Blog Posts

BALLYHOO BURNY PLUSH TOY SHIPPING & IMPORT TAX & DUTIES

2nd May 2019

As I wait for my chosen company to produce the sample of my Burny plush toy, I've asked them for the shipping costs for 100 plush toys from their factory, via Hong Kong, to my door and got quite a shock as to how much it would cost. US$670 for 3 cartons measuring 62cm x 52cm x 54cm & weighing 7.5kg each. I suppose, dividing that by 100, it would cost more than US$6.70 to ship one plush toy to another country. But that shipping cost was almost as much as the production costs of 100 plush toys, so that has now doubled my cost before knowing what I would be charged on Import Tax & Duties into New Zealand.

I phoned Customs NZ for a chat. I would be importing "Toys" so the Duty charged would be 0.05% of the total value of the plush toys. Plus, 15% GST on the original value of the plush toys, PLUS 15% GST on the freight/shipping cost!

Plus and "Entry Fee" (Import Clearance) of NZ$52.67 would mean that it will cost me $418.73 and that's if Customs charge this as an overall price for the 3 cartons. It will cost much more than that if they charge for each carton, so I've got to make sure that all 3 cartons are charged as one.

As the original value of my plush toys is over NZ$1000, I also to apply for a "Client Code" and have to pay between NZ$60 to NZ$100 for Custom (Freight) Clearance, either by the shipping company if they do it, or an agent. So I'll be talking with my chosen Chinese company to see if we can work on the "original value" of my plush toys, so as to avoid the Customs Clearance charge!

Suddenly my Burny plush isn't so cheap! But if I had paid what the company in Florida were going to charge me (see my last Blog), there would be no room for selling at even a small profit. But even now, all these extra charges are a reality check!

I've got to compete with the super cheap plush toys that are produced in their thousands and sold directly from the Chinese manufacturing company onto Amazon and other online shopping platforms. And yet, I look at Trade Me, Amazon, ebay, Shopify, etc and see hundreds of plush toys selling for over US$30 and they're better quality than the super cheap soft toys, so that's where my market will be.

Will I be able to sell my 'Ballyhoo Burny' 30" plush toy for NZ$45, AUS$43, £23, €27, US$30 plus shipping? I've seen lots of companies charge way more than this for the same size soft toy and also lots of companies that charge the same price I might be charging, but don't mention the size, but I know they're tiny little 10cm toys because I see the quality and size of the stitching. Heck, I've even seen plush keyrings selling for US$30+, so yes, I believe there's a market for me out there. If I'm ever questioned on my pricing for Burny as a soft toy, at least I can always send them here to read Blog 9 as way of explanation, lol!

But as a gift or collectable, I believe the price I'm having to start with for a 'Ballyhoo Burny' plush toy is reasonable & fair. Fingers crossed.

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