| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| marigold |
Another business idea (selling pressure canners)This one is (possibly) for me . One of my close friends is (probably) going to work in the US for a couple of years and we're wondering about possible very small business ideas that could benefit from having her there and me here. E.g. Importing items such as pressure canners for sale in the UK. Presumably this would involve a humungous amount of red tape, but I have another friend who may be able to help with that...
This is just a tiny germ of an idea at present, but if anyone has any thoughts or suggestions (or warnings off!) I'd be grateful. Are there any other difficult-to-get bits of kitchen kit that people would be interested in buying if they were available in the UK? I'm thinking in terms of supplementing a main income rather than making a living from this, but it needs to be profitable. |
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| Andrea |
Excellent idea! I'd buy one
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| BahamaMama |
I would have thought it would be best to avoid any electrical appliances as the voltage is different I think. | ||||||
| marigold |
Good point, pressure canners are stove-top thingys so they should be OK to use anywhere. I was thinking (vaguely, as yet) of traditional homesteading supplies, so that would probably exclude electricals anyway. |
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| judith |
Just about anything from here, then. |
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| Penny Outskirts |
Please do it now Marigold - some of those things are wonderful!!!!
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| marigold |
I'm trying to get out of the door to go and buy some canes for my runner beans and you point me to retail heaven!!   . Maybe I should just ask them for a franchise to open a UK operation...
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| judith |
 Sorry.
Do it!!! |
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| frewen |
I want one of the butter crocks - and I suspect Gil will too 
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| RichardW |
To be realy cost effective you need to import a container load at a time. Individual delivery costs & losses due to damage will eat into profits. Dont forget VAT & import duties. Some goods / countries have them & some dont.
Justme |
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| mochyn |
Wonderful, isn't it? Always makes me think of Lake Wobegon, and Amish settlements
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| marigold |
Realistically it's probably not something I could do - I need a very small-scale enterprise that I can do on a very part-time basis. If it was feasible to import, say, 20 or 30 canners and eBay them for reasonable profit I'd give it a try. | ||||||
| Pel |
At the moment it would be a good idea whilst the pound is strong against the dollar. Once it goes up though, probably won't be worth it, as the import duties and taxs are quite high (well on dresses they are). Sounds like a good idea though. | ||||||
| lottie |
Lehmans shipping costs to the U.K. are horrendous--so if you could ship stuff across cheaper to sell I'm sure there would be a niche market---I'm lucky as I can order stuff to go to my daughters in the U.S. and she brings it when they visit. | ||||||
| Bebo |
I've been looking around for a pressure canner for the last few weeks. It would be great to be able to get one from the UK (looks like I'm going to have to get one sent from the good old US of A). | ||||||
| snozzer |
Perhaps I could help as I am in the states every 4 weeks. I often have things delivered to my hotel and then pop them in my suitcase. | ||||||
| frewen |
Well if an order starts I'd be very grateful if I could put the butter keeper on it
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| Nick |
I speak from experience when I say placing a large metal cylinder in a suitcase interests the US customs guys. Especially as I'd filled mine with glass bottles of liquid and electrical wiring. They left me a nice note inside to say they'd checked it out. Not an issue, I guess, but don't lock your suitcase if you do ship one, unless it's with a US approved lock. |
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| lottie |
You definitely won't get a pressure canner in a suitcase 
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| Nick |
I did. | ||||||
| alison |
so did I.
I got a smoker in mine one year.
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| lottie |
I have fetched both a big pressure canner and a very big water canner back----no problem with the long haul luggage allowance---but neither would have fitted in my [enormous] suitcase---I suppose it depends what size you get----or what shaped suitcase
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| snozzer |
last year I brought back 2 turkey fryers in their boxes, hilarous moments at check-in but no big problem as I get a larger allowance for being a frequent flyer | ||||||
| sally_in_wales |
Thats very kind Snozzer, I may take you up on that, I have to get spare needles for my sock machine from the States and the post office customs charge is usually half the value of the needles by the time they finish, all for a package smaller than a few playing cards, really makes me cross, don't mind paying the import duty per se, but that wretched post office charge on top is just silly. |