[asher]

Hi there,

I'm wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences?

I import clothing (factory seconds, overruns, etc) so it's obviously not thru the authorised channel.

Technically in my country it's illegal to do this without the consent of the trademark holder, and for obvious reasons I've been having some problems with customs detaining my shipments.

Theres lots of ways of getting around this,

One for example is if the product imported isn't for resale but for personal use then the trademark laws do not apply.

However at the moment I'm not having any luck.

I know alot of people in the states do this (Check EBAY for designer clothing)
and from viewing several different countries customs websites (incl the us customs website) it seems that these same laws apply there too!

So I'm quite perplexed as to how people are continuing to do this!

Any advice? I'd love to employ someone in the states to source designer clothing for me, Barstow outlet centre and Primm Valley, NV are two great places I would be interested in purchasing from...

Obviously these aren't true wholesalers but "outlets" still a great way to source designer clothing at great prices, without having to go thru the big deal of being an authorised dealer...

[GriZzly]

There is a good reason you are having difficulty exporting to any country of importance...because what you are doing is not only highly illegal but against any form of business ethics and morals. It is always a businesses aim to beat their competition, but selling theirmerchandisein this way is below the belt, I am glad you are struggling to do this because this is exactly the kind of thing that ruins legitimate businesses. Can I ask what country you are from?

[Wowzerz]

You're a bootlegger. Everyone you see doing it is having your same issues. Eventually you'll realize that the money you spend on customs or on returns from pissed off customers is going to run you into the ground. Stop while you're ahead - trust me. It'll never last. Build a real business you can be truly proud of and actually feel good about marketing.

[blueeyebrit]

Wouldn't it only be bootlegging if the goods were genuine and/or stolen? The impression I get is that he's selling seconds (not counterfeit) goods, in which case it's surely no different to an op-shop or a seconds factroy (which most labels have anyway).

[GriZzly]

I think bootlegging is actually reproducing an existing copyrighted product and then selling it as the genuine article. About what he is doing, yes there is nothing wrong with a company making a relationship with a third party to sell their excess and deads. "I import clothing (factory seconds, overruns, etc) so it's obviously not thru the authorised channel." This gives me the impression that either the manager of one of the factories or one of the workers is going against company policy and smuggling out the goods, in which case it is theft (but this is based solely on my interpretation of that quote and should not be viewed as an accusation).