Hi everyone, I'm looking at starting up an online store that sells wedding-related products in NZ. I've been doing lots of research but I have several questions that if someone knowledgeable on here could answer I'd really appreciate it!
1. Most of the suppliers I've found that have products I'd like to buy to on-sell are from the US. But they require a tax ID number or reseller's license - what is that and how can I get one in NZ?
2. A family friend told me that to get anywhere in business in NZ when you want to sell products online, you need to buy direct from China or somewhere in Asia because most products sold on US websites are bought from China anyway and it would be cheaper buying from China, would you say that is true? If so, why can't I find any of these products on Chinese sites. I would feel more comfortable buying from the likes of momentsofelegance.com or rosemary wedding company and those kind of sites than Asian sites, which sounds bad but on this forum I've read so many horror stories from people trying to buy from Chinese suppliers!
3. I haven't started anything yet, just researching at this stage. What would you say the first few things I need to do are, when setting up as a sole trader? (Get an accountant? Sort a loan for initial product purchases? Sort out if I need to register for GST? Contact the IRD? Get a customs broker? it's all quite bewildering!)
Any advice would be most appreciated.
Thanks,
Katie