Importing stock to sell online in the UK

Start with the selling price

Cost the stock as a shipment, then test the economics of each sale. The supplier’s unit price is only one part of the decision. A product with a comfortable headline markup can leave little after import and fulfilment costs.

Build the landed cost

Use two views: the amount you expect to spend to get stock ready for sale, and the cost of making each sale. Keep the VAT cash requirement visible without automatically making recoverable VAT a permanent cost.

Inputs to collect

• Supplier unit cost, quantity and currency.
• Freight, insurance, clearance and inland delivery quotations.
• Your confirmed product-specific duty and VAT assumptions.
• Real marketplace fees, packaging, outbound postage and expected returns.
• A sales price stated consistently with the VAT treatment.

Test the deal before ordering

Start with the official import checklist for the route and goods. Check the supporting documents before dispatch. Enter costs in the profit calculator using one product and one tax treatment at a time. Read the assumptions, then test a lower sales price and a higher refund rate. Save both outputs so the buying decision reflects more than the best case.

Worked margin

Costs sellers miss

• Spreading shipment costs over units that are not actually sellable.
• Comparing a VAT-inclusive selling price with VAT-exclusive revenue.
• Ignoring fixed order fees on low-priced goods.
• Using an optimistic sell-through assumption without a cash buffer.

Before you buy

Product controls, classification, origin, valuation, VAT recovery and marketplace fees need separate confirmation. The current model assumes each imported unit is sold once; it is not a stock-management or forecasting system.