, Hong Kong

TELEPHONE: 3-952342 & 3-918495
TELEX: 40207 WNJOY HX
FAX: 3-7890643

Manufacturer/exporter of fine hand painted original oil paintings.
Over five hundred talented artists, specialised in various subjects.

NAME: HUTS ART OIL PAINTING GALLERY

ADDRESS: Room 10-12, 8/F., Eureka Industrial Building,
1-17 Sai Lau Kok Street, Tsuen Wan, N.T., Hong Kong

POSTAL ADDRESS: P.O. Box 116, Tsuen Wing Street Post Office,
N.T., Hong Kong

TELEPHONE: 0-4168706
TELEX: 51689 HAOPG HX
FAX: 852-0-4114776

Manufacturer/exporter of original oil paintings and
reproduction of old masters. Water colours etc.

NAME: CHOI YIN FONG ART GALLERY

ADDRESS: Flat A3, 9/F., Burlington House, 92-94 Nathan Road,
Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

POSTAL ADDRESS: P.O. BOX 73543, Kowloon Central Post Office,
Kowloon, Hong Kong

TELEPHONE: 3-7218020 & 3-7218021
TELEX: 41252 CYFAG HX
FAX: 852-3-3113670

Experienced producer/exporter of oil paintings from photographs.
High grade copy oil paintings. Commercial oil paintings. Water
colours. Cork paper silk Chinese traditional hand paintings and
embroidery pictures on silk.

NAME: HILL FUNG ARTS COMPANY

ADDRESS: Flat C, 8/F., Kin Tak Industrial Buildings,
1172 Wai Yip Street, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong

TELEPHONE: 3-7973342
FAX: 852-3-434321

Large group of experienced artists specialising in hand painted
oil paintings, also oil paintings from photographs.

Just one or two points to clarify the foregoing list. The main
areas for the business community in Hong Kong are Kowloon and
the area known as the New Territories. It is common to just use
the abbreviation N.T. for the latter. Do not attempt other
abbreviations and copy exactly the addresses I have given.

Before I close the subject of importing art from Hong Kong, there
are a few further points I must mention, though they apply to all
imports from the Far East. Remember that you will have to pay
import duty. Small samples might get through Customs with no
duty payable, but generally you can expect to pay between 15% and
20% of the value of the bill or invoice. Remember to allow for
this when working out your own prices. The other relates to a
normal practice of business courtesy. If you write to the Far
East and you are hoping to get literature sent to you, perhaps
even an expensive colour catalogue, then you should at least have
the courtesy to send postage. The international equivalent to
the S.A.E. is the International Reply Coupon, available from Post
Offices. The person you write to can exchange these I.R.C.s for
stamps to answer your enquiry or request for information. They
can exchange each I.R.C. for stamps to cover a reply at normal
surface rate. So if you want an airmail reply you should send
several I.R.C.s.

Earlier, I mentioned using an International Bankers Draft instead
of an I.L.C. when buying small quantities of goods. To avoid
confusion, the drafts are also known as International Money Orders.

Now I want to explain why this publication concentrates on the
wonderful bargains available from Hong Kong, Singapore and mainland
China, but it virtually ignores Taiwan and Thailand, two sources
which have much to offer. The reason why, for the time being,
we chose to ignore these two source is because of a disturbing
trend which has caused great concern to Western manufacturer.
You may have heard of the 'copy cat' system whereby famous brands
are copied, right down to the last tiny detail.

You may have read in the press of horrific accidents caused when
vital parts in vehicles and aircraft failed at a critical moment,
only for investigators to discover that the part that failed was
a cheap and inferior copy cat part, probably from Taiwan and Thailand.
It is often very difficult to tell the genuine product from a Far
East copy cat. It is not just things like video and compact discs.
Just about every prestige product is reproduced in cunning detail
that defies anyone but an expert to tell the genuine from the
counterfeit.

The famous Rolex watch in one example. Lay a genuine Rolex down
alongside a counterfeit and it is very difficult to tell which
is which. Even the printed guarantee is identical to the original.
Same type of paper, same size and style of print. The packaging
is absolutely identical. The luckless purchaser only finds out
when the watch stops and he takes it for repair. Then he finds
out that the works in the watch are cheap and nasty. In the case
of things like certain car accessories, such as tyres or brake
fittings, these counterfeits can kill. I am sure that at least
some of the mail order dealers, market traders and others who have
been convicted for selling these counterfeits were probably innocent
in the sense that they genuinely did not know they were handling
counterfeit goods.

I personally know of one unfortunate person who sold top brand
electrical goods at a car boot sale. I firmly believe that he was
totally unaware that he was handling counterfeit goods. But to quote
an old saying - "ignorance is no excuse in the eyes of the law".
This man was heavily fined. In this case the counterfeit goods came
from Taiwan. Most of these clever fakes come from Taiwan or Thailand.
Representation has repeatedly been made to both governments by
manufactures' associations in Europe without effect. Criticism by
European governments and the Western media has also been ignored.

Earlier I mentioned EMOTA (Ethical Mail Order Traders Association).
They have advised their members not to engage in importing from
either country until their respective governments take positive
action against the manufacturers of these pirate goods. As I am
myself a member of EMOTA and also one of the freelance consultants
retained by them, I will follow their policy and give no favourable
publicity to either country until action is taken against these
pirates. This explains why you will find I have almost entirely
ignored both countries in this publication.

I have given details of the art studios in Hong Kong and the obvious
opportunities for big ft profits, but Hong Kong as much more to offer.
Everything you care to think of is made in Hong Kong and at very
competitive prices, so I propose to give some more good Hong Kong
sources for all kings of fast selling items which will be of special
interest to mail order traders. In some cases I will give instances
of the types of goods which have already been imported with great
success by British mail order traders and importers.

One example which comes to mind is that of a small firm of flag
makers in the East End of London. For years they had supplied
flags of all kinds as well as bunting, banners, etc. They always
had a thriving mail order section, but rising labour costs, the
increased cost of materials, increased rent on the business premises,
increased rates and other problems almost put this firm out of
business. The wolf was at the door. The two partners knew that
something drastic needed to be done to save the business.

What they did was revolutionary, but it saved the firm. They moved
to smaller and cheaper premises. They ceased manufacturing and got
rid of most of their small labour force. They still supplied flags
and banners as before, but now all their stock was imported from
Singapore. This firm has taken on a new lease of life. In less
than two years the business has been turned around and is once
again highly profitable. As one of the partners told me - "If we
hadn't moved with the times, we would have gone under". Flags
always sell well. If you want a good source in Singapore for flags,
banners, pendants, message printing, etc., I suggest...........

NAME: WILLICHEW ARTS & ADVERTISING ENTERPRISE

ADDRESS: Block 2023, Bukit Botok Industrial Park A., Street
23-04-110, Singapore 2385

TELEPHONE: 567-4822
FAX: (65) 5637381

Manufacturer/exporter. Specialised in all kinds of silk screen
printing for flags, banners, T-shirts, etc.

That account of the London flag making firm had a happy ending
(for them), but it points to a very disturbing trend.
The manufacturing base in this country continues to shrink.
The story I have told has been repeated thousands of times up
and down the country, usually without the happy ending which the
flag makers enjoyed. In a situation where we operate a free market
economy, where our trade unions have enforced living standards
which may be morally justified but are not justified by production
levels at costs far above those of the Far East and elsewhere, we
can only continue to decline.

There is a Chinese proverb - "The tears of the dispossessed will
help water the garden". In other words, one person's calamity may
well benefit someone else. The fact that our manufacturing
industries are, with a few exceptions sliding rapidly downhill,
should not deter you from taking advantage of an economic situation
which gives you the opportunity for making money. Will 1992 and
the dropping of E.E.C. barriers make any difference to this Far
East bonanza? The answer is no. Though most of our European
partners have lower manufacturing and labour costs than we do,
theirs are still very much higher than those of the Far East
countries. So there will be no change and Far East importers
will continue to flow. Nor will there be any appreciable difference
in Hong Kong when the colony reverts to communist Chinese rule.
So I can see no serious problems arising for importers of goods
from the Far East.

Sometimes one can hit on something from the Far East by accident
which can give birth to a highly profitable idea. A Navy man,
based in Hong Kong, bought a Chinese lacquer trunk fro a firm
specialising in Japanese art and furniture. He eventually arrived
back in the UK. to take his discharge from the Navy. He and his
family had to move into cramped, temporary accommodation and he
decided that the Japanese lacquer trunk had to go. He put it into
a local auction and, to his utter astonishment, it went for about
five times what he paid for it. Uncertain whether this was a fluke,
he ordered other items from this firm, more trunks and a lacquer
round table. An advertisement in a quality Sunday newspaper brought
an unexpectedly high response and this man realised he had,
by chance, fallen into a profitable business. There are firms in
Hong Kong who can provide the most exquisite oriental furniture.
One I can recommend is...........

NAME; ORIENTAL ARTS & FURNITURE

ADDRESS: Flat A-F, 9/F., Agincourt Industrial Building, No.
428 Cha Kwo Ling Road, Yau Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong

POSTAL ADDRESS: P.O. Box 72455, Kowloon Central Post Office, Hong Kong

TELEPHONE: 3-480161-3
TELEX: 39151 OAF HX
FAX: 852-3-7727671

Manufacturer/exporter of lacquer furniture, screens, oriental
hand paintings, hand painted wallpapers, porcelain wares, ceramic
wares, etc.

I wonder how many of you reading this publication realise just
how big are the quantities of goods which pour into this country
from the Far East. Go into any toy store or any market place and
check on the country of origin on the goods you see. You will find
that a surprisingly high proportion come from the Far East. Many
of the goods sold by mail order through such publications as Exchange
& Mart come from the Far East. Why is this so? Is it because such
goods are produced far more cheaply than goods made in the West for
reasons I gave at the beginning of this publication. Thus profit
margins can be enormous even allowing for the import duty.

What you have to do is decide which particular product you think
will sell well in this country. Then you find a source in the Far
East which can supply that product. You can be certain there is
such a source. I am now going to make a few suggestions. One
line which seems to do very well is Chinese porcelain wares.
Don't be afraid of that word 'reproduction'. There are several
manufacturers of exquisite reproductions of ancient classical
Chinese designs. Admittedly such items have to be specially
and carefully packed and care has to be taken during transit.
It is wise to ensure that consignments of this type are fully
insured against damage. If sold by mail, then special care must
be taken with protective packing. A highly recommended source
for porcelain ware is...

NAME: SHUN JING PORCELAIN WARES CO LTD

ADDRESS: Room 1501, Tung Chun Commercial Buildings 438-444
Shanghai Street, Mongkok, Kowloon, Hong Kong

TELEPHONE: 3-7708286
FAX: 852-3-857773

Manufacturer/exporter of fine oriental reproduction porcelain
wares.

Hong Kong has long been popular as a source of quality watches
at prices which cannot be beaten anywhere else. It is generally
accepted that Hong Kong watches from the best sources are of a
superior quality to those produced elsewhere in the Far East and
are often ahead of the Swiss and Japanese in technological advances
in watch making. The additional features which can make wristwatche
s fast sellers by mail order are often introduced by Hong Kong,
well ahead of anywhere else. The other area of manufacturing where
Hong Kong can more than hold it's own is in the production of
optical goods. I personally consider Hong Kong the bet source in
the Far East for optical goods, superior to anything the Japanese
can produce and considerably cheaper. So now I am going to give
good sources for both these types of goods which Hong Kong produces
better (and cheaper) than anyone else. Firstly watches, then
optical goods.

SOURCES FOR WATCHES

NAME: STELEX ELECTRONIC CO LTD

ADDRESS: Unit A3, 4/F., Block A, Hong Kong Industrial Centre,
489-491 Castle Peak Street, Kowloon, Hong Kong

TELEPHONE: 3-7451931
TELEX: 57784 STCEL HX
FAX: 852-3-7437614

Specialists in novelty watches. Digital clocks and watches.

NAME: ACME WATCH INDUSTRIES

ADDRESS: 4th Floor, Wayson Commercial Building, 28 Connaught
Road West, Hong Kong

TELEPHONE: 5-471278 (4 lines)
TELEX: 83231 ACME HX
FAX: 5-597593

Very wide range of quality watches.

NAME: ACCUTIME LTD

ADDRESS: Flat D3, 9/F, Block D, Phase 2, Tsing Yi Industrial
Centre, Cheung Tat Road, Tsing Yi Island, N.T., Hong Kong

TELEPHONE: 0-4974498 (10 lines)
TELEX: 57500 KENEL HX
FAX: 852-0-4320335

Noted for quality watches at competitive prices.

NAME: HI-LITE WATCH CO LTD

ADDRESS: 802-805 Hollywood Centre, 233 Holywood Road, Hong Kong

TELEPHONE: 5-421668 (6 lines)
TELEX: 72107 KELEC HX
FAX: 5-8152976

Manufacturer/exporter. Specialist in non-digital watches.

NAME: R J P INTERNATIONAL LTD

ADDRESS: Room 2007, Shun Tak Road, 20/F.,
200 Connaught Road C., Hong Kong

TELEPHONE: 5-475108 (8 lines)
TELEX: 75498 ADATA HX
FAX: 852-5-406199

High quality wristwatches. Exhibitors at the Basel (Switzerland)
Watch Fair.

NAME: HANG KWONG ENTERPRISE CO

ADDRESS: Room 603, The Kwang Tung Provincial Bank building,
589 Nathan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong

TELEPHONE: 3-847051-3
TELEX: 49276 HKENC HX
FAX: 852-3-883594

One of the largest ranges of watches in Hong Kong.

SOURCES FOR OPTICAL GOODS

NAME: FORTUNE ILLUMAX LTD

ADDRESS: Block C, 13/F, Mai Shun Industrial Building,
18-24 Kwai Cheong Road, N.T., Hong Kong

POSTAL ADDRESS: P.O. Box 66, Tsuen Wan Post Office, N.T., Hong Kong

TELEPHONE: 0-234146
TELEX: 40919 FFKLS HX
FAX: 852-0-4891223

Manufacturer/exporter. Precision, high quality magnifiers.
Including: hand-free magnifiers with bi-focal lens; illuminated
magnifiers; double focus up to 5x and 6x. Enquiries invited.

NAME: GREAT WALL (OPTICAL) PLASTIC WORKS LTD

ADDRESS: 4 & 5F., 51 Bedford Road, Taikoktsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

TELEPHONE: 3-9552665
TELEX: 38233
FAX: 852-3-7890727

High quality acrylic lenses. Magnifying glasses. Illuminated
magnifying glasses. Lighted microscopes. Catalogues and price
list on request.

NAME: CHUNG LUEN PLASTIC FACTORY

ADDRESS: 51 Bedford Road, 9/F, Taikoktsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

TELEPHONE: 3-925819
TELEX: 54875 HILDA HX
FAX: 852-3-7891676

Wide range of viewer for colour slides.

NAME: SPRINT INDUSTRIAL

ADDRESS: Room 1107, 77 Jervois Street, Central, Hong Kong

TELEPHONE: 5-412409
TELEX: 83411 HX
FAX: 5-8152652

Sprint amber optics. A 'near miracle' in optical technology.
A quantum leap beyond sunglasses. Filters out hazardous ultra
violet rays and harmful blue light.

NAME: LEADING EXTREME OPTOMIST INDUSTRIES LTD

ADDRESS: 10/F, Flat G, Sunview Industrial Building, 3 On Yip
Street, Chai Wan, Hong Kong

TELEPHONE: 5-560111
TELEX: 60320 LEOIL HX
FAX: 852-5-8972865

Manufacturer/exporter of all types of magnifying glasses. For
map reading. Measure magnifier. Magnifiers for stamp collectors,
etc. Enquiries welcome.

NAME: ELITE OPTICAL INSTRUMENTS MANUFACTURING CO LTD

ADDRESS: Elite Industrial Building, 135-137 Hoi Bun Road, Kwun
Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong

TELEPHONE: 3-438191(18 lines)
TELEX: 50927 EGHK HX
FAX: 852-3-415922

Manufacturer/exporter of quality cameras. Including the famous
Elite E1-35 camera. Enquiries welcome.

Now for a few words of warning about certain type of goods which
are best excluded from consideration when listing possible items
or import. Most of the goods made in Hong Kong are first class,
but there have been problems with one or two lines. The Far East
does not have the same rigid codes of safety that we are used to
in the West. Toys for young children immediately spring to mind.
It would be wrong to tar all Far East toy manufacturers with the
same brush. I am sure many of them do observe safety rules, but
there are obviously a minority who are not concerned about safety
and this has led to adverse publicity in the Western media.

No doubt you have read in the newspapers or seen on television
instance where Trading Standards officers have moved in to confiscate
toys which have proved dangerous, or which might prove dangerous to
small children. Teddy Bears and dolls with insecure eyeballs which
can be swallowed, or worse, eyes held in place with dangerous spikes.
Lead paint coated toys. Toys with dangerous sharp edges, etc.
The importer can lose heavily and several already have lost
considerable money where dangerous toys are banned or confiscated
or both.

Even buying from importers in this country carries risks, as some
mail order dealers have found out to their cost. So, better safe
than sorry. Toys for older children do not seem to present such a
problem. I know a man who imports children's BMX bikes from Hong
Kong and he has found the quality to be exceptionally good. I would
suggest that one avoids toys for children five years old and under.
This is probably unfair to the majority of Hong Kong trade
manufacturers, but there have been problems and perhaps it is up
to some official body such as the Hong Kong Trade Development
Council to try and secure enforcement of more rigid safety standards.
If it is any consolation to Hong Kong traders, there have been just
as many, if not more, complaints about safety standards on goods
coming from Taiwan - but we are not dealing with Taiwan in this
publication. Mainland China has a record on safety standards which
is not particularly good.

Safety standards seem to be considerably higher in Singapore and
that source is seldom the cause of complaints. The other type of
goods where a high degree of caution is necessary is with all kinds
of electrical goods. Again, one has to admit that safety standards
are not always strictly observed by Far East manufacturers. There
have been some horrific accidents in the past. A woman
electrocuted by a bedside table lamp. A teenager electrocuted
through a set of headphones. Several serious fires caused by
lights on Christmas trees. These are just instance I have read
about myself and there have probably been many others. In each of
these instances the goods came from Taiwan or Hong Kong. If anyone
wants to import electrical goods from the Far East, I strongly
urge that a sample should always be obtained first and checked
against British safety standards.

Hong Kong was, up until recently, famous (or infamous) for the
major part it played in the ivory trade. There were literally
hundreds of small workshops turning out all kinds of hand carved
ivory objects. I wonder if any of them are still in business?
As you will know, there has been an international outcry against
the killing of elephants by ivory poachers and a total ban on trading
in ivory in many parts of the world. If indeed the ivory trade
still flourishes in Hong Kong I suspect it has gone underground.

I think at this point we should devote some attention to Singapore
as a source for items which yield big fat profits. Singapore differs
from other Far East sources in a number of ways. It has a more
orderly and controlled society than the dense sprawl of Hong Kong,
with a lower crime rate and less obvious poverty amongst the lower
paid. Though not as over populated as Hong Kong, it does have a
population of 2.6 million crammed onto a 623 square kilometre island.
Almost all small and medium sized firms in Singapore belong to an
organisation called ASME, which stands for Association of Small
and Medium Enterprises. It serves a similar purpose to the HKTDC
in Hong Kong.

ASME publicises the products it's members have to offer, with a
special emphasis on export. It also provides those interested in
buying from Singapore with a wealth of information. Two other
organisations share in the work of promoting Singapore export.
They are the Singapore Economic Development Board and the Singapore
Trade Development Board. Both these organisations have offices in
many parts of the world. I will give addresses for all three
organisations later. Now I propose to list some Singapore
exporters of the type which may interest you. All the firms I
list are known to be of the highest reputation and I recommend
them with confidence.

NAME: LEONG SOON PLASTIC MFR CO (PTE) LTD

ADDRESS: 1008 Toa Payoh North #05-09/05-16
Singapore 1231

TELEPHONE: 2560530 (3 Lines)
TELEX: RS36177 LSPM
FAX: (65)2538870

Manufacturer/exporter of plastic stationery and mechanical wind-up toys.

NAME: LASERCRAFT TECHNOLOGY PTE LTD

ADDRESS: Block 2019, Bukit Batok Industrial Park A., Street
23#02-260, Singapore 2365

TELEPHONE: 5600866
TELEX: RS24445 TEQUIP
FAX: (65)5623937

Export of desktop publishing equipment.

NAME: TAI SING CORPORATION (PTE) LTD

ADDRESS: 732/734 North Bridge Road, Singapore 0719

TELEPHONE: (60)03-2383666
TELEX: RS 22595 TSTSTS
FAX: (65) 2910974

Manufacturer/exporter/wholesaler of all kinds of toys.

NAME: HUADALI GARMENT MANUFACTURERS PTE LTD

ADDRESS: Block 1008, #05-17/18 Toa Payoh North, Toa Payoh
Industrial Estate, Singapore 1231

TELEPHONE: 2530211
FAX: (65)2530935

Manufacturers/exporters of exclusive mens fashion wear.

NAME: KIMPEX TRADING CO (PTE) LTD

ADDRESS: 1 Kaki Bukit Road 2, #04-03 Eunos Warehouse Complex,
Singapore 1441

TELEPHONE: 743 8182 (3 lines)
TELEX: KIMPEX RS 37448
FAX: 7475010

Manufacturers/exporters of stainless steel ware, aluminium ware,
glassware and ironstone ware.

NAME: CHUAN KEE - UMBRELLA MAKER

ADDRESS: 34 Middle Road, Singapore 0718

TELEPHONE: 3371148
TELEX: RS 55856 FCUM
FAX: 3380735

Manufacturer/exporter of all types of umbrellas.

NAME: GRAND MEDALS JEWELLERS PTE LTD

ADDRESS: #08-12 Chancerlodge Complex, 105 Sims Avenue,
Singapore 1438

TELEPHONE: 7445233 (2 lines)
TELEX: RS 24200 TM NO3609

Manufacturer/exporter of metallic state decoration chains,
ceremonial swords, epaulettes, embroidered badges, trophies, etc.

NAME: SING LEE HANG (PTE) LTD

ADDRESS: #04-12 Kallang Bahru Complex, No.2 Kallang Avenue,
Singapore 1233

TELEPHONE: 2967811
FAX: 2967103

Exporters of calendars, diaries, greeting cards and office
equipment.

All those I have spoken to who have imported goods from Singapore
indicated that their transactions were satisfactory with a high
degree of efficiency and professionalism. 'Reliability' was
the word which was most often used.

Do not neglect mainland China as a Far East source for profitable
items which would sell well in this country. Don't be put off by
the fact that this is a communist country. Nor allow yourself to
be influenced by evidence of recent brutality in that country.
Business is business and if you start excluding countries on their
bad humanitarianism record, you will have to exclude mot of the
countries in South America, most of the countries in Africa and a
large proportion of those in Asia, and several in the Middle East.
China is probably the last bastion of Marxism which is now in it's
death throws and withering all over the world. I am confident that
this isolated giant, which has to feed and clothe over one billion
people, will eventually go the way of all the other communist
tyrannies and revert to a free market system.

In spite of what the geriatric leadership may say, China has already
moved some way towards a free market economy. Just beyond the
border with Hong Kong the Chinese have built vast areas of factories
producing all kinds of consumer goods - goods mainly intended for
the West. But here I will add something which may surprise you.
Most of the capital for this vast enterprise has come from the
capitalist nations under a number of partnership agreements with
the Chinese. Japan, the U.S.A., Britain, France, Germany and many
other capitalist countries have jumped on the bandwagon. They
supply most of the capital, China supplies a vast reservoir of
cheap labour.

Though the range of goods does not yet match that of Hong Kong,
the rate of expansion is such that anything is possible over the
next few years. If you want information on what is currently
available, you can write to the trade attaché at the Chinese Embassy
in London. I believe they are moving shortly so I will not give
the address here, but you will be able to check by ringing Directory
Enquiries. This method does take some time. Perhaps a quicker
way to obtain information would be to contact an organisation here
in the UK. It is called China Trade Corporation (UK) Limited.
They are the UK. representatives for the state run import/export
and foreign trade entity in China. Those who have contacted this
organisation tell me it is best and quickest to 'phone them in the
first instance. Tell them that you are interested in importing
items from China suitable for the mail order trade and ask them to
forward relevant literature. The telephone number is (0623)421220.

We haven't yet mentioned Korea - South Korea that is. This country
performed an economic miracle and has risen to a commercial
prominence which threatens to rival even Japan. Their impressive
hosting of the Olympic Games helped to put this country on the map.
Though a capitalist country, it cannot be considered a democracy.
It has an authoritarian regime backed by the military.
The population is just over forty million. With a large reserve
of cheap, well disciplined labour, it has attracted a lot of
Japanese and American investment. The biggest Korean success
story is in ship building, where they have proved more competitive
than the Japanese. Perhaps not the best Far East source as far
as goods suitable for mail order are concerned, but still well
worth looking at.

This brings me to a very useful source in this country for
information on all Far East sources. A source which can supply
just about every publication available from Taiwan, Hong Kong,
Singapore, mainland China, Korea, etc., and a must for anyone
looking for those fantastic bargains of the king which have already
brought great wealth to certain astute traders. Take careful note
of this name and address. 'Phone or write, enclosing a stamp, and
say which area you are interested in.

IVERNIA (PH)
Trade Guide Publications, 38 Commercial Street, Ystradgynlais,
Swansea, SA9 1JH

TELEPHONE: 0639 842648

This firm is highly recommended.

Earlier in this book I stated that I would give the names and
addresses of useful organisations for the British importer to
know and/or contact. The first of these is the Singapore
organisation, ASME. The formation of ASME marks the first
serious attempt to organise the small and medium sized enterprises
in Singapore into a cohesive and orderly body. The association
was formed under the Societies Act and was formally gazetted on
5th September 1986. Amongst other aims and objectives, ASME
provides overseas importers with information about the offers
of small and medium sized enterprises in Singapore. ASME produces
a beautiful illustrated directory every year and it is possible
for you to obtain this. Don't forget what I aid at the beginning.
Use your best letterhead and type your letter. To obtain this
directory you should write or 'phone the London office of the
Singapore Trade Development Board. So in London it is the.....

Singapore Trade Development Board, 5 Chesham Street, London SW1

Telephone: 071-245-9709

This directory is a mine of information with many colour illustrations.
It is free to bona-fide mail order dealers and importers. It is an
expensive directory so they will not send it out willy nilly.
Try to impress them with your letter and letterhead and show that
you are not an idle curiosity monger.

Next, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. They have a chain
of international offices spanning the globe, each with a highly
experienced staff. The office to help you is the London office.
The address is.......

Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Swire House (Ground Floor),
59 Buckingham Gate, London, SW1 6AJ

Telephone: 071-828-1661

The address of the head office in Hong Kong is.....

Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Great Eagle Centre, 31/F.,
23 Harbour Road, Hong Kong

Just as ASME publishes a yearly directory, so do the HKTDC.
Their directory is called 'Hong Kong Enterprise'. It is a
very large directory containing a vast number of colour photographs
of the merchandise on offer.

The other organisation I said I would mention is EMOTA. This is
generally known to be an organisation to which most of the fat
cats in mail order belong. They do have a lot of connections in
all parts of the world and can put their members in touch with
exporters and importers in just about every country and they can
usually find a source for whatever the member want to import or
export. This service is also available for non-members, but a full
fee is charged.

For those who don't want the hassle of importing from the other side
of the world, EMOTA has contacts among importers based in this
country. Some of them are Chinese merchants with immense experience
of importing from the Far East and they usually give preference
and more sympathetic to EMOTA members. If a member suddenly has
a brain wave about importing some item from the Far East which he
(or she) thinks will be a good seller, he will usually ask the
EMOTA experts for their opinion and assessment before going ahead.

Personally, I believe the benefits of EMOTA membership are so
incredibly good that anyone who can pass the strict screen as to
past ethical conduct should leap at the chance of membership.
Giving no assurance that you will be accepted by them, I give you
the EMOTA address so that you can ask them for details. Address
as follows......

Ethical Mail Order Traders Association, 45 Loscoe Grange, Loscoe,
Derbyshire, DE7 7JY

You will note that the title of this book is also a statement of
fact. The fact that ordinary home-based mail order dealers who
dared move out of the rut sometimes made spectacular amounts of
money from dealing with the Far East. It is a well documented fact
that this form of business activity has produced several wealthy
people including at least one multi-millionaire.

But remember, you should never gamble in business. If you are
tempted to import some particular item, especially the first time
you do it, proceed cautiously, step by step. Be absolutely certain
that the merchandise you intend to import really will sell quickly
and ensure that there will be a demand for it. It is best if you
seek professional advice, at least the first time you import.
EMOTA members always do this as a matter of routine. I know one
man who thought he saw a gap in the market for a good mail order
item available from the Far East. Fortunately for him he checked
with EMOTA before going ahead. They told him that there were
restrictions on the commodity he intended to import and that it
was extremely unlikely that the goods would get through customs.
Needless to say, he abandoned his idea. Be very careful about
importing anything in the food or medicine line from the Far East.
Several items in this category will be refused entry into this
country.

To give an example of what can happen to the inexperienced importer,
I will move away from the Far East for a moment and tell a true story
of a man whose first import into this country was a sizeable order
for a book printed and published in the United States. When the
books arrived they were seized and confiscated by Customs, as
that particular book is banned in this country. I hasten to add
that this book was in no way pornographic or obscene. It did not
deal with the subject of sex at all. For those few starry-eyed
people who still believe that this is a completely free country,
I have to shatter your illusions and inform you that there are a
good many books which are available in genuinely free countries
as the U.S.A., but which are available in genuinely free such as
the U.S.A., but which are unavailable here. Most are banned for
political reasons. If you think that the spycatcher book was an
isolated case, think again. So be careful about the import of books.
Check with some organisation like EMOTA. This unfortunate man did
not bother to check. Both Hong Kong and Singapore print and publish
books which are not available here. There is little chance of them
being allowed into the country.

If you are a beginner in importing from the Far East, I suggest you
start with something easy and straightforward. Start small and order
the minimum quantity. Stay small and move cautiously until you
have mastered all the intricacies and gained experience and
confidence in importing.