Importers purchase foreign goods and services to resell in their home country, covering expenses and transportation costs. They may act as agents for foreign companies and receive a commission. Importing covers a wide range of goods and services, including textiles and food products. Importers may specialize in niche markets, such as works of art. They work within the rules of both countries involved and aim to minimize illegal import activity.
Importers are individuals or businesses that purchase goods and services produced in a foreign country and resell those goods or services in the importer’s home country. As is true of any retail situation, the importer will sell the imported products at rates that cover all expenses associated with the initial purchase, any applicable tariffs, and the transportation costs required to ship the goods into the country.
In some cases, the importer acts as an agent for a company from another country that wishes to enter the retail market in the importer’s home nation. In this case, the importer does not purchase the products outright. Rather, the importer arranges for the goods to be shipped to the country, arranges for temporary storage, and handles all the details associated with purchasing and delivering them to consumers. In exchange for his efforts, the importer receives a commission from the manufacture of the imported goods.
Importing is the opposite of exporting. With exports, goods are produced in a particular country and shipped to other countries for sale and consumption. From this point of view, exporters are people and companies who work with importers to supply and sell goods in whichever country the importer resides.
Almost all types of goods and services can be supplied by importers. Two of the prime examples of import activity in the United States involve the acceptance of textiles and food products manufactured and packaged in other countries. Importers are often able to supply goods of this nature for less than what could be produced in the United States, making them highly attractive to a large segment of consumers.
Importers can also function in niche markets. For example, an importer may specialize in the protection and resale of works of art produced by artists from other countries. The importer arranges for the sale and shipment of the items with the seller, receives and stores the items once they arrive, and then sells the imported goods to consumers.
For the most part, importers work within the rules set by both the country where the products and services are produced and the country where the products are shipped for sale. This may involve understanding the customs laws of both countries involved, as well as correctly calculating any applicable tariffs or other charges. These legitimate importers tend to work with government and law enforcement agencies to minimize the amount of illegal import activity that occurs in many places around the world.
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