Infectious Diseases, Termites, and Insect Damage

When importing animls, furnitures, foods and plant seeds, they may suffer infectious diseases, termites or insect damages. Sometimes those can be stopped at customs, and thay become big problems after imported.
There could be termites themselves and the eggs in imported furniture or timbers etc.
Foreign termites in imported goods are not easy to detected immediately, but they wield the violence after breeding themselves sevral years.
Those foreign species are not controlled by the traditional methods that are effective for domestic species. So, those are major threat for houses etc.
There could become major problems since bacteria and parasites attached to the imported animals spread into domestic animals. There are many examples alien species breed rapidly that came to Japan, they break the domestic ecosystem.
If they are harmful to human, criticism of importers will be also becoming severe.
It could be the big issue if infectious diseases or insects are found in foods, animals, or furnitures to be imported, and those goods are stopped by custom.
You not only can not import those goods, but also must check all goods that you have imported before and have to recover them if necessary.
The importers should check that there shouldn't be any risks about infectious diseases, termites or insect damages. They need to act quickly if problems occur. It is also recommended to take out insurance as needed.

*Return to Import Business in Actuality

Import and Charm

Import Formalities
Generally, import is to buy goods in foreign coountries to sell or use in the domestic country. Since we bring goods from abroad, we ust have procesures in accordance with the customs law etc.
Regulation of Imports
Every day, various things have been imported from abroad. Daily life goods, animals, industrial products and other wide-ranging goods are imported. Many things close to us and used in everyday life are imported goods.
Longing for Overseas
There are many people who feel the longing to overseas by the images in films, television or memories of travels. They would feel the overseas atmosphere in their everyday lives.
Import and Sale of Branded Goods
People like brands. Importing to sell branded goods will be such a profitable business model that could meet the needs who love brands.
Cost Reduction
There are a lot of inexpensive goods sold in abroad than those manufactured in our country. There is a variety of features depending on countries, such as low-labor-cost, rich in resources, with plenty of water, a valt land, etc.

Risk of Import

Quality Troubles
There are some variety of risks to import goods from overseas. Quality problems of imported goods is a big risk for the trader to import and sell the product. Reducing the risk of quality problems is a very important skill for the importers.
Infectious Diseases, Termites, and Insect Damage
When importing animls, furnitures, foods and plant seeds, they may suffer infectious diseases, termites or insect damages. Sometimes those can be stopped at customs, and thay become big problems after imported.
Stock, Supply Risk
If you import goods from abroad, the stock of the product can be big, and there sometimes could be supply shortage compared to domestic production goods. The importers should understand the supply risk and stok risk well, and take countermeasures in advance.
Foreign Exchange and Political Risks
Sales of products imported from overseas are affected by changes of foreign currency and political situation. When exchange rate changes rapidly and import prices are increased, the sales will affected. Imports can be stopped depending on the political situation.
Reputational Risk
Sometimes products imported from abroad and sold do not sell at all suddenly for rumors. Once imported foods became a problem, sales of other imported foods can drop significantly, or can affect unexpected fields.

Practice and Future

Parallel Imports and Authorized Agent
If you are to import foreign products and sell into domestic market, you have roughly two ways. One it make a regular agency contracts with suppliers that produce the goods. Another is purchase the goods in foreign country and sell by the parallel imports.
Local Subsidiary and Production
Importing products that are already in overseas is not only business. It is also be good business to go overseas, make local subsidiaries, purchase proactively, make manufacturing plants and do productsion.
Import and Internet
With the development of Internet, all commerce are about to change significantly. As well as those involved in the import business, it is important to think the impact of the Internet and to take advantage of it.
International Exchange
Import is the act to carry products in foreign countries because it is intended to be sold and used in domestic. So to speak, the import is the international exchange by products. Because this is international exchange, images and connection of people are very important.
Realization of Longing
By importing DVDs, novels, paintings, films and television dramas, foreign cultures are coming into the country. By touching many cultures, people feel longing for foreign countries. Longing generates consumer appetite of foreign goods.