Dry 24/7 Nappies In The Uk / Europe

[ronan]

Hello

I am planning to sell the DRY 24/7 nappy here in the UK / Europe.

Currently available as samples in either Medium or Large size.

One of the best nappies available today - DD review here: http://www.dailydiapers.com/content/d_reviews/?origin=select_product&action=view_product&product=425

Please leave a reply if you are interested.

http://www.ebay.co.u...9#ht_521wt_1156

http://www.ebay.co.u...9#ht_521wt_1304

[Baby_Bing]

Do you have any links as to what these actually are? Reviews etc etc.

[ItchyTasty]

Check www.diaperworld.org (aka diaperbook), TONS of reviews on there it's the biggest diaper encyclopedia on the web.

Also Dry 24/7 reviews on here:

http://www.dailydiapers.com/content/d_reviews/?origin=select_product&action=view_product&product=600

http://www.dailydiapers.com/content/d_reviews/?origin=select_product&action=view_product&product=425

http://www.dailydiapers.com/content/d_reviews/?origin=select_product&action=view_product&product=685

[Forced2wet]

Defo interested. Another member has previously bought some back from a trip to the States and they are fantastic.

The medium size do come up quite big.

[diaper50]

Hi

Yes very interested. How much is a case of mediums likely to cost? Plus how much for shipping in the UK?

Thank you.

[ronan]

The prices for cases is still to be decided, the sample packs of nappies are on ebay, but only a few left as they are very popular

I am based in the UK so shipping will be minimal..

[Zander]

Just wondering what others think about these - after all, we have quite a decent range what seem to be rather similar diapers/nappies available at the moment:

The new-ish DryDayz Premium Adult Nappy (i.e. the replacement for the Cuddlz White Adult Nappy) and the Fabine Exclusiv being the obvious two, but

the MoliCare Super Plus, Abena Abri-Form M4, Forma Soft M4, Bambino's and even the Tena Slip Maxi all seem to come into the same zone.

Do the Dry24/7's really give us anything better?

[piggyinnappies]

Probably not although they are a good nappy we often hear Americans complaining they don't have the variety we have. On a cost per nappy basis Abriform are probably the best. £3.00 plus for a dry 24/7 as opposed to less than £1.00 for an Abriform xplus.

[Hookedondiapers]

How did this work out for you? I was considering something similar with another brand that isn't available in the UK.

If you have any tips to share like initial investment cost, VAT registration, etc...

[Zander]

I was considering something similar with another brand that isn't available in the UK.

Why would you care about the issues with regard to the UK given you're in Germany? As long as you're compliant with the German regulations (i.e. paying VAT / tax there) and only shipping "small" quantities to customers in the UK (i.e. you're not bulk exporting tens of thousands) than you'll be covered by the EU agreements around the free movement of goods and services.

As to the UK, I can't offer much advice as I've never run a business before or done any importing of goods other than for personal use, but here goes (obviously verify all this and take it with a big pinch of salt).

1. You don't pay VAT on the first £<something> worth of goods affected by VAT (i.e. sales revenue) - I think this is something like £70,000 but I might be wrong.

2. Importing anything for resale outside the EU can be pretty expensive - particularly if it's from North America. When I looked into it the costs of shipping diapers from the US, they pretty much double (if not more) the cost of the product for anything less than around 1000 packs. Add to that shipping on this side (i.e. to customer), a website to take orders (and/or eBay/Amazon charges), storage etc. and the profit margin looks awfully small.

3. You could probably get a decent discount on 1000+ packs, but remember you'd be tying up a lot of cash in stock - the number one reason small businesses fail is cash flow issues.

4. The market seems small and there is already competition. In the UK we have easy access a number of suppliers of ABDL diapers: Cuddlz, Buntewindle, and if you fancy spending a lot BigBabyFun too. We also have good availability of non-ABDL ones like Tena, id/Euron, Formacare, Molicare etc.

5. I'm not sure of this point, but I don't think the ABDL market in the UK is that big (i.e. no more than single digit thousands of people, and maybe even less than a thousand regular buyers). On the bright side, I expect we're pretty price insensitive bunch on the whole. Hell, If I could get ABU Cushies and SDK's I'd pay upwards of £2/nappy as I much prefer them to Cuddlz, Bambino and Buntewindel. That said, you can't build a business around one person's preference.

UPDATE: ..."Businesses that distance sell into the UK have to register for UK VAT if the value of their distance sales is more than £70,000 in a year." -- http://www.hmrc.gov....to-register.htm

[Hookedondiapers]

Why would you care about the issues with regard to the UK given you're in Germany? As long as you're compliant with the German regulations (i.e. paying VAT / tax there) and only shipping "small" quantities to customers in the UK (i.e. you're not bulk exporting tens of thousands) than you'll be covered by the EU agreements around the free movement of goods and services.

Thanks for the input, Zander, I should have made a few points clearer. I care because I'm moving to the UK this summer. I briefly considered shipping Buntwindel into the UK, until I saw the shipping cost (plus Buntewindels pretty much suck IMO). Funny how shipping to anywhere in the EU from Germany, except the UK is dirt cheap. The price nearly doubles when going in and out of the UK.

As to the UK, I can't offer much advice as I've never run a business before or done any importing of goods other than for personal use, but here goes (obviously verify all this and take it with a big pinch of salt).

1. You don't pay VAT on the first £<something> worth of goods affected by VAT (i.e. sales revenue) - I think this is something like £70,000 but I might be wrong.

   This is what I'm concerned about. There are special rules for incontinent supplies, and no verification is required. I think it would be hard to prove that a good deal of my customers aren't medically incontinent.

2. Importing anything for resale outside the EU can be pretty expensive - particularly if it's from North America. When I looked into it the costs of shipping diapers from the US, they pretty much double (if not more) the cost of the product for anything less than around 1000 packs. Add to that shipping on this side (i.e. to customer), a website to take orders (and/or eBay/Amazon charges), storage etc. and the profit margin looks awfully small.

3. You could probably get a decent discount on 1000+ packs, but remember you'd be tying up a lot of cash in stock - the number one reason small businesses fail is cash flow issues.

Good point, I am considering a distribution partnership, which would allow be to buy at lower than wholesale prices. I hope it isn't 1000 packs minimum, but I have the money to back that if the market can support it.

4. The market seems small and there is already competition. In the UK we have easy access a number of suppliers of ABDL diapers: Cuddlz, Buntewindle, and if you fancy spending a lot BigBabyFun too. We also have good availability of non-ABDL ones like Tena, id/Euron, Formacare, Molicare etc.

I'm looking to supply a brand that isn't available in the UK or anywhere else in Europe

5. I'm not sure of this point, but I don't think the ABDL market in the UK is that big (i.e. no more than single digit thousands of people, and maybe even less than a thousand regular buyers). On the bright side, I expect we're pretty price insensitive bunch on the whole. Hell, If I could get ABU Cushies and SDK's I'd pay upwards of £2/nappy as I much prefer them to Cuddlz, Bambino and Buntewindel. That said, you can't build a business around one person's preference.

Another good point. It seems that the UK market is either really big, or has a really big voice. I see alot of UK posts on many boards. I've lived there before, and know that the British are pretty liberated when it comes to topics of a sexual or lifestyle nature. For a small country, there are a large amount of AB/DL shops and nurseries.

UPDATE: ..."Businesses that distance sell into the UK have to register for UK VAT if the value of their distance sales is more than £70,000 in a year." -- http://www.hmrc.gov....to-register.htm

Overall, this is why I asked the question. I was hoping to hear from someone who has tried it and what kind of success they had. I have seen alot of posts that say "I'm going to start selling x...", then never see anyting about it again. I wonder if they got scared when they saw the investment required, or if they just couldn't sell anything.

I do appreciate your information, though - it gives me some insight on the VAT, which I was worried about.

[Zander]

From what I understand on the VAT issue, you don't have to do anything with regard to checking if the individual is medically incontinent (or not) unless you are shipping more than 200 diapers to them in a given order. Its a loophole, but from what I can see you'd be fine if you limit any single order to no more than 200 diapers. You wouldn't need to pay any VAT as long as diapers were the only product you were selling at that point.