Small Jewelry Biz

[jarias14]

Hello,

I am interested in importing handmade jewelry made from coral,
abalone, and sea shells from Central America. I have no idea of where
to start. I will travel to Central America to select and get the
jewelry, but when I come back to the US, I am not sure if I will have
to pay some sort of taxes or if they will even allow me to enter the
US with the merchandise. Once I have the merchandise in the US, do I
need to create a LLC in order to sell the merchandise or could I sell
it under my own name? I intent to sell in large quantities to stores,
not directly to customers.

It would be wonderful if you provide me with some guidance as I do not
have much money to invest in the legal aspect of the business.

Thank you!!

Jorge

[FSB Moderator]

Hello Jorge,

To learn more about importing and setting up your own business, your
best bet is to check with the Florida Small Business Development
Center nearest you. The SBDCs are not-for-profit organizations funded
by the U.S. Small Business Administration and Florida's colleges and
universities. They offer free or inexpensive classes as well as one-on-
one counseling. Here is a link to the list of Florida SBDCs.

www.floridatrend.com/small_biz-article.asp?aID=50577

or

www.floridasbdc.com

To get you started, though, go to the Florida SBDC page on
international programs. In the section on Training, click on the link
that says Trade Florida Primer. Scroll down to page 59 of the document
and you'll find information on importing.

www.floridasbdc.com/DocumentMaster.aspx?doc+2958

You might also check with the Florida Department of Revenue on the tax
issue. Go to www.myflorida.com/dor or call their tax line at
800-352-3671.

As far as setting up an LLC or doing business as a sole proprietor,
the SBDC can help you with that. But in general, if you sell under
your own name as a sole proprietor, you are personally liable for
taxes, expenses, etc. If you are a sole proprietor but sell under a
name that is a bit different than your own full name -- say you called
it Jorge's Jewelry -- you would need to file a fictitious name
registration with the Florida Department of State, Division of
Corporations. You can find more information at www.sunbiz.org.

Good luck!

Barbara Miracle
FloridaSmallBusiness.com